What I Ate Wednesday

Today I had a working breakfast. Coffee, a pecan and fudge muffin and processing Avon orders. 

Lunch was one of the new Covent Garden Skinny Soups. This one was Goan Spiced Chicken Soup with Lentils. Lush. 

I had a bit of a snacky day too, so carrots and houmous came to the rescue. 

Hubby made tea, so it was a Tomato and Spicy Pepperoni pasta bake. 

Then while I was watching Archer Vice I munched on this Graze punnet. 

I think it was Dark Rocky Road. 

Seasonal Flavours: Starbuck's Hazelnut Macchiato

Those lovely people at Starbucks just keep making my favourite drinks even better.

This time they have turned their attentions to the Latte Macchiato. Evolving from the much adored caramel macchiato to the 'new' hazelnut macchiato.

I like mine with the Columbia nariño espresso as a base. Dark and rich, almost like dark chocolate when you mix in the hazelnut syrup. Evoking memories of the Black Magic chocolates Mum used to buy at Christmas. Mmm

Is there any wonder I love this drink.  It doesn't' even need the caramel drizzle that finished off the presentation.

Relaxing and Maxing

After this week I took the opportunity today to clean the house from top to bottom.

After lunch I took to the kitchen, making Jim Beam chocolate brownies, bourbon chicken wings and crabby pancakes for a night in with friends.Oh my those brownies were good!

Normally after a spate of cleaning I like to relax by reading.

It is quite simply my most favourite thing. I'm lucky, as my job is basically reading, and on occasions writing about what I've read. My hobbies are reading and writing on here. I also love photography, but time is key with that one.

If I'm at a loose end with the internet near by I like to slip into @pinterest the things in there either relax me, inspire me to try new things or give me ideas of what I can do and how I can improve my lifestyle. I love that place. So much stuff in one location. It's mind boggling and much cleaner than snipping bits out of magazines.

I'm starting to enjoy looking at beautiful gardens and hope this means I may embrace gardening as a fun activity, what with the size and state of mine it needs a lot of hard work and inspiration!

December Favourites

Here are a few of my favourite things from December.

There is no theme, just items I've adored through the month. There is also no order to my list.

Starbucks Eggnog Latte in a festive red cup. Far and away my favourite Christmas drink from Starbucks, followed by the Chocolate Orange Mocha - which with the whipped cream is like a meal on its own.

Fushia Fever lipstick by Avon. This is a product not currently on sale in the brochures, I got it during the Summer however it wasn't quite right. Once Winter kicked in it's mosturising nature cut out the need for extra lip balm application.

Penguin earmuffs. I found these on a stall in York when I had the most horrendous ear ache. I pretty much wore them constantly inside and outside for two weeks. So comfy.

My Far and Away Exotic perfume. It is a great blend using Morrocan inspired spices. If you have smelt the original scent this is much less talcy, with notes of cinnamon, cardamom,  cloves and anise. Perfect for winter and Christmas. I wore this everyday in December. It lasted all day without feeling the need to use a spritz to refresh.

Ho Ho Ho glass. This thing is amazing. Perfect for soft drinks and wine alike. Loved it! Now to find a safe place for it until next year.

Seasonal Flavours: Nescafe Latte Gingerbread

I happened upon this drink one day whilst I was in the office. One of my favourite drinks from Starbucks (yes I said it, I'm a Starbucks person not a Costa one - they need a bit more coffee in their coffee for me) is the gingerbread latte. So much so I have a bottle of the syrup in my kitchen cupboards. This looked to be the perfect addition to my festive treats in the run up to Christmas, and to put a cherry on the top it didn't hurt that Co-Op had them on offer at £2 per box of 8 sachets. 

As far as the instant latte drinks go, this is a good one. A nice amount of coffee taste and a well balanced warmth from the gingerbread flavouring. Be careful if you have a larger than average mug though, if you add over the desired 200ml of hot water it quickly becomes a bit insipid and bland (if you think about it an average cup measurement is 250ml).

But still I have found myself replenishing my supply for at home while I'm on Christmas break from the office. Even the husband has found himself dipping in. That in itself is praise indeed!

So if you see these beauties on the shelf, go ahead and pick them up (and possibly a wintery book to read as you settle in to drink it).