Autumn Instagram Post

Evening All :)

Thought I would do another Instagram post as they seem to go down pretty well and it's the easiest way to show you all what I've been up to this Autumn.
As usual, if you find this kind of post boring that's fine, if you don't read it I won't hold it against you... Much ;)

As you may have caught on, I love Autumn. Especially the colours and the leaves turning as you can see. I've been loving the colder weather, even the horrible rainy evenings, and the fact the nights are drawing in earlier since the clocks went back.
Although driving home in the dark and wet can be miserable, getting in to the warm is lovely.
I've been making the most of the chill by warming up with lots of cuppas in front of the telly, made better by the now-justified duvet dvd nights. Of course there is the obligatory Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte shot. I genuinely couldn't care less how common and stereotypical this is I LIKE THEM, OK?! ;)
I went to Yarm Fair for the first time since I was still at school, I was dragged along by my friend but I have to admit we had a great time, hooking ducks and eating candy floss until my teeth started to cry.

Another drink I've become rapidly obsessed with is the Hot Spiced Apple from Costa (yes, I'm cheating on the 'bucks, just don't tell them) its so tasty and smells AMAZING! It's a little on the sweet side but also quite tangy which I think balances it out. Let me know if you have/do give it a try!
I carved my pumpkin at stupid o'clock with no plan and winged it, which is why it was no where near up to the standard of last year's!
I also want a Degu. If any of you have one and can tell me the general Degu rules (how friendly they are, if they make good pets, etc) I'd be very appreciative! This one was just so cute in the shop and came running up to the bars to see me (I am fully aware he probably just thought I had food. Sad face.)
The 'selfie' (god I hate that word) was from girls night and I LOVE my new top!
And finally, I made some Gingerbread and Vanilla Whoopie Pies for Bonfire Night last night. I'd never made them before and didn't really know what I was doing but they turned out great! And SO yummy! I'd love to make them again but I'm not sure if, knowing how much icing sugar and butter went into that frosting, my conscience will ever let me.

Hope you are all enjoying your Autumn and aren't rushing head-on into Christmas just yet!

I'll be posting again this week about something I feel quite strongly about (not really like me, I know!) so keep a look out for that :)

Until then, take care. Lots of love, Taz x

One Of The Very Nicest Things About Life is The Way We Must Regularly Stop Whatever It Is We Are Doing And Devote Our Attention To Eating.

Hi guys!

I’ve got a few things ready to type up and post in the (I hope) not too distant future. There’s a birthday post featuring some of the beautiful presents I got, and another which I’m going to refer to as a “vintage venture” which I went on last week. So they should be up within the next week.

However, after the excitement of the jubilee… and the mass of cakes I ate in celebration of it (God bless you ma’am!) I’ve decided to type up one of my favourite recipes. If you hate the sound of it, don’t make it… I think it’s simple enough :)

And if you do make it, let me know how it goes!

I am unashamedly obsessed with The Hairy Bikers.
(Many believe this is because my father is hairy... and a biker.)
Anyway, my dad got their cookbook from a friend and because he is a self-proclaimed masterchef of the world he, naturally, believed it would be of no use to him and passed it down to his curinarily-challenged daughter! (for the slow kid at the back - that's me!)

I love their recipes because they're easy to follow, they don't use ponsey ingredients (Nigella, I love you, but no-one has oak-dried baby porcini mushrooms or cave-aged truffle pesto in their cupboard!) and they eat REAL food, these guys are not cooking for diet-dwellers!
One recipe I adore is Key Lime Pie so I thought I would share it with you all - ENJOY!

Ingredients

For the base

· 175g/6oz digestive biscuits

· 80g/3oz butter

· 50g/2oz caster sugar

For the filling

· 3 large free-range eggs, separated

· 2 limes, finely grated zest

· 125ml/4½fl oz lime juice

· 210ml/7½fl oz condensed milk

· 80g/3oz caster sugar

· ½ tsp vanilla extract

· pinch salt

To serve

· whipped cream

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

For the pastry base, finely crush the biscuits by placing into a plastic bag and bashing with a rolling pin (alternatively, pulse to crumbs using a food processor). Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then pour over the biscuit crumbs. Add the sugar, then mix well to combine. Evenly spread the biscuit mixture in a 23cm/9in pie case, making sure to cover the sides of the tin as well. Level off any excess biscuit mixture.

For the filling, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until pale and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice and condensed milk until smooth and creamy, then mix into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the mixture into the pie case.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Gradually fold in the sugar, vanilla extract and salt, then whisk again until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue mixture over the filling in the pie case, using a fork to form the meringue into peaks.

Bake the pie in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the meringue is golden-brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Place into the fridge to chill completely before serving.

To serve, cut slices of the key lime pie and serve with a few spoonfuls of whipped cream.

Hope some of you will give it a try and tell me if you like/love/hate it!

Will try and get those other posts up within the week but going away tomorrow on a birthday surprise trip!
(Will also post about that too!)

Until then, take care.

Lots of love, Taz x

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity ~ Voltaire

Hi all.
First off, I'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has viewed my blog so far. Since last night when I published my first post I've had over 200 page views and a lot of you have been emailing me with tips and tricks for my blogging future!
Anyway I'm going to stop cooing over you all now and get on with my post, but keep getting in touch because it's great to get advice!
Today has been a lovely day! I expected I was going to be in Uni, but my friends told me it was a tutorial week so I got to add another day to my Christmas holiday! Sadly tomorrow is back to reality, boo hiss, but I've had an amazing Christmas and new year and will bore you all with posts about it in the near future!
This afternoon my BFF came round to bake. It's her boyfriends birthday tomorrow (happy 21st Jacob!) and she needed to make "secret brownies"! We ended up making Brownies and Blondies which took a lot longer than expected to make but provided much hilarity!

They're off to a hotel for the night tomorrow so I hope they have a fantastic time... And enjoy the treats we made!
I'm back at Uni tomorrow but hopefully will blog tomorrow night about a few of my Christmas gifts because I was utterly spoilt this year despite not asking for anything.
Keep the ideas and constructive criticism coming and I'll post tomorrow I hope!
Goodnight, lots of love Taz x