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

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'

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'

"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

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

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!

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.