Bake The Blues Away!

So it’s been back to school for most this week, and back to college with me. I’m starting my second year of A levels and we’ve been thrown straight back into it which, after a summer of not doing much at all, has given me the back-to-school blues. What better way to lift said blues than to stick an apron on and get baking?

I stumbled across these endorphin-inducing little beauties on one of my craving-fuelled recipe hunts and have been dying to try them out for weeks. I found the recipe on steamykitchen which is set to become my go-to baking source.

What you’ll need is…
Roughly 8 tablespoons of nutella (a little more or less won’t hurt at all)
200g milk chocolate
150ml double cream

Crushed hazlenuts

The recipe is pretty easy but there’s some waiting around, so it’s definitely one for a rainy day.

What you need to do…
1. Using about half the nutella, make 16 dollops onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Use two teaspoons to make the dollops round, just keep scraping the nutella from one spoon to the other until it’s round enough for you. Then, stick these dollops into the freezer for an hour.

2. While those dollops are freezing, you can get started on the ganache. First of all, chop up 125g chocolate and stick it in a mixing bowl with the rest of the nutella. Then, heat the cream on a gentle heat until bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan.

3. When the cream is heated, add half of it to the mixing bowl and slowly whisk until smooth. Gradually add the rest of the cream whilst continuing whisking until it’s all mixed in and smooth. Then, bung it in the fridge for fifteen minutes.

4. After the fifteen minutes has passed, whip the cold ganache until it’s light and fluffy then put it back in the fridge for another half an hour.

5. Now comes the fun bit. Using two teaspoons, roll the nutella centres in the ganache so they’re completely covered. Then back into the fridge with them for fifteen minutes.

6. While the truffles are hardening, melt the remaining chocolate.

7. When the fifteen minutes are up, using spoons again, roll the truffles in the chocolate and then the hazlenuts and stick them back in the fridge to set. 

And the best thing about this recipe? Lots of spoons to lick.

Last week I went to see Anne Hathaway’s new film: One Day. I’d been really looking forward to this film and it fitted the bill perfectly.

I had heard a couple of bad reviews of the film so I wasn’t expecting much but, once you get over Anne Hathaway’s ever-changing accent, I was pleasantly surprised. Now, I should mention here that I have a tiny girl-crush on Miss Hathaway so I may be a little bit biased, I know that some of my friends didn’t enjoy the film as much.

I should also admit that I haven’t read the book (but I will soon!) so I can’t comment on how good the adaptation is but as a stand-alone film it did what I wanted it to. The plot is pretty simple; two best friends finally realise their love for each other and get together. However, the film shows the same day from each year: St. Swithin’s Day, which turns out to be important every year. I enjoyed this way of following the pair and thought it was something a bit different. Although it’s quite similar to the (500) Days of Summer format now I think about it!

I think the acting in this film is pretty top notch too, Jim Sturgess really shines through. He manages to travel through the role as Dextor goes from loveable rogue to hated rogue to loveable older guy. I must say, his grey highlights at the end of the film definitely add something! Anne Hathaway also does well in this film, although her accent is very dodgy in places! She pulls off the nerdy character at the start of the film and always keeps a bit of that girl as the years progress.

If you’re after another chick flick but with something a bit different, I definitely recommend this. It’s got romance but the new format and the darker tones in the middle of the film make it different enough from its predecessors to not be boring. I’d give it an 8/10!

Cup of Lovin'

Summer holidays are officially over.Well for most, anyway and what better way to beat that monday feeling than with cupcakes?! What could possibly beat the yummyness that is vanilla frosting, marshmallow and cake? Not just any cake:pink cupcakes! Perfect for a girly night in.
I apologise in advance for the photography/lack of (I forgot to take pictures of some steps) the prospect of cakes with marshmallows was just too exciting.
What you'll need

Firstly using an electric whisk(purely to save time and effort) mix together the flour, sugar,baking powder, salt and butter. Use a slow speed intil everything is combined. The mixture should have a sandy consistency.
Gradually pour in half the milk and whisk so that it is fully combined with the mixture.

Next, whisk the egg and vanilla extract with the rest of the milk before adding and combining that to the mixture. Continue beating until the mixture has a smooth texture.

Once the desired texture has been reached, you can then mix in a few drops of food colouring if you wish. Simply add as much as necessary until the desired colour is achieved. TopTip: once cooked, the cake will appear slighlty lighter in colour so it is wise to make the mixture slighlty darker than the desired colour.

Spoon the mixture into papercases, so they are about two thirds full. Then bake for 20-25 minutes at 170degree celsius.

While the cupcakes are cooling, place a heatproof bowl containg the 12 marshmallows over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave until the marshmallows are melted and smooth.

Then, scoop out about a teaspoon from the centre of the cupcake and fill with melted marshmallow.
Alternatively you can melt the marshmallows for about 15 seconds in a miccrowave. Although only melt a few at a time as they will quickly become too tacky.

Vanilla Frosting

Beat the Icing Sugar and butter together until they are well mixed.

Combine the milk and vanilla extract together in a seperate bowl before adding to the mixture, a few spoonfuls at a time.

Once all the milk has been added and the mixture is light and fluffy, fold in the marshmallows.










Then simply spoon the frosting onto the top of your now cool cupcakes. Add any decorations, if you so choose and enjoy!

Pluck Pluck Pluck and Away!

I always thought that the dreaded 'tadpole' eyebrows were only a feature of young teenage girls; over excited by the new task of shaping their brows. Though recently i've been noticing numerous women sporting this ugly and unflattering look. Ladies! Please!

There are several different ways you can shape your eyebrows, the most popular being waxing, threading and my method of choice: tweezing. Which ever method you choice is entirely up to you, all have good and bad points. I personally choose tweezing for the simple fact that it's easy to do at home.
Obviously, if tweezing your eyebrows at home, the type and quality of tweezers you use make a huge difference. My tweezer of choice, as should your's be: is Tweezerman.
Firstly let's start with the only negative about these tweezers. The price. For those of you accustomed to spending a couple of quid on probably the cheapest pair you could find, the price may come as a shock:mostly ranging between £12-£20. Although they're definiley worth every penny! For starters they come with a lifetime guarantee and you can send them off to get them resharpened. So although it might seem a lot of money at first, they would actually work out cheaper than constantly having to replace your cheaper pairs.

The main reason I love Tweezerman tweezers? For the fact that they work on even the most stubborn type of eyebrow hair. Whether you've got fine, sparse eyebrows or thick bushy eyebrows. These are a must have! Able to grab even the smallest hair it allows you to get proffessional results at home. In fact, many beauty salons use Tweezerman tweezers. I use the slanted tweezers. These are perfect for tweezing individual hairs by using just the point, allowing you to create your perfect shape. The tweezers have a really good grip on the hair also. This helps to prevent the hair breaking, ensuring it is pulled out from the root.

Finally, another good point about Tweezerman tweezers? The design! Available in a range of colours, patterns and sizes, there really is at least one style for everyone. Easily available from Boots and online, they're definitely worth adding to your shopping list!

Top tips for the perfect eyebrow shape?
Everyone has naturally different shaped eyebrows and when shaping your own it is important to simply enhance your natural shape. Before starting, work out what length you want your eyebrows to be, where you want them to start and where you want your arch to be.
Where to start: Hold a pencil/ruler /brush (anything long and straight) against your nostrils upward to your forhead. Generally, most eyebrows start inline with the very inner corner of your eye.
The arch: Again, holding pencil/whatever you are using, hold it against the side of your nostril and rotate so that it passes through the centre of your pupil. The point at which this line hits your eyebrow, should be th highest point of your arch.
Where to end: To figure out the ideal place for your eyebrows to end. Once more hold your 'pencil' against the side of your nose and rotate so it matches up wit the outer corner of your eye.

To help you remember these positions, you can use a coloured eyeliner to mark them onto your skin.

Do not shape from above your eyebrows. However if you get alot of fine hairs above or to the side of your eyebrows, as many women/men do, consider bleaching them so they don't intefere with the neat shape of your eyebrows. Also many people tend to overpluck as they try and get rid of eyebrow hairs that are too long but aren't necessarily in the wrong place. For this, simply brush your hairs upwards and using a pair of nail scissors trim any hairs that are longer than most.
Remember your face is not perfectly symmetrical. Don't worry if you can't get your eyebrows to match exactly. 'Eyebrows should be like siblings not twins'.
My concluding toptip? Upkeep is essential. Trust me it's alot easier to pluck a few hairs on a regular basis, even if this means everyday, this saves effort and time, rather than letting your eyebrows grow and then having to completley reshape them.