Nailed it!

Now I'm no stranger to disaster, particularly in the kitchen. I've improved greatly over the last two years moving from jars of sauce to cooking from scratch but it's not without the occasional fail here and there. Part of having a blog is showing the best bits of your life so it's not every day you see the disasters. So what am I going to do today? I'm going to show you my "Nailed it" moments.

The time I tried to make Slimming World ice cream

You needed an ice pick to eat it.

My first attempt making pancakes

Still delicious though not instagram worthy in the slightest.

The time I incinerated the roof of my gingerbread house.

And to be honest it was a miracle it got to that stage with the state of the "bird feed" like gingerbread. Yes that is supposed to be gingerbread. 

I figure I'm just not allowed to make desserts. When making Topher's birthday cake one year, I tipped it upside down to get it out of the pan and it fell into a heap onto the plate. 

Luckily I managed to style it out...

That time I forgot to defrost the chicken...

 

And the just plain clumsy.

Sugar:

Pasta

 

That was achieved by dumping the bag of pasta on the electric hob, melting the bottom and releasing the pasta when I picked it up.

Not to mention countless other failures not documented - including the worst and only cheesecake I've ever made. The thing is, it's all about trial and error. You're rarely going to get it right the first time in the kitchen. Things do go right once in a while and they will only get better and better the more you practise. Just a week after the gingerbread house shenanigan, I managed to successfully make gingerbread cookies. So proud!

So what are your nailed it moments? Or are you a Nigella in the kitchen?

Gingerbread house

This was initially going to be a how to post but then I remembered that I can't bake. It was about the time that I realised that I had mixed the ingredients in completely the wrong order. Top tip: read recipe in full before beginning.

Since I can't show you how, I urge you to check out this how to. For now you can join me in laughing at my efforts.

It started off well, until I started opening up the ingredients. Then it turned into this...

It next continued into a misadventure of mess, mixing the ingredients incorrectly, dough that wouldn't stay together and finally a roof that got a bit burned. I'm no Nigella it appears. At least in the baking department. 

Luckily I don't think it turned out too badly in the end. Though it does look like a child made it. I'm happy to cross it as a task done off my 30 before 30 list though. 

It didn't fall to pieces which I did think would happen during the process but it all worked out well in the end. The only thing I can say is that it will definitely be better next year!

That and don't try to pour treacle. 

Have you ever attempted making a gingerbread house?

Southbank Christmas market & Winter Wonderland

This has been a rather christmassy week for me as I have now been to both a Christmas market and Winter Wonderland. 

First, the Christmas market was the Southbank one which I visited with the girls from work one night this week. Mulled wine, food and a carousel ride was on the agenda and I had a great time. I definitely recommend visiting during the week in the evening if you can as it is so much quieter. 

As for Winter Wonferland, if you like to queue for things, then this is the place to be! I had a good time when I visited with the bf, my cousin and brother yesterday but my oh my was it busy. 

Me and my cousin went on one of the roller coasters. We're the two on the right (haha).

Then the four of us went on the haunted house ride. Halloween Horror Nights at universal studios has definitely made me a lot more tolerant towards scary things so this was a breeze!

Afterwards, it was mulled wine time and then we escaped the crowds and went to an arabic restaurant with my parents. Yum! 

In other news, I've almost done my xmas shopping I think yay!

Have you visited any Christmas markets yet?

My week: 34

It's been one exciting week! Mainly because of my new shop in Afflecks but also because it's almost Christmas! Woo! (feel like such a kid!)

*My shop!

*Claire multi-tasking like a boss! Thanks for all the help!

*Claire almost broke her ankle on Wednesday which lead me, the bf and Ant on an adventure to 3 hospitals between 11pm & 1am to find her. We found her. 

*Affleck's Xmas party. I won a bottle of Chardonnay in the raffle. Score!

*The bf with our GIANT gingerbread man. They're only £2.50 in Greggs. 

*A new Charles doodle

*Dominos feeding the bf's pizza and lord of the rings addiction simultaneously 

*Ikea gingerbread house that advertised on the sign next to them "coming with everything you need"...open the box late last night to find only pieces of gingerbread house. Nothing to stick and nothing to decorate. Needless to say we just consumed the thing in it's collapsed state. Mmm gingerbread. 

Happy Christmas Eve everyone! 

How was your week?