Things I Love Thursday

Oh yes, it's that time of the week again!

Via Hungry Designs

Via Hungry Designs

 I love these brooches at Hungry Designs. These too are my favourites, but I also like the shadow puppet ones.

Via ASOS

 I've always had a love for western style boots. I've never owned a pair, I have no idea why, but I often look at them, my eyes filled with lust. I might have to splash out on this pair. They are just so lovely.

Via ASOS

 This dress is so pretty!

Via Modernaked

There is something really jolly about this hippo ring.

Via Monif C

I am all about the monochrome stripes at the moment. I just bought a pair of monochrome leggings. I'm so excited about them. And I have my eye on a top as well, but they dress. I LOVE IT!

I'm on the lookout for some new sunglasses. My favourite pair broke a few months ago, and I'm yet to find a pair I love as much as I did those. If you've come across any, let me know!

What I Wore - New Years Eve

I don't really 'do' New Years Eve. I think it's kind of overrated. I like just to get together with a few people and have some good food and good wine. The last few years me and a few close friends have camped out at my parents house. This year it was just me and Jesse and Mum and Dad, and it was delightful. 

We did go and see my brothers band early in the evening (7pm!) before heading up to their house. So, I did get a little dressed up.

Both the dress and shoes are from Asos, and both were Christmas presents from Jesse. I LOVE this dress. I have it in black as well, it is so comfortable. 

After we saw the band, and were at mum and dad's, I changed into my PJ's becuase it was soooo hot. Dad cooked some amazing food, Jesse is still raving about the chicken. I found spices in his spice rack that expired in 1997. Dad found a spoon Mum made many years ago, and we all nominated it her 'positivity spoon'. Whenever she is being down about herself, she has to look at the spoon and remember how amazing she is at doing the things she does. 

It was a great night. 

Nutella Cupcakes

I don't know how many of you know about my love affair with Nutella, but it runs deep. The other day I was sitting at home, really feeling like some cupcakes. Some Nutella frosted cupcakes to be exact. So, I made some.

I used my very favourite vanilla cupcake recipe. It, without fail, give moist, delicious cupcakes. 

Ingredients

225gm unsalted butter
225gm caster sugar
225gm self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat your over to 175C, and place your cupcake papers in their pans. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until pale. About 3 minutes.

spoon the mixture into the prepared cases till about 3/4's full. This yields between 18 and 20 cupcakes, depending on the papers that you use. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes in their pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool. 

Then, once they are cool, you can ice then!

Ingredients

80gm unsalted butter
250gm pure icing sugar
25ml milk
80gm Nutella

Method

Beat the butter and the sugar together with an electric mixer until combined, add milk and beat until combined, add Nutella and beat until combined. 

Try to refrain from eating the frosting directly out of the bowl, and actually pop it on your cool cupcakes. 

You can put the icing on however you like, I just like to smooth mine on with a pallet knife. Put a blog in the middle and smooth it to the edge, working around until your cupcake is covered.

Now you can eat them. 

You can of course decorate them with Malteasers or chocolate buttons or something, but I was just making these for me, so I didn't pretty them up. Plus, I had everything I needed to make them in my house, if I had had to run to the shop I probably would have bought some Malteasers to put on top.

I also made Nutella popsicles. I'll share those another day.

Life, Lately - Photo dump

It's my last day of holidays today. I've had just over 2 weeks off. And although it's lovely being on holidays, I am looking forward to going back to work. I know a lot of people will cringe at that, but I love my work. And, to me, it's not really work.

Anyway, here is what's been going on lately

(Please excuse the background in the outfit pics. I don't have a lot of space in my current house, and it's the only place to get decent light, and to set up my tripod, but I'm moving at the end of the month, so will have a better background!)

I wore this dress out for dinner with the girls a week or so ago. It's one of my favourite dresses. It's from City Chic .

I wore this outfit on the Friday before New Years to go and see Mulder play. I got the blouse and the belt from my boy for Xmas. They are both from Asos

Mulder played a set early on New Years Eve, so before heading up to my parents house for food and bubbles, we went to see them. It was amazing to listen to them through a proper sound system at a proper club. I was right up the front, and it was awesome. It's a shame they played at 7.30pm, and we were the only ones there. BUT STILL! It was awesome.

I made Nutella frosted cupcakes. (recipe in a few days!)

I really felt like a banana smoothie the other morning. Then I remembered I like to hoard bananas in my freezer, so I dug 2 out, let them defrost for about 10 minutes, so they were a bit squishy, and the blended them up with some milk. Yum yum!

Sunday I had the pleasure of having lunch with this awesome dude. It was his birthday on Wednesday and we didn't really get a chance to hang out. It was just the 2 of us, which is rare these days. We had mexican and beers. 

And finally, I found this tube of dinosaurs at the shops on Friday night, and it brings me much joy!

And that's what's been going on around here lately!

Aussie Curves - Little Black Dress

A little while ago, I stumbled across a blog hop called Aussie Curves. Each week there is a different theme, and I've been wanting to join in for a while, but was just too busy over the Christmas/New Year period, but, I'm joining in for the first time this week!

This weeks theme is Little Black Dress. Now, I own a LOT of black clothing, and a few black dresses. Until recently I rarely wore any colour, but, in the last few months, since embracing body positive/fat positive/fatshion, I have expanded my wardrobe. In saying that through, the dress I chose for this post is one I've had for a while, and it's one of my favourites.

The dress is from Pinup Girl Clothing. And, I'm not wearing shoes. I'm classy like that!


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Things I Love Thursday

I've only missed one Things I Love Thursday post, but it feels like much longer than that since I've done one!! I picked up a heap of things from my Asos whishlist for Christmas, and in the sales, but here are some things I'm still lusting after

Via Target

I just adore this cute little playsuit. It's sleepwear, and it looks like it'd be soooo comfy. It's on sale at the moment, so I might go see if I can grab one. I hope they have size fat.

Via SWAK

I've had my eye on this skirt from Swak for a while. I'm so in to this sort of teal colour at the moment, and I just think they skirt is super cute.

Via aurimascontra

I love this jigsaw rug! You can put the pieces together however you want them to go! It comes in heaps of different colours. I might have to get one for the new house.

Via Domino Dollhouse

Via Domino Dollhouse

Domino Dollhouse have released part 2 of the Astralnauts collection, and of course I am in love. These 2 pieces particularly. 

That's it for this week. I know I post mainly clothes and shoes, but I don't wear much jewellery...maybe I need to look at more, then I might wear more! I really really like homewares too, so I will make an effort to post things other than clothing in these posts! hehe

Ice Cream, Coconut Ice & Salted Caramel Sauce

As I've mentioned, I did a bit of Christmas baking. This year I decided to make ice cream, salted caramel sauce, coconut ices, and chocolate treat. 

I've shared the ice cream recipe and the chocolate treat recipe on the blog before, so you can find them here and here. Also, the great thing about all these recipes (exept the chocolate treats) are gluten free! My brother is a Celiac  so I always keep that in mind when we are having a family meal.


Coconut Ice

Ingredients

2 cups sifted icing sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
395g tin of condensed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups of desiccated coconut
2-3 drops of pink food colouring

Method

Line a 20cm square cake pan with baking paper (or use a disposable foil tin). Sift the icing sugar in to a large bowl, and add the cream of tartar. Pour in the condensed milk and vanilla essense and stir until well combined. Add in the coconut and mix with your hands until all combined. 

Divide the mixture in 2, and add the pink food colouring to one lot of mixture. Kneed until it's evenly coloured.

Press the pink mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth with your hands. Top with the white mixture, pressing down and smoothing with your hand. Then refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm.

After you've refrigerated it, turn it out of the pan, and cut it in to squares. Easy peasy!

Salted Caramel Sauce

I know I've shared my salted caramels here before (go here for these!), but this year I decided to make a sauce for the ice cream. Now, you could add this to the custard, and churn it in to the ice cream itself, but I prefer to put lashings of it on top. It's great warm, fresh off the stove, as well as cool, just store it in a jar or jug in the fridge. 

Ingredients

75gm unsalted butter
50gm light brown sugar
50gm caster sugar
3 Tbsp golden syrup
a very full, almost overflowing 1/2 cup double cream
1 tsp salt. I use the salt flakes

Method

Melt butter, brown sugar, caster sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. bring to a simmer, and let that sit for about 3 minutes. Swirl the pan every now and again.

Add your cream and salt, and stir. Leave on the heat for another minute or 2, until all the cream is combined, and it's thickened slightly. Pour it into your jar or jug! 

And I just realised I didn't take any photo's of the sauce! But, it will be a light caramel colour. It's very hard to stuff it up!

And there you go, 4 easy, but naughty recipes to enjoy!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year, we went to see my brothers band play, then headed up to my parents place to drink champagne and eat lots of food. It's my littlest brothers birthday today, so a very happy birthday, Alex!!