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BLOGMAS 2018 / Day 11 – home made mint white hot chocolate
It’s’ the season that Jenny goes nuts an experiments with a variety of hot chocolate recipes. I flirted with lots of different recipes – Cointreau hot chocolate, Rocky Road hot chocolate, Aztec hot chocolate…but in the dress, I decided to share an oldy but goody: creamy mint white hot chocolate. Hope you enjoy this as much as me!
This recipe makes 1 large-ish mug:
1/2 mug of milk (I used skimmed as that’s what I always use, but any is ok)
75g white chocolate chips
1.5 tbsp dark cocoa powder
1 tbsp mint extract
Whipped cream and sprinkle bits to serve
1. Chuck all the main ingredients in to a pan over a medium heat.
2. Leave to simmer for about 15 minutes, keep stirring throughout to ensure the chocolate chips melt.
3. Pour into your fave mug, then add the whipped cream and sparkly bits to serve.
Easy, right?
Ingredients and snowman mallow biscuits, Morrisons / Mug, NASA/Natural History Museum / Candy canes, Debenhams (they’re prosecco flavoured!)I’ll leave you to enjoy this festive treat and see you all tomorrow,
J xx
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BLOGMAS 2018 / Day 10 – My top tunes of the year
2018 has been another year of the CHOON! These the ones I’ve enjoyed the most and (much to the Mr’s disgust) still can’t stop singing:
Barcelona, Max George
Did you know: the actual location this song was inspired by is good ol’ Skegness? Wouldn’t quite sound as good though would it! As well as the song being a catchy summer anthem, I really like the sound of Max’ vocals, he has a lovely distinctive voice that I’m hoping we’ll be hearing more of in 2019.In my Feelings, Drake
If you haven’t been humming ‘Kiki do you love me’ under your breath since the summer, where have you been?!?! I myself chose to enjoy the song with my car windows down and radio turnt up; guess I’ll always be a wannabe at heart…One Kiss, Calvin Harris ft. Dua Lipa
I adore Dua Lipa, this was mine and the Mr’s song this year for sure. Even when Ive been through slightly tricky times this year it’s always pepped me up.
I like it, Cardi B
This song is so super cool, a bit empowering and has a underlying reggae vibe that just makes you want chill and sip on a rum and coke (I did actually enjoy a lot of rum related drinks this summer, so we’ll say it’s because of this track).Ring Ring, Jax Jones ft. Mabel
“Are you there, you there, you there…?” Jax has the best flair for delivering a catchy beat rn; last year I had his debut track with Rae in my top tunes list.Familiar, Liam Payne & Jay Balvin
Doesn’t this picture look a little like J Balvin is Liam’s older brother and they’re out on the pull? Who knows, maybe they actually are! Liam was also in my list last year with Strip that Down, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – singularly, the 1D boys are en fuego with their music.Lullaby, Sigala ft. Palma Faith
Everyone has that one track that instantly makes them squeal when they hear it, drag their mates to the dance floor and scream the words as loud as they can as they’re jumping around like a looney cos it makes them feel so good inside. In 2018 this was my track. Paloma’s voice is just something else.What other tracks have you been loving this year that didn’t make my cut? Leave me a comment and let me know what I’ve missed.
See you tomorrow,
J xx
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BLOGMAS 2018 / Day 9 – weekly fashion faves, 6
So, I’ve noticed two things about fashion this week:
1- Not a lot of people are embracing what I’d call ‘festive fashion’ this year – flutter, sequins, velvet. Not a criticism, merely an observation.
2- I’m gravitating towards black and print more than ever before.
There’s a definitely vibe to the outfits I’m appreciating this week, and they mostly fall into point number 2!
Meghan Markle
I don’t know if I’m allowed to say her name now or if she should always be known as the Duchess of Sussex? Either way, I am living for her look in this Pic! It’s elegant yet powerful and also pretty darn sexy all at once, the silhouette is on point and her hair is tied back just enough. I want this whole entire look for myself right now please.
Holly Willoughby
Top, Marks and Spencer / Jeans, Marks and Spencer / Boots, Marks and Spencer / Bag, Marks and SpencerSide note: I’ve heard HW’s earnings have rocketed now that she’s covering up her boobs more…erm, why is this even a news story?? Anyway…
As soon as I saw this pic on Instagram, I thought it myself “this is exactly my kind of outfit” I live in my ankle length black skinny jeans, I adore print and am a fan of a decent ankle boot. I’m picking this top (and maybe the bag, is that allowed right before Christmas?) before it goes out of stock, it could be the perfect dressy-cas vibe for the big day in my eyes.
Kate Wright
Trousers, Zara / Top, similar here.I liked this look so much that I channeled something very similar when I went out earlier – my trousers are leopard print, my top knot looked far more messy and my nose is treating from the end of a hideous cold that I can’t quite shake off, but still!
Lily Melrose
(image: @llymlrs) Skirt, Topshop (similar here)I think this outfit has a kinda festive vibe to it, it’s green and satiny, but it’s still very true to Lily’s aesthetic (which as you know I’m a massive fan of) so I think it melds the two together rather nicely. This skirt can easily be dressed up with different footwear and top half for an evening look too, so it would be a great buy *doesn’t think about this justification as adding it to card on the Topshop website*
Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow,
J xx
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BLOGMAS 2018 / Day 8 – Fashion faves of the year
Favourite favourites, we all have ’em! Here are the items that have stolen prime position in my wardrobe this year:
These are a surprising addition to this list if I’m honest! I’ve wanted some for ages, thought I may be a bit too old to pull them off, saw my 60 year old stepdad wearing a pair and thought “sod it”. These are my go to sneaker now – they go with everything, are really comfy and so hard wearing.
Joanie leopard print wrap dress
This dress is the wardrobe staple I always wanted and never had – it’s a flattering cut, great print and can be dressed up or down.
The added texture of a faux leather/coated trousers really elevates a look for daytime or evening, and I’m living for these babies right now. They were only £14 and are so damn comfy.
River Island bobble knit cardigan
This is the comfiest, cosiest, cutest knit in my life rn. It also comes in a few other colours and I’d like to point out that I was on the bobble knit trend before it was all over Insta, ok.
So basically – if you’ve seen me in the last few months or are due to see me in the next few weeks, wearing one or all of these things!
See you tomorrow,
J xx
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BLOGMAS 2018 / Day 7 – munching through the GLUG festive menu at ATOM Brewing Co.
Food, glorious food…don’t care what I looks like…except yeah I kinda do, can’t be putting no messy meal on the ‘gram! Haha.
My work colleagues and I are in the midst of a super busy December, but we managed to fit in a meal with a couple of drinks on 30 November where we sampled the ATOM Brewing Co. GLUG festive menu.
We booked before the menu had been finalised so we also had starters as well, but as they’re not available on this menu I’ve left them off (I had a kind of bubble and squeak Pattie if your interested, serviced with a poached egg and the crispiest bacon I have ever seen in my life.
Main courses
I opted for Turkey Katsu curry with rice and Asian inspired salad, which is delicious as it looks.
The sauce came in a cute little mug on the side to pour over, everyone thought it was really amusing that I tried to scrape out every last little bit on to my plate. I just really like a decent amount of sauce with my curry!
There are also some delicious sides – Brussels sprouts (obvs) crispy roast potatoes, root veg and celeriac. They were also nom and very appropriate to the season. Possibly slightly less so to the curry, but the potatoes made for great dipping fodder in my sauce.
Also on the menu was ‘sheperdless’ pie – a veggie take on the classic winter dish. The one pictured was a smaller (but still very decently sized) version as a starter that I’m told was very filling and yummy.
The most popular dish ordered was this giant pigs in blankets interpretation – giant German sausage, wrapped in bacon and served with sweet potato fries.
The general verdict I got from this was a overall a bit ‘meh’ – nobody could quite explain why this was, and I didn’t try any, but I’m to,d the fries were delish.
Then came dessert.
This, my friends, is a half pint of Cointreau hot chocolate served with toasted marshmallows cream and chocolates. Immense. The Mr and I served chocolate and Cointreau parfait at our wedding reception, so I was already sold on this combo. I’m going to try and get the recipe for this and create it for a future post, so keep your eyes out for that.
Main courses are all priced at £11 (I’m not sure if all the sides come with them as we ordered from a slightly different set menu) and desserts are £5, which is pretty reasonable for the quality and time of year. I’d definitely give it a go if you’re looking for last minute plans for a small group or a date night.
See you tomorrow,
J xx
About Me
I’m Jenny, nice to meet you. I’m a thirty-something who likes fashion, holidays and wondering about life. A lot.
