DIY: Sherbet Vodka

First off,  please let me apologise for my crappy photography, the lighting in my house is hideous and everything seems so gloomy at the moment!
Moving swiftly on, here is a gift I've made as part of a friends 21st birthday box - flavoured sherbet vodkas! It wasn't too expensive and as my friend is a bit of a party animal I'm hoping she's going to love it.

You Will Need:
Boiled Sweets (I used 2 packets of the mixed sherbet fruits from Wilkos, 80p per bag, but roughly 10 sweets per 200ml)
Waterbottles/Jars with secure lids for mixing
Preserving Jars/Bottles for presenting (I used 250ml Kilner Preserving Bottles, £2.75 each from Wilkos)
Vodka (I used 70cl value vodka from Tesco, £10)
A funnel
A tea/coffee strainer

1) To start, empty the waterbottles/ jars you'll be mixing in and make sure they're completely clean. I just used 3 waterbottles with a screw cap
2) Fill the waterbottles equally with vodka
3) Place your sweets into your water bottles- the more you use the more intense the colour and flavour. I used roughly 10 sweets per 200ml. If your sweets won't fit into your bottles place them into a sandwich bag and smash them up until they fit
4) Seal your bottles firmly, shaking vigouriously every hour or so until the sweets are fully dissolved. Mine took roughly 12 hours
5) Place your funnel into the neck of one of the bottles you want to serve in and set the strainer inside
6) Pour your vodka through the strainer into the bottle, checking the strainer catches the sherbet powder 'scum' or any fragments of sweets left
7) Wipe down the outside of your bottles with a hot, damp cloth and serve - store away from sunlight and serve chilled :)

These smell amazing! I did lemon, strawberry and orange flavours and I'm hoping my friend will love them

Kate x

'It's Going to Be A Bad Day' Slow Cooked Beef Stew

This is the kind of stew you make when you know the next day isn't going to be brilliant. It involves a little prep work and takes forever but the longer you wait the more delicious it is.. It just makes everything seem a lot better on a cold winter night!

(Serves four)
45g Beef, cut into small chunks (I used frozen pre-cut chunks)
A bottle of red wine, cheap as you like (half if you're being economical)
A packet of lardons/pancetta (or bacon cut into small pieces, probably 6 rashers)
A packet of button mushrooms
4 carrots
1 onion
1/2 Beef stock cubes (for this I really like the Tesco Value ones as I think they've got a great texture for stewing)
Gravy granules to thicken
Mixed herbs
A glug of olive oil/ a spray of fry lite

A slow cooker
A frying pan
A chopping board
A sharp knife

To Serve:
Rice or Potatoes any way you like them

Sometimes the ugliest meal is the most delicious

1. Heat your olive oil / fry lite in your frying pan and fry off you beef gently, until it is browned on all sides. Whilst this browns, wash and chop your mushrooms in half
2. Tip your mushroom and lardons into the pan and fry until the bacon is fully cooked. Don't worry if your mushrooms are a little underdone, they'll finish off in the slow cooker
3. Pour away any fat and add the meat and mushrooms to your slow cooker
4. Dice your onion, chop your carrots into disks and add these to your slow cooker
5. Crumble your stock cubes into the slow cooker and add roughly a teaspoon of herbs
6. Fill the slow cooker almost the top with wine, put the lid on and turn on:
This needs at least 8 hours to cook but I like to leave it overnight. If you're leaving overnight, set to low and then put onto auto (or medium depending on your cooker) when you leave for work, and then set to high an hour before serving
7. Top up with more wine as needed to keep the pot almost full, use water if you've run out of wine
8. Roughly an hour before serving, stir and check the thickness of the sauce. If it's too watery add a teaspoon of gravy granules and leave for half an hour. If it's still too thin after half an hour, keep adding gravy until it is as thick as you desire
9. Serve! I had this with a potato gratin and found it worked really well, although it was incredibly rich.


I know this is super unhealthy, but sometimes really rich food is all you want!

Kate x

Sales Haul - Boots & John Lewis

So.. Unless you've been living under a rock you'll probably know that today was the Boots 75% sale  on their christmas gift sets - the rest of the world certainly seemed to know! I popped in first thing this morning and people were arguing over products, which seems totally mad! I didn't buy anything, put I did pop back in the afternoon and still managed to get some serious bargains.

Soap and Glory: the Next Big Thing (RRP £60, I paid £18.00)
This is just mad how much this was - people were arguing over them and I managed to get the last one by asking a shop assistant politely if I could have one he was about to set back out. Just proves what my mum says about being nice! This includes 10 full size products, which are:

• HAND DREAM™ Super Cream 100ml
• ORANGEASM™ Body Wash 500ml
• BUTTER YOURSELF™ Moisture Lotion 500ml
• HEEL GENIUS™ Foot Cream 125ml
• SUGAR CRUSH™ Body Scrub 300ml
• WHIPPED CLEAN™ Shower Butter 250ml
• THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER™ Body Butter 300ml
• OFF YOUR FACE™ 3 in 1 Daily Purifying Cloths (25 cloths)
• SEXY MOTHER PUCKER™ Lip Lacquer in Charm Offensive 7ml
• THICK & FAST™ Super Volume Mascara 10ml
• A drawstring bag and a super cute large box that I'm sure I'll be able to find a use for!

I'm so excited to have all these! The only two things I don't think I'll use are the mascara and the lipgloss. I've tried the mascara before and thought it was average, and I was disappointed the lipgloss wasn't the lip plumping one as I thought all the Sexy Mother Puckers were and the colour isn't great on me... I'll stash them both and for the price I paid I'm over the moon with my bargain (especially as people are currently ebaying them for £30!).

Mark Hill Love Big Hair Large Box (RRP £18, I paid £5.40)
This was a total impulse purchase as they had them by the till... I'm a sucker for anything with a bold box! I'm trying to do more with my hair at the moment as I normally just blow dry and leave it. I'm also running low on shampoo so this seemed perfect! This box contains:

• Mark Hill Big it Up! Volume Shampoo (250ml)
• Mark Hill Big is Better! Volume Conditioner (250ml)
• Mark Hill Big Blow! Thicker Fuller Volume Spray (125ml)
• Mark Hill Detangling Comb

 I can't wait to try these as I've heard nothing but good things about Mark Hill hair care products, and they smell wonderful which is always a bonus! If nothing else for the price they'll be fun to try and experiment with.

Bleach London Rose Cool Colour Bauble (RRP £5.00, I paid £1.50)

I'm totally obsessed with Bleach London colours as they are just so temporary, they literally wash straight out my very bleached hair and are such fabulous colours. I don't like buying the big bottles because I only ever half use them  before the bottle goes gross in my shower as I only use them when I'm going out or feeling in the mood for a change. These tiny bottles are the perfect solution, are totally adorable and whilst I don't think I'll ever wear the scrunchie out in public, it is super soft and squishy to sleep in! My one gripe I'm not impressed with the packaging as although the bauble idea is cute the envelope is so big and bulky you're hardly likely to hang it on your tree even if you wanted too - they'd be much better packaged in a plastic sphere if they want the bauble concept, much like the Ciate nail varnish baubles that are just so much cuter - but as I'm purchasing way after Christmas and for myself I'm not bothered, I just wouldn't buy as a gift if they re-release next year.

 P.S - I Made This.... by Erica Domesek (RRP £11.99, I paid £3)
& lastly, a slightly off the wall purchase I've had my eye on for ages but have never really been able to justify to myself is this book I picked up from John Lewis haberdashery. It's almost a book version of Pinterest, tiny crafty projects that seem just quick and fun to have a go at - being super busy all the time I miss getting to be crafty so little projects seem ideal. The only thing I'm slightly disappointed in is my copy is a little battered because it was the last one left, but I can't imagine that if I'm crafting it would have stayed pristine for long!

Have you picked up any amazing bargains in the sales?
Kate x

My Bleached Hair Saviours

I have an interesting relationship with my hair; it's straight but with odd flicks and curls to it - and on top of that it's super flat and get's greasy really easily. I've also dyed it every colour under the sun and at the moment I'm a full-head of highlights bleach blonde. However, I've started to really notice the damage the bleach is doing my hair, so I thought I'd include what I use to get my swish back!


1. Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Intensive Mask- £3.99

This is the deepest conditioner I've found, and it smells amazing too! It's incredibly hydrating and feels fantastic used in the place of conditioner on dry hair days or as a hair mask after conditioner after bleaching. I love this, and find it still leaves my hair hydrated but not greasy for at least 3 days - a must have!





2. Argan Plus+ Unique 10 Miracle Leave in Treatment £10.90

I can't live without this at the moment - although my hair is very fine even when conditioned it tangles horribly, to the point were I've had to cut out huge dreadlocks of hair that have tangled up over night. I discovered this at the salon when my hairdresser was trying to comb through my hair after washing it, one squirt and my knots literally combed straight through. I practically bit her arm off trying to find the name of it! I use this every day now, I put three squirts all over my hair after towel drying, leave it to soak in and then brush and blow dry. Not only has it totally eliminated my tangles its also gotten rid of my flyaway baby hair and my hair is so much straighter. The only downside for me is the smell as there's a slightly chocolate-y shea butter scent to it but in the 2 months this bottle has lasted me I've stopped being able to notice it. I've already re-ordered from amazon!

3. Pro:Voke Touch Of Silver Daily Shampoo £2.09
Even though much cooler brands than this (Lee Stafford and Bleach London to name two!) make violet pigment shampoo this is my trusty favorite. Even though its still drying, I don't find it to make my hair as brittle as some of the others. It really does lighten my hair up, although I leave it on my hair for 5 minutes rather than washing it straight off and I only use it once a week.

What are your hair must haves?
Kate xx

Roast Butternut Squash Curry

As part of my attempt to eat more healthily, I'm trying to substitute meals I would otherwise eat with lower-calorie versions that are full of vegetables. This is a really simple curry that requires almost no skill and you can leave for the most part. It takes a while but really is delcious and is super easy to tweak to your own tastes. I'll add photos when I find my camera cable.

(Serves four)
A teaspoon of  ground coriander
A teaspoon of ground cumin
A quarter teaspoon of chilli powder (or more to taste)
A half teaspoon of spoon ground turmeric
2 onion
1 can chopped tomatoes (400g)
2 small butternut squashes
1 bulb of garlic
250ml low-fat plain yogurt (if you want you can substitute with coconut milk)
A glug of olive oil

A roasting tin
A saucepan/large frying pan
A blender/hand blender/ potato masher
Tin foil
A chopping board
A sharp knife

To Serve:
Chicken/Quorn (I used the frozen Quorn chicken breasts)
Rice

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees
2. Line your roasting tin with tin foil and cover the foil with roughly a teaspoon of olive oil
3. Chop your butternut squash into even pieces, roughly the same size as a 50p and place into roasting tin
4. Roughly dice your onions into pieces smaller than your squash chunks and place into roasting tin
5. Peel your garlic cloves and place into your roasting tin (you can add as many garlic cloves as you like, I like to use the whole bulb for flavor and because it's full of anti-oxidants)
6. Drizzle with more olive oil and place in the oven to roast for 60-80mins, until the squash is soft (this is the point were if you are using chicken you should fry it off now and set to one side)
7. Remove your roasting tin from the oven and pick out your roasted garlic with tongs, set to one side on your chopping board
8. Tip your roasted squash and onions into your saucepan and mash with your potato masher until smooth (you can otherwise use a blender/hand blender at this point)
9. Add your chopped tomatoes and yogurt to the saucepan and stir until fully mixed
10. Add your spices (coriander, cumin, chilli powder and turmeric) the roasted garlic and your cooked chicken/quorn (quorn can be added frozen) to your saucepan
11. Stir thoroughly, making sure your cooked chicken/quorn is covered in sauce, turn the hob on to a low heat and stir occasionally
12. Cook your rice
13. Taste test you sauce and then season, adding any extra spices if needed
14. Serve!

MyFitnessPal Stats (without rice or meat):

Nutrition Facts
Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
Calories 196
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1 g	1 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	0 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 2 mg	0 %
Potassium 105 mg	3 %
Total Carbohydrate 31 g	10 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g	13 %
Sugars 17 g
Protein 6 g	13 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	0 %
Iron	0 %

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Kate xx

Looking Forwards: 2015 ♥

Photo edited in ABeautifulMess

I'm aiming for 2015 to be a very different year to 2014. It's been a good year, some amazing moments in there but it has ended on a bit of a low, so I've decided to start blogging the good bits of my life so at the end of 2015 I have a record of all the highs and glittery bits.

My goals for this year are: (some of these are huge, some are tiny and some are works in progress)

• Graduate with a 2:1 or higher
• Lose 35lbs by November 1st (to be a 'healthy' BMI in time for graduation)
• Start the process of moving out from my parents house
• Blog weekly at minimum (52 posts by the end of the year!)
• Get a proper, full time job
• Start putting myself out there more
• Saying 'yes' to doing things even if I'd rather be under my duvet
• Tidy up more (wash up more than once a week!)
• Be more organized
• Get out of bed even if I don't need to - I'm a night owl and can quite happily sleep until 1pm in the afternoon!
• Make more effort with the people I love 
• Craft more 
• Sew a dress/skirt and wear it out in public
• FINALLY dye my poor bleached hair pastel pink
• Hit 10000 steps at least 5 days a week

I want this to be a work-in-progress list so I'm going to add goals as the year goes through, crossing off any if I achieve them

What are your goals for the new year?

Kate x