Foolproof Cupcakes

Hey Guys, 

During the week I decided I'd like to try my hand at baking something, I think watching  the Great British Bake-Off show is rubbing off on me! I admit, I'm rubbish at baking and I really mean rubbish. The only thing I can actually make is a chocolate biscuit cake and that's solely because it doesn't require using an oven! My sister (who is a great baker) told me to give cupcakes a go as an 'easy' bake. So here's what I did..

Ingredients - 

150g Self Raising Flour

150g Caster Sugar

Two Medium Eggs

2 Tbs of Milk

Chocolate of your choice! 

                       

Mix all of the ingredients together in a pot or dish until it's got a nice smooth consistency.

                       

Divide the mixture into these cupcake cases, that much mixture make ten for me in these cases. Stick them in the oven at around 150 degrees celsius for 10-14 minutes. Keep an eye on them. When they've raised and look golden brown on top, stick a toothpick (or something similar) into the middle, if it comes out dry and clean they're done! 

                       

Best enjoyed with a cup of tea or two! ;) 

                        

If you know any nice  and easy baking recipes I would love to hear them as my skills are very limited, but I like showing off, so please do share in the comments below! 

Winter Warmers

It's Friday!! 

I know it's a tad early for Christmas & Winter stuff but it sure is getting colder here in London so I thought I'd share a few bits and pieces I've been stocking up on for the longer evenings that are creeping in. I went to Sainsburys to do some food shopping yesterday and I was happily greeted with these mince pies which made me unbelievably excited! So like a child, I pranced around the store sniffing candles and over indulged in a few winter warmers, as I like to call them! 

There's nothing better than coming home after a lecture in London's freezing snow and having a hot port and mince pie with lots of cream. Here's my recipe for making hot port and a few other bits I picked up.

My Hot Port Recipe 

I love a nice strong flavoured one but of course not everyone does. It's all about personal preference, add and take away bits you do or don't like to make yourself the perfect port! 

• Half a glass of Port    
• Half a glass of hot water (I use boiling)   
• Half a teaspoon of brown sugar                      
• A slice of lemon                                                
• And finally, some cloves to suit your taste!

                                                  

                                              Enjoy! 

To be honest, I was a little sceptical of these mince pies but they're delicious! I usually stick one in the microwave for a couple of seconds and then put a nice dollop of cream or ice-cream on top. If I'm feeling extra indulgent I sprinkle some cinnamon over the cream for a little extra kick. My mother said she'll show me how to make mince pies this year so I'll blog it for you guys!

I got this Twinings 'Warming Camomile & Spiced Apple' tea. I've only had one cup of it but I liked it! I'm not sure about the 'Spiced' part but the apple flavor really comes through and smells amazing! I've only recently gotten into drinking a variety of teas and I'm glad I did, there's something really relaxing about having a cup of tea so having a couple to choose from is nice. 

As for this bag, it's just meant to give a little bit of a warm Autumnal. I got a present in it for my birthday and I've been storing some jewelry in it since.

                             

I've officially become and adult, I got a potted plant yesterday. I have no idea what it's called, maybe you can enlighten me? It's really nice though and gives the room a little pop of colour and some life! Now all I need to do is remember to water it, then maybe I can have a puppy..that's how it works right? 

                               

Have a great weekend!! 

Visiting Home

I just got back to London from a great week at home in Limerick. I went home to catch up with some friends and be spoilt and have my dinner made for me everyday by my wonderful chef, Mam! ;) I had such a great week and was actually a little sad to leave. I guess I'm pretty lucky that I can fly back easily as it's just a quick hop over the the Irish sea! It's such a big transition every time I go home getting used to having barely no internet connection, no people buzzing past your window all day and no shops nearby to just get out of the house. Though, it is nice to sometimes get away from all the hustle and bustle of the big city. I think living in such a built up city has given me a new found love for the beautiful countryside that I come from so I want to share some of that with you here!

I went on nights out with friends, went out for dinner with my sister once or twice and spent time with family, it was really nice! I got back to London yesterday, packed up everything in the house and moved today to a different flat with Alex. It's really nice but haven't had the energy to unpack everything after the long week of nights out, travelling and packing. I've been looking for some good blogs with some storage ideas to figure out what I'm going to do with everything. I've gathered up a few bags of clothes for the charity shop as I really can't really fit everything. I can't wait to get back to Uni and get a good routine going again and so I'm glad to have internet back now to keep up to date with you guys!

I went on a walk with my parents around our house and ended up taking some nature snaps! My Dad loves all kinds of plants so he pointed out lots of different tree types, berries and even some that are apparently used for winemaking! We went through the fields and walked along the Mulcair river which runs along the front of my house. I used to play there a lot when I was a child but I don't tend to get down there as much anymore as my needs are mostly fulfilled in a pub in the city!

Dad in a Field of Cows

We pick these blackberries every year along with bramley apples from our orchid and crab apple jelly from nearby fields and my parents make jam out of the berries and crab apples and tarts out of the apples. It's really nice to have homemade jam and tarts for dessert. I'll have to learn how to make it myself, as far as I'm aware it generally involves a LOT of sugar and some patience! 

Berries

Now that the Winter is coming (not a GOT reference!!) we've been collecting firewood which just so happened to make a nice picture! The one thing I really love about going home is having a nice big open fire to sit by in the evening and have copious amounts of tea in great company. There's just something nice about it and I think it reminds me a little bit of Christmas which I absolutely love! 

I went to a restaurant in Limerick called Marco Polo (amongst a few others) with my sister Diana after some shopping in town. I had never been and as it's her favourite restaurant she insisted we go and wow, I'm glad we did. The food was so good! I had this Clonakilty Black Pudding to start and Lasagna for my main course, it was so good I didn't actually get around to taking any more photos as I had it eaten before I realised! They also do really cool cocktails, it's definitely a good place to start off an evening out with friends before hitting the tiles!

Clonakilty Black Pudding

It's always great to go and catch up with friends and family. I went on lots of nights out involving lots of wine! Trawled the countryside and even made a jigsaw puzzle with my niece! 

Sunset Behind My House

What have you guys been up to this week? Also, if anyone has any storage ideas please let me know in the comments!

 

Post Holiday Diet Plan!

I find that during the Winter I happily eat whatever I want and don't care as I can just layer up and hide everything, but when the Summer months roll around I feel a bit sluggish and just a bit bleh really! So, I've decided to go on a bit of a health kick! My main objective is to feel more energetic and a bit more confident in clothes and be fit and healthy in general!

I decided that there was no point jumping head first into a rabbit's diet as there's no way I'd have the willpower to keep it up for more than a day. I decided to do it meal at a time each day. Admittedly, I have a really bad habit of not eating breakfast and just having tea or coffee which of course just means I end up snacking throughout the day or end up ravenous by 2pm and eat everything in sight. So, for now I have swapped my usual breakfast for porridge and fruit, usually a banana. Today I had an egg and soda bread for lunch with lots of rocket. By 4pm I was itching for something a little bit sweet so I had Total 0% yogurt with low fat peanut butter as a 'treat'. As for dinner I've generally been having Chicken or Prawns and veg of some sort each day. 

I'm not sure I've been doing this for long enough to feel better yet but I really hope I can stick to it and incorporate more exercise but that's a story for another day unless you want to see me clobbering the cross trainer with a lovely red face, very attractive. I haven't deprived myself of the occasional snack but I try to keep it to a minimum. I absolutely LOVE Nairns Oat cakes with banana and peanut butter (photo below), it's no apple but it's better than a bar of delicious, dreamy, smooth, bubbly, gooey, Aero...

Here's a few things from today and yesterday that I managed to photograph before eating it all! And of course, I'd love any nice meal ideas you have to share! 

As I write this, my boyfriend is sat across from me eating a Feast ice-cream - Stay strong Anna-Kate, stay strong!! 

Chicken with Steamed Asparagus and Broccoli 

                                          

Snack Time! I didn't eat the cheese..much!

                           

Prawns and Veggies with Light Soy Sauce

                                  

Narins Oat Biscuits, Banana and Peanut Butter Snack