Monday 27 March 2017

Harry Potter Tag

Hey everyone :)


Who doesn't like Harry Potter? I've been sitting here for the last hour - trying to think of anyone I know that doesn't like Harry Potter. I have tickets booked with friends to go to Harry Potter Studios in May and I am very excited about that!! I haven't done a tag post in ages so I thought I'd do an oldie - the Harry Potter tag!

Favourite book?
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows - very long but such a good book!

Least favourite book?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I just found it bland.

Favourite movie?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - I loved Fluffy, the chess game, Hermione's genius and they all still looked so young!

Least favourite movie?
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - I just thought that the time travel part was odd and not explained well enough.

Favourite quote?
I suppose one of the most common - 'You're a wizard, Harry'

Favourite Weasley?
Fred or George - funny, happy and crazy twins!

Favourite female character?
Without a doubt - Hermione! Such a loving, caring and smart character!

Favourite villain?
I thought Lucian Malfoy was funny, not the evil kind of villain but the stupid, funny kind. If I had to choose an evil villain then definetely Bellatrix Lestrange.

Favourite male character?
I really enjoyed Ron - he was such a great character!

Favourite professor? 
In the book and the film - Professor McGonagall - she was such a great character and I love Maggie Smith (the actress) in anything! I also loved Professor Trelawney in the films.

Would you rather a) wash Snape's hair or b) spend a day listening to Lockhart rant about himself?
Snape - washing hair is a 10 minute max job. If I spent a day with Lockhart I'd probably kill myself.

Would you rather duel a) an elated Bellatrix or b) an angry Molly?
An elated Bellatrix

Would you rather travel to Hogwarts via a) Hogwarts Express or b) flying car?
I'd love to try both. I'm sure going on the Hogwarts Express would be great but after 2 or 3 years it might get boring, so going by a different method might be cool and a flying car seems like a great idea!

Would you rather a) kiss Voldermort or b) give Umbridge a bubble bath?
Probably give Umbridge a bubble bath! Voldermort scares me!

Would you rather a) ride a Hippogriff or b) ride a Firebolt
A Hippogriff as they look like amazing creatures!

Is there a character you felt differently about in the movie?
No, I don't think so.

Is there a movie you preferred to the book?
Not that I can think of.

Richard Harris or Michael Gambon as Dumbledore?
Michael Gambon

Your top thing (person or event) that wasn't in the movie that you wanted there the most?
S.P.E.W definitely!!!!!!! (a thousand exclamation marks)

If you could remake any of the Harry Potter movies which would it be?
None - I thought they each have their own bad and good parts but I wouldn't change any of them.

Which house was your first gut feeling you'd be part of?
Gryffindor

Which house were you actually sorted into on Pottermore?
Ravenclaw

Which class would be your favourite?
Potions

Which spell do you think would be most useful to learn?
Accio!

Which character do you think you'd instantly become friends with?
Hermione - I love studying and I am a bit of a book worm too!

If you could own of the three Hallows, which would it be?
The Invisibility Cloak!

Is there any aspect of the books you'd want to change?
No!

Favourite marauder?
Padfoot!

If you could bring one character back to life, who would it be?
Fred Weasley

Hallows or Horcuxes?
Hallows - Horcurxes are dark!!

That's all the questions and this tag is over! I am very, very, very excited about my Harry Potter trip in May! Let me know if you have been/are going at all this year!?




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Friday 17 March 2017

Mary Berry: Herbed Quinoa & Bulgar Wheat Salad with Lemon & Pomegranate

Hi everyone :)


Mary Berry brought out another new cookbook and a new series and I didn't even know!! I caught the second episode on BBC1 on Saturday there. I then went out to buy the book and realised before I left the house that I had bought it a couple of weeks ago and I didn't even realise it was to do with her new series!!

This recipe seemed really interesting and it's something I have never tried before so I thought it was a good opportunity to let you know what I thought :)

Ingredients (quinoa)
300g bulgar wheat with mixed-colour quinoa
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
200g sun-blushed tomatoes in oil (drained and cut in half)
3 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
3 tbsp finely snipped chives
2 tbsp torn basil leaves
100g feta cheese, broken into pieces
50g pomegranate seeds (optional)
salt + pepper

Ingredients (dressing)
1 lemon juiced and zest
2 tbsp pomegranate syrup
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar

Method
1. Measure the mixed bulgar wheat and quinoa into a saucepan, pour in 500ml of water and cover with a lid. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes - or according to the packet instructions. Remove from the heat and leave for about 10 minutes or until render and all the liquid has been absorbed. Top into a bowl and allow to cool.

2. To make the dressing, place the lemon juice and zest in a bowl or small jug, add the pomegranate syrup, sugar and olive oil and whisk together.

3. Place the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and fry over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Tip into the bowl with the bulgar wheat and quinoa.

4. Add the sun-blushed tomatoes and herbs, season with salt and pepper and toss together. Pour on the dressing and mix well. Gently stir in the feta and pomegranate seeds (if using), then check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper to taste.

Note: I couldn't find any pomegranate syrup in Tesco when I bought the other ingredients, so following Mary's tip - I bought pomegranate juice and then boiled it in a saucepan until it reduced to a thicker, syrupy consistency.




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Sunday 12 March 2017

Easter Egg Nests

Hey everyone :)


I'm about 90% sure that before Valentine's Day was over our Tesco here in Hemel Hempstead had Easter eggs on their shelves - some people might think that is out of control but every holiday seems to be on the shelves of supermarkets and stores way earlier than it used to be. Christmas straight after Halloween - case and point!

I was wandering through Tesco - looking for lunch and I wandered past the aisle with all the Easter eggs and saw the little chocolate easter eggs and remembered we used to make little chocolate nests and put little eggs in the middle so I found a recipe - got the ingredients and here we are!!

Firstly I will mention that you don't need to use shredded wheat - you can also use cornflakes or rice krispies.

Ingredients:
100g shredded wheat
250g milk chocolate
2tbsp golden syrup
75g soft butter
1 bag of mini eggs

Method:
1. Line a muffin tin with 12 cases
2. In a bowl above a pot of simmering water - add the chocolate (chopped up), the golden syrup and the butter (chopped up).
3. Once 'nearly' melted remove from the water - do not let the chocolate burn - there should be enough residual heat left to melt the rest of the mixture.
4. Take the shredded wheat and crumble it with your fingers into the chocolate mixture and mix with a wooden spoon.
5. Start spooning the mixture into the paper cases and make a little indent in the middle so you have a place to put the mini eggs.
6. Take three mini eggs and place in the indent in each 'nest'.



Are you planning on making anything for Easter? It's one of my favourite holidays so I hope I get the chance to make some other things before it's over!!

Let me know in the comments below what your are planning on doing.



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