Beauty Bumf.

You've seen this post a million times, maybe more. I'm sorry to put you through this again but I genuinely feel that as a 32 year old ex-beauty-junkie I may have actually found some brilliant products that I'd like to share with you. I can't let the ridiculous amount of cash that I've frittered away on overpriced bits of gunk to smear on my face be for my gain only. What can I say other than I'm a GIVER. Aren't you a lucky reader...

Another reason I want to do this is because now I'm poor and can no longer afford to experiment I still have complete loyalty to a few products despite the cost. This means those babies are GOOOOOD.
So here goes, starting with the basics...

FOUNDATION - Clarins Truly Matte Foundation in Shell
First let me say that I have combination skin, a dry forehead and cheeks with a oily nose and chin. This foundation makes the lot completely even and doesn't make the dry bits look or feel dryer. It's a perfect match colour-wise and is light reflecting which I like to think makes me look younger (shut up!). It's also SPF 15 so you can feel safe from the nasty scorchy sun, poor bugger.

CONCEALER - Nars in Vanilla
This has a brilliant consistency and can cover ANYTHING. I apply it with a little brush at home and straight from the tube on the move, both work perfectly. It's a dream.

UNDER EYE CONCEALER - Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat
There's no point me saying anything, it's all been said before. There's a really good reason it's a classic. Buy it.

Trust me, with these 3 products your face will look brilliant and ready for the fancy stuff.

To be continued...

Curry. Mmmmmmmmm

So I'm getting married in a few weeks. Yeah... IN A FEW WEEKS *gulp* So obviously I'm on a diet. Pah. I hate dieting, hate exercise even more and bottom of my hate pile is low fat food. If you're going to spend time cooking then the end result just has to be delicious or there's no point. I'd rather eat a tiny portion of something calorie laden and kill myself running afterwards than a massive bowl full of bland muck. However sometimes it's possible to make something that tastes great and actually ain't bad for you either. It's a rare beast but I've devised a recipe for a pretty healthy curry which is gorgeous. And actually tastes like curry! Always a bonus I find :D
So here it is. Hope you like it as much as I do.

Believe it or not this curry's quite healthy!
Serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped garlic clove
3 potatoes chopped small
2 chicken breasts chopped into chunks
2 tsp curry powder
1tbsp tomato puree
1/2 pint of water
6 chopped spring onions
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp ground almonds

Heat the oil in the pan and cook the onion on a medium heat until starting to brown then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Turn down the heat a little and add the chopped potato. Fry for a couple of minutes and stir as often as you can. Add the chicken and fry until cooked through. Add to the pan the curry powder then tomato puree and cook for a minute. Pour in the water and bring up to the boil. After a minute or so turn the pan down and add the spring onions, garam masala and ground almonds then season to taste with salt & pepper. Leave to simmer for 30 minutes adding more water if you think it may need it then serve with whatever you fancy! Rice & naan bread are my faves.
It feels wrong having no cream or coconut milk in there but the starch from the spuds thickens the water up nicely so it actually has a really nice texture and the flavours are lush!

Another recipe...

Hello there reader. If you do indeed exist I'd like to apologise again for being just about the laziest blogger in blogsville and hope you can find it in you heart to forgive me? If not though I'm sure I'll get over it *blows massive raspberry* Anyway as a peace offering I've given you the gift of a snap of my boy. Scrummy!!

I'm here with another chicken recipe because (I'm lazy and...) everybody loves a bit of chicken. No?


Honey Chicken Mountain
Serves 2

2 chicken breasts
2tbsp honey
Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove of garlic
Tbsp olive oil
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
4 Maris piper spuds
Tbsp butter
Splash of milk
Handful of strong cheddar cheese
Salt & Pepper

Slice each chicken breast into three and pop in a bowl. Cover with the lemon juice, honey and crushed garlic, stir and put the bowl into the fridge to marinade for 20 minutes.
Peel and slice the potatoes into chunks, add to a saucepan, cover with cold water and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil.
Meanwhile add the oil to a frying pan and place on a medium heat. Slice the peppers then add the green to the pan followed by the red. Once the green pepper starts to brown add the chicken and once the chicken starts to brown add the remainder of the marinade.
When the potatoes have boiled drain the water and put them in a bowl along with the milk, butter & seasoning and mash. Add the cheese and mash a bit more.
Place a mountain of mash onto each (heated) plate, place the chicken on top then drizzle the peppers and sauce over everything. Then eat! It's absolutely luscious believe you me :)

I think I'm going to start snapping my dishes when I make them because it's always a good thing to have a picture to copy!

I'M STILL ALIVE!!

Just thought I'd let you know case you were worried... It's been a while! Fabulous excuse though, wee boy called Harry (Jigglypuff got vetoed. Gutted). Amazing and all that. REALLY. Promise to get some coherent thoughts down on here about everything that's happened/happening at some point when I'm not up to my eyeballs ;p

I'm back!

So I'm fine and the bubs is fine and there's only six weeks left to go before I pop. Yikes. I'm giddy beyond belief and utterly petrified at the same time. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in over 3 months now and although I realise that a newborn isn't exactly going to improve this situation it has to be nicer to be woken up several times in the night because you're needed rather than just in agony with dodgy hips! Or at least I'm hoping so. It feels a bit like having a really long birthday when you're preggers as every time I see somebody they want to hand me a present. Excellent :) I've been given so many gorgeous gorgeous things it's bloody lovely! There's a minute pair of lemon fluffy socks that make me cry every single time I look at them so I think it's a cert that I've completely lost my mind at this stage. I wonder if I'll ever get my old brain back or if I'm doolally tap for good now. Probably the latter...

Anyhoo, to business - here's another super recipe that I love and I'm sure you will too. It doesn't look up to much on paper but believe me when I tell you that it's delicious and something a little different to all the zillions of other chicken dishes out there. It wouldn't win any beauty contests though so I wouldn't advice it for an uber posh dinner party but it makes a cracking cozy dinner for you and that lucky bugger you cook for ;)


NOT YOUR RUN-OF-THE-MILL CHICKEN
Serves 2

2 chicken breasts
1tbsp honey
1tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp mustard
3 slices of bacon
Olive oil
1/2 onion
2 handfuls of mushrooms
1 cup of cheddar cheese

Rub the chicken with salt and pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes. Slice the bacon down the centre and grill it. Mix the honey, mayonnaise and mustard together to make a sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan, slice the onion and fry until golden. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook until browned. Place the chicken in a ovenproof dish along with the onions. Pour the sauce over each breast then place the bacon on top. Scatter the chopped uncooked mushrooms over the dish then top with the cheese. Place in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve either with white rice or a baked potato smothered in butter. Yummy!

Rubbish at this malarky!

Yep, I'm terrible. But as I don't think that anyone besides myself reads this anyway I don't suppose it matters that I only blog once a blue moon. I don't have much to say this time either - guilt simply got the best of me...
Jigglypuff's just fine, kicking away. It's the weirdest feeling ever but bloody lovely all the same. Eighteen weeks left to go, I honestly can't wait!
My poor excuse to blog this time is yet another recipe. It's dead simple and dead gorgeous. Now there's a quote for you! Seriously you'd have to be a total fool not to manage this one and your guests even bigger fools not to love it. Ok, here we are then:

Tasty Tuna Bake
Serves 4

For the tomato sauce
Olive oil
Knob of butter
1 chopped onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
6 chopped sundried tomatoes
Tablespoon of tomato puree
12 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters (vine ripened ones are best)
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Fresh torn basil
Teaspoon of oregano
Salt & Pepper

For the white sauce
40g butter
25g plain flour
425ml milk
Pinch of nutmeg
Pepper

Pasta
Tin of tuna
Cheddar cheese to top

Pre-heat the oven to 180C / gas mark 5. Fill a large pan with cold water and leave to boil, adding the pasta when ready. Heat the olive oil and butter in another saucepan then add the chopped onion, gently fry until golden. Turn down the heat a little and add the garlic (it's REALLY easy to burn garlic and then it tastes rank so do go steady!). Add the sundried tomatoes to the pan along with the tomato puree and cherry tomatoes. Stir occasionally until the tomatoes have started to fall apart. Finally add the tin of tomatoes, basil, oregano salt and pepper and leave to simmer.
For the white sauce add all the ingredients to a small saucepan on a medium heat then whisk occasionally until the sauce starts to thicken.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain then pour into a large ovenproof pot. Cover with the tomato sauce, then the tin of tuna and finally the white sauce and stir until completely mixed. Sprinkle with the cheddar then pop in the oven uncovered for 20 minutes until baked. Serve with some salad and a smile!

This dish is best consumed in cold weather with people who make you laugh - as are all dishes funnily enough ;)