Good things come in small packages

A couple of weeks ago I entered Gee's (of Sock Monkey & Gee) favourite little things giveaway! The person who won prize #1 won this..

and prize winner #2 (me!!) won this..

Both prizes are lovely, don't you think?! So I won a gorgeous pair of earrings, an adjustable ring and a pair of dark grey over the knee socks. The only problem is I don't know how to wear over the knee socks! I've had a quick look on lookbook but none of the outfits are quite my style :( so if anybody knows any ways how to wear them or any OOTD's some lovely ladies have done it would be very much appreciated! Gee also sent a lovely card hoping that I like my gift (which I do very much!) and to have a lovely day..

Well something else rather exciting has happened today too! My poor pony Trigger had to be put down last week as he was poorley and wasn't getting any better :( leaving a very lonely Norman behind! so the lady at the vets said she had a little pony she was looking after for a friend that she had for her daughter, but it turned out her daughters allergic! So offered if we would like to look after him, he's a cute little grey pony called Skye. He arrived this morning to a very delighted Norman and they're already chasing each other around the field and making friends! So something good really does come from something bad..

Aubergine parmigano

So heres my recipe for this week! As it was a savoury dish last week and then again this week I'm planning on doing a sweet for next time (involving toffee, bannanas & cream - can anybody say banoffee pie?!) totes lush! anyway we actually had this as well as other things (pizza, garlic bread, chips & salad) as my brother and his fiancee joined us for dinner. It was seriously yummy if I do say so myself and even my brother said he'd eat it again and he doesn't even like aubergines!

So you will have to have in your fridge..

3 Aubergines

2 tbsp Salt

400g Mozzarella, ripped into pieces

a Jar of tomato passata

a Pinch of pepper

1 Bunch fresh basil, chopped

80g Flaked parmesan

2 tbsp olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 180c/gas mark 5

This recipe takes about an hour and a half.

1. cut the Aubergines into slices about half an inch thick and sprinkle with salt.

2. place the Aubergines on a plate with another plate on top with a weight ontop (I used the tomato passata jar) and leave for half an hour.

3. rince the slices and dry on some kitchen roll.

4. heat the oil in a pan and fry the Aubergine (in batches if you have too).

5. blot the Aubergine to get rid of excess oil then put a third of the slices in a casserole/baking dish.

6. layer the rest of the ingredients: Mozerella, Passata, Salt & Pepper & Parmesan untill you get back to Aubergine, you should be able to make about 3 layers of each.

7. Put the lid on your dish and bake for an hour or in an AGA (as I have) put the dish in the roasting oven for 30 minutes then transfer to the baking oven for a further 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.

Serve with crusty bread and a salad or as a side dish!

p.s. I have a new tag 'ROTW' (Recipe of the Week)

aliceandbeauty

I received a lovely email of Michelle last night that put a smile on my face after having a not very good past few days! she explained that I was going to be her featured blogger of the fortnight and I could be found on her sidebar. As I've only been blogging for a few months and I'm not a huge blogger I was so pleased that somebody's blog I've loved for a while thought mine should be one to follow! (and my twitter too that I practically live on - I died a little inside when the whole übertwitter fiasco happened a couple of days ago)

as I said this morning on twitter I really don't know what I did before I started tweeting/blogging. I've met some absolutely lovely ladies and can't wait to meet a few of them next month! I admire so many of the people I follow, what they've been through and what they stand for. I've been going through a rough patch at the minute and I'd just like to say thankyou to all of the beautiful girlies that have checked up on me and reassured me everythings going to be okay!

Primark goodies..

Today me and my BFF had a little trip to town! Jess went to get her hair done at 10 then we paid subway a little visit (6" sub of the day please!) Oh and we got a packet of crisps for a penny..yes 1p! Whats that all about?! anyways we then grabbed a lift into town and did a little shopping.

As Jek brought some blouses, shoes. accessories etc. I felt a little left out as I am totally brassic at the minute! :( so what was my solution..who other than Primark!

I got this cute studded purse for £4, the flats for £8 and boots for £12. So a total of £24 was spent, compared to my usual £40-£60 I did well (I can't completely give up shopping can I?!) this is such a "Hi, my names Lucy and I am a shop-oholic" "*Hi Lucy*" moment hahaa..

aliceandbeauty

Hiya everyone! Hope you're all doing okay and enjoying LFW, Some great shows going on atm.

Whenever I do one of these posts my picture always seems to be from Photobooth on my mac not my camera, I'm not too sure why, Probably the size of it but anyways..this picture is infact from yesterday as you can see my leopard blouse there. Only because if I showed a picture of me right now you would all probably run, screaming from my blog never to return again as I am SOSOSO tired! I look like a total ghost. I've been pretty exhausted recently and the impulsive/spur of the moment road trip to London yesterday at 11pm did no help at all! we didn't get back home 'till 3am, need I say more..

This week I handed in a job application at Kurt Geiger (fingers crossed!) I could really do with this job as I need money so much right now it's not even funny. I'm going to be able to drive soon so I need to buy and run a car and don't even get me started on insurance! I'm going on holiday with my BFF and various other things. One annoying thing about getting a new job is they always say "previous retail skills are needed" well what if you don't have any?! where the hell are you meant to start but whatever..

Oh and I am TOTALLY excited for the bloggers meet up in Sheff next month after Olivia has been getting me all excited! woo woo, If you live anywhere near Sheffield/East midlands you should really think about going, It's going to be a lovely and an amazing opportunity to meet everyone! If you want details just check out Lauren's blog posts here and here.

Some lovely ladies to follow; Blogs: Hannah, Kavita & Katie. 

                                                           Twitter: Heather, Emma & Laura

Cheesy potato & fish pie

I've started cooking at least once a week for my family (me, my mum, my dad & mammar) and when my mum was ordering the food shopping on Ocado - most people think it's more expensive but a lot of it is Tesco price matched! I decided to see what recipes they had in their recipe section and I found the 'Recipe of the day' which was 'Creamy Fish Pie with Cheese and Potato Topping' - yum!

 So lets give it a go..

To make this fish pie you will need..

1½ kg Potatoes, peeled

75g Butter (split into 25g & 50g)

50g Mature Cheddar Cheese, grated

1 handful fresh Breadcrumbs or crunched up Plain Crisps (optional)

2 x 320g Ocado Fish Pie Mix (If you just want to use a certain fish I'd say 2-3 fillets)

450ml Semi-Skimmed Milk & 4tbsp for the mash

50g Plain Four

2 Free Range Eggs, hard-boiled & roughly chopped

200g Fresh Shelled Garden Peas (fresh garden are better than frozen in this case)

Pinch Salt

Pinch Pepper

1. Cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water until soft.

2. drain & then return to the hot saucepan, Mash together with 25g butter and 4 tbsp milk until smooth.

3. heat 450ml milk in a saucepan, add the fish, cover with a lid and poach gently for 4-5 minutes.

4.use a slotted spoon to strain the fish from the milk and transfer the fish to a 1.5L ovenproof dish.

5. melt 50g butter into the hot milk then sprinkle in the flour to make the sauce.

6. whisk continuously until the sauce thickens and becomes smooth. 

7. season then stir in the peas and chopped eggs & pour over the cooked fish.

8. spread the mashed potato evenly over the fish & sauce.

9. Scatter on the cheese mixed with the breadcrumbs.

10. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until piping hot with a golden brown potato topping.

Serve on it's own or with some steamed vegetables then thats it - easy as pie!

Top 10 beauty tips..

These are a few beauty tips I've learned over the years (mainly from college!) they aren't in any order just some things that you can do if you have the time! If you have any please feel free to comment & let me and everybody else know, if you want me to answer any questions don't be afraid to ask!

1. before going to bed apply a little vaseline to your lashes, it's packed with nourishing oils and will help them grow & become nice and thick..you will only need about a pea sized amount for both lashes (but don't get it in your eyes as it will make them sore/watery)

2. exfoliate twice a week, people say exfoliate 1-2 times a week but twice is best for keeping your skin looking fresh & radiant! You don't need to exfoliate any more than this unless advised to do so as it will over stimulate your skin (especially on your face) and make the condition worse wether you're oily skinned or dryer.

3. apply a little cuticle oil/cream or anything like that to your cuticle and nails before going to bed, it will keep your cuticles nice and soft and help nail growth because of the nourishment of the oil/cream!

4. moisturise as much as possible! Nobody likes having dry, rough skin do they?! It will put moisture back into your skin it looses through the day and help it become more elasticated (good for places your prone to get stretch marks, inner thigh, tums, boobs!) "prevention is better than cure" in this case ladies!

5. circle your body with a soft bristled body brush, especially cellulite prone places (thighs, bums, tums) it will break down the fatty tissues and help that pesky cellulite to jog on! As for the rest of your body it will increase circulation and nourish your skin & muscles (a bit like a massage but not as intense) - Samantha has a good post about it here.

6. drink plenty of water! I know this one is as ancient as I care to remember but it does help, your skin will look brighter, it will flush out any toxins of doing the above tip, you will feel healthier and not de-hydrated.

7. cleanse your face four, yes four times a day! twice in the morning and twice at night, followed by toning and moisturising. Cleansing your face once in the morning and once at night just doesn't cut it anymore. it doesn't get all the dirt and makeup out of your pores and can cause you to break out and get blackheads - not the best look at all! And makeup wipes are not an acceptable cleanser either, sorry girls! They're more for the nights when you come crawling in from a night on the town and haven't got the time to do a full on beauty regime!

8. Leading on to..take your makeup off EVERY NIGHT! not only will it block your pores and not allow your skin to breath if you leave it on - every time you leave your makeup on over night you will age 7 days! Sad but true I'm afraid..

9. Disaster strikes, your favourite nail polish that has now been discontinued has gone, god forbid, gloopy. The worst thing ever! Well have no fear..add a few drops of nail polish remover to the bottle and give it a good shake (like a polaroid picture) and voila - it's lovely and thin again! To avoid it going gloopy in the first place you can always keep them in the fridge.

10. SLEEP! We all love our beds so why don't we use them more?! Sleep gives your brain a chance to store information you've gathered throughout the day, it gives your body a chance to rest, it nourishes our whole body - did you know our hair & nails grow up to 10 times faster while we're sleeping!? Sleep is when the body does it's best 'repair work' too - so catch up on your blog reading and tweeting tomorrow and get some well deserved zzz's!

Wednesday wants pt.1

This is more like a Wednesday lust list..If i could save up the money then these would be the items I would buy and hopefully by the end of 2011 I may have one or two of them!

1. Alexander McQueen Black Skull Tassel Key Ring I absolutely love this, it may be my favourite of the items..I can just imagine it hanging with my keys in my car when I can (finally) drive! But at $275.00 for a Keyring I think I'll have to wait until I marry a millionaire..

2. Ray Ban Clubmasters in Ebony/Arista with Green lenses, these are a slight bit more affordable! I don't know the exact price of these but I've seen them in Westfield & they're not too bad! I would really like them for my holiday with my best friend in June but with my driving lessons and various other things I'll be lucky!

3. Topshop's Rust Shawl Collar Tux Blazer is something I can see myself buying in the near future (like, this weekend?!) I've not got a proper boyfriend blazer and I've seen quite a few posts with them in so I think it's time I gave in and got one! I really think it's an investment buy..I've been in and tried it on a couple of times and even tweeted it!

4. So, basically I've wanted a Quilted Barbour since forever, I can't actually see myself getting one because when it comes down to it it's either not the right time, too expensive, not the right fit, etc, etc.. but I do love them! My best friends got one & I always wear it so why would I get one when I can just wear hers?! ;)

5. I've had my Blackberry for nearly 2 years now, it's that old they've even discontinued it so that means my contracts nearly up (yaayy!) and I will (hopefully) be getting an Iphone 4, I've already got an Ipod touch and it is so much better than my Blackberry! All I really use my BB for is texting, calling, Facebook & Twitter and even then it doesn't work 100% of the time..

Get cape. Wear cape. Fly.

 

Cape: Outlet store

Blouse: New Look

Leggings: Zara

Rings: Gift & Ebay

Necklace: Topshop

Hiya everybody! So, this is (another) belated post..I'm really not on it at the moment & I apologise. Today I went to get my hair cut so it just looked a bit neater and then I went to the De'Bradleigh outlet store & cafe with my mummy, I had a pot of tea and a pastry while my mum had a cappachino (if thats how you spell it?!) Then we went for a look around..

I found this oatmeal coloured knit cape as I was walking out the door and went to try it on, I'm not 100% on it and may take it back hmm..what does everybody think? I'm wearing it over a blouse that had a peter pan collar so I pulled it out and wore it over the cape, I'm not sure if it looks right but I thought it was cute! I think a cape is a good option for going shopping as you can take it on and off easily and you won't get too hot in those stuffy stores and changing rooms!

I wear it with a beaded ring that my friend Becki from college brought me for my birthday (aww) and the cross ring, I ordered off ebay that came all the way from Dallas, Texas. Only to find out days later that Lily (not that I need to link - I'm sure you all know who she is already!) was selling then on her blog shop. I've wanted one of these rings ever since I saw them on Tumblr a while back..

I haven't really got anything planned for this week, only Shopping with the bestie on Saturday..You can be expecting another foodie post off me on Thursday/Friday though! Whats everybody up to this week? everybody prepared for V Day? (or D Day as I like to call it..) also check out Zoe's giveaway over at Diamond Solitaire! Have a good rest of the week ladies & gents..

Cookies & cream chocolate fudge brownies

I know this isn't going to help our new years diets! *sorry girls* but I just couldn't resist (I figure if I blog about it then I won't want to eat it, hmm..) so this recipe is off Baking Made Easy on BBC 2 with Lorraine Pascale and eventhough she's one of those tv chefs that really quite annoys me anything involving crumbled Oreo's is good enough for me!

So heres the ingredients and how to make these yummy Cookies and Cream Chocolate Fudge Brownies..

You will need:

165g Butter

200g Dark Chocolate

5 eggs (3 full, 2 yolks)

A vanilla pod

160g Soft brown sugar

2 Tablespoons plain flour

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

100g/1 Pack of Oreo's

Now, lets get on with the baking!

1. Melt the butter over a low heat, when melted turn the heat off.

2. Grate or finely chop the dark chocolate and add to the melted butter.

3. Add the 3 eggs and 2 egg yolks to a bowl or mixer

4. slice a vanilla pod down the centre and scrape out the seeds with the back of the knife and add to the eggs.

5. Start to whisk the eggs until mixed together and you can see small air bubbles, then add half of the soft brown sugar

 6. mix again until blended together, add the other half of the sugar and give it another whisk until it's slightly frothed up and has some slight bubbles.

7. Add the butter and chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar mixture (pour down the side - not in the middle to avoid knocking the bubbles out.)

8. add 2 tbsp flour, 1 tbsp cocoa powder and a pinch of salt before folding the ingredients together, you can do this by creating a figure of 8 with your spatula or spoon until everything is mixed together!

9. Now crumble 3/4 of the Oreo's into the mixture and give it a good stir.

10. Pour the mixture into a greased and lined tin, crumble the remaining oreos on top.

11. place in an oven for about 25-30 minutes (but check them after 20!) at 180ºC

Once they're cooked they should look cooked on the outside but slightly gooey on the inside. Let them cool, cut into squares, place them on a serving plate and dust with icing sugar and voila! And they're yummy if I do say so myself, I'm eating one as you read this watching Big Fat Gypsy Wedding (twitter is going mad!)

Big love for Emma Bridgewater

Hooraahh! Heres the post I've been promising for so long, and I must apologise again for being so absent recently! My head has not at all been straight but thanks for baring with me :)

So as you can see in my household we LOVE Emma Bridgewater (this is only a small portion of my mums collection but the heart cup & saucer are mine!!) My mum has been buying this crockery since we lived in the house I was born in. She used to keep it all under her bed - yes, the bed I was actually born in! She said she was saving it until she had her "perfect country home" which we now live in and love.

I  had only been on the Emma Bridgewater website until just before christmas when I paid the factory shop in Stoke a little visit when we went to buy my brother and his Fiancee some little goodies for the house they've just brought - yaayy finally! So me, my mum & mammar finally arrived at the shop after about a 2 hour or so drive and we were starving like marvin so we sat down in their little country style room complete with tables, sofas and a spotty aga that I had been dying to see! It truly lived up to expectations.

for lunch I had tomato & basil soup with a crusty roll that had come straight from the aga, no microwaves in sight! And it was dee-lish! After we had eaten we went on the search for the items on my brothers wish list, thankfully they had all they wanted in the seconds shop which is much much cheaper than buying from the firsts shop and usually had un-noticable imperfections anyway. A couple of my favourite collections are Black Toast and obviously the Polka Dots!

They sell everything from cups and saucers to tea towels, pens, candles and cutlery (witch costs £10 for a tea spoon, by the way!!) so i nabbed one. Wrong I know but come on..£10 SERIOUSLY?! Plus my brother told me too and I wouldn't want to be branded as a bad sister would I..Theres factory shops in London (Fullham, Marylabone & Chiswick) Edinburgh or Stoke on Trent that you can visit or many of the collections are sold in high street stores.

If you love old fashioned country style stuff with a modern twist you'll love Emma Bridgewater and I recommend you go! It's a fabulous day out and you can even paint your own item and they have it glazed for you and posted within a week! (as you can see in the last picture) this is the bowl I painted with multi-coloured hearts and "true love never dies" around the inside, aww! I hope I've converted some of you to the wonders of Emma!

Appologies

Hiya lovelies! I haven't totally abandoned you, I'm sorry..things just aren't very good at the moment and it's occupying lots of thinking space..I've got lots of pictures and posts and ideas so when I'm back on track my attention is all yours, just hang in there! Love,

New Look SS11 lace up brogue

I features these little babies in my SS11 post on Tuesday, ordered them later in the day off of the New Look website and this morning (Saturday) I tweeted about their arrival (at 9 O'clock may I add - thanks for waking me up Mr. Postman!) I didn't realise what they were as New Look has changed it's packaging but when I opened my little black package I was a happy bunny! And there was a note about their new free returns policy by Collect+ which I think is brill as I hate paying postage and hate even more if I have to pay to send it back.

At my first look at the shoes I thought the material looked like it was slightly stiff and would be uncomfortable to walk in (thinking about using the free returns already) so I tried them on without socks/tights on and they felt a little big but thought I'd give them another chance when I had some tights on and to my delight they were MUCH better! they didn't feel stiff and bent really well at the ball of the foot, so don't judge a book by it's cover!

They look a little grey/shiny in the pictures but IRL they're quite black with just a little shine - wouldn't even call it shine, and the lining inside is just too cute! The laces are a little stiff but I'm sure they'll become more useable over time, I am tres happy with my order! Ideally I would have preferred tan coloured ones but these ones are still lovely & I love the detailing. They will save me from wearing the same Topshop pumps all the time.

You can find more from New Look's SS11 collection on their website and they've added a few new pieces since my post on Tuesday - some are rather diar, some are lovely! I'm not sure if any are out in store as I've not been to town lately (was meant to go to Brum today but my best friends got this flu, boo! get well soon Jek x) but when I find out I'll let you know!