Vegetable Soup

Hi Everyone,

The weather is getting slightly colder and it seems as if autumn is slowly on its way. I just hope we will still get to enjoy a few days of glorious warm sunshine before the cosy season starts.

However, this weather inspired me to try out our family recipe for vegetable soup. It's really simple and quick but tastes amazing! And you know I like myself some quick and easy cooking…

So here we go:

First of all you need vegetables to your taste. I used a frozen casserole mix of carrots, onion, leek sweet and celery, added some cauliflower and filled the pot with water. Add some salt and start to bring it to a boil. In the meantime, squeeze balls of meat out of some sausages and add to the soup mix straight away. Once the soup has boiled for about 15 minutes, I added some broccoli. Of course you can skip this step if you don't like broccoli. Boil for another ten minutes and, voilá, the soup is as good as done.
Next, you need to remove your meatballs and mash your soup up a little, or keep it chunky, this is completely down to your own taste. Add the meatballs back in and it is ready to serve.

Just as a little tip, when my soup started to boil there was a lot of foam forming on the top. Freaking out a little, or actually freaking out quite a bit because I thought I really messed is up, I called my mum straight away.... Yup, mummy needed to help...... But she calmed me down saying the foam is normal and disappears while cooking.... It's just the fat from the meat.... Puhhhhh…..


Alright, this is it for today. I hope you will enjoy this recipe!!

Lots of love,
Linda

Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes

Hello Everyone,

another weekend, another cupcake…..

This time I felt like something really sweet and fruity, so Strawberry and Cream it was. 

These cupcakes are soooo easy to make but absolutely delicious!

To make approximately 12 cupcakes you will need:

For the batter (this is my base cupcake recipe):

100g Butter or Margarine at room temperature

100g Caster Sugar

2 Eggs

100g Self-Raising flour

1 tsp Vanilla Extract (if you don't have Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Essence will also do the trick)

You will also need:

Some fresh strawberries

Cupcake cases of your choice

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees / 320 Fahrenheit. 

Line a cupcake / muffin tray with the cupcake cases.

Give your strawberries a good wash and remove the leaves, and slice them into pieces.

Start of by mixing your butter until it gets really fluffy and light (this might take a few minutes).

Then add your caster sugar and keep beating.

Once these two ingredients are nicely combined, start adding the eggs gradually and keep mixing. If you see that your mixture is starting to curdle slightly, add a spoon full of the flour and that will fix it.

When your mixture is nice and smooth, gradually start mixing in the flour and add your Vanilla Extract. Keep mixing for another couple of minutes and you are done.

Now pour your mixture evenly into the cases and add one piece of strawberry to each. I usually press them into the mixture slightly, however, be careful not to press them in too much, because they will sink while baking and we don't want them to be just sitting a the bottom and soak the case. :-)

Then bake the cupcakes in the over for approximately 15-20 minutes. The baking time will depend on each individual oven, but the cupcakes are done when they are nice and golden, and springy to the touch.

For the cream icing I don't really go by measurements but basically by how much of a sweet tooth me and my husband are having that day.

You only need 1 tub of double/heavy cream or extra thick double cream, as much of Vanilla Extract/Essence as you like and icing sugar. That's all!

Pour your cream into a bowl, add your vanilla and some icing sugar. Then start beating. It will probably take several minutes for the mixture to become nice and thick in consistency, but the timing will depend on the type or cream you are using. 

Usually I give it a little taste throughout and see if it needs more icing sugar. If it is not sweet enough for you, just keep adding more until you have achieved your perfect creamy goodness.

Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, you can add your icing.

I use disposable piping bags with which you only snip off the tip and insert your nozzle. Then stand your piping bag up in a tall glass, roll down the edges and add your icing with a spatula.

The nozzle I used this time is a Wilton 1M.

Then just get piping and creative! In this instance, I added some flower decoration which I made myself about 2 days before. Please don't judge, this was my first ever attempt in making anything from flower paste!!! But I was quite happy with the outcome. :-)

Anyways, all you need to do now is enjoy!!!

Let me know if you give these cupcakes a go. I would love to hear if you liked them!

Lots of love,

Linda

Easy Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Hi Everyone,

A few days ago we came back from a weekend trip and during a stop at the services, I found a little gem of a cupcake book called simply "The Cupcake" by Love Food, and just could not resist.

It is packed full of little cupcake goodness. My husband got the first choice of cupcake and as he loves carrot cake he chose the mini version.

They tasted absolutely divine so I just had to share them.

So here we go….

According  to the recipe, these ingredients should equal 12 cupcakes, however, when I made them, I actually got 18….. not sure why…..

Ingredients:

175 g/ 6oz butter, softened, or soft margarine

115 g/4 oz caster sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

300 g/ 10.5 oz carrots, grated

55 g/ 2 oz walnuts, finely chopped

2 tbsp orange juice

grated rind of 1/2 orange

175 g. 6 oz self-raising flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

12 walnut halves, to decorate

For the frosting:

115 g/ 4 oz full-fat cream cheese

1 tbsp orange juice

225 g/ 8 oz icing sugar

First of all you need to preheat your oven to 180 degrees (350 Fahrenheit) and put 12 cupcake cases into a tray.

Next, beat the butter/margarine together with the caster sugar until its really nice a fluffy. It will also get a little lighter in colour. Gradually start beating in the eggs. 

Once that's done, you need to add in your grated carrots, chopped walnuts, orange juice and orange rind. I used a spatula to fold the mixture together. Then sift in your cinnamon and flour and again fold it in. It is best to use a metal spoon because the mixture is less likely to stick to it.

The fill your cases and bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. Keep checking them because the baking time will differ with every oven. They should be nice and golden and firm to the touch. Leave them on a wire rack to cool.

Now, we can make the yummy frosting. Add the cream cheese and orange juice to a bowl and sift in your icing sugar, then beat the mixture until it's fluffy.

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, you can add the frosting and top each with a walnut half.

All you need to do now is enjoy!!!

Let me know in the comments below what you think of them!!!

Lot's of love,

Linda

Disclaimer: The recipe is taken from the book "The Cupcake" by Love Food. The ingredients I took from the book but the instructions were re-written in my own wording.

What to wear in Venice?

Getting around Venice in style. That was my on my mind when we went for a little weekend break to this absolutely gorgeous place . But how to achieve it? Keeping in mind the endless hours of sightseeing, which usually requires sturdy shoes and the changing temperatures from morning to evening (by the way, it was below zero in the morning and evening rising up to 20degrees during the day) does not make it really easy to come up with a cute outfit that will get you through the day... And of course you still want to look cute for visiting numerous restaurants to indulge on all the amazing Italian food.

So here is my solution..... 

I paired a faux leather skater skirt (H&M: £14.99) with a cute slouchy little t-shirt (H&M: £4 on sale) which has a homage to one of my favourite movies 'Mean Girls' as a print. For when it got chilly, I threw on a very comfy and warm cardigan which features a beautiful bold bird print (Zara: £12, on sale, from last year) and also wore some tights to keep me snug. The ballerinas were also perfect for walking around as I did not struggle with all the cobble stones, stairs and bridges (Deichmann: £12.99). 

To enjoy the bright sunshine I brought my Chanel sunglasses but chose to skip too many accessories as the entire outfit was already quite bold and simply opted for some small diamond studs.

Have you ever been to Venice? Let me know what your favourite place was! I would love to hear it!

Love,
Linda XXX

Easter Cupcakes

Hello Everyone,

Happy Easter!!!!!

This year it is time for yummie cupcakes…. So I got my baking gear going and was off to the kitchen….

Cupcakes are a very easy and fun alternative to traditional cakes. Especially for the little ones they are a ton of fun to decorate.
You just need to choose a base recipe and then let your imagination run wild!!!

I chose a base recipe for vanilla sponge and whisked up a really simple frosting made up from extra thick double cream mixed with vanilla essence and icing sugar. Usually, I am not a fan of icings which are too sweet and this way you can sweeten it to your own personal preference.

Hopefully you are all having a wonderful Easter break!!

Lots of love,

Linda XXX

Best Affordable Makeup Brushes

Ok, who of us does not love a good bargain? Right? We ALL do!!!!

I was browsing eBay for just a teeny tiny bit a few weeks ago and spotted this little gem of a brush set!! Simply couldn't wait to let you know about it!

 

The set comes with four pretty synthetic face brushes, making them perfect for cream product application. 

Having had these brushes for a few weeks now and having used the heck out of them, they seem to be of great quality. In my opinion they can easily compete with MAC brushes. They also remind me soooo much of the Sigma brushes because the shapes contained in this set, have also been released by them. 

Believe me, I am all for good quality brushes, especially as you use them on your face every day, but I just don't appreciate the price tag of most. 

Their bristles are incredibly soft and dense. The design is right up my alley being sleek and sophisticated, featuring a black and silver handle, however, they are also available in black and gold.

This is, in my opinion, such a great find and for less than £5 you can't go wrong.

My absolute favorites are the tapered and angled brush. For blending out my under eye concealer I have not used any other brush than the tapered one since the moment I got the brushes through my letterbox (and of course after giving them a good clean...). The angled brush is perfect for applying cream blush and would also be amazing for cream contouring.

It also brings a domed and flat top brush. Both of them are great for blending! 

Overall, if you are on a tight budget or just happy to give these brushes a go, I do not believe that you would be disappointed.

You can find them on www.ebay.co.uk when searching synthetic kabuki makeup brushes. 

Unfortunately, by the time I was writing this post, the auction where I purchased my set had finished, but I am sure that it will come back on giving it a few days. Otherwise, there a loads more suppliers who are offering the same set for about the same price. I have seen a few for £6.70, which is still an absolute bargain.

Being usually shipped from China and you will have to expect a longer delivery time frame, but it's worth it.  

On that note, I will finish for today.

I hope you are all having a wonderful day whatever you are doing.

Lots of love,

Linda 

xxx

Chocolate Pralines Time

Hi Everyone,

this weekend it was finally time for my friend and I to hang out and have a good old girls day again.

We watched some good movies, drank tea and had strawberries with chocolate pralines which I made the day before.

They looked so pretty, paired with the berries that I could not go on having a peaceful afternoon without having to take photos before we could eat them. It was sooooo not easy to resist the temptation for even a few more minutes….

It is a typical blogging thing, that you need to take a picture of absolutely EVERYTHING before you allow yourself to eat, drink or use it…. but on a sunny afternoon when you are lusting after dark chocolate and fruit it is not that easy….

So after snapping my photos it was time to dump the camera in the corner and dig in…..

See you next time!

Lots of love,
Linda XXX

Spring is here!

Hello Everyone,

Last week I got to spend some quality time with my family back home in Germany. It was lovely!

For the first time in a few years I celebrated my birthday with my whole family, got to see all my friends, had some really good food and just spend a lot of time in the countryside and sunshine.

The weather was so amazing and the first spring flowers came out. They were all so pretty that I really wanted to share some pictures with you.

Enjoy!

Lots of love,

Linda

XXXX

Comfy but stylish travel

Hi ladies,

So I think, today I have perfected airport travel for myself. I mean, don't we all know that feeling of being in the airport, dragging our heavy bags behind us containing all those absolutely essential items like the extra perfume, 5 lipsticks (just to have a choice, you never know what might happen), an extra jumper for the cold plane, etc. Surely you get my drift.

But behold! So far, I was always one of those poor creatures that were dripping in sweat before they have even passed security, but once you actually get on the plane, you are freezing because you just don't like air conditionings! Typical!

So, today, I have changed up my outfit first and for all. Keeping it easy going but still cute. 

Opting for a light blouse with a cami underneath and pairing it with a nice pair of blue jeans did the trick. To conquer the cold on the plane, I have added a nice matching blazer which will keep me nice and snug. Also, putting on my black ankle boots helped me to avoid spending ages trying to take my shoes off and back on at security,  while having a massive line behind me, all staring me down with evil eyes because I am taking so long. A win win situation! 

I paired my outfit with some classic jewellery like light pink pearl earrings, a silver bracelet inlaid with lapis lazuli, a dainty little necklace and my usual watch.

That's the outfit sorted. Next my hand luggage....... I have used my little zebra trolley for all the bits and bobs that I can't seem to live without for about 2-3 hours. But this time, instead of keeping all my travel documents in my trolley, I chose a little cross body bag for little things like my phone, passport, boarding pass, etc.; my bank card also got thrown in which makes any shopping so much more convenient. 

And yeah, I don't have to dig through the trolley which is by now surely a huge mess on the inside.

By now, I am not sure how I have ever survived the airport any other way........ The only thing i am still carrying is my coat, but that is only because it was serially freezing outside today.

Lots of love,

Linda xxx

Deichmann`s exciting new collaboration

Hello Ladies,

Deichmann is launching an exiting new range of shoes in collaboration with Caroline Blomst for spring 2014 today and I have to say that I couldn`t wait to get my hands on them!

The collection has a shoe for every occasion, ranging from casual sneakers to lacey high heels for a night out. 
Something for everyone no matter what your personal fashion preference might be!

The styles I chose work really well with my everyday lifestyle because they are very chic but also promise to be very comfortable. An absolute must for me!

The first pair I tried were these GORGEOUS navy and cream tee bar heels with gold studs (£24.99). Amazingly comfortable and lightly padded on the insole which is always a nice bonus.

They remind me a lot of the rock studs from Valentino, but for hundreds of pounds less and you only loose a few inches of heel!!!!! Which does not really bother me, because it just makes them more wearable for everyday, and that`s always a good thing! 
So if you want to grab yourself a designer dupe bargain, go for these.

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

The next pair I chose were these black, drop side peep toes (£27.99). They are stunning and simply work for so many occasions!
You can pair them down with jeans and a sweater, wear them out for a fancy dinner and I think they are even funky enough for a rock concert.

This pair is a very classic choice but they get a nice touch of edginess through the silver metallic heel and insole.

 

 

 

 

The material and quality of both pairs is exceptional. Comparing them to higher end shoes, they can definitely more than keep up. To be honest, I have been buying Deichmann shoes since the first shop opened in my hometown back in Germany, and never stopped. Up to now, it is still my favourite place to buy shoes. I even got my wedding shoes from them!!!!

You can buy the new collection in any Deichmann store from today on or go to www.deichmann.com.

So on that note, I will finish my entry for today. I hope you enjoyed my first ever shoe review!!

Lots of love,
Linda xxxx