My week returns #1

My macaron addiction has returned!

Part of my moving my blog over to Wordpress has involved the painstaking process of changing all my photos to Flickr links. This has allowed me to see how my posting style has changed over the three years I've been blogging. I completely forgot that I used to do regular update posts. The reason why I stopped was down to my 365 project last year which took over. 

Now that that project is finished, I'm going to start doing my bi-weekly roundup posts again as I miss them and realise looking back at this year so far that I don't know exactly what I've been up to each week. So I'm bringing it back. Deal with it! :) 

So the biggest things over the last couple of weeks included participating in the Bloggers Market MCR. I made a decent profit - enough to go and buy a few new pieces for my wardrobe - and hope there will be another in the future. I've still got an overflowing wardrobe of clothes that don't fit!

I really didn't need to go to the trouble but I wanted to make my own collage tags to put prices on my clothes for the market. I had a blast making them. What do you think?

One of my inbox regulars is the email from Groupon advertising deals on anything from spa days to cat tree's which we couldn't help ourselves but purchase this week. I was in the market for a new scratching post as the kittens are way too big for theirs now and saw the deal on this cat tree. Yes, that did escalate quickly! 

But considering a scratching post is around £15-£20 for a basic one and a cat tree of this size costs around £70 from the high street, we couldn't refuse the price of £40 for this one below. 

It's 5ft tall and the kittens love it. Especially now that the sun is out. Now the only thing is sharing the parts that the sun hits! 

It's been awhile since we had a meal out, but we needed to celebrate Topher getting a job with more hours and much closer to home which will save him commuting for at least 2 hours a day. Woo hoo! So it was to Yo Sushi, followed by macarons (of course!). 

This was at the Trafford Centre where I got a couple of things with my market money which I will show very soon! For now, I can only show you the Zara bag that Pickles claimed! Not for sale. 

So that was my fortnight. How was yours?

Bloggers' Market MCR 2015

This Saturday is an event I'm pretty excited about! I'm going to be selling my wardrobe along with 10 other local bloggers at The Bloggers Market Manchester. It's at Ziferblat in the Northen Quarter and is on April 11th from 11am - 2pm. 

Entry to Ziferblat costs 5p per minute and all food and refreshments are free. The market stalls will have bargains of pre-loved clothes, jewellery, accessories and books from £20 right down to £1. 

As you know, I lost 2 and a half stone over the last year so a lot of my lovely clothes no longer fit. They range from sizes 10 - 16 and are from a mix of vintage and high street retailers including ASOS, H&M, New Look, Next, Primark, Yumi, Sugarhill Boutique and Monsoon. As well as my clothes, I'm clearing a lot of accessories and also clearing out my vintage stock from my old shop I closed last year. 

Since I just want to get rid of as much as possible, I'm going to be selling at super low prices. Vintage shoes will be a fiver each and my suitcase of scarves below will probably be about £2 each. 

I read a lot and don't believe in hanging onto books - I prefer to send them back into the world so I'll be selling some of the books I've read in the last year for £1 each. Bargain!

Stop by and have a shop around, it's going to be a great day! Fingers crossed for sunshine and I hope to see you there!

Mulled Wine Recipe with Waitrose Cellar

*Post in collaboration with Waitrose Cellar*

One of my favourite things about autumn is all my favourite food and drinks are in season. Chestnuts, pumpkin spiced latte (don't judge me), gingerbread and especially mulled wine. When I attend the German Christmas markets every year without fail, the Glühwein stand is always one of my first stops. 

Waitrose Cellar recently contacted me with a challenge as part of their "Mulled Wines around the world campaign" to create my own recipe with my favourite mulled wine destination in mind. There was no doubt in my mind that I had to go with Germany. I've visited Berlin twice since I was eighteen and one of my travel bucket list items is to visit the real German Christmas markets. The closest I've gotten is visiting in January so I got to experience Germany in the snow. 

Me circa 2010 in all my technicolour glory.

Tip for journeying around Berlin in the snow: Boots are your friend, high heels are your enemy on the ice! Don't let your friend persuade you otherwise, even if it is a Fashion Week party! I think that was the longest walk to the Metro ever. Ah memories. 

For now, I will have to make do with Manchester's Christmas markets. There's nothing like munching on mini pancakes drizzled with nutella, while standing under a giant leering glitter Santa. 

So, back to the challenge. When researching traditional German Glühwein recipes there were a few different methods so I adapted and combined to make my own little blend which worked out pretty well if I do say so myself. Here's how you make it. 

Ingredients:

• One 750ml bottle of wine - I used Waitrose's Marques de Calatrava
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• 6 tablespoons of honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla pod
• 6 cloves
• 2 star anise
• 1 cup of water

Step one slice your orange, followed by your lemon.

Pause for a moment of silliness...

Put in a large saucepan together and pour over the 6 tablespoons of honey. If you want a particularly sweet mulled wine, then add a couple more tablespoons. Turn the heat on low. 

Add your cup of water.

Then spilt the vanilla pod down the middle and put the whole thing in the saucepan.

Next, add the cloves and the star anises.

Finally, add the cinnamon stick and this is your base complete. You then leave this to simmer for around half an hour, stirring occasionally. 

The idea is to turn it into a syrup that you will add your wine to later. If you add the wine in at the same time as the syrup, then a lot of the alcohol will have burned off during the half hour simmering and you don't want that do you?

Very important, stop to smell your syrup. I don't know about you but I always smell my cooking during the process. Probably because my clumsy self would be likely to burn her mouth with a taste test.

Oh, and I don't usually smile like that when I cook...Topher was just making me laugh.

Pause to tell Topher off for acting like a dramatic photographer jumping around the kitchen, turning my camera this way and that shouting "work it!" I think my look says it all. 

Now, time for the good part! The addition of the most important ingredient, the wine.

Turns out that I don't use a corkscrew that often so I'm a tad bit out of practise...

But I'm sure you can't tell...

So don't hold back and pour it all into the pan. Gently simmer for about 10 minutes then it's ready to serve.

 Cue awkward taste test photo:

Success!

It's rather satisfying drinking something you've made yourselves. Waitrose also sent me their own bottled mulled wine which I couldn't help but taste test against my own. It is quite delicious. I'm going to be diplomatic though and say both are good in their own ways. If you like it pretty sweet, go for the bottle, if not then make your own. 

Now bring on the 14th November when the Manchester German Christmas markets open and I can taste test their Glühwein against mine and Waitrose's. All in the name of research of course...

Thanks Waitrose Cellar, I had a blast! Have you ever made your own festive drink?

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?