10 Favourites // Jan & Feb Edition(!)

Leaping lizards! I forgot to write a 5 Favourites January edition *slap my wrist.* Sincerest apologies from me to you. To say sorry properly I have squashed Jan & Feb into one and written a 10 Favourites Edition!


1. My blog dates with Rebecca from Peppermint Dolly are fast becoming the highlights of my week. We meet at our favourite Holborn haunts, munch away at delicious dishes whilst we natter about her upcoming wedding, us both wanting a pooch, Himself & William's antics, blog tips or just giggle at R's Freudian slips (which occur often)...and I quote, 'You know that dog off the Durex advert?'…'Nope...do you mean the Dulux advert?' *forehead smack*. We have a much needed giggle and put the world to rights and, quite frankly, it brightens my day.


2. Discovering smoked haddock. Holy guacamole, it has changed my life. I want it breakfast lunch and dinner. Delish!


3. Grace Dent's restaurant reviews in the Evening Standard Magazine. Just hilarious. If I have a 5 min tube journey I always read her article first. She is always brutally honest and full of humorous quips about her latest London dining experiences. Some of the places she reviews make my tummy hurt just to hear about them, but I think her writing is bloody brilliant.


4. Mango, just all of the clothes in Mango. Until 2 weeks ago I'd only really been into Mango a handful of times in my life. Oh how the tables have turned!! Mango obsessive sat right here.


5. My birthday! Turning 24 years young surrounded by the people I love most in the world, Sunday roast at home, llama spotting - yes you heard correctly- llama spotting and local pub grub & cider in sunny Somerset :)


6. My Betty's goodies from William's mum. I don't think I've ever been so excited by something as I was when I opened my birthday treats and found my very own Betty's bag (which hasn't left my shoulder) and a Betty's afternoon tea voucher! <3 Can. Not. Wait. Get me back to York STAT.


7. T25 has been my 2015 post new year exercise life line. As soon as January hit, I quit the gym and got cracking with Sean T's T25. It's so rare for me to find workouts which I actually enjoy but safe to say- I'm addicted. And they're only 25 mins long so I have zero excuses!


8. Home spa nights -which were meant as a treat but seem to be happening quite often(!) After I've finished teaching for the evening, my favourite thing to do is paint my nails. This has drastically evolved recently into - paint my nails, get in a bubbly bath, put on face mask, pester William until he gives me a shoulder rub, make a big mug of hot choccie and Bridget is already in the DVD player waiting. Full instructions to my perfect home spa pamper night found here.


9.  Lazy pancake mornings with William. It's ironic because he's a pancake obsessive, yet we missed pancake day. BUT never fear, we have just this month perfected our weekend-fat-pancake mix. Hoorah! Massive girlfriend points. Recipe coming soon.


10. This video (top post)


For last month's 5 Favourite's Edition have a little mooch over here

What have been your favourite things this month?

Betty x

Ps. I couldn't resist throwing in some snaps of Scout because he is just TOO MUCH! Look at him getting his bifidus actiregularis (it was an empty pot yet he insisted on licking it for a good 3 minutes) He's always my fave thing.

13 Naughty Valentines Recipes

Valentine's day is very much like Marmite. Whilst some prefer to tuck into a tub of Ben and Jezzers and ignore the pink, fluffy, Hallmark holiday all together, others bask in its romantic, balloon filled, teddy bear giving, chocolatey sweetness and decide to make a treasure hunt for their boyfriend ending with themselves jumping out of a cardboard box in the buff. (I'm actually going to do that but without the naked ending(!)…don't tell William shh)

Are you a lover or a hater?

Well…I guess you're not a hater if you're reading this lovey dovey filled post! So WELCOME ALL YOU LOVERS ! Or as we say where I'm from in Somerset - 'mee luvveerrrrrrrs'

I've been keeping a beady eye on all you little minxes who have been baking up a storm in preparation for the big day, so thought I'd share 13 of my favourite naughty-but-nice recipes on my fave blogs to help with some bake-spiration. Val-spiration?

^ABOVE^

TWO PEAS AND THEIR POD

RED VELVET CRINKLE COOKIES

BUSY MOMMY

VALENTINES DAY MINTS

LOVE AND LEMONS

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKES

BAKE AT 350

DOUBLE DECKER STRIPEY VALENTINES COOKIES

THE KITCHN

RASPBERRY PANCAKES

LOCAL MILK

ROSE MERINGUES

 LOVE FROM THE OVEN

PINK VELVET CAKE POPS

TARTLETTE

HEART MACARONS

COCO & KELLEY

VALENTINE'S DAY COCKTAIL

DINNER A LOVE STORY

SWEETHEART PIZZAS

MINIMALIST BAKER

EASY VEGAN TRUFFLES

 SALLY'S BAKING ADDICTION

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BLOSSOM COOKIES

GIMME SOME OVEN
EASY PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE HEARTS

THE BETTY STAMP

*NAUGHTY* TERRYS CHOC ORANGE CUPCAKES

*These cupcakes have been tried and tested. Guaranteed snog!*

Have the most love-filled Valentine's Days everyone. Even if the only men in your life are Ben & Jerry, your dad and your dog Jeff.

Enjoy these naughty recipes <3

How are you spending your Valentine's? Me and Will-i-am are heading to The Fentiman Arms in Oval for dinner and I'm making him a treasure hunt around my flat with clues in the form of Limericks to find little hidden prezzies :) Wow I'm so lame, I just heard that out loud.

Betty x


please note these are not my recipes or photos (apart from the Terry's cupcakes…ironically :) #theyrenotTerrystheyremine), all links to each lovely blog & recipe are below each pic!

*Naughty* Terry's Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Now I don't mean to get all your feathers in a fluff...but these are quite possibly the best cupcakes in the entire world. That's right - the entire world. And quite possibly the universe also. (Unless you don't like Terry's chocolate orange…in which case, I don't think we can be friends. Or in the very least you'd have some serious explaining to do)!

I could very easily have bathed in a tub full of the icing alone. Chocolate orange butter cream icing…holy guacamole, just thinking about it makes me want to dive head first into the cake tin and devour the entire buttery batch. Oh wait I already did that. Not really, I gave one to William. Just one.

Whatever you do …don't think of the calories. Just grab the biggest spoon you can find, dollop on generous helpings of the icing and devour, one blissful bite at a time.

*Guaranteed Valentines kiss if you give this to someone you have your eye on. Cheeky.*

Makes 12 cupcakes

What you'll need //

200g caster sugar
140g self raising flour
40g cocoa powder
2 tbsp oil
1 egg
175 milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

50g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
1 tbsp water
110g icing sugar
2 bars of Terry's- approx 10 segments!

x1 12 hole cupcake tray and cupcake cases


What to do//

Preheat oven at 190 degrees C (fan) / 375 F and put your cupcake cases into your cupcake tray.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl along with the sugar and cocoa powder and stir together.

Beat the egg in a measuring jug and add the milk, oil and vanilla.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until the flour has just disappeared and it looks all shiny. mmm have a little taste just to check…

*at this point if you want to add some chunks of Terry's to the mixture please do so!*

Evenly spoon the mixture into your cupcake cases (about half full). My silicone cased ones didn't actually rise all that much so I'd recommend paper cases for these beauties.

Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes and leave to cool on a wire rack.

*Do not miss this cooling step you greedy little minxes otherwise your frosting will melt all over your cakes. I know it's tempting*

{Nom nom nom in my tum}

For the frosting - Oooo gosh I'm excited for you. I dare you not to eat any whilst you're making it. It's physically impossible I tell you. That, or I just have no restraint.

Place the butter, caster sugar and water into a saucepan over a low heat stirring continuously until it is all melted. Pour into a mixing bowl and sift in the icing sugar. Stir until smooth. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Whilst everything is cooling, roughly chop your Terry's choccie. I wanted chocolatey chunks in my icing so I waited for my icing to cool before mixing it in. If you want the choccy all melted into your icing then stir it in whilst it's warm. mmm.

Now, my cupcake-to-frosting ratio was a little generous towards the frosting side of things. But that made me happier than happy and William definitely wasn't complaining. I can only describe his face as Cheshire-cat-like as he chomped away with icing all over his lips.

I shared mine because I'm a good girl, but I certainly would not judge if you decided to keep them all to yourself to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner - I was definitely tempted! Prepare to be bouncing off the walls though if this is the case!

Now what are you waiting for, go get baking! Go go go!

Betty x

Ps. Are we friends on Instagram? Pop over and say hi!