Strawberry & Lemon Meringues Recipe

Another bit of baking I've done lately is little meringues. These didn't exactly go to plan with how they look, I think they look more like macaroons but oh well they still taste just as they should! I was originally going to make something like a Lemon Meringue Pie but I thought this was a much easier option and then I can make different flavours too. Why not try adding Nutella instead of the lemon/strawberry?

Makes around 10 completed 'sandwiches'

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

150g sugar

pinch of salt

tea spoon of vanilla essence

strawberry jam

lemon curd

Method:

1. Line two baking trays with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 90 degrees C.

2. Whisk the eggs until foamy, add the salt and whisk again.

3. Slowly add the sugar and keep whisking.

4. Add the vanilla essence and whisk again until the mixture becomes stiff.

5. Use a spoon or a piping bag to when dotting them onto the baking sheets and place in the oven for up to 2 hours. I thought this sounded like a long time from the recipe I looked at but I baked mine for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

6. When they're done allow them to cool and then choose either Strawberry Jam or Lemon Curd to spread on one and place another on top to create a sandwich/

7. Then they're ready to tuck into and eat.

Let me know if you decide to recreate this recipe, I'd love to know how it turns out!

Follow

Summer Boots Haul

Getting all of your deposit back from you student house can sometimes be quite a surprise, so I thought I'd treat myself to a nice big order from Boots! Some of these things I've tried before which I've loved and some of these things I've never tried before. I'm hoping to write a lot of reviews and posts on these individually so don't forget to look out for those.

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub - The best smelling body scrub I've used so far. There may be a review coming soon comparing this body scrub to the one I've been using previously.

St Moriz Instant Self Tan Mousse - This seems to be the most recommended budget fake tan so I'm excited to try this one out. I bought the medium shade however I've seen most the reviews are about the 'dark' shade so I hope this one is just as good for my pale pale skin tone.

Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish in Green with Envy - When I chose this nail polish I didn't actually know which colour I wanted exactly, just a pale colour as I'm use to usually wearing reds or blues but this mint green seems to be perfect.

Revlon Lash Potion Mascara - My current favourite mascara repurchased, there is also a 2 for £10 offer on Revlon products so as this already retails at £9.99 it was like getting the color burst matte balm for just a penny.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Every blogger's favourite budget concealer, I actually forgot this concealer existed until I realised I only have a highlighting concealer at the minute so I just had to make a repurchase of this beauty.

Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Nude Eclipse - I love the apocalips lip lacquer in 'big bang' which is a bright red so I thought I'd pick up another in a colour I'm not use to, so I'll let you know how this goes too.

Revlon Colour Burst Matte Balm in Elusive - I loved this shade and that it's matte which I thought is so different to any that I already own, I'm excited to try this out so I'll let you know how I get on with this.

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob - I'm yet to try out this lip liner properly but the swatch seems like a good formula so I'll let you know what I think.

Radox Berry Burst Shower Gel - I've used this shower gel before and it smells sooo good. It's like all the good smelling fruits in a sweet shower smoothie.

Fleur de Force by Eylure Fleur and Fabulous Lashes - If you know me well or have been reading my blog for a long time you should know that Fleur de Force is my all time favourite blogger and vlogger and the one that really started getting me into wanting to blog myself. When I heard she was working alongside Eylure to produce her own range of eyelashes I just knew I had to get my hands on some, I originally wanted to order the 'Fleur loves' lashes but as they were sold out I opted for the 'Fleur and Fabulous' lashes which are more suited for nights out and occasions which I think I'd be wearing them for mostly anyway.

Also with my Boots order I received a free sample of the Giorgio Armani fragrance Si. I wasn't expecting a free sample as I've never received one from them before and I'm glad I did because I would never have thought about buying or even trying this fragrance but I have to say it actually smells amazing!

Follow

Millionaire's Shortbread Recipe

It's now the Great British Bake Off season and it makes me want to bake even more than I usually do. With last week them focusing on biscuits I decided to bake Millionaire's Shortbread. I've never made this before and I was surprised it went so well, I'll definitely be trying other shortbread recipes now. I used this recipe here from BBC Good Food but just tried something a little different for the chocolate on top to make it look (and taste) even better.

Ingredients

For the shortbread:

• 225g/8oz plain flour
• 175g/6oz cold unsalted butter
• 75g/2¾oz caster sugar

For the topping:

• 150g/5oz butter
• 1 x 379g can condensed milk
• 100g/3½oz golden syrup
• 350g/12oz chocolate (I used 300g milk chocolate and 50g white chocolate)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Line a square cake tin with baking paper.

2. Combine the flour and butter cubes and mix until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. (Alternatively, you can rub the butter in by hand.) 

3. Add in the caster sugar and mix again until combined.

4. Tip the mixture into the lined cake tin and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon. Then press the shortbread down firmly with your knuckles so that it is tightly packed in the tin.

5. Bake the shortbread for 30 minutes or until very light golden brown. Set aside to cool.

6. Meanwhile, for the topping, heat the butter, condensed milk and golden syrup in a saucepan, stirring occasionally until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.

7. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring frequently. The caramel will thicken and turn golden-brown. Set aside to cool slightly, then pour over the cooled shortbread. Allow to cool completely.

8. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave.

9. Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel and set aside until the chocolate has cooled completely.

10. Cut into squares and serve. (Or broken pieces like mine)

I'm looking forward to tomorrows episode for more ideas on what to bake next.

Watch technique

0:46 min

Follow

Water's Edge Country Park

So far during the Summer I've taken some free time to start exploring some local places and taking photographs of the animals and nature. Water's Edge is located at Barton-Upon-Humber in North Lincolnshire, where you can walk around the woodlands and meadows and the visitor centre and cute gift shop. I love taking these kind of photographs and sharing them with you. Especially ducks lately which seem to have featured in quite a few posts incase you haven't noticed....

What are your favourite places to walk around in the Summer?

Dorothy Perkins New Season Wish List

Dorothy Perkins are currently offering up to 30% off their new season items and I just had to show you some of my favourite pieces they have. I like how they still have some floral and summery pieces in this collection but are also adding in some of the more autumn colours, I love the deep purples and reds that we get to wear and see everywhere during autumn and winter.

Purple V Front Cami

Black and White 2 in 1 Top

Black Tassel Loafers

V Neck Jumper

Navy Lace Collar Dress

Swallow Print Top

My favourites are the navy dress and the purple top, what are yours?

Abigail x

10 things to do over summer

I usually struggle myself with thinking of what I can do over the summer, especially this year when I've been use to working 5 days a week for my work placement. Now I need to prepare myself for my final year of university, so who knows this could be the last summer or freedom before having to get a permanent full-time job! So if you get as stuck as I do, here's a list of things to keep you occupied this summer.

1. Get Creative - If you're a blogger the chances are that you probably are a creative person anyway so why not make something or start a new hobby - then you can blog about it afterwards.

2. Take Photos - Things always seem to look better in the sun so why not pick up your camera, head outside and take some wonderful photographs. Whether it's in your garden or a day out somewhere its a way to capture memories and practice your photography too.

3. Start a Scrapbook - I've started a scrapbook myself and although mine is based on photography and remembering places I've visited, I've seen that some people are recording every day things such as dates and trips out which aren't necessarily to do with the photography but a photo to remember the event. And I like an excuse to go out and buy pretty embellishments too.

4. Get Cooking - I love baking and cooking and now that I'm home from uni for the summer I don't want to get out of practice of cooking every night so I want to try and cook a new recipe for my family once a week or at least do some baking. Pinterest is a great place for recipe inspiration too.

5. Have a Clear Out - Never mind how boring this sounds, you might be surprised at what you find hiding away in your room. I usually do this every year and means I get to sell things I no longer need or give them to charity. Especially with clothes - then I can go out and buy some more too, ha like I needed an excuse.

6. Purchase an adult colouring book - I bought one myself a couple of months ago and I love it. A lot people are using them now they're getting more popular and they are known to be used to clear away your stress which is a bonus.

7. Go to somewhere you've never been to before - This isn't always as easy as it sounds (especially if you don't drive). But google somewhere local or go out for a drive or a walk and you never know what you might stumble across. It could end up being somewhere you visit every year from then if you find somewhere you really like.

8. Do something that you don't usually have time for - If your summer is a summer holiday from university like mine (or even college or school), you will have a lot of spare time to what you've been use to. Usually you only have weekends and evenings spare but now you have the whole of summer, so do something such as getting a summer job to save up some cash, plan a holiday, start your driving lessons or even simply start a new TV series or book.

9. Get ready for what's to come next - Because I'm still at university, I'm not sure if September is the time everyone wants to refresh and get a nice new start and prepared for the year to come, or whether it's because it's all I've ever known through school/college/university/placement starting the next year at around this time. This will be my last year at university *cries*, so over the summer months I need to get ready planning my dissertation and of course writing a new shopping list of what to buy for this year - stationary is always one of my favourites.

10. Enjoy yourself - Do whatever makes you happy, whether its a time to catch up with old friends, go on holiday with your family or just to chill out and relax, do whatever makes you smile.

Abigail x