Freckled Kirsty

Another get together with friends has prompted some more baking (whilst the baby is sleeping) and the salted caramel cover recipe from a BBC Good Food issue from a while back caught my eye. I have been storing this recipe waiting for a good excuse to bake it, and I can say (after scoffing a few), these brownies do not disappoint and will be made again. Brownies are very easy to make, the one stumbling point I often find is the temperature of the oven and the time they are baked for - as ovens vary vastly this is quite hard to write into a recipe, but I have a fan assisted fairly new over which bakes quite hot. They key for baking the brownies is checking after the stated time, and they should still be a little liquid in the middle if you want moist squishy squares. Leaving them to cool completely in the tin is also an essential, as if they are cut too early they may still be too liquid. Time to make batter - around 15 minutes Baking time - 35 minutes depending on your oven I...

Hello friends, A few weeks ago I got my hands on the new baking book 'Everything Sweet' by Alex Hoffler and Stacey  O'Gorman, who are otherwise known as the Meringue Girls. This is their second book and as soon as I heard they were writing it I was excited. The first book they released was everything meringue which converted me from cupcakes to anything which could be topped with the white fluffy pillows of goodness, but this second book strays away from meringue into sweet treats. And it does not disappoint. It covers cakes, puddings gifts and some twists on old classics and overall is a very fun book to read. Each recipe has a paragraph at the top explaining the treat you are about to attempt and the fun and honesty of the girls shines through these. On top of great recipe and fun sparks of personality, the photography of the book is stunning - each picture is drool worthy and I would be a very happy baker if any of my bakes looked as good as they do in the book. ...

Hello friends, So it is that time of the month where Mr Postman brings along a little package, which makes me rather excited! My monthly Birchbox is something I really look forward to - I follow  +Birchbox  on Twitter so for days they have been teasing and dropping hints as to what may come this month - and in actual fact this month we have a Birchbag with summery goodness inside.   Ripping off the packaging I find that I have the bright pink edition of the Birchbag, hurrah! There were four possible choices, all of which look lovely but the pink I have is very vibrant, inspired by Ibiza and designed by Birchbox's own Jess Diner. The first product I pull out of the bag is a lovely lilac colour Soigne nail varnish, and I promptly painted my nails  - this is a very subtle colour and needed two coats to make it pop. It is very pretty and a sophisticated shade so I like it a lot.   Next up is a Benefit product (very excited by this as I love Benefit...

Hello friends, So it is June, how did that happen! Half way through 2015 already, and I swear I still feel like it is February. Fortunately, another month passing means another Birchbox delivery hurrah! I follow Birchbox on Twitter, and saw that it was dispatch day, and was very happy when lunchtime the next day my box arrived - very prompt service. This months box with a collaboration with French Sole, and as part of the partnership you could chose from three different box designs - either Floral Daze, Pick 'n' mix or my choice of From Paris with Love. Inside the box was also a matching shoe bag as a little bonus.  I have also done a review on YouTube, if you want to take a peak here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDESmnzrcUY   Products inside this months box: 1 - STYLondon transfer tattoos RRP £7.99 I am obsessed with these temporary tattoos, they are silver and gold and a pretty combination of feathers and bands. Transferring onto your skin i...

Hello friends, I am very proud to say that on the 31 st May I completed my first ever Tough Mudder event. This was 11.2 miles and 24 obstacles of fun (although during the event I did question why I was doing it a couple of times). We faced everything from freezing cold water, huge heights and tight confined spaces to crawl through and then the last hurdle, before getting that coveted headband and finisher’s beer, the electroshock! This is a sprint through dangling wires which give you electric shocks of varying levels – I got through with a few shocks, but a team mate took  ended up face planting into the mud! All good fun!! Before the event I found a lot of useful information online about how to prepare, what to wear and what to do on the day, so I thought I would reflect on my experience and give my Tough Mudder Top Tips. So you have decided to take on the challenge, what are the best ways to prepare? 1.       Firstly, it is worth saying...

Hello friends, So this month I have started something new, and that is a monthly subscription to a company called Birchbox, who will once a month send you a box of miniature beauty goodies. The reason I have decided to give this a go is because I am always keen to try new products and this lets me do this without the expense and risk of buying a full size sample. So, I get home from work to a delivery note saying that Yodel had left my parcel in a safe place, but I couldn't decipher the writing to say where - after scratching my head for about 10 minutes I went to the shed and boom, there was my Birchbox. Opening the package was exciting, what would be in my box?? Firstly, the box itself is cool - it is patterned and one of the things you get in the box is a little set of colouring pencils, which you can use to colour the box in. This has given me a lot of entertainment so far, and I have only coloured in a quarter of the box! Delving inside the box itself, everything ...

Hello friends, Every so often I will see something or do something and the phrase escapes from me 'that's on my bucket list' but I have never actually sat and written my list down so here we go! For those wondering what a bucket list is, it is a list of things you really want to do or achieve in your life - not the normal everyday things like get a job or get married, but things a little different. Kirsty's bucket list: 1. Go on a hot air balloon ride - tick, I achieved this on my recent holiday to Morocco, it was awesome! 2. Visit all of the continents (apart from Antarctica, it's a bit cold for my liking) - I have visited North America, Asia, Africa and I live in Europe so that leaves South America and Australia. I better start planning some holidays! 3. Own a horse - horses were a big part of my teenage years, and I would love this to be a reality one day. 4. Attend a professional baking course - not fussed in what area, but I would like to be able to sa...

Formula One is back, and I couldn't be happier! Formula 1 has been part of my life from an early age. My dad is a long term McLaren fan and I have been very fortunate to have been taken to a number of races, my first aged just 14 (I think) when my dad and I went on a coach tour from Kent to Silverstone. I remember it being very muddy, but so exciting with the sounds and smells of a Sunday race day. In more recent years I have been to Malaysia, Hungary and testing in Jerez and I was lucky enough to spend two days in the pits, being the guest of Force India and the Caterham team. Both teams were very welcoming, and I was given headsets to listen to what the drivers were saying – it was fascinating and I relished the chance to take some snaps of drivers in their garages! Another great moment was bumping into Jensen Button, who was lovely and posed for a photo with me. Coming into this season I haven’t been keeping up with all the developments and driver changes, so coming i...