190. Loving Lately...

Here's a quick rundown of what has been making me happy recently, from food to make-up, books to films!
What's floating my boat?

Reading: I've been getting stuck in to A Force To Be Reckoned With: A History of the Women's Institute by Jane Robinson for a couple of weeks now, and I'm really enjoying it. The WI has always intrigued me - not only do they love tea and cake, but they have done so much incredible work over the years and it's so interesting to learn about. I'm expecting to finish this book this week, so I'll post a review - see if it sounds like your kind of thing!

Watching: I've been really getting back into my TV lately, as a result of poor nights' sleep and, therefore, spending the rest of my days off on the sofa! I'm re-watching Peep Show from the beginning, I'm really enjoying ITV's new drama Home Fires which is about the WI (do you see a theme going on here?!) and, as recommended by my sister, Jane the Virgin which is a new comedy on E4. Film-wise, I watched Kingsman yesterday with S and it was brilliant - funny and action-packed!

Eating and Drinking: It would be a lot faster simply to list what I haven't been eating recently, as I've been hungry 24/7! I've been trying to incorporate more fruit into my diet in the form of smoothies, and I'll be sharing some recipes over the weekend. I've not had much energy to prepare any fancy meals, but S and I had a tasty Mexican inspired cottage pie last week, which I blogged about here. 

Beauty: I finished my Snow Fairy shower gel this week and I miss the smell of it already! I wish I had stocked up whilst it was still available... I'll just have to wait until next Christmas and then hit Lush! I've really been loving a new lipstick that I picked up in Superdrug recently - it's L'Oreal Paris Color Riche in the shade 'Julianne's Nude'. It's a gorgeous, subtle dusty rose colour and its perfect for pale girls like me who want to add a pop of colour without overdoing it.

What have you been loving lately?

161. The Mud Crab, Sheffield

Hello lovelies.

On Monday, I headed down to Sheffield with my family to visit my sister, Fi, who is studying at university down there. I mentioned in my previous post that I baked some delicious carrot cake cupcakes as part of my sisters present, so you can find that recipe here. 

Whilst we were in Sheffield we, of course, had to get some food. Nowadays I can't go anywhere without having to stop for a bite to eat, and Fi had picked up out a restaurant for us to try. Mud Crab, situated on Ecclesall Road, is a modern, casual, American style restaurant.

The interior is great, with booths, large tables and comfy, retro seats, and plenty of quirky decoration such as a rusty, old bike propped up outside the entrance, which caught my brothers eye.

The menu is substantial without being overwhelming and there are a range of meat and fish dishes, pizzas and burgers, as well as starters, sharing platters, sides, desserts and even breakfasts (the pancakes sounded delicious!)

I opted for the Pulled Pork Potato Skin Sliders (£4.50) as my starter and I wasn't disappointed. About ten minutes after ordering, I received a generous portion, piled high with tender pulled pork and barbecue sauce. The flavours were absolutely spot on and the size was perfect for a starter. My two sisters went for the Seasonal Soup from the Two Course Lunch (a special offer, giving you two courses for just £11.95!) and said it was really tasty. My brother chose the Paprika Fried Calamari (£6) which came served with hot sauce and looked incredible, whilst Dad went for the classic Special Fried Chicken (£6) with barbecue dip. 

Whilst my two sisters chose from the Two Course Lunch menu, I settled on the Devil Chicken Breast Bun which was a mammoth burger of chicken breast, pickled watermelon salad, chipotle mayo, hot sauce and a giant portion of fries. The fries, first of all, were gorgeous and tasted just like one of my guilty pleasures: McDonald's fries. The chicken was tender and well seasoned and the sauces and salad complimented each other perfectly. My sisters went for a gorgeous (but small portion of) Chorizo, Spring Onion & Saffron Risotto and one of Mud Crab's signature UFO Pizza's, respectively. My dad chose the 2nd Best Cheeseburger whilst my brother opted for the most expensive item on the menu, the Grilled with Love BBQ Tray which looked epic. 

Being the little piggies that we are, we all chose a third course too. My brother and dad chose coffees whilst us girls were tempted by the small, but ample, dessert menu. Although my youngest sister initially picked Fresh Churros, they had none left (you should have seen her face) so she was recommended their most popular dessert, 'Snickers' Mess (£6 - brownie, ice cream, meringue, chocolate sauce and Snickers). I liked the sound of Baked Alaska (£5.50) so chose to try that for the first time, whilst my other sister picked the Bourbon Sticky Toffee Pudding (£5.50) which they served with ice cream instead of clotted cream, at her request.

I thoroughly enjoyed all three courses of my meal, and the service from our waiter was spot on too. He was friendly without being overbearing, food and drinks were served quickly and politely and the atmosphere of the whole restaurant was great. We stayed for a good two hours, enjoying our food and the opportunity to all catch up together (it's amazing how rarely families catch up once the kids are that little bit older). 

As Mud Crab offer 20% student discount (on food), our whole bill came to around £95 which, at just under £20 per person, is - in my opinion - a great deal for there courses and a drink each. 

If you're ever in Sheffield, check Mud Crab out - you won't regret it. 

156. Zapatista Burrito Bar

Hello lovelies.

On Monday, S and I ventured into Newcastle for an appointment at the hospital, and decided we'd treat ourselves afterwards. A month or so ago, we had passed Zapatista Burrito Bar, on Grainger Street, on our way to the train station and, after checking out the mouth-watering Mexican menu. vowed to return soon to try it out for size. And that's exactly what we did.

Situated just a couple of minutes from both the centre of town and the train station, Zapatista is in the perfect location for both people visiting Newcastle for the day, or people nipping out for a quick and tasty bite to eat on their lunch break.

The interior of Zapatista is also an awesome touch. It's modern, stylish and cool. The tables are high, with colourful bar stools to perch on, and the upstairs seating area has an almost communal feel to it which I think is great as it means they can cater for larger groups, as well as creating a relaxed, casual atmosphere even if you're just there by yourself or as a couple, amongst other groups and couples. 

We arrived at around 12:30pm and, although there were a few tables taken up, it didn't take long to get served. We made our way to the counter where we could see all the delicious, fresh fillings in front of us, and checked out the menu before deciding what to order. I went for the shredded chilli beef burrito, with rice, mild (Pinto) beans, hot (tomato, chipotle and chilli) salsa and a touch of lettuce and cheese. 

The burritos are made right in front of your eyes by friendly, helpful staff who were more than happy to answer our questions and were very patient as we spent quite a while deciding what to go for! S also went for the shredded chilli beef burrito but with spicy (Black Turtle) beans and one of the milder salsas instead. 

We opted for large 7Up's to go with our burritos as we, quite rightly, anticipated they might be a little spicy! Thankfully, we both love spicy food (I've been known to add coriander or chillies to almost every savoury dish I prepare) and we managed to work (believe me, these burritos are big!) through our meal within about 15 or 20 minutes and we were still able to walk, despite being full to burst! 

Our entire meal cost just £12.60 for the two burritos and two large drinks. If burritos aren't really your cup of tea, Zapatista offer a range of dishes from fajitas to tacos to chilli and rice. They even have churros which according to New Girl in Toon are delicious. We will definitely be trying them out next time!

152. Toad in the Hole Recipe

Hello lovelies.

If the weather is anything like it is here where you are then you'll be in the mood for comfort food. Wind, rain, snow and hail can dampen even the most optimistic of peoples' spirits and after a long, miserable January day back at work I'm always hankering for something easy, warm and filling for my dinner. 

To me, Toad in the Hole is a classic. My whole family always had smiles on their faces when we heard that we were having it for tea; who doesn't love sausages? And Yorkshire pudding? Together? Oh wow. And since moving in with S, we've enjoyed this delicious meal a few times, so I thought I'd share my recipe (which is a mixture of several that I've tried and tested) for anyone else out there who loves it - or who has never tried it before!

Ingredients (serves 3 people, or 2 with MASSIVE appetites)

6 sausages of your choice

125g plain flour

2 eggs 

125ml milk

125ml water

Mustard

Salt & pepper

Oil (I prefer to use FryLight as there is so much fat in sausages already)

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees/gas mark 8

Oil a large, deep baking tray and place your sausages in, evenly spaced

Cook the sausages for around 15 minutes or until golden

Whilst cooking the sausages, mix together the rest of your ingredients in a bowl

Add a teaspoon (or two, depending on how spicy you like your food) of mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste

Once the sausages have turned golden, remove the tray from the oven and pour the batter mix in

(It should sizzle as you pour it in, just like it would with a Yorkshire pud)

Return the baking tray to the oven and cook for a further 20-30 minutes or until golden and risen

Serve with whatever you like! We always go for a mountain of veggies and either some mash or roasties and, of course, lashings of gravy!