Tuesday 31 March 2015

Food: Healthy spiralized recipes + Tabasco

Tabasco got in touch with me and asked if I would like to be part of their new campaign called #FunWithFlavour, which is all about celebrating Tabasco Pepper Sauce’s ability to transform almost any dish. 

The iconic and natural sauce is made from just three ingredients – chilli peppers, salt and vinegar – and has been enhancing dishes all over the world since 1868. All I had to do was create three dishes infused by Tabasco sauce, so I chose to create a light and super healthy starter, main and pudding with a spiralizer. 

I had lots of fun doing it as I made my recipes really easy and quick, and the main made for a good lunch dish the next day, too! I hope you like them Dessert coming tomorrow!

For the starter, I wanted to keep it light but delicious, and a dish that felt almost like comfort food but without the guilt. I made some really simple sweet potato fries with guacamole dipping sauce.

SKINNY SWEET POTATO FRIES & EASY GUACAMOLE DIP
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 large sweet potato (or however much you want!)
  • Olive oil to line the tray
  • Salt
  • 1 avocado (peeled, stone removed, chopped)
  • 1/2 small red onion (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 clove of garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 ripe tomato (chopped)
  • 1/2 lime (juiced)
  • Tabasco Original Red Sauce


INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat the oven to 200C, and spiralize your sweet potato. I used the Lurch product provided by Tabasco and it did the job, but I struggled a little with the sweet potato as it was so hard. The spiralizer was unable to grip the top of it so I just used my hand to get the noodle textures for the skinny fries. There are loads of different spiralizers on Amazon that you can choose from, but Lurch and Hemsley & Hemsley are usually the most recommended.

2. Line a small tray with some olive oil or place a baking sheet on top. Place all the spiralled sweet potato fried on the tray and add salt on top.

3. Leave in the oven for around 15 minutes or until extra crispy. Don't worry about it looking too burnt as the fries taste the best when they are really dry and crispy, rather than wet or unbaked.

4. While the fries are in the oven, finely chop all your guacamole ingredients, add a few drops of Tabasco Original and stir them together, or blend in a blender. Season with salt to taste and serve with the fries when ready.




For the main dish, I wanted to make sure it was healthy and full of vegetables, but also filling and with a type of meat. I chose salmon as it's one of my favourite ingredients to use in any dish, and it never makes me feel bloated. It's super healthy and full of Omega 3, plus it doesn't taste like other fish so it is much more yummy!

VEGGIE NOODLE SALMON SALAD
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 courgette
  • 1 avocado
  • 2 salmon fillets
  • Olive oil spray
  • 2 limes
  • 1/2 block of feta cheese
  • 1 Tbs of chia seeds
  • Salt and pepper for the salmon
  • Tabasco Original Red Sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat the oven to 170C to make the salmon while you prepare the salad. Line your tray with olive oil and place both salmon fillets on the oiled greaseproof paper. Season with salt and pepper and bake for around 20 minutes. Some people put more sauces on their salmon but I prefer it plain.

2. While your salmon is baking, spiralize the peeled carrot, cucumber and courgette and separate on two plates. I found the cucumber to be a little watery, but it didn't ruin the taste of the salad. If you prefer it to be more dry just remove the cucumber and use more of the other two ingredients.

3. Chop up half an avocado for each plate, then squeeze one lime over the entire salad. Crumble your feta cheese on top and then mix everything up.

4. Take your salmon out of the oven and place it on top of the salad. Sprinkle the chia seeds and Tabasco Original sauce all over, and dig in! There are lots of other Tabasco flavours to choose from, such as Smokey BBQ and JalapeƱo...something for everyone.

I found that this dish tasted a lot better when it was fresh and with hot salmon. I had it for lunch the next day and it wasn't quite the same cold!



















Have you ever used Tabasco sauce in your day to day dishes, and have you ever mixed it up and made any adventurous meals?

Check out more recipe ideas and tips on Tabasco's Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/TabascoUK




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Wednesday 18 March 2015

Beauty: Benefit's Roller Lash Pop Up Parlour

Here comes another one of Benefit's awesome pop ups! You may remember they took over a Covent Garden pub last year during the World Cup, which was pretty epic.

This time and during March only, they have opened an adorable little pop up curl and cocktail bar in the heart of London's Soho, on Greek Street. And it's called 'Curl's Best Friend'! 

They opened the vibrant three storey parlour to celebrate the launch of their new revolutionary Roller Lash mascara, and just to create an all-out girly spot to chill, eat cupcakes, shop (yes you can buy products there!) and indulge in a few beauty treatments.


The brand new ‘Curl’s Best Friend by Benefit’ mobile app enables girls to book in beauty and faux-blow services, reserve bar tables, share photos and browse live newsfeeds at their fingertips. The app is available for free download from the Apple App Store and Android Play Store.

£19.50


As you the world of Roller Lash, head to the bar for a delicious signature cocktail and cupcake, then relax in Benefit’s lush vintage chairs for a gossip with the girls. Guests will also be able to try the new Roller Lash mascara, which after testing myself, I can say is pretty impressive. If you like naturally looking long, dark and curly lashes, this is your mascara!


The organisers literally thought of every little detail...from the pink cocktails to the hair dryer light fittings!





At the Parlour, you can buy several hero products, get a blow dry or brow treatment, or just buy yourself and a friend a cheeky cocktail. Mine was delish!


Head upstairs to the beauty parlour and curl station and receive a make upper or brow wax and tint from Benefit’s make-up and brow experts, or a voluminous, curly faux-blowfrom the resident hair-styling professionals.


My friend Annie's super cute outfit :)


As night falls and the lights dim, the bar will unveil a hidden secret, or as Benefit call it, 'a place for girls to be fun and fearless'. Climb the stairs and you will enter a sexy little black and red Noir Bar, based on Benefit’s best-selling mascara they’re real! Open from 7pm each evening, the Noir Bar serves delicious, sultry cocktails.

Girls outside of London can still try the new Roller Lash mascara with a requisite serving of cupcakes and cocktails, in Benefit’s ‘Curls Best Friend’ tour parlour. From 17th April 2015 Benefit will be going on the road - follow their Twitter page for more details.

Curls Best Friend, 26 Greek Street, Soho, W1D 
27th February – end of March 2015 

Open Tuesday to Saturday 11am-11pm (Noir bar open from 7pm) 
Bookings 020 3620 4747

My fashionista partner in crime and I then headed to a lovely place called Shoryu in Carnaby Street's Kingly Court, where we devoured some peppers, pork gyoza, pork belly buns, green tea, and of course the classic ramen noodle dish!



It was my first time here and I loved it. The service was quick, the presentation gorgeous (Insta heaven!) and the food exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend a visit!






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Monday 16 March 2015

Beauty: Embracing Spring with Yardley

I wanted to introduce you to a lovely brand that I recently discovered, which you may not have heard of yet. It's called Yardley London, and it is one of Britain's most distinguished heritage perfumeries. Acknowledged as one of England's most iconic beauty brands, it's conception dates all the way back to 1770.

I went to an event to check out their latest range, the exciting Spring launch of the new fragrance collection. As we walked into Kettner's in London's Soho, we were greeted by Yardley's beautiful vintage bottles and boxes which I wanted to keep so badly!! We were talked through their exciting new Spring perfumes from The Classics range, now reformulated and repackaged. 



Yardley London has built on the best sellers, modernising them to have a more contemporary classic fragrance which will appeal to the woman who is sophisticated, elegant, timeless...


Each of the four core fragrances have been brought up-to-date – English Lavender, English Rose, Lily of the Valley and April Violets. Presented in fresh, modern packaging with beautiful floral photography design to reflect its key ingredients, the range consists of Eau de Toilettes, Deodorising Body Fragrances, Luxury Soaps, Perfumed Talcs, Moisturising Body Washes, Moisturising Body Lotions and Nourishing Hand Creams to create a new, modern British classic.




Surprisingly, my favourite fragrance was the English Rose. I have never liked rose as a scent, and so this is the first time that I was actually taken by it. The rose tones were strong enough to smell but still very light and fresh. The perfume did not smell cheap like most rose ones do...and I can definitely see myself wearing it in the summer with a dress or girly outfit.

The great thing is, Yardley products are free from Parabens and Mineral Oils, and contain over 80% naturally derived ingredients.

We also tested a couple of new fragrances from a different collection, called Kiri (for women) and Ink (for men) which smelled incredibly refreshing (I love sweet fragrances) and were inspired by 2015's Eastern/Oriental trends.




PRODUCT RANGE PRICES
  • EDT £14.99 (125ml), £9.99 (50ml)
  • Deodorising Body Fragrance £2.49 (75ml)
  • Luxury Soaps £7.99 (3x 100ml)
  • Perfumed Talc £7.49 (200ml)
  • Moisturising Body Wash £3.99 (200ml) – Contains 80% naturally derived ingredients
  • Moisturising Body Lotion £5.99 (250ml) – Contains 90% naturally derived ingredients
  • Nourishing Hand Cream £4.49 (100ml) – Contains 95% naturally derived ingredients
  • Cologne Stick £4.49 (20ml)





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Wednesday 11 March 2015

Food: Krispy Kreme x Reese's (yes it's real!)

OK so I’m a Nutella addict…but my other foodie love and weakness has to be peanut butter. Peanut butter on toast, peanut butter with banana, peanut butter with pretzels, peanut butter in a shake or cocktail…and now a Reese’s peanut butter IN A KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUT!! 

Yes this is real people…and you can now buy it in the UK.


The new limited edition melt-in-the-mouth doughnut has been carefully crafted to ensure it delivers the perfect taste sensation (like ALL Krispy Kreme doughnuts!). 

Filled with an indulgent Reese’s peanut butter and hand-dipped in icing, each doughnut is topped with hazelnuts and Reese’s peanut butter drops.

A photo posted by Cissy Wears (@cissywears) on

Made fresh daily and expertly handcrafted, the Krispy Kreme Peanut Butter Doughnut is available until 29th March in all Krispy Kreme stores, priced at £1.90 each.

Now can we please petition for Krispy Kreme to bring the below flavours to the UK, too?






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Tuesday 10 March 2015

Style: JewelStreet selections

I posted about JewelStreet, a great online market place for jewellery a few days ago, with some photos of my gorgeous new ring.

I also mentioned that if you are clever with buying your fine silver, solid gold, or gold plated jewellery online, you can really save a lot of money and get the same, if not better, quality pieces on websites such as JewelStreet. 

By supporting independent designers, JewelStreet can cut the middle man and high retail costs to get the jewellery straight to the consumer and for a lower price.

Some of you may be unfamiliar with the website, so I'd love to show you all the amazing pieces you can get for yourself or your loved one...there is  a great variety for all tastes, and I've selected a few of my favourites below. Hope you like them!




Astrid & Miyu The Perfect One ring in silver, gold, rose gold or black (seen as a stacking set in this image)
£39 each

Scarlett Erskine silver and hematite bead skinny stack ring
£57


Anthony Blakeney silver and diamond textured earrings
£78


Mara Hotung 18k Faith bracelet
£115

Lestie Lee rose gold diamond cage earrings
£1,300

Vamp London rose gold wish bone bracelet
£45


Astrid & Miyu diamond treat ring in rose gold
£49



Mayah jewellery 18k gold vermeil horizontal twig necklace (Icelandic designer!)
£120

Emma-Kate Francis Calia Lily pearl neck torque
£250


Ana Verdun fully gold-plated bobble ring
£190

Flowerie88 18ct gold plated black eyes bunny head ring
£81


The website is really easy to navigate, and I hope to see more editorial features to inspire shopping for different occasions, tastes or styles. It would also be amazing to see vintage pieces being added to the portfolio, and more designer interviews.

I'm sure there will be lots more to come...it's exciting to see how this website develops and grows even further. Could this be the future online version of the Liberty's of London fine jewellery department?




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