Showing posts with label Cakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cakes. Show all posts

Friday, 31 March 2017

Life Lately #126


Hi lovelies,

So, I've had a very exciting few weeks!

Firstly, Naomi came back from uni to celebrate her birthday with us. We drove to Brighton to play Globalls, which I'd never heard of before. It's a new indoor ultraviolet golf course in the marina. They've also added a few dinosaurs for good measure! It was so much fun (& I won yay!) then we headed back to Naomi's for lunch & a few games & our first Deliveroo! They've only just come to our home town, so it was most exciting!

Last Wednesday, I met up with Shez, Elisa & Lily & we went to Guildford for a shopping day. I managed to pick up a few bits & pieces, including some shoes, a rug & a cleaning cloth. When did I become such an boring adult.. haha! We finished up the day by popping into a nursery, filled with animals which I think we all loved more than Lily..

On Thursday, Lorna & I met up for tea & cake at Pretty Things. We love it in there so much, there's always new decorations, it's just the prettiest, pinkest shop you can imagine. We also discussed Beauty & The Beast, which I went to see on the opening day. How amazing was that film? Seriously.. I want to go & see it again!

Last Saturday was Maria's hen do. Maria is James' 'soon to be' step mum, which in reality, she has been for many years, but Allan popped the question early last year & they are officially tying the knot in less than 10 weeks! We had such a lovely evening on Saturday, (full post here if you want a read) & the boys were sweet enough to pick us up at 1am, after dancing away to Michael Buble in the local pub!

Sunday was Mother's Day as I'm sure you all know & I spent the day with Mum. We visited Nan & Grandad & had a lovely walk in the woods with Dad & the doggies. I also took mum to see The Time Of Their Lives on Monday as part of her present which we both really enjoyed.

Finally, on Monday I got to meet the newest addition to our group, baby Alice. Isn't she just the cutest thing? Gemma gave birthday to her last Tuesday (21st March) so I met her at 6 days old. I was bridesmaid for Gem nearly 2 years ago now & we've known each other since the induction day of secondary school, when I asked her for a pencil (haha!) so meeting Alice was truly over-whelming. Congrats again Gem & Ollie, I'm so proud of you both.

How has your week been lovelies? Any plans for the weekend?

Tuesday, 28 February 2017

Life Lately #124


Hello lovelies,

So on Valentines Day I did my last update post & said James & I were off to Brighton. We had such a lovely day. We explored The Lanes, popped into a few shops & visited the pier. I got some beautiful new tops in Primark & even got to pick up a few bits in Lush from their Valentines range, which was extremely exciting (reviews coming soon!) I mentioned we were hoping to go to The Breakfast Club, but we actually ended up in Days, an oriental buffet. I'd never heard anything about it & looking at the exterior of the place, you would never have guessed that it was like walking into a rainforest as you go in! The food was absolutely delicious & we are already planning another trip to Brighton again soon so we can go again! I also finally revealed to James we were going to see Craig David in concert in April! I bought the tickets back in December & had been waiting for the right moment to announce it & Valentine's Day seemed like the perfect time.

Ok, so last week was actually so miserable for me. I had conjunctivitis (I'm not gonna link to what it is, looking at pictures of people's eyes makes me feel so un well!) but basically it's an eye infection. It's one of the most painful, frustrating things I've ever experienced. You feel like a bucket of sand has been tipped into your eye, it constantly runs & hurts to open. I spent my first 3 days with my eyes shut, feeling hot / cold & not eating much, but then that subsided & I was just left with very sore eyes. My doctor prescribed me some eye drops which I had to take for a week & after a few days of hating the sunshine, I'm back to being able to see again! James was the sweetest thing & luckily this all started happening on a Friday morning & he was off over the weekend to look after me. He downloaded the audio book of Harry Potter so I could listen to that as it was impossible to watch TV or YouTube. He is simply amazing.

Last Thursday, Cathy & had a date day & went to Giggling Squid for lunch, followed by watching Sing at the cinema. I've mentioned Giggling Squid many times on my blog, but it seriously is one of my favourite places to eat. (There'll be a post coming soon about my top 5 restaurants to eat at, keep your eyes peeled for that!) Also, Sing. Most people I've talked to about it have loved it, but some haven't been so keen. I have to say, I really enjoyed it & will definitely be purchasing it when it's released on DVD. I didn't think it was as funny as some Disney films I've seen recently, but that didn't seem to matter because the characters were brilliant in my opinion. I might do a full review on it as I enjoyed it so much!

Last Friday; Cathy, Lily, Elisa & I went to Guildford shopping, on the search for my dream pair of jeans! I've been dreaming about the fit, cut & style of these jeans for weeks but alas, I still didn't find the perfect pair. I did however get some comfy blue jeggings from Primark for £6, so I'm gonna try to distress them myself & see what happens! We also had brunch in The Tea Terrace which is just the most adorable cafĂ© at the top of House Of Fraser.

We also met up with Char & Mils at Nandos for dinner that evening. It was so lovely to see Char as she'd come back for the weekend from uni to visit us & her family. Mils had also just completed her first week of a new job, so we had lots to catch up on.

Last Sunday, it was my Nan's birthday. She turned 88 & we had a buffet lunch at my grandparents' house. My mum bought her the most fabulous cake, covered in iced rose petals. It was sooo delicious.

I also attended my manager's surprise leaving do on Sunday afternoon. Just look at the cake Elisa made! We all know how much Mike loves popcorn.. haha! So anyway, we'd been planning an afternoon tea since May last year, as Mike had a retirement date set early on! It was such a beautiful afternoon, complete with bunting, floral crockery & of course, a lot of tea & cake. He was so shocked when he walked into the barn we'd hired to see all of us standing there waiting for him. It's actually hit me harder than I thought seeing him leave. If you didn't already know, I've worked at my current place of work since I was hired at the age of 17 by Mike. I started as a steward for the films & after a few years & deciding not to go to uni, I was looking for full time work, to which he suggested I move onto the box office & that's where I've been ever since. I remember the day he came up to me & asked if I'd like to go on box office & I was so excited & asked when my interview would be, to which he replied 'you've already got the job Cat, you just need to start training'. I also wouldn't have met James if it wasn't for Mike. We met when he became a steward & we were put on the same evening shift together. I still like to think Mike knew we'd hit it off & become the power couple we are now! I can't thank him enough for all his support & friendship over the (almost 9) years I've worked with him. He really is such a wonderful man & I will miss him so much.

His final shift was last Saturday evening & we have his official farewell do this afternoon. People that know him or have worked with him over the years are travelling to say goodbye, so I think the worst is yet to come. Yes, I cry at everything, so I dread these type of things! Plus.. who's idea was it to jump straight onto box office after the leaving do.. I'm such an idiot.

How has your week been lovelies? I can't believe we are almost in March!
Where does the time go..

Thursday, 2 February 2017

Life Lately #122


Hello lovelies,

I met my friend Ricka for a late birthday treat at Bills last Sunday. I haven't had afternoon tea there for over 2 years & even though they've changed it up a bit, it was so lovely! We had two scones each, a pot of blackberries, a piece of Victoria sponge cake & a pot of earl grey tea each. Heaven.

It was Bo's birthday on Wednesday, so we went to the pub for dinner. James & I both had a burger with pave for pudding, just look how delicious it was!

On Sunday Cathy, Boop & I planned Gemma's baby shower. It was so much fun to organise (if a little stressful at times) but we managed to get all the decorations ordered at the beginning of January, invites sent out & cakes baked. Everyone was asked to bring along a sweet treat, so we had mountains of food! Also, Elisa made this fantastic cake for Gemma & Ollie, just look at that little elephant! Gemma knows she's having a little girl in March, so it was easy to buy presents for her. I managed to pick up a personalised penguin dressing gown & had 'Baby Rogers' printed on the front. It was so adorable, I wanted to keep it for myself to be honest..

Tuesday morning I met up with Shezza, Elisa & Lily to have a catch up with life. Those girls seriously know how to put a smile on my face, especially Lily, just look at her little bunches!

Oh, & I always try to include a picture of Honey in these posts, because she's always a massive part of my life & makes me smile so much everyday. After my birthday in January, all the excitement of the last 2 months fades away. I know for most people that happens at the beginning of the month as Christmas & New Year becomes a memory, but it can get you down. All I need to do is make a cup of tea & cuddle this little one & my day is instantly better.

& I have to be honest & admit, a bit of retail therapy does help too.. look at my beautiful boots I managed to pick up in the ASOS sale! They were £19 down from £34.99 & I can't wait to style them once storm Doris has passed through.. the weather really knows how to bring down your mood. I seriously can't wait for Spring now & for us to head into the warmer months. It's seriously scary to think we are in February already though? Madness.

How was January for you lovelies?

Tuesday, 19 April 2016

Life Lately #103


Morning lovelies,

I wanted to share with you this beautiful place James & I went for breakfast last week. We've had a real mixture of weather in the UK this month, some days it's glorious sunshine, other days we'll have rain all day & some it's just miserable & cloudy. For the first time this year (& maybe the last!) we managed to sit outside for breakfast. I ordered a full English & James had scrambled egg on toast & although they took a while to serve us, it didn't really matter to be honest as we weren't in a rush, but the food was definitely worth waiting for.

In the afternoon, we decided to head to Guildford for a bit of shopping. This was the view across the river Wey, with a lovely little boat passing under the bridge we were on. It's such a picturesque place to visit & great for shops.

The following day, we made Husky cupcakes. Ok, I'll be honest.. they were supposed to be polar bears but we just thought they looked more like dogs when we'd finished! They tasted so delicious, definitely be making them again.

On Saturday, I said goodbye to James for his last term at uni! He literally has two exams in May, an assignment in for the end of this month, then he's completed his 3 year course! It's amazing & I'm so proud of him. Can't wait for him to be back permanently & for us to no longer have such a distance between us.

Now I say, James headed back to uni on Saturday, he actually headed to Cardiff for a stag do! One of our best friends is getting married next month (hen do at the end of April, so excited Elisa!) but it was the boys turn first as they headed off in a mini bus to Cardiff. All us ladies thought we'd have a girls day / night as the boys were away, so we bought some chocolate & games & headed to Gem's house. It was such a lovely chilled evening, I even came home & jumped straight in the bath for further pampering!

Last Sunday, my tea ladies & I headed down to Littlehampton to visit Lorna for the day. She moved down there about a year ago & although we do meet up often, it's rare for us all to have the day off & travel down to see her. We were so lucky with the weather, it was beautifully sunny, there were a few clouds & it got extremely chilly on the seafront, but we had such a lovely day. We played miniature golf (I won, yay! James' obsession with golf helped me through!) & then went back to Lorna's for a tea before driving home.

How has your week been lovelies?
I'll hopefully be uploading a few more vlogs soon, so keep a look out for them over on my YouTube channel! : )

Wednesday, 3 September 2014

Bake Off!

Lemon drizzle cupcakes / Chocolate cupcakes
 
Hello lovelies,
 
You might have seen in my previous update post, I mentioned I'd been baking. Now first of all, can I just say, myself & cooking do not go well together. If you asked me to make dinner, you'd probably find yourself being served pasta or beans on toast. (This is why I'm grateful James did a cooking course recently..) However, the one thing I do like to do, is bake. I'm not saying I'm good at it by any stretch of the imagination.. (these cakes above actually came out of a box.. the shame I know!) but I didn't burn or undercook them, so I deme that a success. I actually had someone ask me for the recipe.. you should have seen their face when I said I'd bought it for less than £2 in a packet from Tesco..
 
I know a lot of bloggers love cooking & baking & I have to say, it does become addictive.. but I think I should stick to the basics so I don't kill anyone. I blame The Great British Bake Off, it makes you believe you can bake anything!
 
Do you like baking? What sort of meals do you cook?
 

Saturday, 6 August 2011

Bakin' With My Girl

Yesterday, I made a cake.
A lemon, honey & coconut cake.
With Cathy. : )

Here's the ingredients list in case you want to make it:

- 120g white rice flour
- 4 eggs
- 80ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 260g honey
85g dessicated coconut (some extra if you want to sprinkle it over the top for decoration)
- 1 tablespoon natural vanilla extract
- 375ml soya milk
- 60g of melted butter

Right so.. this is probably the easiest recipe to follow.. ever. : )

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4.

Step 2: Throw all the ingredients into a bowl & mix:

First the flour

Add the honey

The 4 eggs next

Then the lemon juice

The milk

The coconut

Then the butter

& finally the vanilla extract

Then stir the mixture till it combines


Pour the mixture into a tin & put it in the over for 50mins - 1 hour

We might have slightly burnt the cake..

Now, the recipe said bake the cake for an hour, ours got slightly burnt so I'd suggest maybe a little less time & keep your eye on it cooking! It smelt so gorgeous when it came out, so lemony! : )

Hope your all well & having a good day. : )