Seventy Seven Broadway

"I love. I have loved. I will love." - The Time Travellers Wife

2010-06-09T15:35:00.002+01:00

Indefinite Hiatus

Incase anyone was wondering where I had disappeared to, I'm taking an indefinite hiatus from Seventy Seven Broadway. My life is a mess at the moment, the boy and I split after three years and I've had to leave my whole life behind and try and start a new one. I haven't the emotional stability at the moment to keep a pleasant reading blog. I miss it, I do. But hey, we all have shit to deal with and i don't want other people to have to deal with my shit.

This is goodbye for now.

Not forever.

I promise.

http://iwilllove.tumblr.com
because sometimes it's better to say things in quotes and cliches.

April 2010 Snapshot

2010-05-05T19:01:00.004+01:00

Was it me or did April really just fly? I had an incredibly busy month though so that could be why. I spent most of it working two jobs, the boy started full time on night shift, my best friend came to stay, I party hard and I worked harder... then before I knew it, it was May already! I don't think I realized it was May until the 3rd! I'm hoping May is a more relaxed month, I really need to get back to blogging properly, I have so much to say and just not enough time to do it in!

Photo taken Newcastle Quayside, 24/4/10

Listening...Boys Like Girls, Frank Turner, Ke$ha & Violent Femmes

Reading...The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Still, like I said I've been ridiculous busy)

Watching...Too many Zachary Quinto youtube videos, thanks to my friend Namu.

Buying...A new bathmat and a MAC lipstick.

Wanting... To go back to NYC.

Trying... To have a life around my new job.

Loving.. Nights out with my friends, posh meals with my parents

Planning... well, making plans for what to do next year.

Making.... more time to spend with my boyfriend.

Writing... Still nothing really.

Cooking... for one since the boy is always on night shift.

Inspired by... Little J in Gossip Girl.

Four months of the year gone already, what is everyone looking forward to in May?

Film Review #8 'Clash of the Titans'

2010-05-04T20:45:00.003+01:00

"The Clash of the Titans" is set in the Greek city of Argos where a war is about to explode between man and the gods. Perseus (Sam Worthington) raised as a fisherman, but is actually a demi-god. Perseus is the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) who is about to take on the gods after the death of his family. Zeus' brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) was the one who killed his family, and Perseus wants to kill him. However, it is Perseus's destiny to rescue the city of Argos from the ruthless rage of Hades and his Kraken monster. With nothing to lose, Perseus leads a band of soldiers on a quest to defeat the Kraken. In doing this, Perseus will prevent Hades from overthrowing Zeus and in turn destroying mankind." Plot taken from imdb.com

Last Tuesday, the boy and I finally got a day off together so we ventured to the local cinema. I really wanted to see the new Ellen Page film, Whip It but sadly they weren't showing it anymore! We also fancied Cemetery Junction but the only showing wasn't for another few hours so we settled on Clash of the Titans because I'm such a Greek Mythology geek.

We decided to see it in 3D because it was the fact it was Tuesday and tickets were cheap but to be perfectly honest I probably would of enjoyed it as much without it being in 3D. There was nothing that made it particular spectacular in 3D like seeing a cartoon or something like Avatar or Alice in Wonderland. So anyone who does go and see it, don't bother paying extra for the 3D, it's not worth it.

I'd heard a lot of mixed reviews about the film, initially had had bombed at the box office in the US, but when it was released here it became a huge hit. This is what made me curious enough to go see it. As i've mentioned above I'm a huge Greek Mythology Geek, it all stems from my upbringing and the sort of films my father loved like the original Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts, even up to modern films such as Troy. I loved all the stories and I've even read The Iliad and The Odyssey , however, this retelling of Clash of the Titans (and the original to an extent but since the review isn't concerning the original I'll not go into it) was so away from the original story it's unreal. Of course this doesn't necessarily make it a bad movie, take Disney's Hercules for instant that is nothing like the real story of Hercules but it's still a good movie. But still at some points I couldn't help think "where are they going with this?" Apart from that, it wasn't a bad movie. Lots of action, it was humorous in parts, and Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes made excellent brothers as Zeus and Hades.

I'll admit that I doubt I'll sit through it again for the following reasons, some of the acting was pretty bad though as were the special effects. The whole movie had a gray wash over it which made it pretty dark, so unless there was some kind of action going on I found my mind wandering. It was just a huge mish mash of random information the writers must of made up. The boy loved it though, and since he studied Media and Film I guess it must of appealed to some audiences.

Best Moment: The fight with the giant scorpions.
Best Line: 'don't look that bitch in the eye' - Perseus
Would Recommend For: No one really.. cause it wasn't anything great.
Rating: 4/10

It's Twitter Time

2010-04-28T12:56:00.004+01:00

Hello there!

I love summer clothes & pink lemonade in the afternoon.

I am hopefully back for good to the wonderful world of blogging. I've taken some time out to try and get away with my new job and deal with the boy being on night shift. I've had to do a lot of juggling but I'm real happy with my new job! I've also spent time partying, spending time with friends, going out for meals with my parents and starting a new skin regime, I will have the porcelain skin that the drunk woman insisted I had on Monday at work.

I've been thinking about life a lot lately, and what direction I want to go in. I have some plans I am wanting to put into motion as soon as I have this saving down to an art. I'm hoping 2011 will be the year of great Adventures. We'll see!

In the mean time, it's about time I got hooked up to the real world! So...

"So this is love, So this is what makes life divine." - Cinderella

2010-04-20T15:52:00.013+01:00

I am so sorry to my dear followers, for my insane lack of entries over the past few weeks. My life is incredibly hectic at the moment and all I want to do is chill in the evening. I don't even have the power to concentrate! And I like to have all my blog entries to have a delicious meaning or point so I've just had to leave them until I have a spare hour or so. Today, luckily, I have some time.

I want to share some beautiful images I found on Copious Couture, the other week. I want to say firstly, I have no idea if these were real photo shoots or just edited, also I take no credit for them. They're just lovely and I really want to share them with you all.

As any dedicated follower of Seventy Seven Broadway will know, I'm a total sucker for Disney and Fairytales so these pictures really intrigued me. They're cleverly done and include some celebrities recreating scenes from Disney Movies. I wish I was rich and famous because this is something I would love to do.

Firstly, J Lo and Marc Antony as Aladdin & Jasmine.
Can you see Agrabar down the corner?

& Whoopi Goldburg as the Genie.

Jessica Biel as Pocahontas, I love that John Smith's boat is in the background.

Julia Andrews as the Blue Fairy from Pinochio & Abigal Breslin as Fira from Disney Faires.
Two of my fav actresses.

Gisele Bundchen as Wendy, Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan

& Tina Fey as Tinker Bell.

Julianne Moore as Ariel

I'd love to be in this one. I love Ariel.

Randomly, David Beckham is Prince Philip.
I do like that it does look like Sleeping Beauty's castle in the background.

Zac Efron as Prince Philip & Vanessa Hudgens as Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.

Beyonce as Alice, Lyle Lovett as March Hare

& Oliver Platt as Mad Hatter.

Rachel Weiz as Snow White, doesn't she look perfect?

Scarlett Johanson as Cinderella.
I love how the castle is identical to the one in Disney World.

The final two are my favourites. I think it's because I love the Disney Princesses more than nearly all the other characters. They also rank up there with my favourite movies. Also Scarlett and Rachel just look perfect in the costumes and settings.

So who is your favourite Disney character and which celebrity do you think would look good as them? And which of these lovely photos is your favourite?

Hope everyone enjoys their Tuesday evening, I'm off to Ask for tea with the boy, before he heads to bed as he's back to Nightshift tomorrow! Much love x

“I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist.” - Tammy Faye Bakker

2010-04-13T20:20:00.002+01:00

Check it out, it's my selling part of my blog to try and raise some money for our Florida trip in November. I'll be adding to it quite often so follow follow follow!

I hope everyone is having a nice Tuesday, I was really upset that the weather wasn't half as nice today when it was my day off! Much love x

Film Review #8 'Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang'

2010-04-12T13:41:00.004+01:00

"In Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, Oscar®-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson returns to the role of the magical nanny who appears when she’s needed the most and wanted the least in the next chapter of the hilarious and heartwarming fable that has enchanted children around the world.

In the latest installment, Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother, Mrs. Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. But once she’s arrived, Nanny McPhee discovers that Mrs. Green’s children are fighting a war of their own against two spoiled city cousins who have just moved in and refuse to leave.

Relying on everything from a flying motorcycle and a statue that comes to life to a tree-climbing piglet and a baby elephant who turns up in the oddest places, Nanny McPhee uses her magic to teach her mischievous charges five new lessons." - Plot taken from uk.hollywood.com

I am in the middle of writing this weeks Sunday Self Secrets but it's taking longer than I thought, so here instead is a review of Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang which I saw with my mum last Wednesday. The first one is my mum's favourite feel good movie. Whenever she feels alone (which is a lot now we're all grown up and my dad works away from home) she sits and watches it then texts me and my sister to say she's watched it. So of course when I heard there was to be a sequel I asked my mum to come and visit so we could go and see it together. For me it's been a long time since I watched the first one so I couldn't remember much about what Nanny McPhee does but I still enjoyed it.

I originally thought it was an all British cast much like what they tried to do with Harry Potter so I was surprised when Maggie Gyllenhaal walked onto the screen as Mrs Green, but I can say I was pleasantly surprised. You could tell she wasn't really British but she was fun, energetic and reminded me much of what my mother was like when I was growing up. She grated on me so much in The Dark Knight but she was great as Mrs Green, however she loses a point for being married to the beautiful Ewan Mcgregor. Emma Thomson was of course her usual excellent self as Nanny McPhee. She is so diverse and plays such excellent roles, I would definitely have to say she's one of my favourite British actresses. Rhys Ifans plays the bad guy, although he's more funny than bad, which is what he should be in a kids film. Ralph Fiennes makes a brief appearance playing a hard nut uncle. Now onto the kids, who are of course the whole hinge of Nanny McPhee films. I still can't decide if I liked them better than the kids in the original Nanny McPhee film. I did love Cyrill and Celia's back story and the youngest one Vincent was really sweet. Their acting was excellent. I always find it so surprising that every other child star in a film can act so much better than the kids in Harry Potter.

Overall the film was enjoyable, no doubt my mother will be adding it to her feel good films list when it's out on dvd and I'll end up watching it every time I'm home for Christmas. The only bad point for me was the fact I went to see it on an Orange Wednesday during a school holiday. It was an absolute nightmare with a kid talking right through it next to my mum (who said she loved that but I think it's due to her working in a preschool) and a kid behind me kicking my chair. Apart from that it was a light hearted, easy to watch childrens film. The story was easy to follow, the characters likeable but it was something a bit to young to fully enjoy. It was quite predictable, but then hey, what children's films aren't?

Best Moment: The end, both my mum and I got choaked up.
Best Line: 'Small C, Big P" - Nanny McPhee
Would Recommend For: Children, the young at heart
Rating: 5/10

“It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis” - Margaret Bonnano

2010-04-10T15:23:00.002+01:00

The other day I received a surprise parcel in the post, that's always exciting, isn't it? I was happy to find it was a necklace from my best friend's store Jewellery Ever After. She's just started up her own shop making Disney inspired jewellery and this was my favourite necklace so far.

By now, anyone who has been with me from the beginning knows of my love for all things Alice in Wonderland inspired so this necklace is perfect. It's in brass which for me is excellent as I have no brass jewellery as of yet. Incase you can't see well it consists of an "Alice" charm with a tiny blue bow hanging from it. The chain itself measures aprox 20cms but as you can see from the picture it hangs perfectly below the collar bone.

There are more designs in her store and I know she' has more ideas in the works. I think these pieces are perfect if you can't afford Disney Couture but you want some fairytale esq anyway, they're only a fraction of the price! I know how much work she puts into her ideas and designs (I've helped when I've been visiting) and I can honestly say if I didn't even know here I'd probably be buying them anyway, since I can never afford Disney Couture unless it's a gift! She'll also be happy to customise an order to your liking.

You can buy Jewellery Ever After designs on Etsy & Folksy, so you can choose to pay in $$ or ££.

If anyone else would like me to promote their jewellery or any other creations, please feel free to send me an email. In the mean time please check out Jewellery Ever After and tell me what your favourite piece is!

Dish #5 Greek

2010-04-06T23:13:00.003+01:00

Finally a day off and I feel I have so much to blog about! I've decided to do another recipe for my project tonight, we're up to dish five my Around the World in 80 Dishes project and I have another three to write about. Hope everyone is enjoying them so far. The other night the boy and I took a little trip to Greece to reminise about our first holiday together to Rhodes. Whenever we went to Rhodes town we lived on Pita Gyros as they were only 1E a pop, bargin when you're on a budget it (and trust me we were on a very very tight budget, about 30E to spend per day!). They worked out perfectly apart from the fact I accidently burnt the pitas, I know better for next time.

The gyro is derived from the Turkish kebab and it's traditionally served in pita bread with meat, chips, tomato, onion and tzatziki. The meat is of course the same as that of a donar kebab but when making it at home I just chopped small slices of meat and marinated them in a similar sauce. Usually it's pork or lamb but I used chicken since that is what we had in Greece. I have altered the recipe to make something quick and easy that I can prepare in advance and quickly pull together after work. Enjoy (we sure did!)

Dish number 5, Pita Gyros with chicken.

These would of looked so much more appetizing if I had made it so the pitas were still soft and didn't break when I stuffed them. Ideally I wish I'd used larger pitas but the boy and I usually tend not to spend excess on bread stuffs. Anyway, ingredients.

This is actually only half the ingredients as a large bulk of the ingredients needed are all herbs and spices which I will list later. The other ingredients that are pictured here are potatoes for the chips. You can of course use frozen if you're really in a rush. Pita breads, like I mentioned before I really wish I had bought larger ones and I plan to do so next time. One onion, one lemon, some black pepper and some greek yoghurt. The last three items are for the tzatzki like dressing but again for quickness you could use actual tzatzki or if you really want to you could just use mayo it tastes just as good. Not pictured is the fact I used chicken. I don't remember why I didn't photo the chicken but I know I used 3 chicken breasts to make the amount for two people. You can go more authentic and use lamb or pork cut into strips I really don't think it makes a difference to the recipe because of the marinate I used. You could even use beef if you wanted.

As I mentioned before even though there isn't many main ingredients to make gyros but to make the marinate you need a few more. I was lucky and had all of these in the cupboard so I didn't have to go out and buy anything. Herbs and Spices tend to be quite cheap and last for a while. Aldi and Lidl usually have them for about 49p a pot for some of the more common ones like basil, paprika ect and they also sell grinder ones for about 99p, that's where I got my garlic from. For the base of the marinate I used extra virgin olive oil. The herbs I used were mixed and extra rosemary. The spices I used were cumin, tumeric, cayenne pepper, chilli powder & paprika. I also added some salt, pepper and dry garlic. So let's get cooking!

Firstly, pour a generous amount of oil into a bowl and stir in the herbs and spices mentioned in the ingredients. Give it a good stir until everything is mixed together.

Add the chicken and cover in the marinate. Then put in the fridge for a few hours to ensure the marinate has soaked through the chicken giving it good flavouring throughout.

Next peel the potatoes and chop into chip shape. Put them into a pan with water and bring to the boil. Cook them until they've started to go soft. Then drain them.

Take the marinated chicken out the fridge and place on a tin foil covered tray. Put the chips onto another tin foil covered tray and place them both in the oven.

Chop some onions into thin strips. Then add some oil to a frying pan and add the onions. Fry on a low heat until they're soft and translucent.

Remove the chicken from the over just before it's done and add to the frying pan. Mix around until the spices cover both the onion and the chicken.

Leave the chicken and onion on very low heat and start preparing the dressing. Mix a few spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt with some lemon juice and black pepper.

Heat the pita breads. I used our George because the chips were still in the oven on high heat and we don't have a toaster.

Finally assemble the gyro. I spread the dressing onto the pitta then added a spoonful of the chicken and onions and topped with chips. Then serve.

If you'd like to offer a country for me to create a recipe from or even a recipe you think I should try, please feel free on my project page for Around the World in 80 Dishes. Everything I plan on cooking has elements of authentic and traditional recipes with my own personal twist.

Give Away #1 WINNER!

2010-04-06T20:36:00.005+01:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO

Sarah @ My Little Life!

I'll be contacting you shortly for your address, you've one some sweet goodies!
The winner was selected by a number generator at random.org.
Thank you to everyone who entered, I'll have another one coming soon no doubt!

Well done again, Sarah! x

March 2010 Snapshot

2010-04-01T23:48:00.006+01:00

I've decided to this at the end of each months. It's taken from the lovely Daisy over at Cherries and Cupcakes. It's basically a summery of things that have interested or taken some of my time in each month and will include a photo I've taken or had taken of me during the month. I think it's a lovely idea for something to look back on at the end of the year to see how much I've changed over the past months.

Photo taken North Yorkshire Moors, 13/03/10

Listening...30h!3, Lady Gaga, Owl City

Reading...The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Watching...Lost, Gossip Girl, Flashforward

Buying...New towels, new bag & a new purse.

Wanting... Some new clothes :(

Trying...To juggle two jobs at once, hard stuff.

Loving..my Alice in Wonderland themed birthday, my best friend, Disney Couture Jewellery.

Planning...Disney World in Nov.

Making....lots of different dishes for my Around the World in 80 Dishes project.

Writing...Nothing good at the moment.

Cooking...again, lots of different dishes for my project, the best was the Fish & Chips.

Inspired by...Alice in Wonderland craze, spring fashions

What have you all enjoyed about March? Perhaps it was the sun finally making an appearance for a short time, or maybe it was the start of the mid season sales. Let me know what was special about March to you!

Just a reminder about my give away, it ends on the 5th April!

Film Review #7 'Kick Ass'

2010-04-01T13:21:00.004+01:00

"Adapted from Mark Millar's hyper-violent comic book of the same name, director Matthew Vaughn's (Layer Cake) vigilante superhero film tells the tale of an average New York teenager who decides to don a costume and fight crime. Comic book geek Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) may not have good coordination or special powers, but that doesn't mean he isn't a fully capable crime fighter. After purchasing a flashy wet suit on the Internet, Dave starts busting up baddies with nothing but brute force. He calls himself Kick-Ass, and he can take a beating as good as he can dish one out. Before long, Kick-Ass has become a local sensation, and others are following his lead. Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) are a father-daughter crime-fighting duo who have set their sights on local mob heavy Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong). They're doing a decent job of dismantling Frank's sizable underworld empire when Kick-Ass gets drawn into the fray. But Frank's men play rough, and his son, Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), is about to become Kick-Ass' very first arch nemesis. When Chris assumes the persona of Red Mist, the stage is set for a superhero showdown that could spell the end of Kick-Ass once and for all." - Plot taken from Fandango

I alway wait with baited breath for the works rota to see if I have a Wednesday night off, because if I do it means we'll take advantage of Orange Wednesdays to go to the cinema. Even though it's always full with idiots and young kids (last nigth was a prime example) I struggle forking out the £7 odd to go on other days. Not that I can't afford it but because I don't want to pay £7 to sit in the dark for a few hours. I can do that in a power cut! So having a Wednesday off is a real treat especially since there are so many films I want to see right now. And after managing to convince the boy to wait until Wednesday this week, we finally got to see Kick Ass, and as cheesy as it sounds it was pretty Kick Ass.

From the director who brought you Stardust and Layer Cake, Kick Ass is a superhero film with a difference, the super hero isn't exactly super. Dave Lizewski is just a normal teenager who always wondered why ordinary people didn't become super heros and he of course becomes one. Next ensues twenty funny minutes of him trying to become one but then the movie takes a more serious and interesting turn. Dave, now known as Kick Ass, an internet star gets caught up in some real vigilante justice in the form of Big Daddy and Hit Girl who are trying to take down the NY mob run by Frank D'Amico. D'Amico caused the death of Big Daddy's wife and he's slowly been taking out the whole mob along with his 11 year old daughter. Once Kick Ass is caught up in it, everything starts going wrong for everyone and by the end of the film I was confused to whether I should be happy or sad! Not that my confusion made me feel like it was a bad movie, quite the contrary actually. Oh yeah and there was the hot girl, there is always the hot girl the hero has to get.

So moving onto what I thought of it rather than ruining the whole film for everyone, as I mentioned before I thought the film was awesome. The violence was quite bloody and graphic but since it only showed you a split second of it and the blood looking incredibly fake (along the lines of Watchmen and Sin City) it didn't phase me much (I did hide if I suspected something gory was going to happen!). It was almost every super hero film rolled into one, mixed in with Tarentino's Kill Bill, which no one can dispute is a pretty awesome mix. I laughed out loud quite often and I also welled up for a moment, I enjoyed the action, the story and the subtle superhero refernces (because I'm a geek). I felt the story worked well, I did at some points think "where is this going?" but the end was nicely wrapped up but with what felt like the opening for a sequel (or perhaps that was intentional as most superhero films leave themselves open for a sequel?). The humour was a step up from that found in Stardust but similarly they both masquerade as films that could appeal to younger audiences (I'm not saying children because Kick Ass is definitely not for children) but they're both more catered to adults.

The characters were excellent, but I think what made the characters so good was the acting. The girl who played Hit Girl, Chloe Moretz, was awesome and her chemestry with Nicholas Cage was really funny but sweet. They were an odd pair. The guy who played Kick Ass, newcomer Aaron Johnson was so much fun to watch and also quite adorable. Christopher Mintz-Palasse better known as Mclovin' did make a believable stuck up son desperate for daddy's affection, I didn't think he made a very good Red Mist though, but I'll admit that could of been the whole point.

All in all I can't wait to get Kick Ass on DVD to watch it again. It was so much fun just to watch and felt much more fresh than the bog standard Superman, Spiderman ect (I'm not saying Iron Man because I cannot wait to see the sequel!).

Best Moment: Hit Girl trying to save Big Daddy & Kick Ass, so sad but so awesome at the same time.
Best Line: "you just contact the mayor's office, he has a special signal he shines in the sky! it's in the shape of a giant cock" - Hit Girl
Would Recommend For: Superhero movie fans, comic book lovers, anyone who enjoyed Watchmen, Sin City or Stardust.
Rating: 8/10

Dish #4 British

2010-03-31T22:36:00.001+01:00

I cooked this last week at some point but since I've been so busy juggling two jobs I've had no time to write it up! This is one of three dishes I've cooked over the last couple of weeks I haven't had time to share with you and it's one of my favourites. When I was growing up my mother always made her own fish and chips because of the fact she was always on a diet however since moving in with my other half we always just buy it, especially at our old flat as there was a shop just along the street. Fish and Chips always brings back memories of going to my grandparents for tea after school when both my parents were working. My grandparents always provided fish and chips but from a chippy opposed to my grandmother making them. It wasn't just a tradition for my sister and me but for all my cousins when they visited my grandparents. Growing up in a seaside town meant fish and chips was a popular tea meal when I visited friends too, chippy dinners were never in shortage.

Fish and Chips is a popular British take away meal that orginates from the 1800's. It started out a cheap workmans meal when men started trawling for fish in the North Sea. The meal usually consists of fried fish, usually either haddock, cod or flounder in batter or breadcrumbs and chips. The first fish and chip shop was opened in London and there is a plaque to commerate this.

My version of fish and chips was something I would of been proud to serve any inlaws. It consisted of fish fried in bread crumbs, home made chips and mint mushy peas, it was delicious and I cannot wait to make it again. The most surprising thing of all is it wasn't half as hard to make as my mother used to make it look! Enjoy!

Dish number number 4, posh fish & chips with minty mushy peas!

Looking at the pictures is making me so hungry! I was a bit dubious when it came to doing a dish from my home land for Around the World in 80 Dishes, but I've found lots of dishes I'd like to try, I may even get the boy to make his Shepards Pie! The flavours of this dish go so well together, I urge everyone to try and make their own take aways, much healthier!

The ingredients that are needed are enough potatoes to make chips for however many people are eating. Frozen peas (cheaper and nicer than tinned), 2 eggs, breadcrumbs, mint and stock. You can really use whatever fish you like for this. I went for Seabass because we had some in the freezer (it came with orange butter but I didn't fancy that). It is better to use already skinned fish but again it doesn't really matter, the seabass I used still had the skin on it. You'll of course need seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic. If you want to add a kick to the fish or chips I recommend adding some cumin and paprika to either the bread crumbs or on the chips before cooking.You'll also need some butter to go in with the peas and whatever oil or fat you like best for the chips. I always use fry light, it's healthy and if makes the chips nice and crispy.

First peel the potatoes and chop into chip shaped oblongs.

Pop in a pan, season and cover with hot water. Pot on the hob and cook until soft. Test they're soft enough with a knife then drain.

Cover a cooking tray with tin foil (or grease paper like I did because I ran out of tin foil), cover the tray in a little oil then put the chips on. Then cover the chips in some oil so both sides are coated. Put in a pre heated oven until cooked.

In the mean time, put the frozen peas in a pan and cover with water. Add the stock and butter, stir until both have disolved into the water then cook until the peas are soft.

Next take the peas off the heat and drain them. Add in 10 leaves of mint and blend in a blender or using a hand blender like I did. Or if you had neither you could mash them and I'm sure it would have the same effect. Return them to a low heat and cover so they don't go cold while preperaring the fish. Remember to stir them once in a while so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Place breadcrumbs in one bowl and two beaten eggs into another. Season the breadcrumbs with garlic salt and pepper.
Cover the fish both sides in the egg mixture then place in the bread crumbs. Make sure both sides are coated well.

Heat a little bit of oil in a frying pan and cook the fish on both sides.

Put everything on a plate with a slice of lemon for the fish and serve.

I don't really like peas but the peas mixed with mint went so well with the lemon and freshness of the fish. Even though I have enjoyed all my other dishes this was probably my favourite.

If you'd like to offer a country for me to create a recipe from or even a recipe you think I should try, please feel free on my project page for Around the World in 80 Dishes. Everything I plan on cooking has elements of authentic and traditional recipes with my own personal twist.

Give Away #1

2010-03-29T15:32:00.004+01:00

What could be in the bag? Hmm? It is finally time for the first ever Seventy Seven Give Away!

I'm sorry I have been absent for most of the week. I've been so busy and so tired! I got a new job finally which means I will be busier but it hopefully means I'll have more evenings off work and can finally get into a routine. The best part of all I will finally have some more money! Today is my first shift but it's all paper work. The boy has also text me to tell me has been offered night shift which is more hours and more money. It's only for six months too so it hopefully means we will soon have a bit of money behind us! This give away is to celebrate not only reaching 25 follows (however we're now up to 35+!) but also to celebrate the fact that hopefully my life is starting to improve. We can be hopeful.

So what IS in the bag?
My first give away consists of a beautiful photo frame I bought from Serendipity in Eldon Square. It's one of my favourite shops and somewhere I frequent once a week. At the moment I'm currently trying to make our flat look more like our home and this shop sells some of the most beautiful house hold things. It also sells very unique cards. It is also excellent value for money. I bought very cute signs for different rooms at £1.99 each!

I'm also throwing in one of Lush's new bath bombs, Ikle Baby Bot. I think it is supposed to be for children but it smells gorgeous and the one I've used made my skin really soft (again reasons why I think it's probably a childrens one).

To enter, all you have to do is leave your name, your email & your blog link if you have one. The winner will be selected by a random number generator. Closing date for this is 5th April. Good luck everyone!

Product Review #2 'Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows'

2010-03-24T00:31:00.002Z

A few weeks back I was simply browsing in the new Debenhams in town when the girl on Urban Decay invited me over to take a look at their new products, one was the highly sort after Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows. I'd seen it going on ebay for £50+ and I had promised myself I wouldn't buy it as I had a MAC shadow pallet already. However when I saw the beautiful colours I couldn't resist. I vowed when I got home I'd sell the MAC colours I didn't use much to pay for the pallet. I've recently been severely disappointed by MAC and I've moved from there to Nars and Benefit instead so it wasn't too much of a push to sell enough eyeshadows to make by the £28 I was paying for the Urban Decay pallet and now after 3 or 4 weeks I am so glad I did!

Since buying the pallet myself I've read some mixed reviews about it but personally I love it. It's completely converted my to Urban Decay colours and I know I'll be buying Book of Shadows Volume Two as soon as I have some spare cash. The eyeshadows last on my eyes all day, including nights out and a long day at work. My old MAC ones always rubbed off half way through the day, especially any bright colours I wore leaving my eyes looking dull and tired. I don't particularly like the glitter based ones for the only reason that if you're not careful while applying some of the glitter can fall on your face. Luckily I found it pretty easy to dab the spare bits of glitter up but I can understand that it is a nusence. My favourite colours are Drink Me, Eat Me, Vorpal, Jabberwocky, Mushroom & Mad Hatter. Jabberwocky teamed with Vorpal gives a delicious smokey effect but it also looks great in the creases with any number of colours, my favourite so far has been with Queen and can just be seen in yesterdays post on my third outfit down. My other favourite combination is Mushroom with Wonderland over the top, it makes a beautiful antique gold colour.

I was pleasantly surprised by the 24/7 eye pencils. For some reason I've never experimented with Urban Decay eye pencils even though I am on the hunt for the perfect long lasting eyeliner. I always always wear black eyeliner on my water line, I think my eyes look awful without the definition of it the 24/7 pencil last quite a long time, I only needed to apply it once while at work for 10 hours which is pretty impressive. It's excellent for smudging on the lid for the smokey eye effect. The only problem is it does go down fast I've had to sharpen it once already, I'm sure this is only because it's a gel liner as this seems to be the case with most other gel liners (such as Bad Gals Waterproof Eyeliner). I loved the blue colour you get with it. It looks excellent around the whole eye and really brightens the blue in my eyes. Both pencils also go on smoothly which is a good in my book.

My least favourite product in the Book of Shadows is the eye shadow primer. I had heard people rave about this stuff but I just can't get away with it. I find it really watery and it takes forever to dry which is useless if you're in a hurry. It's also really hard to get it on evenly. I much prefer my MAC painterly paint pot as a base.

Over all, I love it and I do think it was worth getting since it is a bit of a collectors item. And like I've said many many times I'm a sucker for all things Alice.

Product: Urban Decay;'s Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows
Price: £28
From: Debenhams
Buy it again? I would if I could

"Style is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma. Fashion is something that comes after style.” - John Fairchild

2010-03-23T13:28:00.008Z

32 followers, wow! Thank you guys, I really appreciate all your comments and enjoy reading them so keep them coming! I'm almost done collecting bits for my first give away, I'll be posting about it later this week so watch out for that.

& now for something different, what have I been buying in February & March! I know I've been saving for the holiday of dreams (hoping to pass the £500 mark this weekend!) but it was my birthday and I had a few good pay days so of course treats were in order! I'm finally comfortable in my own style and I'm not really a trend follower because I just don't have the money to re do my wardrobe every season, but if I was Spring would be my favourite season. I live in dresses, tights and cardigans, even in the middle of winter so I look forward to when all the shops start to stock their beautiful floral dresses and I have to practice the most amazing restraint not to spend a fortune. I do of course buy a few, just to stock up for the coming year. Luckily for me, with my immense mountain of savings to do, Primark has had the cutest pieces so I haven't even had to go into my overdraft this year (for the first time in about 5 years!).

I'm a little bit nervous about this post and I've been putting off doing one for the past six weeks, but since I want to incorporate fashion into my blog I feel it has to be done. This is all because it's my style photos, as modelled by me. I have very little self confidence that's why there haven't been any of yet. There are no full body shots because my flat doesn't get very good light in anywhere that had somewhere to stand my camera on, I will need to invest in a tripod if i'm going to carry on doing this. There was no way I'm going to ask the boy to take pictures of me for two reasons really, one he always makes me laugh and two he takes them from odd angles so I always look like a giant with ten chins. Portrates aren't his photography forte.

I'm going to apologize now for all creases and any shots where it will seem like I'm posing because lets face it I am (who would want photos of themselves looking like a whale on their blog?). I'm not doing it for attention just to show of some outfits i've been wearing lately and if the reception of these photos is mostly good, then I'm hoping to start a Weekly Wardrobe project.

Clothes Buys for Feb/March 2010
L-R Polkadot Playsuit, Primark, £13 // Cream Lace Dress, Primark, £15 // Floral Playsuit, Primark, £13 // Blue Bow Dress, Miss Selfridge, £35 // Lace Leggings, New Look, £10 // Cream Long Cardigan, H&M, £10

Close up of patterns and details on the lace dress, floral playsuit & bow dress.

The cream lace dress from Primark is one of my favourite ever dresses, it's so flattering and it fits perfectly. I've worn it a lot but for some reason I don't have any outfit photos of it as of yet. I saw the other day Primark are now stocking other colours of it and I'm hoping to get the pale yellow version too. I used my birthday vouchers to buy the blue bow dress for the boys grandparents 60th Anniversary dinner. The collar and bows on it are so cute and the shape is very flattering, I am slightly disappointed with this because of how easily it creases. I have only worn it once to the dinner and we were in such a hurry I didn't get a chance to take an outfit photo.

Accessory Buys Feb/March 2010
Flower Hairclip, Accessorize, 80p // OPI Off With Her Red Varnish, Fenwicks, £9 // Diamond Ring, Miss Selfridge, 50p // Bow Necklace, Bit of Skirt, £7 // Love Bracelet, Accessorize, £4

I did receive more jewellery for my birthday but they're not really buys and I have already mentioned those. The flower hair clip was a bargin find in Accessorize, reduced to 80p because the pin had come off it, I love the colour. The gold ring is because I have a silver ring on my middle finger on my left hand that I used to take off when wearing gold jewellery but I felt so naked without it. The red of Off With Her Red is so perfect, I thought it would be more orange but it's not, I just really had to have one of the Alice in Wonderland OPI collaborations. The necklace is actually from Elsie Belle but I bought it in Bit of Skirt in Lincoln. I also bought the item below in Bit of Skirt

Vintage Tea Cup, Bit of Skirt, £1.75

It's beautiful and marked on the bottom as bone china. It's perfect for keeping my hair bobbles and curby grips in because I always lose them. It also looks really cute on my dressing table.

Snow White Loungefly Wallet, Ebay, £22-£23 ish

I asked the boy for this for my birthday, but since then we booked our holiday and he went on holiday leaving him short for my birthday so I used some money on ebay to buy this myself. It came all the way from America and it's beautiful. Best ever purse as it fits everything in and still stays slim.

Small Straw Bag, Primark, £2.50 // Cream Slouch Oversized Bag, Topshop Originally Thrifted for £12

I used to have the last seasons large straw bag from Primark but it was too bulky and hurt the back of my legs, I still loved it and reluctantly sold it on. So obviously I was delighted to find this cutie in blue in Primark for £2.50. It's half the size and will be perfect for summer trips to the pub. The cream bag was love at first sight and is current Topshop stock. It's gorgeous buttery fake leather and fits loads in. I get so many compliments on it and the best part is I got it for £12 on livejournal!

Nautical Flip Flops, Primark, £2

Gladiator Sandals, Primark, £4

Summer footwear from Primark is a must. With the amount of summer weather we get in England I begrude completely buying expensive sandals and the best part is the pair I had from Primark last year were the pair I walked all over Manhattan in and they were so comfortable. They're still wareable for this year so I'm saving them for Florida. They're identical to the tan pair I've bought this year except my old ones are in gold. The cute nautical flip flops are a bargin at £2. They come in blue and red and have a little fold anchor hanging on the toe post, they're also basket bottom which are my favourite kind since the foam bottom ones make my feet sweat.

& now, some outfits while wearing my new buys

Black Cardigan, H&M, £10 // Blue Tunic, Primark, £?? // Lace Leggings, New Look, £10 // Bow Necklace, Bit of Skirt, £7.50

The blue tunic I stole from my little sister, it's a size 8 but fits perfectly and it's a lovely colour of blue. The H&M cardigans are a staple of mine, I'm trying to get one with every pay cheque as they are so comfy and go with everything. And I love the second picture because it shows my layers in my hair perfectly.

Long Length Cream Cardigan, H&M, £10 // Floral Playsuit, Primark, £13 // 100 Denier Tights, Sock Shop, £5.99 // Cinderella Carriage Necklace, Elsie Belle, £14.95

I love how lovely my hair looks in this photo, but it's not about hair, no, it's about how amazing this playsuit is. The material reminds me of a floral dress my mum had when I was a child, she wore it to my sisters christening, it even had shoulder pads like this playsuit but I removed them because I hate the big shoulders trend. This playsuit fits perfect for me, I struggled to find one that fitted my odd shaped body and I was so surprised that it was in Primark I found it (as many people always say how shapeless Primark clothes are). The cardigan was on offer for £10 in H&M, I wish I'd bought more colours because the offers finished now and I live in this one, I guess i'll just have to pay £15 for another couple. The necklace was of course my Valentines gift from the boy.

Pussy Bow Top, Uniqlo, £4.99 // Tutu Skirt, Topshop, £28 // Heart Print Tights, Topshop, £8 // Tom Binns for Disney Couture Pocket Watch Necklace, Treasure Box, £40 // Bow Hairband, Primark, £??

Three photos this time to try and show the heart pattern on my tights. I have these in black too and although £8 is a ridic amount to pay for some tights especially Topshop tights that ladder so easily (although I've been so careful that mine are still going strong after about three wears) I just love them. I have a polka dot version from Primark for a meer £2 but they're just not half as cute as the heart print ones. The skirt and top are both very old but I love them, the top is insanely bobbled down but it's so flattering. The necklace was a birthday gift from the boy, I was a bit gutted to find it's not a working pocket watch but it still hangs in the perfect place.

Cashmere Blend Cardigan, Urban Outfitters, £9.99 // Polkadot Playsuit, Primark, £13 // 100 Denier Black Tights, Sock Shop, £5.99 // Princess Disney Couture Necklace, Truffleshuffle, £18

When I saw Primark were doing a polka dot version of my beloved playsuit in grey or black I had to have it. Black with white spots is a classic so that's the one I chose. I don't like it as much as the floral one but it's still a cutie. The pink cardigan is so ballerina esq and comfy due to it being a cashmere blend, it was supposed to be about £50 but I was lucky enough to get it in one of Urban Outfitters fantastic sales. It's supposed to be cropped but because I'm so short it fits me like a normal cardigan.

I'm really hoping the feedback from this post isn't too negative meaning you all want to see some more. Should I keep posting outfits? & What are your best buys from Feb or March? I think mine is def that cream lace dress, I just adore it.

Hope you're all having a nice Tuesday, I'm off to the Post Office then returning to do a LOT of house work. Sad times for a day off.

Sunday Self Secrets Week Six 'The Flat'

2010-03-21T12:55:00.004Z

Goodness, this week I'm doing Sunday Self Secrets on time for a change! It must be because Spring is in the air or it could be that for once I'm not doing anything until work at 5 today (not that I have too much interest in going after yesterdays disaster of a day!). I could be washing up or doing laundry but there isn't anything I like better at the moment that doing a blog post, mainly because I love reading your comments, they always make me smile. I have a huge list of blog post ideas I'm working through so keep a look out for those.

Today's Sunday Self Secrets is a bit of a cheat. My camera is currently on charge so I can take pictures for ebay (free listing days are today) for tomorrow so I'm using pictures I already have in my iphoto. These pictures are of the flat, which is good in the way because the flat is a completely mess at the moment since my day off isn't until Tuesday and the boys isn't until Friday! Our flat is lovely it's perfect for two twenty one year olds, oops I mean one twenty one year old and one twenty two year old! We both know the next time we move it'll be into a house and then we'll start settling down into marriage and children. This is our second home together, we moved in last year on the 18th July. It's proper professional lettings and not some grotty student flat like we had the previous year. It's big, bright and full of Ikea furniture. It's as close to home we can get without being able to decorate or replace the pictures on the walls.

So here is a guided tour of our own little world.

When we were looking for a new flat, one of the most important things was a nice kitchen with lots of storage this one was the best. Beautiful marble like tops, gas hob, big sink everything I wanted. The kitchen is my favourite room in the house (when the sink isn't piled high with dishes, next house much have a dishwasher!). It looks small in this picture but infact it's really spacious. From the sink the counter continues on with the washer underneath and more cupboards above. On the other side is the fridge freezer and a place to stand the brush, mop and hoover. There is also a gap for the bin. It's not huge but since i'm the only person who is ever in the kitchen it's big enough for me. One of my favourite features is the fact the sink has a seperate little bit that I can drain water from pans even if I'm washing up in the other sink already!

Along from the kitchen and down a small step is a our tiny dinning room but after not even having a table last year this was a dream come true! Even though it is only a small round table with four chair at Christmas I squeezed another chair in for my sister. I'm not a huge fan of the glass table, it's really hard to keep clean but I haven't found a table cloth yet that doesn't make it look like it should be in a old ladies house. I'm still hopeful though! It's usually the warmest place in the house due to the french doors hence the clothes drying in there. I love the french doors and mini balcony and can't wait for watching the sunset in the summer with a bottle of pear Kopperberg and a nice salad like we did last year.

Our lounge is so big that I needed four photos to show all the features of it! I love our lounge, all of it, well almost. I hate that the fire is old fashioned and that its wood like flooring. I'm a firm believer of carpet for sitting rooms, it makes the room quite cold in winter otherwise and the sitting room should be the warmest room of all. The sofa is hideous, its small and so uncomfortable, I wish we could replace it. It's my least favourite thing in the whole place. The two bookcases either side of the TV are ours as is the lamp beside the chair & the table the gerbil cage is on (I think you can just make it out). I guess the good thing about everything being from Ikea is that everything matches. The TV is ours too. The walls and curtains are lovely, I'd probably of picked them out myself. The boy lives in this room, so much so when the boiler was broken we have been known to bring the matress into the sitting room and sleep there since the bedroom faces North and the North Wind is the worst.

I always have to have a house with a bath, I much prefer to have a bath than a shower and this bath is HUGE! Even the boy at 6ft 3" fits in this bath! I also love having storage in the bathroom so I do love the little ledge behind the toilet, the cupboard under the sink and the mirror cupboard. We stupidly went for black in the bathroom so the mats and towels are all black, I do not recommend this to anyone as once you get out the bath you get covered in black fluff and yes I have washed the towels, about a million times and they're still covering us in black fluff! Disaster. The other problem about the bathroom is the shower is not powerful enough for my liking but I think that has something to do with the fact it's an over the bath shower rather than a stand in shower like I would one day love.

We do have two bedrooms but one is the boys office (or junk room), I'm not even bothering to show that one off as it's always a mess. The only time we tidy it is if someone is coming to stay as it has another double bed in it.

Finally, our bedroom. The bed is a comfy divan that you can just make out in the bottom of the picture. We have cream and plum bedding on it and the blanket that was a gift from an American friend, I believe it even appears in an episode of Friends! We have a wardrobe each mine is the one with the soft toys on top. Finally after twenty one years I have a make shift dressing table seen on the right. The mirror is also from Ikea. Next to the drawers is my own bookcase. We also each have a bedside table for our individual junk. I love how simple and uncrowded the room is, I always shared with my sister so our bedroom was always full of stuff. This is just perfect for me and again like with the sitting room the colours are perfect. My only nag is the sun hits our window so early in the summer months that I rarely get a lie in but at least the room is lovely and warm.

I hope you all enjoyed seeing where we live, the problem in renting is you can't make it as personal as you like and that's what I do look forward to when the time comes that we can buy (which at this moment wont be for another million years) but home is where your heart is no matter what it looks like and since the boy lives here too this is where my heart really is.

Dish #3 Mexican

2010-03-18T23:21:00.010Z

I am a huge sucker for Mexican food, I think it's because it uses a lot of cheese, tomato and sour cream which is some of my favourite ingredients in cooking (which is probably the reason I cannot loose weight!). The first cook book I ever personally owned was a Mexican one that my mother gave me my Birthday before I left home from uni. I'm sure it was how I taught myself to cook as for a long time I could only make quesadillas, fajitas, enchilladas, chili and corn soup along with other simple Mexican recipes. So when I was looking at my cupboards trying to decide what to make this week and I saw we had some tortillas I thought it would be fun to go back to my cookery roots. Since we're trying to save money and I didn't really want to use some of our meat I decided on cheese quesadillas and to turn it from a street snack to a main meal I looked up a good recipe for Mexican rice.

Quesadillas are a mexican snack food usually made of cheese in a flour tortilla cooked until the cheese has melted, quesadilla in spanish literally translates as cheese tortilla or cheesecake. The agreed way to make a Mexican quesadilla is for the tortilla to be folded however in the past I've always just sandwiched two together but for a more authentic take (and I found it's also a lot less messy when flipping) I folded one in half. I was unable to find when they were first created but I'm sure the quesadilla has been around as long as tortillas have which is a long time!

Presenting, dish number 3 in Around the World in 80 Dishes, Quesadillas with Mexican Rice

Quesadilla's themselves are very quick and easy to make but since I was also making rice, this dish took a little longer but it was all worth it, without the rice the boy would of wanted popcorn in the cinema and we just have no money for that sort of thing, ha!

Ingredients wise the only thing I had to go out and buy was the sour cream and salsa, as everything else we just always have in our cupboards making it very simple and cheap to make. Long grain rice is a must in Mexican cooking, in all the recipes I've seen for a rice dish it always asks for this, luckily it's usually the cheapest in the store. Flour tortillas, it's up to you whether you use wholegrain or white. Cheese, something that melts good, I opted for mozzarella. Stock, I used these stock pots that my mum gave me but you can use old fashioned powder stock. Fresh ingredients I have tomatoes, a pepper, an onion, some spring onions and a clove of garlic. The pepper, onion & garlic are for the Mexican rice but the spring onions, tomatoes and the rest of the pepper is to go in the quesadilla with the cheese. You can choose anything really to go in your quesadilla, I think chicken and chorizo is a nice filling, either together or seperately.

First thing to do is make the rice because that takes the longest. Heat some oil in a pan then add as much rice as you need for the amount your cooking for. I never measure exactly only by sight. Continue to stir until the rice begins to brown and puff out as it absorbs the oil. You have to keep stiring otherwise it burns.

When the rice has started to brown add in the stock (of course if you have powdered stock, make it up as instructed and add to the rice) an stir until it's completely dissolved. Season with salt.

Sorry for the blurry photo, was rushing at this point! Next add in half an onion, half a red pepper and 2 table spoons of tomato puree. Now season with paprika, chili powder, tumeric, cumin & a little bit of cayenne pepper. Stir until everything is completely mixed in and turn down the heat by half.

Add water, just enough so the rice is covered and put a lid on. Leave on low heat to cook.

Next chop the rest of the pepper, three or four spring onions depending on how much you want and a few tomatoes. I used cherry tomatoes and chopped four of them into thin slices.

Heat each tortilla individually as needed for 30 seconds in the microwave. Reasons for this is you want them to stay warm so they're easier to fold and since like pancakes you can only make them one at a time in the frying pan there is no sense heating them all at once.

Next make up your quesadilla. I always put salsa in mine, even if it's just salsa and cheese because otherwise I think it's a bit too dry. Spread the salsa over the whole of the tortilla then add the cheese and whatever topping your having onto only one side. This way it makes the tortilla so much easier to fold over. Add a little oil to the frying pan and cook on both sides until the cheese is melted.

Serve with the quesadillas halved with some rice. I also filled two glass ramikins with some sour cream and guacamole to add as we pleased.

After clearing his plate I asked the boy which was his favorite dish so far and he said this, I agree completely especially with the rice because in the past my rice has never been perfect, it's either been bland or still water logged but this time it was just right. I even ate the left over rice yesterday as a burrito and it was still just as good.

If you'd like to offer a country for me to create a recipe from or even a recipe you think I should try, please feel free on my project page for Around the World in 80 Dishes. Everything I plan on cooking has elements of authentic and traditional recipes with my own personal twist.

Film Review #6 'I Love You Philip Morris'

2010-03-17T23:35:00.005Z

"I Love You Phillip Morris is the improbable but true story of a spectacularly charismatic conman’s journey from small-town businessman to flamboyant white-collar criminal, who repeatedly finds himself in trouble with the law and on the lam, brilliantly escaping from the Texas prison system on four separate occasions – all in the name of love.

I Love You Phillip Morris stars Jim Carrey, Leslie Mann and Ewan McGregor. The film is co-written and co-directed by longtime writing partners Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“Bad Santa”) from their adapted screenplay, based on the novel by former Houston Chronicle investigative reporter Steve McVicker. Andrew Lazar (“Get Smart”) and Far Shariat (“Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind“) produced the film, with renowned writer/director" - Plot taken from Movieweb

We weren't planning on going to the cinema last night even though we try and go all Wednesdays I'm off to take advantage of the Orange Wednesday offer but the boy received some bad news from home so at 8 we decided to go to take his mind off of things. We had seen the trailer for I Love You Phillip Morris and we thought it looked incredibly funny so we opted to see that. There were other films we wanted to see but nothing else we wanted to see together. Unfortunately I was disappointed.

Another film that in my opinion showed all the funniest bits in the trailer. Infact it wasn't even all that funny so I don't know how it was classed as a comedy, in my opinion it was more of a dark romance or a romance turned on its head. Either way it wasn't something I would of went to see had I known what it was like. It's sort of how I felt when I went to see Funny People, the title and trailer was very misleading and it was more of a dark humour that you don't know if you should or shouldn't laugh at it. Luckily Jim Carrey (Steven Russel) and Ewan Mcgregor (Phillip Morris) was enough to keep me in my seat and it was at them the only time I really laughed. They did make quite a funny gay couple and their acting as southern homosexuals was impecible. In some ways it was clever, witty and a brave attempt at dealing with a sensitive subject but that still didn't cut it for me probably because I was expecting the old style Jim Carrey comedy.

Since I've mentioned the only actually good points of the movie it's only fair that I explain why I didn't really like it. Apart from the fact it wasn't that funny, it was also quite graphic and I know quite a few people sitting in our row was uncomfortable about a couple of the scenes of gay sex and kissing. The boy and I weren't fazed by this since we have some gay friends but other people around us quite obviously were. The story line was both slow and fast. It seemed slow in places so much so that I found myself wishing for it to be over and then in others it seemed like things had been missed out. Then there was a whole scene where it skipped backwards and was quite uneeded. I can't really explain much more without giving the whole story away.

The saddest thing of all was how old Jim Carrey is and yet he's still trying to be Mr Elastic, he really is passed his best. I loved Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura, Liar Liar and even up to Bruce Almighty so I find it hard to watch him now in this and in Yes Man. Ewan Mcgregor on the other hand was still as beautiful as ever and this again just adds to his showcase of talents.

Best Moment: When Steven Russel has his crash and starts shouting that he's going to be gay.
Best Line: n/a (imdb doesn't have any quotes!)
Would Recommend For: Dark Rom Com lovers
Rating: 3/10

"I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can't stop eating peanuts." - Orson Welles

2010-03-17T17:46:00.011Z

We have two tvs in our house, one 32inch beast in the front room and a smaller 24inch in the bedroom, I have to admit I barely watch them but that doesn't mean I don't watch tv, because I do, I watch it, quite a lot actually. I'm impatient, I need to know whats happening now so all the shows I watch are on American time. We usually watch them the day after they're aired in the US. It's probably a little shallow to only like American TV shows but I just can't help it, I have in the past liked British TV shows, I loved the first two seasons of Skins and once upon a time I didn't mind reality tv and I do still occassionally watch Master Chef and anything with Gordon Ramsay in but on the whole there is nothing that can hold my attention like an American soap or Drama. At this time of the year all my favourite shows are on, so the boy and I have a busy week but soon everything will be over for the summer and we'll have to find something else to watch, so recommendations would be nice. We've kept Glee back so we can watch that when everything else ends, so here my recommendations for shows to watch, some you all might love already and some you might not care to watch even now.

How I Met Your Mother
The boy introduced this to me when we first got together almost three years ago. We watched it religiously and everyone we told over here had never heard of it! Many people say it is like the new friends, five rather than six best friends all hooking up and breaking up in NYC and yes I see that but there is some more levels. I think there is more comedy, it's more up to date and in a way I enjoy it more. Like with Friends I can watch it over and over again and never really get bored. Yes Ted Mosby sometimes annoys me but it's saved by the fact Barney's jokes never get boring. It's a good show, it's easy to enjoy and easy to watch. It's up to season 5 now, and part of me does want him to hurry up and meet the mother, but I guess that would ruin the whole show!

Desperate Housewives
I have been watching Desperate Housewives since the very first episode was aired on British TV. I had heard about it from a friend in America who was obsessed with it and I have to admit I've been hooked ever since. You'd think after 6 or 7 series of 24 episodes a show would be getting boring however when I did feel that way about Desperate Housewives they shook things up! And to be perfectly honest, since they did move forward three years I'm enjoying it more. The boy and I watched the latest episode last night and at the end we were still "OH MY GOD!?" and trying to guess what would be going on in the next episode! And that is after 6 years! I feel like even though the story lines are shocking and British soapesq they're not half as obnoxious and they're really entertaining. The characters are exaggerated characteristics of real people and while watching the show I can always see myself in each of the housewives and that's why I can't help but watch it. If you haven't sat and watched the show from the beginning I totally recommend that you do, and if you can't be bothered then at least watch it from season 5 when it moved forward three years.

Two and a Half Men
Oh Two and a Half Men, the show I love to hate. I put off and put off watching this show but the boy loved it and in the end I watched a few episodes and got into it. I sat and watched season one until the current season and I did enjoy the first few series, especially with Rose but since she left it wasn't as funny or quite the same. I still watch it through force of habit but now the characters do just grate on me. The old episodes however, they're still golden. When Jake is a little kid he's cute, lovable and innocent but now he's older, fat and stupid and I can't stand him. Charlie Sheen is still funny and I'm strangely attracted to him but Alan is just so incredibly annoying. Like I said the old ones are worth watching but the new ones, not so much. I still stand by my original thoughts that Two and a Half Men is mainly male humour, my boyfriend still howls at the episodes that I usually scrunch up my nose at, one for the boys I think.

Gossip Girl
My favourite tv show without a doubt. I didn't watch the first season because I didn't want to be hooked but then I watched one episode and within the first week I'd see the whole season. I love the characters, I love the world they live in and I wish I lived there too. Blair is my favourite by far and I was so desperate for Blair and Chuck to get together. I don't dislike any of the main six, Dan and Nate occassionally annoy me, and even Serena to an extent. I love the story lines, no matter how unbelievable they are I think thats what makes me love them. I love the music, the clothes and fashion, and the fact it's in NYC. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't watch Gossip Girl, even the boy loves it! It always leaves me happy or sad, I don't know it always provokes some emotion and that is the real reason I love it.

Flashforward
I know this show had very mixed reviews but I've really been intrigued from the start and was horrified that it was almost getting the axe. I'm still afraid that it might not make it to second series as I love the suspense in it which is almost as good as that in Lost. The characters and storyline is interesting and I was enjoying the way it was going until there was the break over Christmas. The boy and I always discuss how we would react to each individuals flashforwards. I love Agent No & Mark Benford, they make a good team and they're both awesome actors. I have a soft spot for Joseph Fiennes as it's my claim to fame meeting him in my teens!

Lost
Another show I've watched since the very beginning is Lost and even though there have been times when I have wanted to stop through complete frustration I know I never could and with the last nine episodes in sight I'm very glad I've stuck it out. I've watched favourite characters die, go crazy and the ones I hate are the ones I end up having a soft spot for! I know that when it ends I'll be so sad and desperate for more! There are some characters that I cannot stand that I'll be glad to see the back of but the story and show itself will leave a hole in our viewing times and in discussions on what will be happening next! Anyone who has never watched Lost I suggest you sit down and watch all six seasons, it is excellent watched all the way through!

As I mentioned before we sometimes watch cookery shows on the actual TV but on the computer we also watch The Simpsons & American Dad but I'm sure they don't really need a mention. I think once all these shows are finished we're going to settle down and watch V and Glee. A girl has got to have something to watch!

Sunday Self Secrets Week Five 'My Twenty Second Birthday'

2010-03-16T22:45:00.004Z

Once again, this weeks Sunday Self Secrets is late due to the fact on Sunday I was celebrating my twenty second birthday at my best friends house. She'd organized me the most wonderful birthday but to be honest I wouldn't expect anything less from her since she is the most wonderful best friend. Not only did we go out for lunch to Damon's but she threw me an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party in the evening with some of the most important people to me attending. Because of this I'm going to dedicate this Sunday Self Secrets to my amazing party as it is something I'd love to have a memory of for those dull and lonely days.

I opened all my presents first thing in the morning helped by my best friends two beautiful daughters. I received a lot mor than I have over the past few birthdays, some of the high lights were champagne flavoured bubble bath, a new charm for my bracelet, a leather purse, paperchase photo frame and two beautiful bits of Disney Couture Jewellery the watch necklace from the boy & the key bracelet from my best friend, these are actually my two favourite bits from the collection!

In the afternoon we went out for lunch, Damon's offers a free meal for the birthday girl and since it was mothers day my best friend and her mother who also came received free cocktails. I also had a blue lagoon cocktail to celebrate in style. The meal was delicious, I had a combo of bbq chicken breast with scampi, chips and salad. There was also this delicious rice that I could of ate a whole bowl of on it's own! I also received a free cake with a sparkler in it and everyone on my table only sang happy birthday to me. I was sort of glad of this with working in F&Bs I find the big birthday song incredibly humiliating but the small table only one at Damon's was lovely and intimate. I would recommend it to anyone! As I have mentioned before the food was excellent too, I sort of wish I had the ribs though as they looked amazing! And for what you get to eat, it's excellent value for money.

After the meal, the boy took me to Sainsburys to get some snacks and little did I know my best friend was creating me my own Wonderland! Even though we arrived back before it was finished, I was completely taken by surprised especially by the fact the boy was in on it! He has never been able to keep anything a secret ever and I was bowled over that the two most important people had been conspiring behind my back! It was an amazing surprise though. Here are some of the highlights of Amy's Wonderland...

L-R Cheshire Cat Balloons, Delicious Spread with Bread & Butterflies and Cupcakes, Cards!
Paper Lanterns, Alice Cake with 22 Sparkler Candles, Directions in Wonderland, Cards & a Shroom!

There was also chess pieces, lots more cards, teapots with candles in, a big banner, flamingos & so much more! I feel so lucky to have such an amazing best friend who knows me so well! The wine flowed generously and I got stupidly drunk but it was my birthday! Not only was the boy and my best friend there but my friends from University and two of my other friends came over. We all drank copious amounts well into the night! It was the most excellent birthday I've ever had. I know she'll be reading this since she has an excellent journal over at Film Bluff but I am so incredibly lucky to have her as a best friend. I hope she knows that!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! x

Film Review #5 'Alice in Wonderland'

2010-03-13T10:23:00.003Z

"From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure "Alice in Wonderland," a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. Johnny Depp stars as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen's reign of terror. The all-star cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and Crispin Glover; Linda Woolverton wrote the screenplay. Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll's beloved "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) and "Through the Looking-Glass" (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, "Alice in Wonderland" comes to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ on March 5, 2010." - plot taken from movieweb

As promised by the boy, three months back when we were waiting for Avatar to begin and we very first saw the trailer for this, last night we returned to the new IMAX cinema to watch Alice in Wonderland. This was sort of a birthday treat for me but I'm sure had it not come out in March I'd of still tried to persuade the boy to pay the extra to see it at the IMAX, it wouldn't of been very hard since he is an avid cinema goer and movie lover (he studied TV & Movie Practice at University) plus who can really pass up a Disney & Tim Burton collaboration in 3D? For me, personally this is one of the most anticipated movies of the year, I have been excitedly waiting for this since reading about it early last year and I was not disappointed in anyway. I loved ever second of it, maybe it's because I'm completely biased to Alice in Wonderland? Probably not since I was a little anxious that Tim Burton was directing it, I love his old stuff dearly but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake is a thing of nightmares (much like Johnny Depps plastic-y look at Willie Wonka).

Starting with the plot line without giving anything away, I was so happy to hear this was not a live action remake of the 1951 Disney film, or any previous Wonderland films for that matter and I was even happier to hear that it wasn't going to be a straight make of the book instead it would be a whole new plot line set thirteen years after Alice's visit to Wonderland. Basically again, without giving anything away too much, Alice finds her way back to Wonderland to find it a mess, the Red Queen has taken the crown and is reigning with an iron fist and taking Alice's friends as slaves. As you may of guessed, Alice is here to stop all that. I felt that the story ran smoothly and I didn't feel bored or that it dragged at any point. Burton's spin on Wonderland was surprisingly not too weird, instead it was rather beautiful in an abstract way. His take on the characters was excellent and I really loved how many of the old favourite lines from Lewis Carrolls novels turned up such as the Jabberwoky poem, curiouser and curiouser and the quote about thinking up six impossible things before breakfast, it really tied the original stories and this new one together. There was also some touching moments and of course some dark humour that can only be expected in a Burton movie, the kind of humour that goes right of children's heads.

The characters themselves were excellently casted and I was very proud to recognise the faces and voices of quite a few British stars Matt Lucas as Tweedle Dum/Dee, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Christopher Lee as the Jabberwocky, Alan Rickman as the Catapillar and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat who was by far one of my favourite characters. Johnny Depp was quite an excellent but still sort of creepy Mad Hatter, very clever and Helena Bonham Carter was made for the role of the Queen of Hearts, opposite the quite funny Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. For me, Mia Wasikowska made the film, she was quite an excellent Alice, one of the best I've ever seen and I've watched a lot of Wonderland movies. She was perfect in looks, attitudes and the way she spoke. I don't there could of been a better Alice.

It was the little things that made it for me, it was quite obvious that Burton had paid a lot of attention to the small details of Wonderland and then turned it on its head which would of been possible since the Red Queen had destroyed the place. As I've mentioned before the lines that are used, singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat at the Tea Party, that even though the Red Queens cards looked like soilders so when they're knocked down they fold like a pack of cards, the battle field being a chess board. All these little things are what made the movie for me as they were all the things that were worrying me.

I could infact write so much more but I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone else planning on going to see it as it really is that good. I recommend it to anyone, because it's surprisingly mainstream for Tim Burton. In a way I do feel that is sad, Tim Burton was always a visionary director who liked to do things a bit different pushing the bounderies of fantasy and this is very normal. However if you don't think of it as a down turn for Burton, it is a wonderful fantasy film.

Best Moment: When Alice is tumbling down the rabbit hole, amazing in 3D.
Best Line: "I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are." - Alice
Would Recommend For: Anyone who loves Burton's fantasy worlds, Wonderland fans, Fantasy fans, children of 3 + (I didn't think there was anything particularly scary)
Rating: 9/10

"I like my money right where I can see it, hanging in my closet." - Carrie Bradshaw

2010-03-11T23:25:00.004Z

I'm pretty sure it must be most girls dreams to find out she has an excuse to buy something new for an expensive dinner, usually it is my dream but not three days before said expensive dinner. Saturday night, I will be spending my evening in the company of the boys family having an expensive meal to celebrate his grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. I did have my outfit all picked out, a nice new long top over my black leggings with a long cardigan and some small heals, comfy but sophisticated however last night the boy receives a message from his father to in the words of Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, "suit up". Which of course meant my modest outfit was going to be too casual for the occasion. Panic ensues. I have to admit I am fortunate enough to be in possession of £50 worth of arcadia gift cards from my birthday that I was trying to save for the sales but with saving for our holiday it's left me tight for money especially for new clothes. Not only was lack of funds a problem but the fact I have a small window of two hours tomorrow evening before we watch Alice in Wonderland at the IMAX to find something and with my shop choice limited to three this is indeed a challenge that has me in a flap. I always feel its important that while visiting the boys family I make a huge effort, his elder brothers wife is naturally beautiful so I often feel that I must be such a let down! I'm sure it's not true but a girl can't help worrying!

Since coming home from work I've browsed Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge and Topshop's website in search of something nice, smart that I can wear again by dressing down and making it as every day as possible since I don't go out enough to warrent having a huge selection of evening wear. I've found a few dresses and skirts I like, nothing that I would of gave a second look had I not needed something, but still, who can say no to new clothes?

So these are the bits I've come across. The first two dresses are from Miss Selfridge and are £35 each. I've found a new love for Miss Selfridge lately. I went off it a few months back as I thought it was getting very tacky and the sort of stuff I imagined fourteen years old to wear however the past few weeks I've been popping back in and I think a lot of their new season stuff is much nicer than Topshop. The first navy dress is my favourite and I'm hoping that is the one I'm able to get tomorrow. It's definitely something I'll wear again and I adore peter pan collars. I'd team it with a pair of skin coloured tights and my black squeek shoes from Topshop. The red dress, has padded shoulders which I'm not into, I'd have to check that the pads can be cut out but it's the back of the dress is gorgeous! This I'd wear with black out tights and again my squeek shoes. The third dress is from Dorothy Perkins and costs £30. I'm not so keen on the polka dots but I adore the shape. I have other dresses like that and it's really flattering on my figure. I do however thing it might not be smart enough. The next two are skirts from Topshop since I didn't see any dresses I like in Topshop, infact I'm struggling at all to find anything I like in Topshop at the moment. They're both £35, I do love them but then I'd just have to buy a top as well and that's more money than I really want to spend. The final dress isn't one I'm actually going to buy since I'd have to order it offline and I doubt it would be here for Saturday, plus it's £60. It is my dream dress that I lusted over last year on asos.com when it was in the sale for £30 but then it disappeared and I just found it again else where. I'll never own it because I know I'll hardly get to wear it but it doesn't stop me loving it!

Anyway, it's getting late and I have a busy three days ahead, I shall keep you all updated on which dress I treat myself to. Do any of you have dream items of clothes that you wish you could own but you know it would be pointless to?

Dish #2 Thai

2010-03-11T10:38:00.004Z

Yesterday while I was in the kitchen doing some preparation, my boyfriend came home from work and asked me "what country are we visiting today?" that's when I realized he's really on board with this. It also made me laugh at how excited he seemed when I said Thailand. Thai food isn't something we eat an awful lot of because it's so exotic and usually contains fruit or worse coconut. Anyone who knows me personally, will know I have a horrible aversion to coconut that stems back to being seventeen when I stupidly drank Malibu and Jack Daniels together, I'm sure you can imagine what happened next! Since then I haven't been able to stand the smell or taste. When I decided to do Thai style chicken satay I knew this would be a challenge because all the recipes call for coconut milk. I could of done it without but where would the fun be in that!

Traditionally satay refers to a kebab with three pieces of marinated meat, satay itself means three pieces in some cultures. But of course the marinate is that infamous peanut flavoured sauce. Satay in Indonesia is a street food that is eaten with fingers as a snack rather than a main meal. Before looking into making my own satay I always thought it was a thick sauce like the kind I get from the Chinese take away, no coconut in sight! Different eastern cultures have their own recipes for satay nowaday and no one really knows where it originally came from but I've decided to do a Thai version, which of course does have the coconut milk in like with a lot of Thai dishes.

Here it is, dish number 2, Thai Chicken Satay with Basmati Rice.

Unlike yesterday where I came home from work and cooked there and then, this recipe is all about the preparation hours earlier which does take a bit of time, then when it's time to cook it takes no more than 20 minutes (and most of those minutes are waiting on the chicken in the oven!)

I decided not to follow one particular satay recipe but instead to combine my favourite elements from different thai ones i'd read but trying to keep the key elements. I replaced the dry peanuts with peanut butter because we already had it in the cupboard so the only two ingredients I did have to buy was the coconut and the lemon grass. I bought solid coconut milk that you make up with hot water as it was cheaper and it meant I didn't have to use it all at once. The spices I used were cayenne pepper, tumeric and ginger. To make it more like a marinate I used soy sauce, fish sauce and seseme oil along with some fresh lime and garlic. The meat I used was three small breasts of chicken chopped up into cubes and I served it over basmati rice. I'm currently addicted to microwave basmati by Veetee, currently Sainsburys are doing 3 packs for £3 and they serve two people at a time. They cook perfectly and are so light!

Firstly, I chopped one clove of garlic, one stem of lemon grass (remove the outer leaves and chop of each end, much like an onion) and cut one wedge of lime. Then I put them in a mixing bowl.

Into the bowl I added one small tea spoon of peanut buttter, two table spoons of soy sauce, one table spoon of fish sauce, one table spoon of seseme oil, 100mls of coconut milk, tumeric, ginger and salt. Using a hand blender I combined it all into it was lump free.

Add the chicken and stir until it is completely coated in marinate. Cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge for a few hours. I left mine for almost 3 hours and that seemed to work perfectly.

When it was time to make dinner, I removed the chicken from the fridge. The marinate had gone quite solid which worried me at first but it worked for the best. I skewered the chicken onto our kebab stick and put them in the over for 20 minutes occassionally removing them to turn them over so both sides brown.

While the chicken was in the oven, I made a quick dressing since the boy hates dry rice. I just combined soy sauce with ginger and garlic and the juice of half a lemon. It's one of my favourites if i'm making a quick chinese rice dish as it's so easy to make and I always have the ingredients for it! Finally, 2 minutes before the chicken is ready I microwave the rice, then it's ready to serve.

I have never made Thai food before and I was quite impressed with how it turned out. Very tasty and even though it was just rice and chicken it was very filling. However, if I was to make it again I'd have to pass on the coconut, the smell when it was cooking was the worst, it tasted fine on the chicken mixed with peanut and spice taste. It was also so much easier and quicker to make than I imagined it would be. I'm even looking forward to trying some more Thai dishes!

If you'd like to offer a country for me to create a recipe from or even a recipe you think I should try, please feel free on my project page for Around the World in 80 Dishes. Everything I plan on cooking has elements of authentic and traditional recipes with my own personal twist.

Dish #1 Italian/American

2010-03-10T16:05:00.007Z

Last week I bought some meatballs reduced to 50p in Sainsburys and felt excited to use them for Around the World in 80 Dishes project however when I was doing research into the recipe I was disappointed to discover that this dish was in fact a combination of old Italian meatball recipe for polpette added to spaghetti to please the americans. It first came about during the 19th century when South Italian immigrants were making their way to the US. This is why this recipe in my project is given both the Italian and American heading.

Spaghetti and meatballs is such a simple recipe that I thought it would be an excellent way to ease into eating around the world. As I've mentioned above, I used pre-made meatballs but its simple to make your own. All you need is minced meat (I usually use lean beef, but it does work with lamb, pork or turkey), breadcrumbs, oil or eggs to bind, and herbs, spices and seasoning to flavour. Last night however I finished work at 11pm so had to make something quick before the boy went to bed (he claims he sleeps better on a full stomach but in my opinion he's just too lazy to cook for himself while I'm at work!)

So I present to you, dish number 1, Spaghetti & Meatballs, served with homemade garlic bread.

This is not a recipe that has to use exactly what I use, it's a preference recipe and you can add whatever you want if you think it'll enhance it for you.

Starting with ingredients. I used my store bought meatballs which were 50p in Sainsburys, since they were dated for that day I froze them and then defrosted them before use. I used linguine instead of spaghetti because that's what we had in the house. Basic chopped tomatoes, great for cooking dishes like this with because your adding all the flavour. Tomato puree to thickening up the sauce. One onion and a clove of garlic, I personally feel there is nothing like fresh garlic for adding flavour. Soy sauce, I've always put it in tomato pasta dishes, I feel it gives it a bit of a kick. Cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley. Instead of cherry tomatoes you can use peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn, whatever takes your fancy really. I just feel adding something else always gives the dish a bit more depth which is important for me since the boy takes a lot to fill up! Of course, herbs, spices and seasoning I haven't listed but will mention in the step by steps.

This isn't necessarily everyones step one, I just prefer my pasta to be very very soft so I always put it on first. The best way to cook anything of course is to follow the instructions on the back of the packet then add or subtract time depending on how you like it to be cooked. If you do like it soft like I do, I recommend a good 20 minutes of cooking and if you need to don't be afraid to add more water. Place into a pan with boiling water and add some salt. Leave on a medium heat to cook.

Thinly chop the onion and add to a pan with the crushed garlic clove. Pour over some oil (or dry fry if you want to be healthy) and cook on a low heat until the onion starts to go soft. Every now and then stir to ensure that the onion and garlic don't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.

While the onion is cooking, pour the chopped tomatoes into a bowl and add one to two large spoons of soy sauce depending on how you want this to taste. I then added some cayenne pepper, paprika, Parmesan, black pepper, salt & some dried Italian herbs I had left from when I was at uni and living on frozen mince, ha. Give it a good mix together.

Add the meatballs to the pan with the onion and garlic and stir so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring until they're browning on all sides.

Add the tomato sauce and some tomato puree to thicken it then cover with a lid so the meatballs have time to cook thoroughly and the sauce will thicken more. Leave on a low heat so again nothing will stick to the bottom of the pan. This is so important if like me you're not using expensive non stick pans, ours just came from Ikea. They're working well so far but I'd rather not risk it.

Next quarter the cherry tomatoes and dice the parsley. Leave on the chopping board while the meatballs and pasta cook.
Now to make the garlic bread. I personally believe you can't have pasta without garlic bread, I mean how are you going to mop up all that lovely left over sauce!? Since I had a spare moment while everything cooks I made my own. You can use any bread really to do this but we had some left over French stick from lunch so I used that. I chopped it in half and put it on a baking tray. Thickly spread some butter, thickly as it's nice to have it melt right through the bread, especially something thick like French stick. Sprinkle over some garlic powder generously, after trying with paste and fresh I've found garlic powder works best for this. Then top with some dry herbs. Put it in the over for 5-10 minutes depending on how crispy you want it. I usually put it on a low heat so the butter melts slowly rather than burns.

Once the meatballs have cooked right through (you can check this by cutting into one to make sure it's brown in the middle), drain the pasta and stir into the tomato meatball mix. At this point I also added my cherry tomatoes so they keep their shape rather than turn soggy. Then of course serve with the garlic bread and topped with fresh parsley. Delicious and very filling, which is brilliant since I barely even spent £3 on it!

Tonight I'm cooking Thai Satay Chicken, it's already marinating in the fridge.

If you'd like to offer a country for me to create a recipe from or even a recipe you think I should try, please feel free on my project page for Around the World in 80 Dishes. Everything I plan on cooking has elements of authentic and traditional recipes with my own personal twist.

"All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

2010-03-09T14:32:00.008Z

Photo Credit chilecowboy @ flickr

The boy and I have booked our holiday for 2010! After much discussion and finance planning we have decided to go to Orlando in Florida. We're booked to go on the 2nd November 2010 for 10 days, 9 nights flying direct from Gatwick, London. We're staying in a Best Western just off International Drive and we're seriously looking forward to Ponderosa all you can eat breakfasts for $3.99.

It'll be eight years since I last visited and to say I'm excited is an understatement.

And The Award Goes To... 'The Sunshine Award'

2010-03-08T17:51:00.005Z

Thanks to Roxy Belle posting an award she'd received, I remembered I'd been given an award this week! I was meaning to write about it but since I've accumulated so much to write about over the past week I completely forgot.

The award was given to me by the lovely Samantha Jane and it's called the Sunshine Award.

RULES
-Put the award on your blog or in your post.
-Pass the award to 12 bloggers.
-Link the nominees within your post.
-Let the nominees know by commenting on their blog.
-Share the love and link to the person who gave it to you.

& the award goes to
1. Roxxybelle
2. A Daisy Chain Dream
3. The Madness of Mundanity
4. Cupcakes & Cherries
5. My Little Life
6. Bibliochic
7. And So Say I
8. Cupcake Couture
9. Book Odyssey
10. Obsessed Make Up Addict
11. Film Bluff
12. Much Love

Sunday Self Secrets Week Four 'The Family'

2010-03-08T15:45:00.005Z

I don't have loads to write on this subject as it's a very very personal one, and I don't suppose my parents and younger sister would like our private lives posted on a public blog.

My family are three of the most important and valuable people in my life. We've had some hard times while I was growing up but I'm hoping finally we're all on the straight and narrow. I love them more than words can describe and I feel so lucky that I ended up with such wonderful parents. Some of my happiest memories contain these three people, including three trips to Walt Disney World in Florida which has had such a big impact on my life. For all their faults and for all their mistakes I honestly believe that these three are good people and I am genuinely blessed.

I am one of two girls and I'm the eldest by 2 years 4 months. My younger sister Erin (the brunette) was the pain in my life when I was growing up. We shared a room and we were completely different in every way so we struggled to find common ground. In her nineteen years she's had two near death experiences, one when she was very young and neither of us remember and one was in recent years that ended up with us both growing closer. We still argue but we enjoy time together and have a lot more in common these days. She's busy training to be a dental nurse and is finally happily in love. I'm both proud and happy for her.

My mother is a teacher in a pre school nursery, however nowadays they're not supposed to be called teachers or nurserys but that's fundimentally what she is. Before I was born she was a hairdresser but he went back and trained to be a teacher once my sister started school. She was always the mediator in our family fueds and never likes to take sides. Since my sister and I have grown up she now spends all her time looking after her gerbils, Daisy and Maisy. She enjoys gardening and watching all sports on tv. In two years she'll have been married to my dad for twenty five years, he's promised to take her to Wimbledon to watch the mens final on centre court. We're more like best friends now than mother and daughter and I miss seeing her every day. She is one of the funniest people I know and always comes out the worst things. She comes down during her school holidays and we spend a day shopping together, in Easter I've promised to go with her to see Nanny Mcphee and the Big Bang as the first one is her favourite film.

My dad is a long distance truck driver. He loves his job he has nowadays as he gets to deliver new cars and often gets to test drive them. Paddy is very envious of this. Because of his job we only saw him on weekends when we were growing up which was tough on all of us. He did it because it's the only job he's even knew and it was good money. So good nowadays that he gets excellent pay. My sister and I have very similar tempraments to my dad which caused us all to always bash heads. He's always very over protective and always worrying which used to annoy my sister and I. Of both my parents he spoilt us the most and still does. I look forward to him stopping in Newcastle so we can go out for dinner together and catch up. I sometimes think he has more time for me than he used to because he now had Paddy to talk to too! I love him more now than I ever have. He loves classic rock music and still goes to festivals.

On Saturday I took a train to my hometown and spent a night at my parents to celebrate my birthday early. On arriving they had a cake and my sister, her boyfriend and my parents sang happy birthday to me and then I opened my presents. I received everything I'd asked them for plus two charms for my bracelet. From my sister I got a bottle of pink sparkling rose. That evening we had a huge chinese and lots of wine, what a lovely grown up birthday.

"What is a friend? A single soul in two bodies." - Aristotle

2010-03-05T07:58:00.006Z

I'm on a holiday hiatus this week!
I'm on a week off from work and I'm visiting friends and family. I'm enjoying good conversation, a lot of laughs and even more alcohol than I doubt my body would like. I spent a day with my two closest friends from university and now I'm with my best friend, then tomorrow I'm visiting my parents.

Remember, I'm still looking for country suggestions for my first blog project, Around the World in Eighty Dishes. So far I'll be visiting Thailand, Turkey, Iran, India, Lebanon, Japan, Italy, Mexico & Spain. More suggestions please!

After one more follower, I will be announcing my first ever give away, I'm dying to post it but I feel 25 followers should be celebrated in a good way!

Love to all x

Project #1 'Around the World in Eighty Dishes'

2010-02-28T22:53:00.007Z

I'm leaving Sunday Self Secrets for tonight to instead introduce my first ever blog project! I've been thinking about this all week and I think tonight is time to put it to my public.

Exciting huh?

For the next year I'm going to be trying new dishes from all over the world and posting them here, along with the ingredients, the instructions on how to make them and some information about the dish. I love trying new dishes and since my boyfriend will eat pretty much anything I think this could be fun. Also finding new dishes from around the world on our modest budget is going to be a difficult challenge but I know it'll be enjoyable (and if gives me a great excuse to go to our local market!).

And here is where I need the help. I'd love for all my followers to give me suggestions for countries to cook dishes from! I'll do the research and find the dishes, all you have to do is suggest the country.

I'm really excited about this, so please send your suggestions my way.

Product Review #1 'Paul & Joe Primer'

2010-02-28T00:48:00.009Z

I have been using Paul & Joe Primer for a few weeks now as I wanted to give it a fair trial run before reviewing it. I wanted to wear it on a night out, for a long shift at work and every day, now that I've worn it for all three I feel I can give it a fair review.

For a long time I never bothered to wear primer for the main fact that it's only over the last year I've started to wear foundation, prior to that I only wore concealer and powder. Last year I bought two bottle of the That Gal Primer by Benefit and I loved it, it smelt good and it gave my skin a nice dewy look but at £20.50 a pop I was struggling to buy it on a regular basis, especially since it hardly lasted a month! While browsing the Paul & Joe make up on ASOS I came across this Primer, it has SPF 40 and was only £15.75 which is quite reasonable for a primer (even high street brands such as GOSH charge at least £12 for their primer). I'd never read any reviews on this particular product but I'd heard great stuff about Paul & Joe as a brand so I thought I'd give it a try. I used ASOS's super saver delivery for £1.95 which was excellent value for money and it arrived within a week.

The primer itself is foundation coloured, which did worry me at first as it was a darker colour than my skin but once I'd applied it (with my fingers) it didn't change my skin any which I was pleased about. Unlike the Benefit primer, the Paul & Joe stuff goes a long way. I only use a tiny bit to cover my whole face and it doesn't feel heavy of grease but just gives my face a nice matte base for me to apply my foundation over. It also had a really nice smell to it, which I really liked, very floral.

I tested out the primer, as I said in three different circumstances. Firstly I wore it all day under full make up when I was at my parents. It lasted well, kept my face moisturised and of course with the SPF 40 it was excellent for my skin anyway. My make up stayed put all day. Again, when I wore it for a 10 hour shift at work, it held my make up well, I only had to touch up my concealer over a few spots and re-do my eyeliner but that has nothing to do with my primer. the final test for the primer was how well it lasted on a night out on the town. And it did really well, unfortunately I woke up the next morning with all my make up still on and what wasn't on my face was on my pillow, which again I don't think it was anything to do with the primer!

All in all, I completely recommend this product to anyone looking for a primer. The only disappointing thing is once again it comes in a small tube and I doubt it'll last long if I wear it every day (so I'll admit that i've been rationing it). But apart from that, it's one of the best make up products I've ever used and I can't wait to get my hands on some more of their beauty range.

Product: Paul & Joe SPF 40 Primer
Price: £15.75
From: ASOS
Buy it again? Yes

Film Review #4 'Year One'

2010-02-27T11:04:00.004Z

"Jack Black and Michael Cera headline Harold Ramis' Biblical comedy about a pair of misfit hunter-gatherers who embark on a wild journey through the ancient world after being banished from their primitive village. Zed (Black) and Oh (Cera) may lack in the skills that their chieftain is looking for, but they have plans to make it big. Zed has a gut feeling that God has "chosen" him, and so he leads his buddy on a trip through the unknown countryside in search of bigger and better things, bumping into several weird characters along the way -- like a feuding pair of brothers named Cain and Abel (David Cross and Paul Rudd). Unfortunately, their quest for greatness hits a few snags, like being sold into slavery, and later becoming the object of interest to a very amorous, very hairy high priest (Oliver Platt) in the opulent city of Sodom." - Plot taken from fandango

Another not so recent film, but as it's the first time I've seen it, it still warrents a review. Yes, I'm a Jack Black fan, yes I'm a Michael Cera fan but a Year One fan? Not so much. In theory I should of loved this film, I love Harold Ramis' as a writer and I must be the only person actually looking forward to Ghostbusters 3. The cast contained loads of my favourite actors and anything that puts a new spin on religion is usually a winner for me. However while watching Year One I just kept feeling like something was missing. It was funny, really funny in places but the characters and story was just so lacklust and disappointing. At some points I found myself confused as they crossed some religious characters that I'm sure never met which shouldn't really of mattered but I ended up a bit lost. Plus there was definitely not enough of Paul Rudd.

What was good about the film, Jack Black and Michael Cera's character's relationship. They worked well as a comedy duo. Abraham played by Hank Azaria was really funny, but I'm not sure the humour would appeal to all, I have a very odd sense of humour so I found his lines pretty hilerious. Sadly that's all I can say was actually good in my opinion. It's definitely only a film I'd ever watch once.

Best Moment: Michael Cera half naked and painted gold, yum.
Best Line: "I'm a virgin by choice" - Oh "Ha, not your choice" - Zed
Would Recommend For: Anyone who enjoys the sort of humour found in Austin Powers.
Rating: 4/10

Film Review #3 'Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist'

2010-02-27T00:17:00.005Z

"Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a comedy about two people thrust together for one hilarious, sleepless night of adventure in a world of mix tapes, late-night living, and, live, loud music. Nick (Michael Cera) frequents New York's indie rock scene nursing a broken heart and a vague ability to play the bass. Norah (Kat Dennings) is questioning pretty much all of her assumptions about the world. Though they have nothing in common except for their taste in music, their chance encounter leads to an all-night quest to find a legendary band's secret show and ends up becoming the first date in a romance that could change both their lives." - Plot taken from Rotten Tomatoes

Tonight is the boy and my last night together for a week as he is going snowboarding with his brothers and I'm going to visit some friends and family. Although for the first time in three years I'm actually looking forward to the week ahead we still both wanted to do something nice especially since we had something to celebrate (more on that next week). Firstly we'd planned a meal out, but we couldn't afford that, then we'd planned to have another of those meal deals, this time from Tescos but he didn't want to waste the petrol money driving there so instead we settled on one of those take away pizzas, with 44p garlic bread and £2 chicken wings, teamed with ameretto and cheap coke. Perfect and to top the night off, a Michael Cera film.

When I first heard of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, I imagined it being like High Fidelity which is one of my favourite films but of course we don't need another version of that which is probably why I haven't bothered to watch this film until now even though it's been out for two years. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised, and the boy especially loved it!

Once again, Michael Cera plays the awkward dubious teen on the quest for the perfect girl. The perfect girl however has recently ended their relationship after spending six months cheating on him. She's blonde, skinny and sassy, and personally I felt their relationship was a bit unbelievable. He's been making her mix cds and leaving them on her door step and she's been taking them to school and laughing about them with her friends. Kat Dennings plays the unconventional friend of Cera's love who has been claiming his mixtapes and falling for him through his music. This of course turns into the usual boy meets girl that begins with mistaken identities, but although it was predictible I still couldn't help but enjoy it.

The supporting cast was excellent and enjoyable. Nick's ex Tris played by Alexis Dzenia, was annoying but I am sure that's how the audience was supposed to percieve her and Norah's other friend Caroline played by Ari Graynor, was a disgustingly hilerious and very believable drunk. Nick's friends were three gays, and having had my own gay friends these guys just tickled me! Some of my favourite moments were the conversations they would have about what to call the band. Norah has to be one of my favourite movie heroines, I completely empathised with her and Kat Dennings plays an excellent lost teenage girl. I look forward to seeing her in things to come.

I have never read the book so I cannot compare the two but Nick and Norah is a film I'm going to have to go out and buy as I feel I could probably watch it over again and still enjoy it. The story was sweet, funny and at times completely gross but like most Cera films, it was a well rounded teen indie comedy. Also it is set in NYC, that's a winner every time for me!

Best Moment: When Tris is dancing in front of Nick's car and he drives off, cleaning her lipstick kiss off his window.
Best Line: "Well, you're two penises short of a Shania Twain reimagination band!"
Would Recommend For: Indie comedy lovers, Rom-com lovers, Michael Cera fans
Rating: 8/10

"As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it." - Buddy Hackett

2010-02-24T13:52:00.002Z

I'm drifting in and out of consciousness in the blog world due to work, I'm not working as much as the previous week but still working. I have another holiday next week but I'm away and shall not be blogging anymore than I am at the moment. It'll be nice to get away though. I still have a lot of ideas for blog entries but by the time I get in from work I'm exhausted and during the day I'm busy. There is just no happy medium at the moment.

This evening I thought I'd bring you a recipe. Something quick and simple that I know I'll eat tons of since the boy is away all next week and the days I am in the house I'll not bother since I hate cooking for one. It's one of my favourites that started out as a Deliah's from her How to Cheat book but I've adapted it to my own liking, just as I do with all recipes from books. For anyone who has the book (and I do highly recommend getting it especially if you want to make delicious dishes on a budget) it's the Spinach Tortelloni with Leeks & Gorgonzola on page 192. Personally I'm not a huge fan of Spinach and we never have Gorgonzola so I wanted to prove that this delicious recipe can be adapted to everyones own tastes.

Presenting Mozzerella & Basil Tortelloni with Prosciutto Ham & Mushrooms

Served with stupidly cheap but actually quite tasty garlic bread. This was a quick dish I made after I finished work and didn't have time to make my own, I think it's about 50p a stick from Sainsburys. To get to the above picture, you have to begin like this.

(I am aware the packet says tomato, but I took this picture after I'd already thrown away the tortelloni packet!)

The ingredients I used, but as I said before you could use any number of ingredients, were the tortelloni, in whatever flavour you like. The boy and I usually stock up on these when they have them for a £1 in our supermarkets (which is quite often). Button mushrooms, prosciutto, parmasan and some cream. Weight watchers do a great cream that's between a double and a single, I find it perfect for bakes. I also used some breadcrumbs on the top and seasoning of course.

First put the tortelloni into a pan and cover with boiling water. Season well and leave to cook until the pasta is soft (usually takes less than 5 minutes but it depends what heat you put it on, my pasta is usually on rapid.)

Next thinly slice the mushrooms, I have slight ocd when it comes to chopping veg and my mushrooms always have to be thinly sliced so they retain their mushroom shape rather than being diced into cubes. No idea why, just thought I'd give you a fun fact. Then tear up the prosciutto so it's in thin strips. I usually find tearing much easier than trying to cut prosciutto or parma ham.

Drain the water off then pasta then pour into a baking dish.

Top with the prosciutto and mushrooms, then season with salt, pepper and garlic.

Mix in the cream and arrange so it covers the whole bottom of the oven dish. Top with bread crumbs and parmasan then put in the oven. At the same time put in the garlic bread. I usually wrap it in tin foil so it cooks at the same speed as the pasta bake. Nothing worse than burnt garlic bread. Cook in the oven until it is golden brown, then serve.

Enjoy x

"What is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?" - Alice

2010-02-22T21:20:00.006Z

Squee!
Even though we're now madly saving for a holiday I couldn't resist this beauty while I was in Debenhams today, Urban Decay's Book of Shadows. It did cost £28, but I have since sold most of my old MAC eyeshadows (I kept four to go in a small quad) and made that back, so technically it was a trade, my old pallet for a new. The colours in it are beautiful! Usually I don't buy anything on impulse and end up missing out but since the bracelet I want from Disney Couture is out of stock I thought I'd get this instead. Anyway, this wasn't the reason for today's entry.

I'm selling a lot on ebay, most end in less than 24 hours and most have no bids sadly!
Seventy Seven Sales

Also!
I'm now on 22 follows through google, once I reach the magic number of 25 I will be doing my first give away, and trust me, it's good!

Book Review #2 'Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella'

2010-02-22T01:56:00.006Z

"Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don't get visited by ghosts. Or do they? When the spirit of Lara's great-aunt Sadie mysteriously appears, she has one request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie's possession for more than seventy-five years, because Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems like they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie's necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different "twenties" girls learn some surprising truths from and about each other." - synopsis by Lexi's Little Whims

After the challenge of reading Lost I decided to go for an easy read in the form of chick lit, specifically chick lit from one of my favourite authors, Sophie Kinsella. I only recently discovered Sophie Kinsella but having completed Twenties Girl I have read all books under her own name (she previously wrote under the alias Madeline Wickham). I adore Sophie Kinsella's style of writing for chick lit, as soon as I start her books I'm hooked and have to keep reading, I remember reading the whole of Shopaholic and Sister in less than a day. Her prose is easy and interesting and I find myself quickly submersed into the world of her characters. Twenties Girl was no different, infact it was one of her bests in my opinion.

The protagonist, Lara Lington, is entertaining and believable in my opinion. The way she handles the crisis' in her life definitely reflect the way I and many of my friends have behaved in the past and that is one of the reasons I love Kinsella's novels. Her leading ladies always have character traits that can be picked out of women you know in real life, maybe even yourself. In the beginning Lara's life is in pieces, her business is failing, she was just dumped but slowly throughout the novel she puts it back together with the help of her dead aunt's ghost and her friends. Of course we can't all have a friendly ghost to help us out but none the less the novel brings hope to women who like Lara are clinging onto a fantasy, trust me, I've been there myself.

Not only was the protagonist an interesting point of view to read from, but the supporting characters in her life were fun. Her great aunt Sadie's twentythree year old spirit was the epitome of a twenties girl, I adored her and how her story played out. I have a huge soft spot for the twenties as a decade and if I could live in any point in the twentieth century, the twenties would of been it and I would of been a party girl much like Sadie. The beau in Lara's life, Ed, reminded me much of Mr Big in Sex and the City, he appeared all business but of course he turned out to be an interesting many levels man. Lara's family were entertaining, although her situation wasn't something I could identify with, her uncle and cousin and even her parents to an extent were the types of characters I could imagine which I always feel is an important aspect of a good book!

The plot itself was fun and tied up nicely at the end, I even shed a few tears. Unlike with some of Kinsella's other novels I didn't feel that I was missing out on something, Twenties Girl sits nicely in a single novel which I was glad of (her other novels have me desperate for sequels!) I laughed out loud at some points too as some of the arguements that Lara would have out loud, in public with Sadie were so vivid I could even imagine them! The description in the book was definitely Kinsella at her best.

Would Recommend For: Chick Lit/Rom Com lovers, Sophie Kinsella fans.
If You Like This Try: Shopaholic Series, Remember Me? The Undomestic Goddess, Can You Keep a Secret? (all by Sophie Kinsella), A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff, Elegance by Kathleen Tessaro
Rating: 9/10

Sunday Self Secrets Week Three 'The Make Up Bag'

2010-02-21T19:26:00.004Z

In my teens I wasn't the make up junkie I am now, infact my make up obsession didn't really start until I was nineteen perhaps? Nowadays I enjoy buying make up more than I do clothes and that is really saying something. I have really sensitive messy skin, the dark circles under eyes, the occasional dry patch, the spot patches, I even have horrible small milk spots that I've had since I was a child. If I'm truthful, my skin is one of the things I'd HAVE to change if I ever came into vast amounts of money. Anyway, what I was meaning to say is my excuse for buying such expensive make up is the fact my skin reacts badly to anything cheap so I need to buy nice good stuff as to not make my face any worse than it is. I'm a sucker for high end brands anyway and I can't remember the last time I owned anything high street (although I do recommend L'Oreals True Match range, before I could afford anything expensive I swore by this and to all the girls with sensitive skin, this does wonders!)

I have two sets of make up, I have my every day make up that I keep in my handbag and then I have my not so regular use make up which stays on my dressing table. This generally includes anything shimmery that I use one a night out, my make up brushes, my MAC pallet and lipglosses. I don't tend to wear lipgloss on a regular basis as I'm not a huge fan of shiny lips and I prefer to keep it matte during the day. Today's Sunday Self Secrets is going to be looking at what's in my make up bag that I use every day, and it's not pretty.. the amount I use to pass for normal looking to leave the house is quite upsetting!

As I said, it is quite a lot more than I'd like. I wish more than anything I was a natural beauty, but I'm just not. Without eyeliner my eyes sink into my face, without my illuminating concealer under my eyes I look like I haven't slept in weeks, without some colour on my lips you can see how chapped they are. I don't believe in fake tan, or caked on foundation but I do have to wear something, and here it is.

My little mirror is from a stall in Camden and cost £2.50 (well two for £5, my best friend has the other one). The comb with the broken tail end is from Boots, I snapped the tail end off so it would fit in a tiny clutch bag on a night out. My blusher brush is a cheap one but it's so soft it and hasn't fallen apart in over a year, it's as good as an expensive one! And my perfume is D&G L'Imperatrice which smells deliciously fruity, everyone always compliments it at work. For an every day face I use Paul & Joe's Primer (£15.75), it has spf 40 which I must wear due to my very pale skin. This is a recent buy that I am doing a review on but it is amazing and smells really good. MAC Select Foundation (£19) & Moisturecover concealer (£12.50) in NW15, as I mentioned before I don't like my make up to be caked on and I found studio fix and studio sculpt to be far to heavy for me, select in the concealer and foundation is a perfect combination and covers my skin flawlessly. For under my eyes I swear by YSL Touche Ecalt (£19.75) in shade one, this is my third one and I use it religiously. It also blends perfectly with my foundation. As a finishing touch I use MAC's loose powder (£17). It's a bit messy but again I use it because it's not heavy on my skin and just gives me that matte look I love so much. I used to apply it with a brush but I have just ordered an empty compact from Lily Lolo (£9) to try and reduce the mess this makes when i'm in the hurry (or applying in the car when I've slept in for work).

On my eyes depending on how I'm feeling I may choose to use pencil or liquid eyeliner. Both of mine are from Benefit's Bad Gal range. The liquid eyeliner was only available once in a Christmas gift pack along with mascara and the chunky eyeliner, neither of which I particular liked however I did love the liquid eyeliner which has lasted me over a year. I'll be very sorry when it runs out. I recently purchased the new waterproof Bad Gal eyeliner (£14) from Fenwicks and so far I'm impressed. It stays on my eyes all day however it does smudge easily, I don't mind that too much because it gives the smokey look. The only draw back is it needs sharpened often because it is gel rather than khol. Look out for the full review of this product coming soon. I am a newbie to mascara as I don't really need it having brown eyelashes, however of the few I've used Dior Show Blackout Mascara (£21.50) is the best. It's thick and excellent at defining eyelashes.

To add a bit of colour my every day pallet is pink. As I've mentioned before I don't like using lipgloss during the day because a) it's too shiny and b) I don't like the sticky factor. So instead I use my all time favourite MAC lipstick Chatterbox (£12.50) it's an amplified cream and goes on so smoothly especially if I put a lipbalm underneath. In the winter my lips are often chapped and I find amplified cream by MAC the best lipstick to use. Over the top of the lipstick I use Vaseline's rosy lips (£1.49) the colours of these blend perfectly and it just keeps the lipstick in place. On my cheeks I love my Hipness blush from the Fafi Collection by MAC (£16.50), it's a gorgeous coral pink. I'm quite upset it's nearly finished as I don't think I'll be able to replace it and when that happens I think I'll give Nars Orgasm a go.

Of everything make up related, my make up bag is my favourite. It's by Loop NYC for Disney Couture and I bought it from Urban Outfitters. The best part of it all it was £20 down to £5! It has Tinkerbelle on it, you can just see her in the picture. It is a great size but when zipped up it pulls everything in making it a good size to keep in the handbag. It's a bit grubby now and could do with a was but I'm afraid it'll ruin it!

What are everyone else's every day essentials in their make up bag? I'm always interested to know if everyone needs as much as me to keep them pretty, according to Calvin Klein who claims "the best thing is to look natural, but it takes make up to look natural" everyone does!

Next week 'My favourite things'

"I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, Sir, because I'm not myself you see." - Alice

2010-02-18T01:36:00.003Z

Alice in Wonderland Collection, Spring 2010

L-R Key Bracelet @ £25, Curiouser & Curiouser Hoops @ £25, Watch Necklace @ £45
Drink Me Necklace @ £25, Mad Hatter Necklace @ £30, Bottle Necklace @ £30

As I've previously mentioned I'm a huge fan of Disney Couture jewellery and was extremely excited to hear about the Alice in Wonderland that was to be released to coincide with the new movie release. It has been designed by renowned designer Tom Binns, famous for his eclectic and expensive jewellery that is considered more art than fashion. The collection contains 35 pieces that range from about £12 (depending on the retailer) up.

Above are some of my favourite pieces from the collection, my three favourites are those at the very top. The key bracelet (also available in gold), the hoops and the watch necklace (also available in silver). The bracelet was the very first piece I saw from the collection and although I'm not a fan of chunky things around my wrist (I never wear a watch) the key bracelet is an amazing piece of design that I would see myself always wearing. "Curiouser and Curiouser" is one of my favourites quotes from Alice in Wonderland (it's been featured in almost all remakes and is even in the book) and the stunning hoops with the quote is just the epitome of all things Alice. Even though I rarely ever wear earrings I would love these so much, they're so statement! The beautiful pocket watch necklace speaks for itself really, it's my favourite piece in the whole collection but at £45 and my current financial state I cannot ever see myself owning it. I already own a silver pocket watch I purchased on a recent trip to London but it has nothing on this beauty. I'd love it in gold.

Of all the pieces I would like to own, the "Drink Me" necklace is probably my least favourite. My only reason would be that it looks to much like a Tatty Devine necklace, or one that could be purchased from anywhere that makes perspex necklaces. The other two I find incredibly cute, I adore the charms but I have many similar charm necklaces that I'd be afraid that they'd just fall to the sidelines. I prefer something more statement, especially when I'm spending a lot of money on them... however the detail is just gorgeous that I'd probably wear them more than I think.

As much as I do adore this collection, I find it quite different to the Disney Couture stuff (although I have to admit I'm very glad not to see MORE Tinkerbell) it's darker and not as Disney, more Tim Burton. I think I prefer the older Disney Couture jewellery that has the princess touch. I personally hope this isn't the direction Disney Couture is intending to always take!

Book Review #1 'Lost by Gregory Maguire'

2010-02-17T13:33:00.004Z

"Winifred Rudge, a bemused writer struggling to get beyond the runaway success of her mass-market astrology book, travels to London to jump-start her new novel about a woman who is being haunted by the ghost of Jack the Ripper. Upon her arrival, she finds that her stepcousin and old friend John Comestor has disappeared, and a ghostly presence seems to have taken over his apartment in the nineteenth-century rowhouse once owned by Winnie's great-great-grandfather. Is it the spirit of this ancestor, who, family legend claims, was Charles Dickens's childhood inspiration for Ebenezer Scrooge? Could it be the ghostly remains of Jack the Ripper? Or a phantasm derived from a more arcane and insidious origin?

Winnie begins to investigate, but John's erstwhile girlfriend, Allegra, is aggressively unhelpful, and his downstairs neighbor, the cat-obsessed Mrs. Maddingly, is growing stranger by the day. Gripped by inspiration and desperation alike, Winnie finds herself the unwilling audience for a drama of specters and shades, some from her family's peculiar history and some from her own unvanquished past." synopsis by Powell's Books

I'm going to start off saying that I have read four of Gregory Maguire's novels and I am a fan. I enjoy his prose style but I do need to be in the right frame of mind to read one as they take a long time to get through with his mixture of literary techniques and great levels of description. I am by nature a fast reader but when it comes to Maguire's novels I can only read so much at once before my head explodes. Some people call that a mark of a good writer but I've heard some people call it tedious. None the less, Lost like all Maguire's novels in my opinion was still in it's own way, good. However of the other four Maguire books I have read, Lost was my least favourite.

The protagonist, Winnie Rudge did not appeal to me at all, in fact she grated on me. It was incredibly lucky that the supporting characters were far more diverse and interesting along with the twists and turns of the good and sometimes confusing (in a way that makes you want to make it to the end) way of the plot. Back to Winnie however, I found her dull at times and very hard to empathize with her (when I empathize or sympathize for the character I enjoy a book much more). The book was also slow in places. The plot itself was a good one, I love mysteries and ghost stories and one of my favourite things about Gregory Maguire is that he takes a well known story and turns it on it's head. With Lost, unlike in his other novels, the story of Scrooge's likeness to Winnie's descendant peters out and is replaced with something far more interesting. I love Maguire's ability to make ghosts and possession work in the 21st Century to a point where while you're reading it you could actually believe it could happen but at the same time his characters are so well developed you could see it just being a figment of Winnie's imagination due to what has happened in her own life.

Although, Lost is a good novel and I would recommend it to people who were looking for an intricate mystery plot that does involve doses of ghosts and possession, I will not read it again. It took me a while to make it to the end and although the ending was good enough for the novel, I did feel robbed as I didn't really find out what happened to Winnie really, or the rest of the characters. I have to admit to being a fan of a books that do tie up endings, perhaps he is leaving it open for a sequel? Personally I can't see it.

Would Recommend For: Ghost story lovers, those who like challenging reads.
If You Like This Try: Other Maguire novels Wicked Trilogy, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
Rating: 5/10

"The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase, if you pursue happiness you'll never find it" - CP Snow

2010-02-16T20:03:00.011Z

I was tagged by the lovely Claire over at French for Cupcake for "10 Things That Make You Happy". I'm having one of those weeks where everything is going wrong and I'm working so many hours while full of cold, it just can't be a good outcome however I think focusing on what does make me happy is a good way to get through the next few days.

1. Cookery.

I love to cook as I've said before, I also love to bake however my cookery recipes are much more successful than my baking. It's a good job I love to cook as my boyfriend takes a lot of filling up. No one ever taught me to cook, in fact my mother is quite a useless cook and while growing up we lived on freezer food. When I moved out I started to experiment and eventually it became a hobby of mine. I look forward to my days off when I have time to make something special but thanks to Nigella Express and Delia Cheats I am able to make quick and delicious foods on the nights I do get in from work late. I even love to food shop and love experimenting with different foods. I've recently found a love for pork chops and tuna steaks. Unlike most people I actually relax while cooking and feel accomplished when I create something delicious.

2. Trixie & Smokey.

After over a year of nagging on the 1st April 2009, the boy finally gave in and bought me two gorgeous little gerbils from Pets at Home. We spent a week searching for one that had them in stock as they're like gold dust. In Sunderland we finally found some and spent £80 on getting a home for them and everything else they needed. Smokey is so named for her grey and white colouring and Trixie is named for the fast she's fast and jumpy. They're both incredibly cute and they eat lots including shreddies and peanut. When I'm really sad these girls never fail to put a smile on my face.

3. Lush Baths.

At the end of a stressful day I love nothing more than getting home and running a hot bath filled with my favourite lush products. I've been a lush fan for many years and can still remember the first lush product I ever bought, it was a fairy jasmine bathbomb. Nowadays I tend to buy a set few items to mix together to make the perfect bath. I love Ma Bars mixed with a Butterball bath bomb or a creamy Candy/Candy Cane teamed up with Sakura or Think Pink. Other products I like are Honey Bee Bathbomb and Marshmallow & Dreamtime bathmelts which are excellent for an extra bit of pampering. After a lush bath I always feel so much more content and relaxed.

4. Travelling.

The other half is convinced that I'm a travel whore as I always feel the need to have a holiday or some sort of adventure booked. This probably true. I can't help but feel that I always need to know I'm going to be going somewhere, no matter how close or how far it is. Last year for my twenty first we went to New York, it was amazing and one of the best experiences of my life. This is one of my favourite pictures taken in Times Square. There are so many places I still want to visit I just wish I had more money and didn't have to use my very little pay on such frivilous things as rent and bills.

5. Spending Time With My Family.

While growing up I never got on with my family, especially my dad and my sister. All three of us are quite a like and therefore clashed making my mother torn between us all. Nowadays since I no longer live at home I appreciate them so much more and even miss being at home and feel I miss out on the day to day things I hated while I lived there. My sister, mum and I are so close and we talk to each other so more than we lived under the same roof. I also now have so much more time for my dad, he gets on well with my boyfriend and my sisters and because he finally has men around to talk to he's so much less of a stresshead. I love my parents so much that this year the boy and I are flying out to spend the second half of their holiday with them. I can't wait to see my mums face.

6. Books & Reading.Ever since I was a little girl I've loved a book. I'm an incredibly fast reader when I want to be and have been known to finish an over 600 page book in less than a day (yes I am talking about Harry Potter). I have a few favourites that I enjoy reading over and over again but I tend to only read books once and only keep books I really really enjoyed. I love to buy books cheap from charity shops, it's one of my secret pleasures. When I lived in Lincoln there was an Oxfam dedicated to books, I loved it. This photo depicts the books I have yet to read on my bookcase. My favourite genres are mystery, chick lit and fantasy.

7. Disney.
Whenever I'm feeling down and on my own in the flat I start watching disney films. When I was ill in bed a few weeks back I watched lots back to back, it really helped and really cheered me up. Disney films and Disney in general takes me back to my childhood. I was brought up in a cotton wool Disney filled world, both my parents were huge Disney fans and every Christmas we'd receive half the Disney shop so watching the films reminds me of the happy childhood I had. I now collect Disney Couture Jewellery and I'm desperate to find a cheshire cat teddy bear, the old pink and purple striped one. Anyone know where I can get one?

8. Visiting Friends.

One of the travelling adventures I'm often planning is visiting friends. I'm pretty unlucky in the fact that none of all but one of my close friends live miles from Newcastle, it's a cause of great inner torment as I miss them all so much. I look forward to the great times we have when we're together. I am fortunate however that three of them live in one area so I can visit them all at once. Tonight I booked tickets down to visit my best friend and the two closest girls I have from uni at the beginning of March and there have been great plans made already. I feel so lucky to have such great friends in my life, even if I don't get to see them enough.

9. Shopping.
Since attending college in Newcastle I've developed a huge passion for shopping. It's sad to admit that I didn't do anything special with my student loan but spend it on clothes and make up (and alcohol of course), part of me wishes that I went travelling with it but that still hasn't curbed my shopping addiction. My favourite high street shops are Topshop, Accessorize and Urban Outfitters but I do love a Charity Shop or Vintage Store. I also have a weakness for ebay. Whenever pay day rolls around I have to admit I do have a list of things I want to buy. Well every girl has a right to shop!

10. Patrick.

Of all the things and happenings, Patrick is the one thing guarenteed to put a smile on my face. Yes we have our ups and downs and we're far from perfect as one minute we can be at each others throats and the next minute we'll be discussing marriage and kids but that's what keeps the spice going and it proves that it's all worth fighting for. Our relationship can be described with one quote from the movie The Wedding Date, "I'd rather fight with you than make love with anybody else." Because it's true, although we do have our spats, he's the guy I want to be going to bed with every night.

Now, I'm supposed to tag 10 people, but I've tagged 8 instead, Jess at jessticlesxoxo, Rani at Cupcake Couture, Emma at Plum Dressing, Sam at samanthajanex, Laura at A Daisy Chain Dream, Sarah at My Little Life, Roxy at Roxxy Belle & Suze at Wish & Spoon.

Happy Pancake Day everyone.

Sunday Self Secrets Week Two 'Valentines Day'

2010-02-16T00:31:00.007Z

I apologise now for the fact my Sunday Self Secrets is late this week, but I was a little preoccupied last night with what is being this weeks Sunday Self Secrets, Valentines Day.

In the words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach" which is how I feel about my loving boyfriend who spoiled me so much last night. I had to work during the day from 10:30 until 5:30, and it was very crazy with it also being Chinese New Year (I work just behing Newcastle's China Town) and Valentines Day, so I came home very grumpy and exhausted. He had me locked away in our bedroom while he did some preparation. When he came to collect me he was wearing a shirt and lead me through our flat, it was pitch black but he lit a little path way with tea lights. It was so romantic! He had a mix tape playing that I had made for his stocking the first Christmas we had together (he never plays romantic music, it was great). All along the sideboard he had my yankee candles in wrapped in tin foil so they didn't melt onto the wood work. On the table he had my card, a single rose and my present. He'd made a goats cheese salad for starters as the Sainsburys meal we had didn't include one. I'm a huge fan of goats cheese and balsamic vinegar salad, he'd even made his own home made croutons. I had also bought a garlic bread pizza to go with the salad, it was from Tescos and was just like the kind you get at Zizzis. It was delicious. We were also drinking the pinot greigo that we got with the meal, it's one of my favs. For mains we had a paella that was really delicious but in my opinion it was more cream base like a risotto. Still nice though even with the peas. The chicken and king prawns were my favourites. For dessert we had stawberry cheese cake which was so delicious def my favourite part of the meal. I ended up being too busy eating to take a picture. We drank the whole bottle of wine with the meal so we moved onto the frescati while we opened our cards and my present. I loved the card I got
my boyfriend, it was about a fairytale couple which is perfect for us. I also got him a gingerbread cookie. He however, along with a single red rose got me an Elsie Belle necklace, the one I'd been lusting after for so long, the Cinderella carriage. I gave him links to three necklaces and he chose this one. He really does know me. I got him How I Met Your Mother Season 2 on DVD, I preordered it for him and we've been busy watching it since Saturday night.

Without a doubt it was the best Valentines day ever. I always have to work because of the trade I'm in so usually I have to something before or after it (this is the third one I've had someone with well with Paddy, the year before it I'd just been dumped so I was happy to work it). It was lovely to do something on the day and I'm so glad I managed to get the evening off even if we were too broke to go out. My boyfriend and I had a great night and I did enjoy being spoilt for once and have some food made for me. I hope everyone else had a great night and you all enjoyed this weeks Sunday Self Secret.

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” - George Bernard Shaw

2010-02-14T18:47:00.008Z

I made it out of work early to bring you this Valentines day post! Love is definitely cupcakes. Mine are never as beautiful as ones bought but I am practicing. However today I'm sharing bought cupcakes with you.

In Newcastle we are lucky enough to have a Fenwicks department store, it is one of my favourite places to shop as it has a boutique and a Topshop, a Mac counter and it sells Disney Couture jewellery. The best part of it though has to be the food court! It has the most amazing fresh food ever and the boy and I have agreed if we ever came into money we'd do all our food shopping there! In the time being we only buy bits and pieces if we have the money spare (which isn't often) so instead we just browse. Last Monday I paid my weekly visit only to find a new cupcake counter next to the fancy chocolates. I was so excited I just had to buy some with my weeks tips.

I chose a box of four, these cost £1.75 each, however they have cheaper ones for £1.25 each. The £1.25 cupcakes are all vanilla with different colour butter icing. I just couldn't resist the different flavoured cupcakes as they were all to die for. The cupcakes themselves are presented in a beautiful box with cupcake decoration which is really cute. After a few minutes of choosing, I decided on peanut butter, rocky road, strawberry shortcake and marshmallow.

Rocky Road, deliciously soft chocolate and vanilla marbled sponge topped with chocolate, marshmellows and white chocolate buttons. This was the boys favourite. It was soft, and very chocolately in the way that sticks to the top of your mouth because of how moist it is. The only difficulty was eating it with the marshmellows and buttons stuck on top. I had to pick them off because I didn't want to put the whole thing in my mouth at once.

Marshmallow, again marbled sponge this time with vanilla and strawberry topped with marshmallows covered in pink icing, very girly. This one was one of my favourites. It was so creamy and I'm a huge fan of strawberry and vanilla. Because the marshmallows were covered in icing they were easier to eat than when they were stuck in the chocolate like on the rock road cupcake.

Peanut Butter Cup, chocolate sponge topped with peanut butter icing (nuts and all!) and a peanut butter filled chocolate drop. This was my other favourite. My all time favourite combination is chocolate and peanut butter and this is always the flavour cupcake I order (apart from red velvet) I have had one from Hummingbird Bakery and Magnolia Baker. These Fenwicks cupcakes were on par with one from both famous bakeries. Like all the other cupcakes it was deliciously moist and chocolately.

Strawberry Shortcake, strawberry sponge topped with strawberry butter icing and vanilla sponge crumbs. As delicious as this one was I found it too much of a strawberry overload. It was still moist and the icing was very buttery but it was really sweet and sugary, too much for me infact.

There were many other flavours, including red velvet which will be the next one for me to tree. I highly recommend checking out the cupcake counter in Fenwicks in Newcastle if you're visiting. They even do custom order birthday cakes if you want something for a special occassion!

Happy Valentines Day Everyone.

"Work work work, she'll never get her dress done" - Cinderella

2010-02-13T10:54:00.008Z

Hello!
I'm currently on day three of seven at work so I have no time to blog just now, it's actually making me miserable (it doesn't help that work is ten times more horrible after a weeks holiday!) Sorry for the pouty face, I read smiling in photos was the kiss of death for blogs!

Please stay tuned for
- Another couple of recipes, one for chili and one pasta.
- Cupcakes! Review of the new cupcakes in Fenwicks Department Store!
- Product Review, Paul & Joe Primer and Benefit's Waterproof Eyeliner
&
- News of my new give away for when I reach 25 followers, only seven to go!

Much love

Film Review #2 The Princess and the Frog

2010-02-10T20:28:00.008Z

"Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana (ANIKA NONI ROSE), a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG marks the return to hand-drawn animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements, with music by Oscar®-winning composer Randy Newman." Plot taken from movieweb.com

After our Valentines day plans were ruined, the boy promised to take me to see The Princess and the Frog for orange wednesday at our local cinema. We're really skint at the moment anyway so the fact not only are tickets two for one and the fact I get discount made it really worth the trip, even in the snow. Part of me was really excited about going, as I have previously mentioned I am a total sucker for Disney, inparticular the Princesses so the idea of a new princess really appealed to me., it has been a while. On the other hand I was really quite nervous, Disney's last few attempts to bring back good ol' 2D animation had been a disaster. All those remakes, Home on the Range, even Lilo and Stitch makes me cringe! But in my opinion the worrying was actually for nothing. I'm going to say now, even with all it's faults and it's lacking compared to some of Disney's classics, I did love The Princess and the Frog.

The story was solid and put and excellent spin on the classic Princess kisses frog story. It was also very touching especially in the first few scenes, for some reason Disney love to kill off a parent (although it's in the style of old Disney and not shown on screen, only mentioned by the characters). I am a huge fan of jazz music so having the whole film based in New Orleans at the height of the jazz era really appealed to me. The characters were on the whole, enjoyable to watch with a few exceptions, the first being Charlotte who just grated on me until the end when she had her redemption. I loved Tiana, I really hope she joins the ranks of the past Princesses. She was feisty and her values were a great message. I sort of wish more of the other Disney princesses believed in dreams come true if you work a little, instead my whole head is messed up waiting on my happy ending! Anyway, the prince however didn't really do much for me. The animal characters were funny and lovable even if they were carbon copies of past animal disney characters. I especially loved Ray and his love for Evangeline. Now onto the villain, Dr Facillier or the Shadow Man, in my personal opinion he was fab and in old disney style quite creepy. I read somewhere that he was described as the love child of Captain Hook and Cruella De Ville and I totally see that. However, for it being a childrens film (not that Disney has ever been ONLY fluffy bunnies) the subject of Voodoo was a little bit close to the bone and even slightly hard to explain to younger children (I heard a little girl in from asking her mother to explain it and failing), especially as Dr Facillier has a voodoo doll. The soundtrack was superb, however I wouldn't think any of the songs we that memorable, the only one I remember is Almost There, the rest just fade into the soundtrack of the film which is a little disappointing.

I always judge a Disney film on it's ability to make me well up, if it does, it's a good one. I can happily note that The Princess and the Frog did have me choked up and it does have a good ending that keeps me believing in happily ever after for everyone and as sad as it is, that is why I enjoy Disney movies. They make you believe in love and happiness even when everything seems hopeless. This is also the first Disney film that wasn't pixar that the other half thoroughly enjoyed, that counts for something. While watching it reminded me a lot of Don Bluth's Anastasia, even the songs and especially the villain. I will be buying this on dvd to add to my collection, however I won't be paying to see it again at the cinema.

Best Moment: When Tiana finally gives in to her heart and realises what she's wanted all along.
Best Line: "She is my Evangeline"
Would Recommend For: Children (although I'd say 7+ Voodoo is pretty deep stuff), Disney Lovers who still have the faith, Out With The Girls
Rating: 7/10 (only because in comparison to some of the classics, it still doesn't measure up, more on par with Mulan and Oliver and Company opposed to The Little Mermaid)

“The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” - Lucille Ball

2010-02-09T20:29:00.006Z

Today I received the yearly text from my mother of "What are you wanting this year?". On Sunday it'll be four weeks until my twenty second birthday. I have to admit that I'm not looking forward to twenty two. I've always considered twenty two as a "grown up" age, I have no idea why it just sounds older. I am however looking forward to my actual birthday which is being planned by my best friend. I had quite a lonely twenty first as I spent it with the boys friends, since none of my own friends could make it. This year I'm going down to stay with my best friend and she's invited my other two closest friends in the evening for drinks. Quiet, simple but perfect to me ,as I'll be spending it with my four favourite people. During the day we're going for a meal to Damons, where I plan to have delicious food and cocktails.

So, now to the pressing questions, what am I asking for this year? I have to admit, it has been difficult this year because I had to think what I would like from my parents and from the boy. He has given up being imaginative after three years and prefers to be told what to get. And my parents do not believe in giving money (however I did get money for my twenty first so it's especially important for my mum to have something to wrap up this year) so I had to think of a few gifts to ask them for. I've spent the evening thinking and have finally come up with what I would like, starting with what I'm asking my parents for.

L-R Truffle Shuffle Disney Couture Necklace @ £28, Amazon Icing Bag Set @ £7.24, Amazon Electronic Scales @ £13.98
Amazon Measuring Cups @ £2.95, Up DVD @ £9.98, Oliver and Company DVD @ £7.78 (both from amazon cheapest price), Arcadia Gift Card, Alice in Wonderland Personalised Classics @ £14.99

I've asked for a lot of baking things as my kitchen equipment is just the basics, made up of a lot of hand me downs from my family. My old plastic asda scales have recently bit the dust so I thought i'd ask for some electronic ones too. I'm asking for an arcadia gift card so I'll be able to get some bits off of my spring wish list.

And I'm asking the other half for

L - R Tj Hughes Duck Egg Suitcase @ £22, Magnolia Bakery Cookbook @ £10, Adventureland DVD @ £9.38 (last three from Amazon, cheapest price), Sailor Jerrys Spiced Rum
Loungefly Snow White Wallet @ £26.99, Selection of Lush Products, Truffle Shuffle Disney Couture Bracelet @ £30

I'm so pleased with everything i've picked out. It passed the day looking for the perfect things. If I'm lucky enough to receive all of these gifts it will be amazing but I know I'll be happy if I only receive a few. I'm such a sucker for Disney, incase you hadn't guessed. I was torn between the Magnolia Bakery cookbook and the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook but since we visited Magnolia Bakery in NYC last June I thought it has more sentimental value.

I hope everyone's week is going well, mine is going wonderful and I feel so content at the moment. I'm looking forward to settling down with the boy with some home made chili and watching our favourite american tv online. Tomorrow I'll be bringing you my review of The Princess and the Frog as we're making the most of orange wednesdays. Much love.

"Great food is like great sex. The more you have the more you want" ~ Gael Greene

2010-02-08T01:32:00.005Z

The boy is out on the town tonight with the lads, so I've stayed in and had a seriously girly night. Apart from taking a long hot bath, waxing my legs and painting my toe nails in preparation for the works night out tomorrow night, I baked a delicious treat for him to eat while I am away tomorrow. As not only am I out in the evening but I have booked myself in for some long awaited retail therapy made possible by my estranged grandfather.

Presenting to you this evening, Chocolate Peppermint Brownies.

A quick and really easy recipe to make them, and they do taste delicious. The boy particularly likes his warmed up with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream. It makes 16 squares.

- 180g Milk Chocolate (you can use dark if you wish)
- 150g Butter
- 125g Caster Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 150g Plain Flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsps Chocolate Powder
- 1 tsp Peppermint Extract
- Bag of chocolate chips (white or milk, or maybe a mixture of both if you're feeling adventurous!)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4 and line a heat proof dish or tray with grease proof paper.
2. Slowly melt the chocolate in a pan over low heat then add the butter. Stir until the butter has melted then remove from heat. Stir in sugar.
3. Beat the eggs together then mix into the chocolate mixture. Add the peppermint extract.
4. In a separate bowl sieve the flour, baking powder and chocolate powder. Add the chocolate chops then fold in chocolate mixture
5. Put the mixture into the greased dish and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top is firm to touch.
6. Remove from the over and turn out onto a cooling rack, then slice into 16 squares.
7. Enjoy warm with some ice cream as a dessert or leave to cool down and eat as a snack.

In my case, it's true what they say that the quickest way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Whip these us as a special Valentines day treat next Sunday and save yourself some pennies! However, if you're really strapped for cash or don't have any of the ingredients, I recommend Betty Crocker Brownie Mix, my sister uses it and it's delicious. Then to make them peppermint just add in the extract! Much less mess and fuss.

Sunday Self Secrets Week One 'The Handbag'

2010-02-07T17:24:00.012Z

Starting today I have created the "Sunday Self Secrets" part of my blog. Every Sunday possible I'll let the world see a little part of my life. Starting today with my handbag.

According to Kathy Eisman, author of How to Tell a Woman By Her Handbag the best way to tell what a woman is like is not by her eyes, or how she dresses but by her bag and it's contents. Could this be true? Do the secrets of our personalities lie within what style of bag we choose and it's contents? I don't know about anyone else but I'm not 100% bought by this theory, as my bag and my purse often changes with mood or what is practical. For example I don't take a tote on a night out. I do however have one main handbag that I keep my every day contents in and that is what I'm going to share today. I don't exactly know what my handbag tells people, perhaps that I'm boring because it's just one colour? Or maybe the fact my purse is tartin patterned people could assume I'm frumpy and old lady like? Who knows, but I'll let you all make your own assumptions of who I am from my handbag rather than I tell you who I am. For the time being anyway.

This is my handbag and it's every day contents. Sometimes it has other stuff in, such as my gloves, or voucher codes for restaurants, or if I'm going on the train I also have the book I'm currently reading. My handbag itself was a Christmas present from my parents but I did pick it out. I'm a firm believer in having a bag that goes with every outfit and a tan coloured satchel handbag was just perfect. It was £28 which I thought was reasonable enough for an every day bag. It isn't real leather, or have any leather in it so it would be perfect for the vegans of you out there. The strap is just long enough that it fits comfortably on my shoulder and not to heavy to carry it on my arm. This one here is my old handbag. It was a lovely soft buttery fake leather, it was great but had no pockets on the inside or the outside so everything kept getting lost in it. It was from Muse (part of the Arcadia group) for £20. I've kept a hold of it incase my new bag breaks.

Inside my bag I carry a lot of stuff, but thankfully it's not heavy. Firstly I have my make up bag, it's Loop for Disney Couture and from Urban Outfitters. It cost a meer £5 and I love it. More on that next week. I have my diary which is hand made from a local shop and was £2.99, a notebook that was a gift from a friend and my passport for ID. I also have 3 pens to use at work. My glasses, which are French Connection but I only use them for the cinema. Then my big bunch of keys. The key rings on it are special as they're all from important people in my life. The Disney heart with the princesses on were was brought back from Disneyland Paris by my best friend, the owl I bought in Rhodes on my first holiday with my boyfriend, the heart was bought in Greece by my mum and the Sex and the City inspired LOVE keyring was bought as a Valentines day gift last year by my boyfriend. I rarely use my keys because the boy uses his since the car keys are on it but I like to have them in my bag just incase. Next is my Blackberry Curve which I never go anywhere without and of course my purse. This is just a temporary purse because I haven't found a perfect one yet. It's from Topshop and was £7 in the Christmas sale. I like it because it has a place for coins, a photo and lots of room for cards. The one fault with it is that sometimes the cards are difficult to get out, but maybe that's my stubby fingers. Another one of my prized posessions is my ipod. It's an 8GB nano (not the one with a camera, the one before) in purple and it was a gift from my boyfriend for my 21st last year. The best part of it though is my owl ipod case! It was £10 from Paperchase and I love it! I also have a purple ipod sock to keep the screen clean. With living in England it's essential to to carry an umbrella, even in the summer because it always seems to rain. My umbrella is floral with a frilly edge and is originally from Accessorize, however I bought it on a thrift community on Livejournal. I also make sure I carry my e45 for chapped skin, likewise with my lipbalm and vasline. I swear by vaseline rose as it gives my lips a pinkish tint if I don't have any lipgloss. Finally, I always have mints, mainly because at work I often do double shifts and since I work in an Italian restaurant everything is laced in garlic, a garlic smelling barmaid does not earn many tips, trust me.

Next Week 'The Make Up Bag'

Film Review #1 'Youth in Revolt'

2010-02-06T22:29:00.006Z

"Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) is a 16-year-old who is an outcast of his generation. He meets Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), an intellectual and beautiful girl. The only things really standing in his way are Sheeni's poetry-writing ex-boyfriend Trent (Jonathon B Wright), Nick's temperamental divorced parents (Steve Buscemi & Jean Smart), and Nick's mom's boyfriends. When Nick realizes she is not interested, he comes up with an alter-ego, named François Dillinger, who resembles Nick, but has blue eyes, a mustache, a deeper voice, and a player/bad boy attitude to help him with his pursuit of Sheeni. But when François makes Nick a wanted criminal, everything spins out of control." Plot taken from answers.com

This evening the other half and I made our way to the cinema in town to see Youth in Revolt as we're both big Michael Cera fans. I was a bit unsure of what to expect after seeing the trailer for it but I couldn't really face another Saturday night in. I had also recently discovered I get discount seats at the Empire near where I work. However I have to admit it was one of the funniest films I've seen in a while. Cera plays Nick Twisp, a strange and awkward teenage virgin (sound familiar?) which wouldn't really have been enough if it wasn't for his sauve French alter ego François who really just made the film. Cera always plays the good boy who doesn't want to get in trouble and here he was playing a bad boy! It was interesting to say the least and he has some great one liners. The boy meets girl, falls in love story line was not samey either, Portia Doubleday was a great lead female, funny, interesting and not one of these glam girls like Megan Fox, she was fun to watch as Sheeni Sanderson. The cast was fun, I always enjoy films with gawky teenage outcasts as I can identify with them from when I was a teenager, even though I'm a girl. Justin Long was excellent as Sheeni's drugged up older brother (like Sheeni he is rebelling from his devout Christian parents) as was Steve Buscemi as Nick Twisp's father.

Hasn't everyone felt that "I would do anything for you" feeling? Well Youth in Revolt takes it to another level where Cera's Nick Twisp does so. He sets fire to a cafe, he destroys both his parents cars, goes on the run from the police, sneaks into a French Boarding School & drugs his girlfriend with hilerious consequences. Some of the lines in the film really make it worth watching.

We both laughed out loud over and over again, along with the rest of the cinema, mainly made up a young people. It had some very memorable moments along with the memorable characters. It reminded me a lot of Juno even though they both had different directors, however I will warn that this is slightly more graphic in sexual context and slightly more crude than Juno, however the boy did point out it was told from a guys point of view unlike Juno. I do however love both films equally and would quite happily sit through Youth in Revolt again. The story is interesting, funny and I found the script to be solid. I never once felt like the film was dragging out as there was always some crazy obstacles that Nick Twisp had to cross to get to the girl of his dreams, and I'm pleased to report that the film does have a happy and interesting end. If you like Indie comedies, you won't be disappointed with this one.

Best Moment: When Paul (Long) brings magic mushrooms to Nick's house and gets him, Nick, his neighbour and his fathers girlfriend high.
Best Line: "Well, thank you for that unsolicited counsel, Trent. Now please do drop dead."
Would Recommend For: Someone who isn't offended by crude outburts, young people, comedy lovers
Rating: 9/10

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow" ~ English Proverb

2010-02-05T01:01:00.000Z

Is it just me or did January last forever? I could feel myself getting more and more miserable as time passed and I have to admit when the calender finally flipped over to February, I felt a little bit a hope. Finally we are moving closer to a little bit of sunshine! And with the promise of spring comes the thought of the spring/summer wardrobe. And this year I am excited. Nautical, lace, florals, polka dot and ditzy patterns and pastel colours! Coral and mint green are two of my favourite colours and I'm looking forward to wearing them.

Here is a few of my favourites that I hope to purchase over the new few months. I'm so incredibly lucky my twenty second birthday falls in March so maybe I'll be lucky and receive some as gifts.

L-R Topshop Vest @ £6, Topshop Heart Socks @ £3, New Look Lace Leggings @ £14, Topshop High Waist Skirt @ £30, Primark Lace Dress @ £15
Topshop Pants & Bra Set @ £6/£16, Topshop Ruffle Hem Vest @ £14, Topshop Bow Pumps @ £28, Elsiebelle Masquerade Necklace @ £11.95
Topshop Heart Cardigan @ £35, New Look Skater Dress @ £16, Topshop Dobby Spot Bikini @ £25, New Look Nautical Tunic @ £10

I've been really impressed by New Look lately. The lovely Emma Jane over at Plum Dressing inspired me to pay a visit after seeing she got heart print tights for a meer £4 instead of the £8 Topshop is charging. I called in but couldn't find the tights however I did see the gorgeous skater dress and the lace leggings. I also feel I need a nautical tunic. The lace dress is a total bargin in Primark. I've been looking on Instyle at all Primark's spring/summer 2010 collection and I am really excited by some of the items due in store at the end of March, including a straw boater I must get myself! Topshop as always has some gorgeous things I always feel I need. My favourite being the bikini that I would love to wear on holiday this summer, I may have to ask my parents for it for my birthday. The things I know will be buying is the vest top and the socks. The necklace is from my new favourite online jewellery store, Elsiebelle. I really do insit you check her out!

"Life is an onion and one cries while peeling it" ~ French Proverb

2010-02-04T02:15:00.001Z

When life is getting me down, I always retreat to the kitchen and whip up something wonderful for dinner. Or I bake. Tonight I cooked.

I love a cookery book and my parents always get me a few for a birthday or for Christmas and now my inlaws have started too. They are some of my most prized possessions. I'm a big Gordon Ramsay fan and although the recipes are a little complicated I usually edit them so I can make them to my liking. All the little bits of paper are of recipes I use quite often. Being ex students, with big overdrafts the boy and I tend to live on a budget but I still manage to surprise myself with what I can make with very little.

So tonight, here is my meal on a budget. It would be perfect if you're not going out for valentines day and you want to surprise your other half with something delicious (but you don't want to be so full you can't do anything else, if you know what I mean!) it's easy, simple and doesn't take much work.

Presenting Homemade Pizzas with Oven Sauteed Potatoes and Homemade Dough Balls

Starting with the potatoes. This is a recipe based on Delia Smith's oven-sautéed potatoes with red onion, garlic & rosemary in her How to Cheat cookbook but I prefer to do it with fresh ingredients. First peel the potatoes. For two people I used three largish rooster potatoes chopped into round slices. Then part boil them so once baked they will be soft in the middle. Once boiled put them on a baking tray and spray them with fry light (you can use regular oil if you wish) and put them in the oven. While these are in I prepare the pizza base. I use Sainsburys own pizza base box mix which is only 69p for two mixes. Bargin. Once the base is prepared, I divide the mixture into three, two to make pizzas and a third to make the dough balls. Then roll it out as thin as you'd like. The boy likes his quite thick where I prefer mine very thin. Then I mix some tomato puree with garlic and mixed herbs to make the pizza sauce (you can buy your own already pre mixed pizza sauce if you prefer) and spread it over the base. Top this with cheese then select what toppings you want for your pizza. Today we had mushrooms, peppers, parma ham and cherry tomatoes. Homemade pizzas are a great way to use up what you have spare in your fridge. Before putting them in the oven, it's time to make the dough balls. Divide the final chunk of pizza base up into small balls, roll them around in your hands until they're relatively round. I then used a skewer to make a hole in each dough ball which I filled with home made garlic butter. Garlic butter is so simple to make that I rarely buy garlic bread anymore and just make my own. In a dish spoon in some soft butter, add one small spoon of garlic powder (powder works better in garlic butter than fresh) and add some dried herbs. Mix together until really soft (if you want a cheesy flavour add some parmsan) then I spooned some into each dough ball. With the remain butter I cover the dough balls before putting them onto a grease proof papered tray and then into the oven with the pizzas. Once everything is in the oven, chop half a red onion and separate each individual layer. Add this to a bowl with a crushed clove of garlic and two spoonfuls of olive oil (this time I used oil opposed to fry light) and some dried mixed herbs. Mix this together then spoon over the potatoes and return them to the oven until crisp. Remove from the oven when everything is brown and the cheese on the pizzas has melted, then serve.

To drink I made my infamous Sailor Jerry's mojito. I am a huge Sailor Jerry lover and it's always my drink of choice when I'm out (either with diet coke, ginger ale or in a cocktail). Incase anyone is unsure what it is, it's a spiced rum with vanilla tones and usually retails for about £16. As I work behind a bar, the boy is always asking for sophisticated drinks and since I do it for a living I usually say no, but tonight along with our meal I treated him. Mojitos look complicated but are infact so easy and so delicious! You just need one lime per drink, some fresh mint, sugar syrup (you can buy this for under £2 in Sainsburys), soda water and rum. My rum of choice is of course Sailor Jerry. First, chop the lime into 8 slices and squeeze these into a glass then add 15 small leaves of mint (or 10 larger) and crush. To crush I use the end of a pizza cutter but any utensil with a flat end will do. Add a few ice cubes and mix together. Then pour over one shot of sailor jerrys and half a shot of sugar syrup. Mix again then top with soda, and that is all there is to it!

It all seemed to go down well and in return I was ran a deliciously hot lush infused bath (tonight an apple scented bubble bar from B Never too Busy to Be Beautiful and So White bath bomb from Lush's winter collection which also smells of apple). A happy night all round I think!

2010-02-03T01:45:00.000Z

Hello!

My name is Amy Marie, and I never thought I'd see the day I'd make a blog. I've always only used livejournal as an every day diary rather than for anything important. But here I am, 2nd February 2010, making my mark on the internet. Welcome.

I'm twenty one years old and I live in England with my boyfriend of almost three years, Patrick. He makes me laugh and that's important. I quit my degree in Drama to move to be with him, I now waste my time as a barmaid. At least it means I pick and choose when I want my time off, in that way I'm lucky. I make a mean mojito too.

We have two gerbils called Trixie and Smokey. They're almost one. We all live together in a flat that we rent.

I ♥ Shopping, I go shopping a lot, that is when I have money. I have a weakness for high end make up, especially MAC. I shop a lot in high street stores such as H&M, Topshop and Urban Outfitters. I love to cook and bake but Paddy and I eat out a lot, his 2010 resolution is to support more local restaurants. I also love to read, watch movies, dance, sing and dress up. I like to drink sailor jerrys and eat cheesecake & from that it's quite obvious I suck at dieting. I'm just your average girl, trying to find her place in this crazy world.

Once again, welcome to my world.
Please check back for reviews, wish lists, top 10s and plenty of pictures.