Trinket Box

Monday 31 March 2014

Lemonade Scones

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Ingredients
4 cups self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
300ml double cream
300ml lemonade/soda water

Method
Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees C and line a tray with baking paper.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Pour in the cream and lemonade/soda water and mix together to form a soft dough.

Place the dough onto a well-floured surface, dust with flour and gently roll out to an inch or so thick. Cut with a round cutter and place onto the baking tray.

Bake for 10-12 minutes/until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool with a clean tea towel over them to keep their freshness.

Enjoy with lashings of cream and jam!

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

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Ingredients
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 scoop protein powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Line a tray and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Mix all ingredients until all combined - add a little milk if needed. Spoon the mixture onto the baking tray and press down into cookie-type shapes. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. I find these tasty with even more peanut butter spread on top...

Credit for the recipe given to the lovely Zanna.

Sunday 9 March 2014

Snapshot Sunday #22

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Today was a good day. The sun was shining so my friend and I went to Windsor for the afternoon. We took a nice walk through Windsor's Great Park and had a wander around the shops. We then decided it would be a great idea to get some macaroons from M&S and eat them out in the sun at Great Park. Best idea ever! We ate the lot, which probably kinda ruined this morning's gym session, but who can say no to a macaroon (or 6)?

Sunday 2 March 2014

Snapshot Sunday #21

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It's been a good week. Other than the fact I had a nice short week at work, I also had some good times with friends and some good news! Had a night full of nostalgia on Wednesday, when a few friends and I headed to Koko in Camden for Taking Back Sunday. Worries of being the oldest ones there quickly disappeared when we got there and realised that most of the people there were reliving their youth also. We nearly died from the onslaught of the moshpit, but it was a lot of fun and I had a very sore throat the next morning!
This weekend has mostly been all about finding a dress for my best friend who is getting married next year! It was lovely to see all the pretty dresses and my friend looked beautiful.

It's cold outside so I'm planning a Netflix afternoon under my duvet. What have you all been up to this week?

Friday 28 February 2014

Nails - Dazzle Dust

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Years ago, I had a thing for collecting those little Barry M Dazzle Dust pots. I accumulated quite a collection, some of which have been binned over the years, but I kept some of my favourites. Which is a good thing as they're great used on nails!

I simply painted my nails (two coats) with Boots 17 Lasting Fix in Midnight Sapphire. Whilst the polish was still wet, I used the end of a spoon to put a small amount of Dazzle Dust just under the nail and then blew upwards onto the nail. This leaves a lovely shimmery gradient effect on the nail. I then applied a good top coat to seal and cleaned up a bit around the edges using a cotton bud.

Happy Friday everyone! I am glad it's nearly the weekend, despite having had a short working week. Got a weekend of wedding dress appointments (not for me, for my bestie!) ahead of me :)

Saturday 22 February 2014

Healthy Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

These brownies are healthy, packed full of protein and take minutes to prepare and make!

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Ingredients
1 can of chickpeas (400g) - drained, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup cocoa/cacao powder
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk (I used alpro hazelnut)
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Whizz all the ingredients, minus the peanut butter, up in a food processor until smooth. Pour the mixture into a tray lined with parchment paper and smooth out. Heat the peanut butter in the microwave for a few seconds, so that it goes a little runny. Drizzle it over the brownie mixture. Bake for about 15 minutes.

These brownies are best straight out of the oven, but you can store them in an airtight container for a few days, and simply warm them up in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

Thursday 20 February 2014

5 Good Things

Taking inspiration from Victoria and posting my '5 good things' of late!

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1. Receiving a single pink rose and my favourite champagne truffles for Valentine's Day.

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2. This weekend just gone Ben finally caught up with me and turned 28. I made him a super chocolatey cake and we went out for dinner at our favourite Indian with a couple of friends - our first 'double date', where we stuffed ourselves silly which meant no room for cake after. I think it was the fullest I had ever felt. That's what happens when you're the one paying - you don't want to waste a single bite.

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3. Healthy banana pancakes! I posted the recipe for these last year. They are so tasty and feel like a treat which is great for when you're eating healthily and fancy something naughty. I love adding peanut butter to the mix and blueberries make a good addition too.

4. Going to my first gig in a few years and seeing Taking Back Sunday play in Camden next week. I've seen them a couple of times before, but years ago, and no doubt my friends and I will be the oldest ones there. But I'm really excited!

5. My best friend gets married next year (exciting!) and we are going on the hunt for THE DRESS next weekend. I've joked to Ben that I'll do a Monica from Friends. Well, he thinks I'm joking...

What are your 5 good things?