Pages

Monday 24 February 2014

Microwave Chocolate Brownie


A super quick, super easy recipe for when you're needing a chocolate fix! This recipe is measured in spoonfuls to make it even easier and quicker to make!


Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter/margarine
2 tablespoons milk (roughly 50ml)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons self-raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
a dash of vanilla essence 


Melt the butter or leave until it is room temperature. Then add the milk and vanilla essence. 


Add the cocoa powder and mix. 


Add the sugar and mix. The mixture will look a bit grainy but don't worry!


Add the flour and, you guessed it, mix! 

Put the mixture into the microwave at the highest setting (900W)  for 70 seconds. If your microwave doesn't go that high then adjust accordingly. Important!; make sure you're using a microwave safe bowl or you could end up with an interesting science experiment in your kitchen! 


Be careful when taking it out as the bowl and brownie will be very hot. However, it is best served hot with ice cream to enjoy whilst watching trashy tv. 

Saturday 15 February 2014

February Films #1



The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Eccentic oceanographer Steve Zissou with his crew, find themselves in troubled waters when they attempt to track down the mysterious 'jaguar shark' that ate Zissou's partner while they were filming a documentary of their latest adventure.
After having being told that Wes Anderson films were the sort of ones I would like I was very intrigued. I must say it was a perfect pick for me! I found Anderson's style of film-making very original and right up my street. I loved how the sea creatures and seascape were puppets which I think made the film even more fun. I've also been turned into a Bill Murray fan, I'd never really seen any of his films before but I'll definitely be checking out his other films! Plus I think dressing up as one of Steve's team would be such a fun costume, baby blue and a bright red hat, so high fashion! 9/10

The Sapphires
It's 1968, and four young, talented Australian Aboriginal girls learn about love, friendship and war when their all-girl group The Sapphires entertain the US troops in Vietnam.
Since I am a huge fan of Chris O'Dowd (The IT Crowd is one of my favourite programmes) and musicals, I knew I would enjoy this film. I must admit this film was a lot more emotional and heart-wrenching than I thought it would be! It was interesting to see racism towards aboriginals in Australia. I have friends and family in Australia and even they say it's not really spoken about nowadays and in some areas is still an issue! I found out that The Sapphires is actually based on a true story and the screenplay was written by a relative. 7/10

The Fantastic Mr Fox
An urban fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation.
My second foray into Wes Anderson films. I grew up reading Roald Dahl books so it was nice to see a more adult adaption of one of my beloved childhood books. Once again I found the style of the film captivating. I love the music in the film as well. I think overall it's a great adaption of a classic book that everyone will enjoy! 8/10


Julie and Julia
Julia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.
As a somewhat novice cook myself I can see the appeal of trying to cook every recipe in a certain book, whilst this wouldn't work for me since I'm so darn fussy it's an interesting idea. The film is set in two distinct times and places so it flicks between modern-day New York and 1940's France/Europe. I must admit this film inspired me to branch out more in my cooking which is always a good thing! 7/10

What To Expect When You're Expecting
A look at love through the eyes of five interconnected couples experiencing the thrills and surprises of having a baby, and ultimately coming to understand the universal truth that no matter what you plan for, life doesn't always deliver what's expected.
I've not read the book this is based on, mostly because it's a pregnancy book and I've never been pregnant! However, I think this is definitely one of those films that it doesn't really matter if you've read the book or not. It has a cast full of well known actors which I don't think adds to or draws from the plot. I enjoyed the film and would watch it again, you can drift in and out and still understand it. 6/10