2015-08-29

Are you a giver or a taker?

If you found a briefcase full of dollar bills, would you take it? Would you give it to someone in need? Would you take half of it to yourself and give the other half to someone who really needs it? Or maybe you would look for the owner of the briefcase?
I don't know what would I do with those money. I know I could use them, but I couldn't take them from someone.
I think everyone loves gifts and something for free. It's really nice to be spoiled by someone. We love to receive a lot of presents on birthdays, Christmas', weddings and other great occasions. Now spending time with our family or friends just laughing, talking or eating good homemade food isn't that much important as presents. We actually wait for them and think 'What is this friend going to give me and what is my mum going to give me?'. And then when our birthday or other great celebration time comes and we see those presents, we aren't happy at all. We wanted something else.
We all became very fussy these days, especialy those who have more. Somehow people who have less, give more.



Sometimes it's really nice to give something to others just to put a smile on their faces. And we smile back! We are happy! We can give some person a supportive hug, a postcard which will complete a big collection or a little card which says 'Thinking of you' or 'Get well soon'.
The best things are the smallest.



Are you a giver or a taker?


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2015-08-28

Quick soda bread.

When you make bread, the smell in your house is just amazing. My partner is always happy when he comes back home and I'm baking something at the moment. This smell is in the whole house and it reminds me of my childhood, when my gradmother used to make yeast cakes with breadcrums on top... so yummy!

This week's post from baking category (I know I'm a bit late) is all about bread. And it's not yeast bread, it's soda bread which doesn't have to be kneaded and you don't have to wait for it to double it's size... Perfect!

I have made bread once before - yeast one -and it was tasty, but a little bit flat. 
This time the shape was okay, but i can't eat it, I just can't. It's slack-baked bread unfortunately. I don't know what happened. Maybe you'll tell me. What have I done wrong?
Here's Paul Hollywood's recipe.

Ingredients:
- 250g/9oz plain wholemeal flour
- 250g/9oz plain white flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 420ml/15fl oz buttermilk
- extra flour for dusting

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the two types of flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
3. Add the buttermilk and mix until a sticky dough forms.
4. Lightly flour a work surface and tip the dough onto it.
5. Gently roll and fold the dough a couple of times to bring the mixture together. Do not knead.
6. Shape the dough into a ball. Flatten the ball gently with your hand. Score the dough with a deep cross dividing it into quarters. Dust the bread with flour.
7. Place onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 30 minutes at 200C/400F/Gas 6. The loaf should be golden-brown.
8. Leave to cool on a wire rack. This is best eaten on the day of baking.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/soda_bread_24837








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2015-08-23

Classic red lips.

Red lips are classic! I think the most popular star or celebrity, who had always red lipstick on was Marilyn Monroe. Then was Madonna, Gwen Stefani and now Rita Ora.

I don't blame them, because red lips are like magic, you don't need a full make up, only a bit of mascara and those red lips and you will always look gorgeous!

My favourite red lipstick is from Rimmel and it is a little bit shiny but not as much as gloss. I love it, because the colour is very rich and just beautiful. I use it a lot as you can see on pictures ;)

Some people are affraid of putting red lipstick on, because it is too much or it's very bold, but don't be! Experiment, give it a try and you'll love it!

What's your favourite lipstick? Please, don't hesitate to comment below :)











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2015-08-21

Blue dress that I fell in love with.

Blue is my favourite colour since I was a little girl. My sister had everything pink and I had everything blue: sunglasses (we have a great picture of those from... 2001? so guess how could they look like), dresses, notebookes, everything!

I know that I look good in bright, bold colours and not so good in pale colours, pastels... so it is hard for me to pick some sometimes. And I love colours. All black everything? Only on some ocasions.

I am not an expert, I can choose wrong colour of shoes or bag. I am still learning! I love to dress nice and feel comfortable and that's the most important thing in fashion, I think.








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2015-08-20

Happy moments.

I have to admit that I was affraid of this whole motherhood, I didin't know how am I going to do this: changing nappies, feeding the baby etc. I wasn't scared of the labour, it was actually great! I had an epidural so it was quite good for me, but if you opt for no drugs during your labour - that's absolutely fine! 

Babies change our world, our lives - definitely! But I always knew I want to be a mum and I wanted it very soon. 
My life is almost complete now - I have a home to live in, a partner, a baby boy, a cat... Hmm maybe one more baby? A little girl? It would be perfect! But for now I am really happy and I live this moment. 

That's very important - to be happy now. Yes, dreams are important too, but we have to focus on the present moment, not past and future. 

I am still trying to enjoy little things in life, like a hug from your baby or a cute little smile... Nowadays it is hard to find a while just to enjoy 'now', without thinking of what we don't have or whish to have. I am still trying, but it's going great!

Kisses to you all x x





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2015-08-18

Biscotti with walnuts and berry mix.

Hello everyone!

Today I am going to give you a recipe for biscotti, which in Italian means 'baked twice' and that's what we are going to do. This recipe is very, very simple and I was having fun making biscotti for the first time. They taste amazing!! My partner said that he wants more! So probably today I'm going to make some :)
Once baked you can keep them in a cookie storage box for up to two months!



I think I put too much walnuts and berries into my dough, butI don't have a scale...
Then I made log from the dough, wich was a little bit too long and my biscotti were a bit small but the taste is the same.
Overall this recipe was very easy to make and I had a little help from my almost 11 month old baby, so we had a lot of fun!

Ingredients:
- 120g/4½oz whole walnuts
- 100g/4oz berry mix (dried)
- 110g/4oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 200g/7oz caster sugar
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 1 tsp almond essence
- 440g/15½oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp table salt

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and almond essence.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, walnuts and berry mix. Add to the butter mixture and mix until well combined (the mixture will be quite stiff so you will find it easier to use an electric mixer). Divide the dough into 2 equal mounds.
4. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment. Place a mound of dough onto each tray and shape them into a rectangle approximately 25x8cm/10x3¼in. Bake for 35 minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the oven and set aside to cool on the tray for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 2.
6. Slice each log into pieces about 1cm/½in thick. Each log should produce about 12 biscotti.
7. Place the pieces cut-side down on the baking trays and return them to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes on each side, or until they are golden-brown and crisp. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/coconut_fennel_and_40895



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2015-08-14

Think pink!

Everyone has some ups and downs, but it's better to always stay positive, because then everything will be positive too. People usually say "I don't want this to happen" and it happens. Why? I've read somewhere that when you say something like that your subconciousness does't unerstand "don't". It means that your subconciousness thinks that you are saying "I want this to happen". So put your negative thoughts aside and be more positive. Say for instance "I am going to succeed something in my life.", "I am going to be the best mum in the world." etc.
You are going to feel a whole lot better and happier and I am sure that you are going to start pushing yourself to do more to be successful and happy in life.
Think pink and smile!
















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2015-08-12

Mary Berry's frosted walnut layer cake.

Great British Bake Off is back! I have decided to pick some recipe every week and try to bake it! I think it would be interesting and very challenging for me as well.
In the beginning I wanted to bake technical challenge's cake. I wanted to bake one sponge instead of 3 and just cut it through to 3 sponges. Unfortunately, my cake pan was a little bit bigger or maybe something else was not right. I made two sponges and the buttercream that I made wasn't good so I added one from the tin.
American frosting was a bit tricky, because you have to put it very quickly on top and sides of your cake. I didin't complete this challenge... The frosting on my cake, as well as in the bowl, has started to set so I left it unfinifhed. At least the top of my cake was covered with the frosting. I was pleased with how my cake looked and tasted. I loved the crunch from the walnuts.
You can try and make it yourself.

Ingredients:
For the sponges
- 225g/8oz self-raising flour, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100g/3½oz walnuts, finely chopped
- 225g/8oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 225g/8oz caster sugar
- 4 large free-range eggs, beaten
For the caramelised walnuts
- 100g/3½oz caster sugar
- 10 walnut halves
For the buttercream
- 125g/4½oz butter, softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
- 250g/9oz icing sugar
For the boiled icing
- 2 large egg whites
- 350g/12oz caster sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Grease 3 x 20cm/8in sandwich tins and line the base of each tin with baking parchment.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder and walnuts together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time.
3. Fold in the flour mixture using a large metal spoon. Divide the mixture equally between the 3 tins and level the surfaces.
4. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes are golden-brown and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
5. For the caramelised walnuts, tip the sugar and 2 tablespoons water into a pan and heat over a low heat until the sugar begins to melt. Increase the heat and cook the caramel to a dark golden colour (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully). Remove from the heat, add the walnut halves and swirl to coat in the caramel. Transfer the walnut halves to a silicon sheet and leave to set.
6. For the buttercream, put the butter, vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of the milk and half the icing sugar in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining icing sugar. Pour in the rest of the milk, if needed to make the buttercream the right consistency.
7. Spread half of the buttercream over one of the cooled sponges and place the second sponge on top. Spread the remaining buttercream over the second sponge and top with the third sponge.
8. For the boiled icing, measure the egg whites, sugar, 4 tablespoons water and cream of tartar into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot water and whisk for 8-10 minutes until thick.
9. Working quickly (the icing sets rapidly), cover the top and sides of the cake with the icing, swirling the icing to form softened peaks. Leave to set in a cool place, but not in the fridge. Decorate with the caramelised walnuts.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/marys_frosted_walnut_15679







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2015-08-07

There's an elephant in the room.

Little babies are growing very fast and it is so nice to see them smiling and laughing, but it isn't always rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes our babies are under the weather and that time comes when they are teething.
There is so many sollutions to help your baby with the pain, but the most important is love, kisses and cuddles. And A LOT of patience.
My baby has four teeth and next two are coming out. I always try to calm him and hold him very close to my body just to help him with the pain.
Today we had this kind of day. It is really heartbreaking to see your little one in such pain. I gave him some rice pudding which was kept in home temperature and a little bit of cooled milk. I also gave him a soother, which helped for a while. You can always use some teething gel or teething ring taken straight out of the fridge.
When a babies are teething, they don't want to eat anything and they don't sleep very well too. Sometimes you can see redness on their cheeks and swollen gums. They might be feverish and have diarrhoea.
The best advice is cuddle, cuddle and... cuddle! 











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2015-08-03

Baby essentials.


My baby is 10 month old and since he was a newborn we still use the same products.
We didn't want to use only one brand so we tried a few.
We've tried e-v-e-r-y single nappy brand in UK!  We've started from Aldi's Mamia, but our baby's bum was sore
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