Baking Day! Recipes

Yesterday i decided to have a baking day whilst Sonic and his friend went out to play snooker.. i tried 3 new recipes that i have never used before and i can honestly say they turned out brilliantly and i had loads of fun too!

The men obviously loved returning to the house to find baked goods for them to chomp on too!

Mocha Coconut Balls

These are a great adult party treat but if you're not fond of very strong coffee, i'd recommend only adding 1 teaspoon of coffee!

Ingredients:

125g Butter, softened

1 cup Icing Suagr

3/4 cup Coconut

3/4 cup Rolled Oats

1-2 teaspoons Instant Coffee

185g Cooking chocolate (white or plain)

Method:

1. Cream together butter and icing sugar ustil creamed in a mixing bowl

2. Add coconut, rolled oats and coffee, and mix well until all combined

3. Using your hands, roll the mixture into small balls and stand on a plate

4. Refrigerate them for atleast 2 hours

5. Using a small saucepan on a medium heat, add a small amount of boiling water and rest a bowl on top

6. Place the chocolate into the bowl, using a metal spoon, stir until chocolate is melted

7. Remove the balls from the fridge and roll each of them into the chocolate until coated

8. Set the balls back onto the plate and refrigerate for around 15 minutes until set

9. ENJOY!

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Honeycomb Toffee

This is a fun recipe for all the family and takes almost no time at all!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Golden Syrup

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate Soda

2 tablespoons White Sugar

1 tablespoon Butter

Method:

1. Grease a small/medium dish with butter

2. Into a medium saucepan, place sugar, butter and golden syrup over a medium heat

3. Allow to boil and stir gently for around 5 minutes until mixture is a golden-brown colour

4. Take off the heat and immediately stir in the bicarbonate soda very quickly

5. Tip into the buttered dish to set - this takes around 30 mins

6. ENJOY!

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

Makes 12

These are just something a little different that are for all the family! To make them extra chocolatey, add a teaspoons of Nutella in the centre of each one as soon as they come out the oven!

Ingredients:

100g (3.5oz) Butter

150g (5oz) Caster Sugar

1 medium Egg

1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract - optional

150g (5oz) Self-Raising Flour

75g Milk (or flavoured) Chocolate Chips

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/350F (Gas 4)

2. Line a 12-hole bun tray with cake cases

3. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and caster sugar until creamed

4. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until completely combined

5. Sieve in the flour until the mix forms a soft dough (add a little extra if mixture isn't quite a dough) then mix in the chocolaate chips until well combined

6. Using a tablespoon, spoon the mixture into the cake cases (usuing 2 spoons to each case)

7. Flatten them slightly so they are not peaked then bake for 15 minutes until risen and slightly golden

8. After removing from the oven, use the back of a spoon to press the centre of each one down, therefore creating a 'cup' shape

9. Add Nutella now if you wish as they will be hot enough to melt in the centre

10. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely

11. ENJOY!

Red or Dead - My Picks from the BANK sale

Red Or Dead is a brand that i have been quite taken with since i was younger.

I have always had a bit of a quirky style and i like to dress a little different, but what i love about the Red Or Dead brand is that it incorporates the quirkiness into fashionable pieces - which in my experience has loads of people asking where you got your clothes from!

They also have an Amazing range of shoes!

Right now, BANK online have an amazing up to 60% sale with loads of Red Or Dead pieces included! So click over there and take a look!

My Picks:

Red or Dead  Avoca Hoody was: £30.00 - NOW £10.00!

I love this hoodie as it's fitted but really warm! It has a unique pattern and stitch which is suitable to wear all year round thanks to the zip-up front!

Red or Dead  Ada Jacket was: £55.00 - NOW £35.00!

This coat has a timeless design which is warm and with it being a monochrome colour, it will go with everything! You can wear this with anything from laidback jeans and converse to smart dresses and heels! It has a flattering flap at the back and the lapel badge which shows it's unique

Red or Dead  Helenae Maxi Dress was: £30.00 - NOW £10.00!

I fell in love with this dress as soon as i saw it! It's got that classic and simple look which really appeals to me. There is so many occasions that i could wear this dress for! not only taking it on holiday in the summer, but i could throw flat boots and a leather jacket over it when it's a bit chillier and still acheive the same classic look.

Red or Dead  Slaney Tulle Dress Was: £32.00 - NOW £10.00!

This dress is a little unusual but would be sure to turn heads! It's a unique piece perfect for parties and smart occasions and it's also quite fun! The seuqin, pearl and net textures mixed together still make it look quite classy too!

Red or Dead  Pinnie Dress Was: £35.00 - NOW £19.00!

I shoved this in my basket as soon as i saw it! I'm not sure what it is about the classic dungarees look but i absolutely love it and i couldn't resist! It's a perfect spring look that can definitely be taken into summer and even autumn if teamed with a long sleeved top or an added cardigan! This will definitely be my wardrobe staple!

So.. they're my picks and i hope some of them might give you some inspiration too!

Setting up a new tv..

Last week i spent almost 2 entire days trawling around Currys and PC World stores in search of the 'Perfect' tv..

My boyfriend has a little 'OCD' when it comes to buying electricals and since we wanted a tv of good quality, durability and that will be with us *fingers crossed* when we move out within the next 12 months.

Atlast we eventually found a Panasonic model: TXP42ST50B which is a Plasma 3D tv.

It was in the sale too and with the Currys website going down last weekend we were able to get an extra 5% off!

To be safe, we decided to purchase an Insurance policy called 'Anything Happens' which for the cost of £7.50 a month, we are covered for literally almost Anything that goes wrong.

After getting up on my alarm at 7am this morning due to delivery times (anytime between 7am-7pm!) i sat and waited for the arrival.. it was delivered at 3:30pm...

Now begins the task of putting it together... Along with my boyfriend... Hmm...

The box, was MASSIVE.. ridiculously big!

Next came the unwrapping...

That was the easy bit..

Now when it came to assembling the stand, using mini screws and the men's dreaded INSTRUCTION MANUAL..

Luckily, we did it Together and it worked out fine.. although i did accidently try to put the wrong screws in and wondered why they didn't fit!

OOPS!

But thankfully, down to some determination and well-practised patience it eventually all got set up.

The tv is bigger than we anticipated for the bedroom, but will look brilliant when we do move out.. it's like having a sort-of cinema screen!

Thankfully, i'm now typing this review as my boyfriend happily settles into his gaming (that thankfully works perfectly - even FIFA 13 has no lag!)

Rustic Irish Potato Bread recipe - yummy breakfast!

As it was St Patrick's Day yesterday, i thought it was a perfect time to try out my recipe for Rustic Irish Potato Bread.

I'm part-Irish, so i like doing something traditional on St Paddy's Day.

Although in Ireland, they tend to eat Potato Bread on a sunday for breakfast with eggs and tomatoes..

I was really hungry after going for a Guinness in the local so thought there was no time like the present!

I had mine with a yummy fried egg :)

Rustic Irish Potato Bread recipe

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

250g Potatoes - peeled and cubed

Knob of butter

1/2 - 1 mugs of Plain Flour

Pinch of Salt

Prep: 15 Minutes

Cook: 20 Minutes

Method:

Boil your Potatoes in salted water until mashable.

Mash using a potato ricer/masher with a knob of Butter and a pinch of Salt.

Sift the Flour, little by little, into the mash potato until it forms a soft dough. The amount depends on the moisture content of the potato, so use your judgement.

Keep adding the flour until the dough is no longer sticky.

Roll the dough out onto a floured surface so it's about 1cm thick.

Dust with extra flour as you roll.

Tidy the edges (using a knife) and cut into squares.

It will look rustic but that is the look you're after.

Place into a large frying pan over a high heat - no need for oil or butter.

Turn the heat down after a few minutes.

Cook on each side until golden. Dab a bit of butter onto the bread once cooked.

Serve with just butter, or add other breakfast items such as fried/scrambled egg, mushrooms, tomatoes or even bacon or sausages!

Trust me! It sounds a little complicated but i was surprised by just how easy it is to make!

Enjoy!

Silent Sunday

Kellogg's Coco Pops Sip-Up bowl

I was lucky enough to be sent a Kellogg's Coco Pops Sip-Up bowl!

As well as being lucky enough to trial the New Coco Pops Croc Prints!

So i felt these went together perfectly and i couldn't wait to try them both out (as i'm a big kid at heart!)

I half filled my sip-up bowl with Croc Prints and added some semi-skimmed milk.. the milk turned chocolately so i began to dig in!

The Croc Print cereal are as they state, in the shape of the character Croc's footprints and look quite fun - my niece loves them!

They appear by the look of them to be quite hard and crunchy but actually have a soft-inside when you bite then, just like bigger coco pops!

They are quite filling and great for a child's imagination - straight after breakfast my niece began telling me how she was going to join Coco's gang and help to capture Croc!

The bowl is also brilliant and makes children (and big kids too!) want to eat breakfast as it adds the aspect of fun.

It is made of quite thick plastic 'sticker-print' around the side of the bowl and then another 'sicker-print' on the base of the inside of the bowl.

The writing reads: 'Sip up the chocolatey milk kids!'

The bowl has an attached strawon the indie that opens out at the base of the bowl, allowing kids to drink all the milk and get all the goodness!

It is a brilliant, fun and helpful product which i should think will help with all children having and wanting breakfast!

Coco Pops Croc Prints are currently on sale in Tesco for £1.34!

Coco Pops Sip-Up bowls are currently available in a send-off offer on cereal boxes!

Rowntree's Randoms Squidgy Speak review

When i saw these in my local store i just had to try these!

Having seen the television advert, i thought it was fun and very tempting!

The packaging is very eye-catching, bright orange and had a mouth with a sticky-out tongue!

I thought the design was fun and also has a very fun name.

My niece told me last week that she wanted to try them as they're words and she's learning words at school!

After tipping them out in my hand and inspecting them, i was actually really looking forward to eating them!

They actually did look fun!

They come in the colours; orange, pink, purple and white.

I think they may be a fun treat for helping children to learn words too!

My niece will absolutely love them although i was hoping to use them to help her to build funny sentences but i didn't get many 'joining words' in my pack unfortunately.

But other than that i would highly recommend them!

They have a light, fluffy texture and are soft, with a soft tropical-fruity taste - and very yummy!

OhBeauty.co.uk

As much as any woman, i love buying make-up and cosmetic items! I love trying out new products that i can tell others about and also love finding new sources to feed my beauty-fix!

Ohbeauty.co.uk is a fantastic website i recently discovered!

They have brilliant assets regarding delivery:

• They have FREE FIRST CLASS UK DELIVERY on all orders!
• SAME DAY DISPATCH Monday-Friday if ordered before 2pm

Although at the minute, they only have a small array of brands that they stock, their website is continuing to grow!

And *fingers crossed* with a continued fan-base i'm sure that their popularity will increase.

The brands they currently supply are:

EyeCandy..Eyelure..FakeBake..Invogue

Although it's a very small array of brands, i find it a brilliant website to pick up a few favourites! The nail polish especially!

I am going to pick up some EyeCandy Nail Polish - Green With Envy

The colour looks gorgeous and i can't wait to try it out for myself! I love the whole collection actually!

The sections the website is divided into are:

Nails, Eyelashes, Faketan, Nail Polish & Accessories

The typical given beauty essentials really. I find it really easy to navigate and buy from and it saves me spending half an hour trawling around a bigger brand website trying to remember the exact name of a product!

So for all my lovely followers, OhBeauty have given me a 10% discount code for me to share with you!

Simply enter: ANGIE10 when placing any order and 10% will be deducted from your purchase!

Happy Shopping!

Silent Sunday..

Saturday.. Mom's Pancake recipe & more

I woke up this morning (after a late night watching Big Bang Theory with Sonic!) in a very good mood.

Although thoroughly gutted that we've just finished watching Season 5 of Big Bang Theory and now have to wait until September for the next one to be released!

I decided i wanted to make pancakes for breakfast after buying a new frying pan yesterday.. i thought it would be the perfect time to try it out!

They are so easy to make and can be eaten sweet or savoury, and are so yummy i couldn't not share the recipe with you!

Mom's Pancake Recipe

Makes 8 pancakes

Ingredients:

1 Egg

4oz Flour

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 pint Milk (use a measuring jug)

Method:

1. Tip the flour & salt into a mixing bowl and mix together
2. Make a 'well' in the centre and crack the egg into it
3. Mix in whilst slowly adding half of the milk, a bit at a time until a liquidy batter forms
4. Beat with a wooden spoon and try to get rid of most of the lumps (2-3 minutes)
5. Add the remaining milk and beat until mixed in
6. Tip the mixture back into the jug (used for the milk) - this makes it easier to pour
7. Set the hob to a medium-high heat and pour small amounts of mixture to the frying pan and tip the pan to spread the mixture
8. Cook for around 30 seconds each side the flip (if your brave enough!) if not use a spatula to turn them
9. Tip out onto a plate and enjoy with sugar, syrup, lemon juice or any toppings you want!
10. Enjoy!

After devouring such yummy pancakes! (i did not really want to move!)

I jumped in the shower and got changed in order to head up to Tesco for shopping and a last minute Mother's Day gift.. BIG MISTAKE

They had rearranged quite a large section of the top floor to allow room for a 'Mother's Day children's photo shoot' area. There was a red beanbag in the middle of the floor and a large grey canvas background. Which you could pay to have your child photographed infront of as a Mother's Day gift. The queue was ridiculous!

The card section was a different matter..cards everywhere (all over the floor) and it was crowded with people with trolleys and baskets all trying to get at the same thing! Lots of children asking their dads to buy giant cards and chocoaltes and flowers :)

When it came to getting a gift, the Mother's Day shelves were more-than-half empty! There were big gaps in displays and things all over the wrong shelves.. clearly a hurrid dash for forgotten things!

I found the most lovely present for my mom!

But i will review it tomorrow as it is Mother's Day then, ia m afraid she might read this and it might spoil the surprise!

Although i picked myself a right bargain! I do usually make time to browse around the clothes section at the supermarket as i rarely have time to shop for clothes unless it's online - so when i saw the big red SALE sign - i just had to check it out!

It was well worth it, i came away with a gorgeous cream 3/4 sleeved jumper from the Basics collecion that was reduced from £5 to just £2!

Even the woman on the till commented on what a good buy it was!

After battling the checkout queues and traffic i managed to get home and make yummy filling jacket potatoes topped with melted butter and YUM black & pink peppercorn spread!

Perfect after battling not-very-nice weather and a full-to-the-brim supermarket!

I have also sat and written a reply to my pen-friend in Southampton - Katy :)

I hope everyone else has Mother's Day sorted!

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!

Lovefilm.. The best way to rent games & movies?

Me and my family first joined Lovefilm around 3 years ago when a family friend recommended it.

We started off paying £10 a month, for which we could watch films 'on demand' and rent them by post 2 at a time.

The one brilliant thing about Lovefilm is that there are no late-fees and no time-restriction on how long you can keep the disc for! (well within reason, a year is maybe a bit too long?)

So when me and Sonic subscribed to it ourselves around 18 months ago, we didn't realise how good it really was! Not only can you rent dvds and blu-rays of films, there are tv series, box-sets and all sorts! This includes games for the: PS3, Xbox360, NIntendo WIi, NIntendo DS & 3DS too! It saves us a fortune on buying dvds as and when we want to watch them!

Our deal is that we pay £15 a month and we get 3 discs at home at any one time.

This is brilliant for the films we watch together, and also the games that are available!

Lovefilm allows you to pre-order games and be put on a waiting list for games that are soon-to-be released. This allows keen gamers (like my other half) to rent brand new games and to try them out to make sure he likes them enough to pay full price. If not, we simplydon't buy them! A simple and effective way to possibly save £50 on a game that could potentially be rubbish and not catered to our tastes!

It is also brilliant as they have a 'live streaming and Watch Now' service. This allows you to use either a pc/laptop or an Xbox360/PS3 device to watch movies or certain programmes right away. Surprisingly there is quite a wide array of genre's to choose from and with the TV series section, a large array of episodes and series too!

I would highly recommend Lovefilm, however sign up, however if you are planning to sign up, do it of your own accord and sign up online safely!

DO NOT sign up at one of those 'stalls/booths' that you see in the shopping centres as they can quite easily con you out of a lot of money.

I am not saying that this may happen all the time, although i do know someone who lost a couple of hundred pounds through this.

SO be safe, have fun and enjoy the free reign of Lovefilm!

Day 2 of the Mother's Day Giveaway!

I am giving away a special little prize today as i think my followers deserve it!

For Day 2 of my Giveaway i am pleased to announce the giveaway of..

Daisy - Marc Jacobs EAU SO FRESH!

I have 1 box of this to giveaway to one lucky follower.

It's a perfect little purse spray which is perfect for any occasion and smell's absolutely gorgeous!

My mom absolutely loves it :)

So enter via the Rafflecopter widget below..

Giveaway ends: midnight 06/03/2013

As always, DONT FORGET TO:

• Share the giveaway on Facebook
• Like the Angie Cupcake Reviews Facebook page

HAPPY COMPING AND GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sainsbury's Fabulously Fruity Black Cherry Yoghurt Review

Whilst exploring the aisles in Sainsbury's yesterday i wanted to pick something up as a quick snack for when i got home.

I am a very big fan of yoghurts in general and this one i thought, looked quite natural which is appealing to me. I like quite string intense fruit flavours without them tasting too sugary and artificial.

My first impression was that it looked quite bright and eye-catching, the bold writing made the product look a bit 'fun' and being in a see-through pot, i could actually see the little fruit-bits within the yoghurt.

When i ripped the top off, a waft of black cherry came out, quite sweet but strong smelling at the same time. I couldn't wait to try it!

Although there were fruit-bits, they were quite small which i found quite nice, as some yoghurts you get can have quite big lumps in and they make it unpleasant.

The yoghurt did in-fact taste really natural, a little sweet but not overpowering which i was happy about. It almost seemed to melt-in-the-mouth and it gave me a little sugar-hit too which is great as i don't reach for chocolate then!

A brilliant way to get a healthy fix and a definite recommendation!

I think i'll be picking some more up for lunchtime treats and work in the future!

Silent Sunday :)

 

 



The Card Factory Review and Day 1 of the Mother's Day Giveaway!

Mother's Day is fast approaching and we are all surrounded with a vast sea of cards, presents, gift wrap and bows!

When venturing out today to attempt to get a Mother's Day card, i was very surprised by the brilliant selection within The Card Factory store!

There i was faced with a large array of gift selections including; teddy bears and cuddly toys, mug & coaster sets, wine glasses, balloons in boxes and photo frames galore.. catering for all price ranges and for quite a small store i think it was excellent!
There was so much choice and as a queue was forming, i decided better and left with a card but promising myself to check out the website when i returned home.

I was equally surprised with the website, although obviously not so many cards, the ones available online cater for a range of ages and genres with postage from only 99p!
They also have a lovely mug & coster set for 'Nanna' too which i thought was so cute!

I really enjoyed shopping via the website and ended up purchasing a helium balloon, a sparkly ribbon and a 'Follow Your Heart' Mum's Memories album.
This is an album that allows your mum to store and share her precious memories. It features pockets to store treasured mementos and photos, alongside themed sections with questions and space for her to write her own 'pearls of wisdom'!
It is beautifully pakcaged with a decoupage and satin ribbon embellished box, and all for £2.99!

This brings me to what i hope, is the first of 3 Mother's Day competitions running once a day for 3 consecutive days.
The 2nd will be tomorrow and the 3rd Monday.
(this is to ensure that all prizes are received by the winners in time for Mother's Day)

This competition will end at midnight tomorrow so be quick!
Don't forget: like & share on facebook and post a comment below or entries will not be counted!

Simply fill in the Rafflecopter below and follow the instructions to win a set of..
Cupcake Bath Bombs :)

Good luck & Happy Comping!

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Friends at work :)

Today was quite an emotional day for me, but a happy day nontheless..

I was really not expecting the 2 lots of presents and lovely card i received off my colleagues though!

•  A big box of malteasers and a marshmallow Me-To-You lollipop from my lovely friend Steph :)

• (below) A big bouquet of flowers from my department colleagues Ricki, Vanessa and Holly :)

It started with me tossing and turning since 4am this morning until i eventually got up at 6am.. i then couldn't find the top i had planned to wear and ended up being later than expected and me half-running to the bus stop!

Luckily, i managed to catch the bus hassle-free and today seemed to rush by!

The thing is.. today was my last day in the office for a while, and it was emotional having to say goodbye to everyone.
Over the time that i have worked in my office, i have met some of the nicest people i ocould ever hoped to have met. They are all very caring and genuinely lovely people that i really hope to stay in touch with.

I had a lovely lunchtime, being treated with a drink in the pub with my manager and another colleague from our little-tiny office! It was really relaxing and lovely to be able to just chill-out for a little while and just have a nice conversation with friendly company.

All in all, i honestly didn't want to go and i hope that i can meet up with them all and see them again in the not-so-distant future!

And at the end of today, all the hugs, best wishes and smiles that can only be found in a very supportive and friendly workplace.