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Friday 20 November 2015

salted caramel chocolate brownies








shopping list

200g unsalted butter
100g 70% cocoa chocolate
100g 50% cocoa chocolate
397g can of Carnation Caramel (I used tesco finest Salted caramel sauce)
1 tsp flaky sea salt (I did not include)
200g golden caster sugar
 4 medium eggs
130g plain flour
50g cocoa powder

method

1. preheat oven to 180, grease and line 23cm square tin
2. melt butter in a pan and add all chocolate and allow to melt off the heat
3. half the caramel, 4 eggs and caster sugar in a bowl and whisk
4. whisk in chocolate/butter mixture to egg mixture
5. sieve flour and cocoa into mixture
6. pour half the mixture into the tin, blob caramel on top, then the other half over the top and decorate with remaining caramel
7. bake for 25-30 minutes, leave to cool and cut into squares
8. eat with a cuppa tea and some vanilla ice cream = HEAVEN

Sunday 4 October 2015

spice of Life - crochet along


my friend Emily and i have set ourselves a challenge to Crochet along with a number of other crochet enthusiasts to make this amazing blanket..... Instructions are published on a weekly basis, I just need to decide on my choice of colours now.... decisions decisions!! Will update you with my progress...




Monday 24 August 2015

shopping list

Well it's been a while.... what a busy year it has been! I have now officially finished my first year as a student midwife and am an extremely proud Aunty to my beautiful niece Florence Elizabeth.... I haven't written a shopping feature for a long time, so here is what I am loving in the shops this month! 

How Liberty-esque are these initial mugs from Marks & Spencer, just wish my name began with an "E" as this is my favourite combination of colours and patterns...M&S Letter mug £9.50 each


I am loving Boden at the moment for classic pieces with a twist, I am especially in love with the leather Chancery Clutch £62.10, and it's in the sale!!



As i mentioned earlier, my sister had a baby earlier this month, the gorgeous little Florence Elizabeth and I am now constantly on the look out for girly baby bits.... I will definitely be buying this little pink polka dot set Button Spot Baby Dress & Brief Set £20 Cath Kidston


I bought this new Revlon lipstick, colour - Smoked Peach £7.49 Boots, last month after seeing it on Pinterest as a Mac hack for their colour "Ravishing"... Absolutely love it and a few people have commented on how nice the colour is.... if you love a nude lip with a hint of coral, give it a try...






My Nan & Granddad came down for the day to visit me when i was staying down at Margate Hospital and we went for a wander round Dreamland, the gift shop was packed full of nostalgic gifts. i especially loved this enamel "You are my sunshine" plate.... as i can remember my granddad singing this song to me as a little girl £19.50 each Pedlars




Finally i am loving this A-Line denim pleated skirt from M&S £39.50, last summer buy i think...





Sunday 14 June 2015

oh i do like to be beside the seaside

as many of you already know I have moved down to the lovely Margate for my summer midwifery placement at QEQM hospital... and i have been exploring...
its actually not the Margate I remembered in the rainy summer holidays in the arcades and the sickly sweet smell of fresh doughnuts at BenBom's.... Margate is on the up and the old town seems particularly trendy! I have already found some lovely places to eat and drink and of course there is the Turner Gallery if you are feeling particularly cultured....

First up, GB Pizza, scrubbed wooden floors, trendy lighting and a very interesting loo.. pizza is delicious, very thin base and around £8-10 each, love the fact you pour your own wine from a barrell.... You should definitely try it out...



The Lifeboat is a tiny little pub nestled in Margate's old town and great for a speciality ale... apparently they have an open mic night every Tuesday, definitely going along to that at some point!


Gelato at Melt is a gorgeous ice-cream parlour and part of the very glamorous Sands Hotel, I had the salted caramel and biscotti flavours, AMAZING!!! and it was nearly as big as my head!! The first Thursday of every month the sands hotel hosts a jazz & dinner night, 3 courses and live entertainment for £35, Im thinking of taking my dad for fathers day! I am slightly obsessed with the Sands Hotel and also took my friends for Afternoon tea on Thursday, it was delicious....






Last week i also visited the Turner Contemporary Gallery for the first time and had a wander around the Grayson Perry exhibition.... what an eye opener!!!


Last up a photo of the gorgeous beach.... would think I was in LA... Next month i am planning on visiting the infamous shell grotto, The Greedy Cow for some lunch, The Glass Jar for a sneaky cocktail and their amazing looking fish & chips... and of course a trip to the newly opened revamped Dreamland!



Sunday 7 June 2015

knitting maniac: baby cardigans

with the very imminent arrival of my future niece/nephew I have been knitting away..... I have only just managed to master the art of knitting, so I am sticking to this one pattern and just changing the colour of the wool, blue - done, pink - done, now onto green...... I will include the pattern at the end...



use 3.25mm needles - up to 3 months in age

Main part
begin at lower edge of back. Cast on 56 stitches and work in garter stitch (plain knit) until work measures 14cm.
Sleeve shaping
Cast on 30 stitches at beginning of next 2 rows. Continue on these 116 stitches until work measures 20cm.
Neck Shaping
First row, knit 55 and leave these on a spare needle, cast off next 6 stitches, knit to the end, and then knit back to the neck edge. **Cast off 2 stitches at the beginning of the next row and the next alternate row and 1 stitch on the next 3 alternate rows. Continue on remaining 48 stitches until work measures 23cm, ending at side edge. You are now at the shoulder edge, knit 5 rows, ending at neck edge and then cast on 21 stitches at the beginning of the next row. Continue on the 69 stitches till the work measures 32cm, ending at side edge. Cast off 30 stitches at the beginning of the next row, then continue on the remaining 39 stitches for a further 14cm. Cast off.
rejoin yarn to stitches on needel and complete the other side starting from **.
Neckband
With right sides of work facing, using a circular needle, pick up and knit 20 stitches across the left back, 28 round the front and 20 along the right back. Begin with a knit row, then work 4 rows in rev st & then cast off loosely. 
Make up
Join side and underarm seams.

Wednesday 14 January 2015

project upcycling

for my parents christmas present i offered my time instead of buying them a  present (being a student, this was very handy) i offered to paint their 3 chest of drawers and update them...They wanted a more contemporary feel so i decided to go with a dark grey paint - DULUX Timeless Classics - Bowler Hat £29.99 for 2.5 litres. and white ceramic drop pulls from Pushka knobs, £3.95 each. I think they look brilliant, what a change, here are the before and after photos.