Sunday Bake | Lemon Cream Gingernut Pie

Since making my Chocolate and Peanut Butter pie last week I seem to have awakened a pie-obsessive in me and have even gone out and bought a specific pie dish to continue the passion. So I hope you don't mind more pie posts in the future! For this pie in particular I combined a few different recipes as I was creating it for my sister Katie and I wanted her to love it! Lemon and Ginger is a match made in heaven, and it seriously works in this pie.

You'll need:

200g pack of Ginger Biscuits
55g Melted Butter (or more if crust isn't holding together)
1/4 Cup Sugar (57g)
2 Eggs
397g Can of Condensed Milk
2-3tbsp Lemon Zest
120ml Lemon Juice
1/2tsp Salt
250ml Double Cream
50g Icing Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Extract

Method:

Firstly set the oven to Gas Mark 4 and line a 9inch pie dish if you have one, or a cake tin like I did! You then need to blitz the biscuits in a food processor until they are rough crumbs. Add the sugar and melted butter and blitz again till it starts to come together. You then need to tip the mixture into the prepared tin and press it evenly into the base and up the sides with the back of a spoon. Then bake for 8-10 minutes.

Next you need to make the lemon filling! In a bowl whisk together the eggs, condensed milk, lemon juice, zest and salt until well incorporated. Then pour the filling into the baked pie crust and bake for 15-18 minutes until set in the center. Let it cool to room temperature, before whipping the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until it forms stiff peaks. Then spread this on top of the pie and add lemon slices for decoration if you want! You can then dive in! It does taste best after being refrigerated after a few hours though, if you can wait that long! ;)

I hope you liked this recipe! Let me know if you try it :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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Blog Loving.

Today's post is usually my Weekly Highlights but I've been having a load of trouble with my phone and haven't got many photos from this week, so I thought instead I'd share the love a bit in the blogging world by sharing some of my favourites. I often think a lot of blogs that I read don't have half the followers they deserve, so hopefully a couple of you reading this will enjoy some of these blogs and give them a follow too! :)

Firstly, is Couture Girl a blog that I'm sure the majority of you will know actually! Firstly, I love Kayleigh's photography, her pictures always look really beautiful. Her reviews are great because of this, as you can really rely on her swatches! Her lovely personality comes across so well too, and you can really tell how much time and effort she puts in to her blog.

The next blog is Holly Mixtures. Holly and I started blogging around the same time, so she's probably one of the bloggers I've followed the longest! Her posts are literally hilarious, especially her tales of her beloved Dettol Spray. She also posts great OOTD's and beauty reviews too. If you like a blogger who really lets her personality shine through, then she's definitely the blogger for you! :)

Thirdly is Faye's Fix. I only found Faye's blog in the past month or so, but I've kinda fallen in love with her! She's also a YouTuber which is where I originally found her where she posts really cute OOTD's! I love her accent, and I have major hair envy!! I also blame her for my new addiction to oversized smock dresses...

Rosalie Jayne is a blog that has a little bit of everything. I really love her way of writing, and her Sunday posts always make me want a latte. She's also a musical theatre student and as I'm a huge theatre fan I love any related posts. She has a really great Instagram to follow too, although it will make you want to go to a coffee shop!

Lastly, is Meg's Budget Boutique. Meg writes a brilliant review, and takes really great photos to accompany it. She also posts really great OOTD's, especially her recent LFW shots. She recently got a beaut new haircut that makes me seriously contemplate going for the chop too!

So there's just a few of my favourite blogs to read! I hope its given even a few of you some new blogs to follow! :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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Thoughts on Blogosphere Magazine

Us bloggers have created our own little community on the internet. We blog, share photos, tweet, youtube...the list goes on. But we have nothing tangible to our name. This is where Blogosphere comes in. A printed magazine about bloggers for bloggers. It's taken me a little while to jump on the bandwagon as the first magazine was actually launched back in October, but I'm so glad I have the magazines now.

Each magazine has contributions from bloggers across all genres showcasing their favourite blogs. Its a brilliant way to find new reads and learn a little more about the authors. They also add general blogging tips from 'agony aunt' Ellie of Xomisse. There is also a feature interview with a well-known blogger who also graces the front page of the magazine.

First up was Estée of Essie Button, second Sasha of Liberty London Girl and the recently published third issue featured Fleur of Fleur De Force (which is on my to-buy list!). Essie Button is one of my favourite bloggers and I really loved getting to know her more in the interview.

The whole magazine is really well thought out, with  interesting content all the way through. The magazine feels like amazing quality too, so I was shocked that it was only £4. It's SO worth your money especially if you're a blogger yourself or just want to find some new blogs to read.

I'm definitely subscribing :).

Aimée
Xxxx

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Tag | The Blogger Made Me Buy It!

Firstly, I just wanted to say thank you SO much for following my blog. I reached 200 followers yesterday which is just crazy! I had a really rubbish morning yesterday and getting the 200 follower mark email from Bloglovin' really turned it around! So thank you for sticking with me, whether you're old or new!

Today I really felt in the mood for a tag post, and the Blogger Made Me Buy It seemed like one alll of us can relate too! I haven't seen it around many blogs either so I thought it might make a slightly more interesting read. So, on with the questions!

1. Who are your most influential bloggers? Who are the ones that you really rely on for reviews and swatches?

I actually follow a crazy amount of blogs and I do pop by them all for reviews and swatches. But, if I had to choose I do really love Vivianna Does Makeup's photography when she's reviewing a product and I really trust her opinion. So she is probably the most influential to me, although I do love reviews from EssieButton and Lily Melrose (ETC LLYMLRS) too. 

2. Do you buy a product solely as a result from one review from your favourite bloggers, or do you look for more reviews from others?

I definitely scout out a few opinions on products before purchasing just because I find it interesting reading other peoples perspectives. Although, if I want a product I'm probably gonna buy it no matter how many/little reviews I've seen! 

3. What is your most favourite item that you have ever bought as a consequence of blogs? 

I think this definitely has to be the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle. I first heard about this from Louise of Sprinkle of Glitter world in one of her videos, and fell in love with it. She seriously sold it and it looked so gorgeous on her, I just knew I had to have it! I've not been disappointed either, as its still a staple in my makeup bag over a year on!

4. What is your least favourite item that you have ever bought as a consequence of blogs?

I think this has to be the L'Oréal Glam Shine Stain Splash glosses that were really hyped up. I saw so many bloggers saying that they were a dupe of the YSL Glossy Stain's which I'd coveted for a while. I bought three shades, and to be honest? I hated them all. I found them so uncomfortable on the lips and they just didn't suit me at all. Luckily they were on offer at the time I bought them so I didn't waste too much money! 

5. Name 5 products you have bought recently as a result of blogs

I haven't really been buying much recently to be honest, so this is tricky! I did buy a few items recently from the new Tanya Burr range after seeing some really good blog reviews. A while ago I bought the Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturiser after reading a really good review on Couture Girl but that's about it I think!

6. Have you ever given into blogger hype? If so, which hype? 

Haven't we all? I resisted for so long on the Maybelline Babylips front as I felt it was just simply a glorified lip balm. Which essentially it still is! But jeeez is it moisturising!! I have the Intense balm as I'm just not a fan of a tinted lip balm and I love it. 

7. Have you ever avoided blogger hype? If so, which type?

The limited edition NARS Guy Bourdin One Night Stand palette was all over the blogosphere and I avoided successfully! I do think it looks a lovely palette, but I'm just not willing to flash that much cash on it to be honest. I do love blushers, but as I already have quite a few in my collection I couldn't really justify adding it. 

8. Is everything you buy based on blogger reviews or are there some items you buy without checking out a review?

Now that I've found the world of blogs I do read a lot of reviews before splurging on a more pricey product, just so I don't waste my money! But for the more affordable products in my collection I don't necessarily find a review. Especially as most of my high street purchases are more impulse based, and less researched than higher end products. 

So there we have it! I hope you enjoyed this tag, let me know if you do or have done this tag as I'd love to read it! :) 

Aimée

Xxxx

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Sunday Bake | Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pie

Pie. What a wondrous thing. This was my first dabble into the world of American cream pies and oh myy was it a good one. Yes its slightly rough round the edges, but did it taste good? Damn right it did! I made the pie for Craig after he not so subtly mentioned how much he reallllly wanted a pie that evening. I'm not gonna lie though, I'll go with any excuse if it means baking! Especially a new recipe.

I used a recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery book Cake Days, with a few alterations. It was so easy to make, and although it took a while to set in the fridge the actual assembly time was minimal! You will need a hand-held whisk though, unless you want to kill your arm!

 Ingredients:

250g Double-Chocolate Digestives (or any other double-choc biscuit you can find)
50g Unsalted Butter
3 tbsp Cornflour
160g Caster Sugar
550ml Whole Milk
3 Large Egg Yolks
180g Smooth Peanut Butter
80g Dark Chocolate
500ml Double Cream
50g Icing Sugar

Method:

1. Firstly, line a 22cm/9in spring-form cake tin with baking paper so it'll be easier for you to turn out. Then blitz the biscuits in a food processor until they are rough crumbs. Melt the butter and add this to the biscuits, then blitz again until both ingredients have come together in a rough paste. Tip the mixture into the lined tin, and press evenly over the base and up the sides using the back of a spoon. You want to try and get this as even as possible, but it is quite tricky to know whether its even. Once you're happy with it, chill it in the fridge for around 40 minutes.

2. Next you need to make the filling. Mix the cornflour and sugar in a saucepan, then mix together the milk and egg yolks and pour this into the pan. Cook over a low heat, whisking continuously until thickened. It won't seem to be doing anything for a while and then it will suddenly thicken, so stick with it! Once thickened remove it from the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour over about a third of the hot peanut butter filling, mixing well until the chocolate has melted and the filling is smooth and even. Pour the chocolate filling into the chilled biscuit base and cover with cling film to stop a skin forming. Then place back in the fridge for 30-40 minutes to set. Also cover the remaining peanut butter filling with clingfilm and set aside to cool to room temperature.

3. In another bowl, whip 250ml of the double cream using a hand-held whisk until it is thick and forms soft peaks. Fold this into the completely cooled peanut butter filling, ensuring it is mixed in well. Remove the pie from the fridge and top with the filling, then place it again back in the fridge for 40-50 minutes.

4. The final stage is to whip the remaining 250ml cream with the icing sugar until it forms almost stiff peaks and spoon onto the set pie filling. I then grated chocolate over the top just for added decoration.

Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery 'Cake Days'.

It's a really great dessert to whip up for a dinner party, and can be made well in advance! Just keep it in the fridge until you need it. I hope you liked this recipe and it's inspired you to make a pie. :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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Weekly Highlights. #14

L-R: Weekday Selfie, Trying out Tanya Burr Little Duck polish, First read of Blogosphere magazine, Lemon Cream Gingernut Pie, IKEA trip, IKEA decor inspiration, Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pie, Selfridges Display, Modern Family loving. 

This week has been a good'un for me. Quite a few new and exciting things happened, paired with a new affinity for making american style pie and a trip to Ikea! I also met up with some old uni friends and put the world to rights over a G&T. Bliss.

Here's my three highlights:

1. IKEA trips have always been something I got far too excited by, and this weeks trip with Craig was even more exciting than usual as this time it was for OUR FLAT. I have briefly mentioned before that in the coming months I will eventually be moving in with Craig and two of our friends which is superrr exciting! We had the exciting task of buying a duvet together which was actually rather stressful what with the Tog system! But strolling round IKEA planning our room decor most definitely made up for it. :) 

2. American pie, (food not the film!) is not really something I've dabbled in before but this week I've ended up making two! Both super easy and super tasty!! I love it when a new bake turns out well, its such a good feeling. The first pie was a Chocolate and Peanut Butter combo (recipe up tomorrow!) and the second a Lemon Cream Gingernut. Yum yum yum.

3. Finally, me and Craig met up with our old Uni friends Grace and Phil this week while they were down in London. I don't think I'd seen them in about a year so it was really lovely to see them and have a good old catch up. Reminiscing about Uni life is one of my favourite pastimes too, so it was lovely to chat about it with them.

I hope you've all had a wonderful week! :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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Spotlight On: Bourjois

As a new feature on Dress It Up, I thought I'd place the spotlight on a different brand every few weeks, be it high street or high end and talk about my three favourite products from the range. To kick the feature off I decided to focus on Bourjois, a firm favourite in my make-up bag.

I've dabbled in products across the board at the Bourjois stand and have found favourites in every section. I eventually picked the cream of the crop, starting off with my holy grail status foundation the Healthy Mix.

This foundation has been a constant fixture in my routine for many months now with numerous repurchases throughout. I love the dewy healthy glow it gives, and the medium coverage is perfect for me. It works so well with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush to really give you a flawless finish. Its quite light in texture allowing your skin to breathe, and doesn't sit heavy on your skin at all. If you're looking for a new foundation to give you a really healthy glow, I'd definitely give this a try!

Piles of cotton pads and pungent nail varnish remover bottles are a distant memory thanks to this wonder! Bourjois have created a 'magic' pot where nail varnish vanishes in seconds. I can't say its gone in one second, like it says on the pot, (especially if its glitter polish!) but a few twists of your finger and 5 seconds down you are polish free! It really has changed my life, no joke!

Finally, the Délice de Soleil Bronzing Powder takes the stage. Firstly, I love the design of this compact with the swivel mirror and tiny brush inside. It's perfect for travelling with and is super slim to fit in your handbag too. Likewise with Bourjois' other bronzing powder this also smells deliciously of chocolate. The powder gives you a really nice bronzed look and works as a really nice sheer contour without giving you a 'muddy' look.

So there we have it! I hope you like this new feature and it gave you a little insight into a few Bourjois products. :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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