Retro Easter Baking

I've been baking again and the results are above (I've also used Picasa for the first time which I'm quite impressed about - I'm pretty sure its not the best anyone has ever seen but I'm getting there)

The above recipe I first cooked in middle school and it is a staple that has stayed by me ever since. Mum wanted a dessert for the Sunday roast but had very little in the house so this used some tinned pineapple off the shelf and just some store cupboard essentials.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Sprinkle some dark brown muscavado sugar on some greaseproof paper and arrange the pineapple on top of this. You can substitute any fruit you wish but solid fruit such as pineapple or pear works better as it holds it shape.

Mix together 175g of caster sugar and 175g of margarine until light anf fluffy. I mixed this with a wooden spoon - not because I have anything against electric equipment, but because I've lost my electric whisk!!

Mix in 175g of Self Raising flour (you should probably sieve this but I'm too lazy!) and 3 medium eggs and stir into a thick batter. Pour batter over the pineapple and put into the oven for about 30 mins.

Once a knife comes out clean, remove from oven and leave to cool.

DELICIOUS!!

Mum and Dad also arranged an Easter egg hunt for the kids and even though I am technically a grown up myself they still included me in their games. It was pretty chilly running around the garden in my slippers but the joy on the little ones faces made it all worth while. As did the lovely chocolate eggs that I get to eat too, while guiltily watching Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Musical Years. I've never even seen a musical!!!

HAPPY EASTER CHICKS xoxo

Bloglovin'

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EDIT
Bugger I don't know how to find out who it is that has followed me to follow back!!! Help me!

RE EDIT
I've worked it out, I get an email. Who ever said that the younger generation were technology savvy has never met me!! Thanks for the follow guys

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Love Brights

HAPPY EASTER

This morning I got woken up to the sounds of my cat murdering a partidge under my bed! That noise will move me quicker than any alarm but I had to get my Dad to come help me sort it out as I am absolutely terrified of birds!! So as I am up early I have decided to do a make up post.

Now generally I am a pretty minimalist make up person. My everyday staples are some concealer, foundation, bronzer and mascara but I love eyeliner and lipstick. I'm always worried I can't pull bright colours off and since I dyed my hair red its even harder to pull certain colours off.



Today I am wearing MAYBELLINE NEW YORK CORAL TONIC 422. I love the bright tone and it goes on really easily. I find that this is very moisturising for the lips in comparison to some lipsticks that I find dry my lips out and can often go very solid once applied. The colour works well on my lighter skin tone and makes me feel like Spring and some warmer weather is just around the corner. However I'm still not sure about the colour with my hair, what do you think? If you have any colours that you could recommend then let me know.

Thanks for reading xoxo

Saturday Night Cooking

I love to cook, I am not the best chef and things go wrong all the time. I am better than one of my best friends (mentioning no names) who has won the title of worst meal that I have ever eaten which included Quorn bacon (I'm not a vegetarian), mashed potato that still had raw lumps in it and cold Baked Beans. She convinced her current boyfriend that she was a good cook by buying finest ready meals, putting them in her own saucepans and passing them off as her own. They are moving in together next month so I'm not sure how long this is going to last but its obviously worked so far!!

Tonight I cooked Prawn & Pea Rissotto and an Apple & Plum Crumble for dessert. I thought I'd share with you the recipe for both (some of the measurements will be a bit lacking, I'm a bit of a throw it in and hope kind of cook which has lead to some of more prominent cooking disasters)

The final dish...

PRAWN & PEA RISSOTTO - SERVES 4

Finely chop one white onion and fry in a large saucepan with a knob of butter (I used margarine as I don't often have butter in the house). Once translucent and soft add 350g of Arborio rice and mix thoroughly. Add one large glass of any white wine and evaporate.

Once all the wine has evaporated, keep adding chicken stock by the ladle until this too has been absorbed by the rice. Keep stirring making sure that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan (if it does don't be too hard on yourself, mine did - I was too busy checking my Instagram!!) I used two Tesco finest Chicken stock concentrate pots which I added boiling water to - this was really nice but quite expensive at £2 per pot! 

Once you have used nearly all your stock and your rice is nearly cooked to your taste, then add a couple of handfuls of frozen peas and mix through. After a couple of minutes, stir through some ready cooked chilled prawns. Once these are warmed through, serve!

APPLE & PLUM CRUMBLE - SERVES 6

Peel and dice one cooking apple and add to a saucepan with some dark brown muscavado sugar and a bit of water. Cook down until the apples are soft and leave to cool.

Destone and slice approximately 8 plums and add to the cooking apple. Peel and slice 2 eating apples and add these to the other fruit. Mix these together with some granulated sugar (the amount depends upon the sweetness of your fruit) and add to a casserole dish.

Now for the crumble mix. Add 100g each of caster sugar, plain flour, porridge oats and butter (once again I used margarine) and rub together into large crumbs. Pour this over the top of the fruit mixture and put into a hot oven for approximately half an hour. Serve with ice cream or custard or by itself.

Hope you enjoyed this and if you need any help then please contact me and I'll be willing to help xoxo

Blogger Virgin

This all came about because another guy decided that his life was too complicated to have me in it. He literally said this, he's a pastry chef, how can your life be complicated?!? We hadn't even had a proper date and yet it hit me harder than it probably should have and upon this I have decided to do things that I have meaning to do for months and start a blog.

Maybe too drunk?

I met him clubbing on my 21st birthday a couple of weeks ago, he was cute and he bumped into my friend when we were waiting to get into a club. We started chatting, he came with us and things went from chatting to a bit more. We exchanged numbers and each of us carried on with our nights (mine ended with me fairly drunk in a taxi with some good friends, not sure about his) and we started texting. Things were going well, it was occasionally flirty and we arranged to meet up. The day before the big date and he ignores me all day, I don't worry too much, OK I'm lying I worry a lot, what if he doesn't like me? What if he stands me up? Yeah crazy I know. Maybe I would make a complicated life more complicated actually... He probably did well to escape to me. So I met up with a friend, had a chat, had wine and moved on. Possibly not that simple in reality but I'm trying my very best to be positive!

I would say that I have started writing because I love writing (which is true) or because I want to change the world (I would love to but don't know how), it's mainly because I love to talk about myself and want to impart my crazy life upon the internet stratosphere. 

I'm a big sister to five siblings, have a pet cat called Felix (stolen from an ex boyfriend - maybe a story for another time?) and at the moment live at home with my Mum and Dad. I work in a printing company in Suffolk and have worked there for two years.

Hopefully this is something I stick to and I hope that you enjoy reading this, no promises though that any of this will be a literary classic!