Things i'm loving this monday

okay so this week i have really enjoyed collecting little things that i have found and really liked or found funny and have been waiting eagerly for monday to post this. so i hope you enjoy my finds from the week.

                             This tutorial for a watermelon candy cane.

This. i am definitely sending my friends some whales in the future.

This.

This recipe for BANANA SUSHI!

Okay how much do you love the cantaloupe joke! i hope you liked my finds from the week, and maybe try and make some banana sushi, i know i will be.

love A x

Duomatic

 Duomatic is my new favourite iphone photo app, its really easy to use and turns out really great. i came across it when ready miss indie (which is one of the BEST blogs) and she said that it was one of her favourite apps so i decided to try it out. what it does is you either take or choose from your photo library, two pictures and the app makes them into a double exposure photo. you can adjust how strong you see either photo and the results are really cool. here are a few of the photos i have made using the  app.   

i hope you check out this app and maybe you will find you really love it.
Have a good week. Ax

Things i'm loving this Monday

I have decided to do a new feature called 'things i'm loving this Monday'. I have seen lots of people do similar things on other blogs, which is basically posting things that i have found during the week that i like enough to share with you, so that you can check them out as well. I also decided to do it on a monday, because no one really likes mondays (especially me) and i thought that this was a little thing that could brighten up the mondays ahead.


                        This lace-shirt DIY by A beautiful mess.

  This amazing Hunger games poster (there is definitely space for this in my room) 

                                       These really cool pinata biscuits

                                     This beautiful scratch off world map

                        This picture actually made my day when i saw it

                                 These sandals are actually Amazing

I thought i would try this out till the end of june and if its going well and i have kept it up, i will keep doing it. I hope you liked my first 'things i'm loving this monday' post and cary on reading.

                                        Hope you have a lovely week ahead.
                                                        Love A x

Double chocolate brownie recipe

 I havent blogged in ages, and to be honest i don't really have an excuse. but i thought i would make it up to you with my favourite chocolate brownie recipe. i have been wanting to post a recipe for ages instead of just doing thing that i have made, following other peoples recipes, so when i made these brownies the other day i thought it was the perfect opportunity.

when i first got into baking i made these brownies all the time, they are really simple to do and taste pretty professional, so its a win win situation.

serves 6

ingredients:

225g Butter, plus extra for greasing the tin
500g plain chocolate
1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder
1 tablespoon of hot water
3 large eggs
175g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g self raising flour

optional: pecan nuts brocken into pieces

steps:

1. preheat the oven to 190°C /375°F/ gas mark 5. grease and line a 20x30cm brownie tin with greaseproof paper.


2. chop 175g of the chocolate into chunks and set aside. put the rest in a bowl with the butter, and melt slowly over a pan of boiling water. stir until smooth then leave to cool. meanwhile, dissolve the coffee in hot water.


3. lightly whisk the eggs, coffee,sugar and vanilla extract together in a bowl. gradually whisk in the chocolate and butter mixture, then fold in the flour and chocolate chunks (add pecan nuts). pour mixture into the prepared brownie tin. bake for 35-40 minuets or until firm when touched.


4. leave to cool for 5 minutes, then cut into squares. cool in the tin before removing and placing on a cooling rack. dust with cocoa powder before serving.




hope you enjoy your brownies and have a lovely weekend.
A x

Lemon tarts

 For my aunties birthday i wanted to bake something for her and i found this recipe for lemon tarts in the observer magazine. It was quite easy but took a long time and there were lots of steps.

 I also got the pastry recipe from the observer magazine and you can find it here, i got lots of compliments about the pastry and apparently it was the perfect consistency (but i didn't do anything special i just followed the recipe)

My Auntie loved them and so did everyone else and i hope that if you decide to make them that your family will appreciate them as well.
                                                    Hope your having a nice start to the week
                                                                           A X

Gooey chocolate cupcakes

The other day i was really in the mood for doing some baking, so when my friends came round and said that they really fancied some chocolate cupcakes i told them that i would make them some. I got the recipe from here but instead of caster sugar i used granulated and it made them taste really yummy.

 For the buttercream i used this recipe, then melted 200g of dark chocolate and stirred it in, it tasted pretty good even if i do say so myself.

In the end both my friends ended up having 3 each! and they where all gone by the end of the day, i took this as a big compliment and will definitely be making these again!
                                           
                                              hope you have a happy friday.
                                                                  A x