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Alternative Retro Fridge Freezer


I Love Smeg. I always have. But they are expensive and I can't justify spending that kind of money for the outside of a fridge that doesn't even look that well organised inside but maybe I'm wrong about that, please please please don't say I'm wrong I'll want one even more!

Anyway I have found an alternate - Swan. Their retro range is very retro and you don't seem to loose any of the organisation from the inside. I love all the colour choices even the bright orange as I feel like it really adds to the unique retro style. I do need a little help though for when I, fingers crossed, eventually find a house I can afford to buy, which size is best the top mounted or the big guy?

Take a look! Pictures sourced from www.swan-brand.co.uk. The is also a good video review on ao.com.

Thanks for Reading xx










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International Women's Day


Today is International Women's Day (IWD), first recorded in 1908 in Chicago it is now celebrated in many different countries across the world in many different ways. Some countries treat it more like Valentines or Mother's Day but others use it as a day to celebrate the political and social rights gained by women and to highlight the struggles that still continue. IWD is represented in some countires by wearing a purple ribbon. Check out the google logo today and see some of our modern day feminists including Malala Yousafzai. You can also follow their twitter and see what events are going on.

Video from watchmojo.com.

Thanks for reading and happy IWD! xx


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Ready to Wear Fall 2014 Antonio Marras!!!


I loved this collection! There were so many influences bundled into one show that I found it pretty irresistible. I loved the use of different textures and different prints in each look and who can resist a good wolf motif? Inspired by numerous reference points Annemarie Schwarzenbach (http://reallifeiselsewhere.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/icon-annemarie-schwarzenbach.html), Little Red Riding Hood, Joseph Beuys and Hermann Hesse's Steppenwolf. Which do all, apparently, link together? Anyway my favourite looks below!

All pictures sourced from style.com.

Thanks for Reading xx






















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Ready to Wear Fall 2014 Alexander McQueen!!!


This season McQueen went with a different look, they relaxed the shape and went more fairytale and mystical. They kept the usual McQueen colour palate and simple but incredibly detailed designs. Sarah Burton was inspired by 'wild beauty' but 'through an innocent child's eyes' and that was definitely accomplished in this collection. But I miss the old 'structured' McQueen I found it a lot more exciting; the bee collection! Or the feminine futuristic collection they were amazing, this collection there were only a couple multi-coloured looks I was wowed by. Don't get me wrong I would still give an arm to have a McQueen hanging in my wardrobe just maybe not an arm and a leg for this collection.

All pictures sourced from style.com.

Thanks for Reading xx








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PANCAKE DAY!!!!


For some reason Pancake day is the only holiday my parents actually get excited about, Christmas lunch they can take or leave but we have never once not gone all out for pancake day, they aren't even religious, they don't even give up anything for lent! This year however is a little different they are away in Australia visiting my sister and so I had to go all out for pancake day without them but I think I did a pretty good job and I get to have another one when they get back! Win-win!! 

I can't remember how I learnt this but I always use this ratio for pancake batter; for every 1 egg you need 3 tablespoons of flour. What's great about this is it gets to a very doughy paste which means you don't have to waste time sieving you can just bung the flour straight in. Then all that's left to do is add milk to your personal taste, more watery more like a French crepe less watery more American but if you want to get it properly American use self-raising instead of plain flour and add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and they'll fluff up nicely.

We do both sweet and savoury. For savoury we create a selection of things to add in like bacon, shredded chicken, sweetcorn, mushrooms, basically anything you like, chuck them in the pan to warm them up and then ladle the batter on top so it becomes like an omelette. Cook as normal! 

I also make a cheese sauce with tuna and sweetcorn because it is so filling and delicious!

Thanks for Reading xx










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First Try Macaroons


I have lost count of the amount of times I have been asked by my boyfriend to make macaroons and I am blaming the Great British Bake Off. They make them look so tasty! Also he is a sucker for something sweet that he hasn't tried yet. Personally I don't get them I prefer the coconut ones but they were fun to make and they do always look incredible with their bright colours. 

I used this recipe and also watched this video before I started again because of GBBO, they made me a little nervous to attempt them. It was a spur of the moment decision to make them so I didn't actually have any of the filling ingredients at home but the boyfriend sandwiched them together with ice cream when I brought them over and he also thought they would be really tasty with peanut butter? I'm definitely leaving it to him to test that one! 

I thought the recipe was great, really simple and having watched the video easy to follow. You need to make sure that they have been cooked long enough as otherwise they stick to the greaseproof paper, I lost a couple good ones to that! Also the meringue is crazy sticky so I would have a clean sink you can chuck used utensils in.

Apart from that I was surprised at how well it went and I would recommend it if you want to impress people but don't want to buy a load of ingredients or do anything too fiddly. I did a little research on creative macaroons and found this blog they are soooo cute and some are very detailedhttp://almostalwayshungry.wordpress.com/category/macaroons-2/ 

Thanks for reading xx





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Nail Varnish!


So I brushed off the dust on an old favourite nail varnish Topshop 104 Threadbare. See it here and other choices here! I am loving the new matt varnishes and they have just added some pastel ones.

Thanks for Reading xx




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The Real Greek

I finally managed the impossible to get all my friends available on the same day for a dinner catch up!! Don't worry, I have given myself a pat on the back, I totally deserve it! And we got to go to a lovely restaurant called The Real Greek, which is a chain so there are plenty of locations but we went to the Stratford's Westfield one because it is so easy to get home from. 

We all went in on the meal for £10 even though the Westfields' Food Offers Booklet, of which there is plenty, has a voucher for 25% off! So it shows the £10 deal was pretty exceptional and I don't think anyone regretted it. You get to choose two courses from starter, main or meze and within each course there are a whole bunch of other decisions to make, it was tough, we took a while. Everyone went for starter and meze I think mainly because you get to try a few more dishes and who doesn't love that!? 

So I went for the humus and htipiti with the warm flatbread. The humus was lovely, homemade, filing and tasty and the htipiti was interesting, made like a less watery salsa with some feta cheese crumbled in, definitely worth a try but if I had to choose again I would have gone for the melitzanosalata it was delicious! 

Then I made some really good choices if I do say so myself. I chose Nikos' Meatballs, served with raw onion and an incredible tomato sauce on top of a creamy yoghurt it was refreshing and hearty and the sauce went really well with my chips which I caved and got as my side. For my other meze I got the chargrilled chicken wings and I got messy! Pretty much what it said on the tin, there were actual chargrills! They came on a big skewer with a pot of a bbq-y sauce to dip in and they were soooo tasty everyone tried some. Descriptions here.

Next, unfortunately away from the £10 menu, I went for baklava because you can't go greek without getting baklava, or at least I can't, I have no will power for that. I have to say I was a little disappointed after the rest of the meal and after having so much baklava in the past I know what I like and what I don't. This was made with walnut which is off to a bad start but still worth a try. I've had a cashew one that was incredible but pistachio is where it is at for me. It came smothered in honey so if the filo was crisp before it didn't make it to the table crisp and they only had the one layer of crushed walnut??? I like a baklava that is only sticky at the bottom, that has crispy filo and that has a couple layers, thin, thick, whichever of nuts preferable pistachio. I would however recommend the baklava at a store in the Great Eastern Market called Mezze they do a big variety and they are all amazing and for The Real Greek I think I would try their Greek Sundae instead.

Overall though I can't wait to go back and try something else! I would recommend it to anyone.

Thanks for Reading xx 






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The End of the Great Banana Bread Cake!



So I got inspired earlier this week and when I say inspired I just mean I really, really craved a Victoria sponge type dessert. Luckily we weren't able to keep up with our weekly, enough to possibly have a pet monkey, amount of bananas last week so I got to make a banana bread Victoria sponge style cake! 

I used this recipe for the banana bread because I find bbc soooooo reliable, it pretty much guarantees a good dessert. I never really know what the buttermilk does, why can't yogurt do? I might have too look that up! I always mash my banana in the bowl to save washing up but maybe I should have done them separately and coated them in flour as that stops things sinking and my banana sunk to the bottom a little but it was delicious anyway. I separated it into two cake tins to make the cake and started with an oven temp of 160 because I have a fan and 40 minutes for a guestimate and it was pretty spot on. 

For my filling I made a coffee and chocolate butter icing. I use double the amount of icing sugar to butter for all my butter icings so in this case I used 100g butter and 200g icing sugar as well as two teaspoons cocoa powder, all sieved. It totally makes a difference, trust me! Once all mixed in I put two teaspoons of coffee into a splash of milk and microwaved for 20 sec to get the coffee to dissolve then I added three tsps to the butter sugar mixture. I wanted both a coffee taste and for the icing to get lovely and light so keep adding the milk to the icing and tasting until its right for you. If you don't want a coffee taste just add just cold milk to get the correct texture. 

So I forgot to take photos of the finished article, think I was a little bit too desperate to tuck in but here are the last few slices, sorry!

Thanks for Reading xx



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