All Work and No Play...

Well that hiatus from blogging turned out to be for longer than I expected.

Those of you who follow me on social media, or indeed know me in the real world will be aware of the crazy hours I have been keeping in the office. Something had to give for a little while.

I'm still putting in some crazy hours but I am planning on being a bit more proactive and getting some bits and bats written up and shared with you guys.

There were a few plans I was mulling over for November, starting with attempting to write a novella in a month. I can safely say, that isn't going to happen. I truly do need to get on top of the housework, but somehow after a long week in the office a Saturday spent cleaning isn't doing it for me right now.

I've been wanting to make rock buns for such a long time, and again it has just not happened yet. I get sat on my sofa and sucked into my crochet.

Some books from amazing authors have landed on my desk this month and there are the festive novels that I love so much also vying for my attention. Always best read with a hot chocolate or gingerbread latte in the other hand. My Kindle is filling up with Christmas-themed novellas and novels too.

Hands up if you are aware of an app that squeezes an extra hour or two into the day, or even the mythical day b'twixt that nestles between Saturday and Sunday.

Lindt Cookies & Cream Bar

I was wondering around my local Tesco store and noticed a large presentation unit of swish looking chocolatey goodness. 

Obviously my eye was turned. And I picked out these two flavours. Cookies and Cream and Salted Caramel. 

I don't always get along with Lindt truffles. The red ball one is high on my don't eat that list. The texture however is right up there. 

With strong coffee I sat down with the Cookies & Cream bar. It's indentations led to a clean 'snap' which revealed a soft centre. Almost like a Kinder bar on a giant scale. 

The texture again is very much like that Kinder bar, with and added dark chocolate crispy crunch. 

The outside layer of milk chocolate is thick enough to stand up against the crispy cream centre, however it seemed overly sweet, almost artificially so. It is not a bar that I feel should or could be eaten in one go. 

Mouth feel was ooh, followed by an almost claggy experience. I am glad I had a nice hot coffee to clear my palette. 

What I've Been Eating: Chicken & Chorizo Sandwich

Picture the scene...

You wake up late, the loaf of bread that you programmed the bread maker hasn't finished (yes my programming and maths both suck) so you have nothing for lunch. Before you run out of the door for that shift in the office you remember that you have some of Taste Inc.'s pre-made goodies in the fridge.

I'll hold my hands up and say that they are not items on my usual shopping list. But on day's like today they are a godsend, and when you only get a 30 minute break for lunch - speedy too. Handy when you have one microwave between 50+ people in a shared kitchen.

I wasn't expecting much from the sandwich to be honest. Chicken and Chorizo is a crisp baguette ticked all the boxes for me on a taste point, 380 calories didn't make too bigger dent in my daily allowance either.

The product:



The taste:

Not bad. The chicken wasn't the best quality, but then I've had worse cooked for me in restaurants, there was a bit of something tendony. The chorizo was like a bacon rasher... that I liked. Not too spicy but enough kick to beat it's way through the thick, creamy mayonnaise that was in the packet. The bread wasn't crispy though. It wasn't bad either, as a person with an aversion to overly crispy food the texture, if a bit wooly, worked for me. It could have done to be a little less sweet. The baguette reminded me of Bimbo bread I've eaten in Spain.



The preparing:



A time consuming 45 seconds per side!! Swift fast food.

What did I think?:



I am really surprised to say I really enjoyed this product and at roughly £1.99 (current price at Morrisons) I will probably buy this again as a standby meal, for those 'oh crap' days or when I'm in double shift mode at the office.

They do have a fairly short shelf/fridge life but surely that is a good thing.

When I first heard about the snacks, and the majority being under 500 calories I immediately wondered if they would be suitable for fast days on 5:2. Sadly, although they look good on paper for this this particular sandwich isn't. The satiation from it isn't great, and it almost begs for something to be eaten on the side (steaming chunky chips do come to mind).

Overall:

Not bad, but not great either. My mind has been blown by the idea of chorizo bacon though.

May your day Glitter & Sparkle.


*This is a sponsored post. All my views are impartial.

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.

Seasonal Flavours: Harper's Bizarre

Late last October I found myself wandering around a local craft fair in my home town. The scent as I walked in was amazing. After a leisurely meander, stopping by the Pampered Chef stall, a cupcake counter and some fabulous cross stitching I found out where the scrumptious smells were coming from.

I adore scented candles. But I find most of them disappointing. Never quite living up to the promise of their label or their initial sniff test. I am a huge fan of sweet caramel tones at the moment. Probably a comfort thing as both my mum and gran were bakers, at home and at work.

Made with natural soya wax Victoria, the lovely lady behind Harper's Bizarre, mixes each batch [of candles by hand. If you visit her stall you can also find limited editions that don't make it onto the website.

I'm currently burning Peanut Brittle, and have been since October - giving it a miss in December for a more cinnamon-based candle,  which is an incredibly cozy candle. I am lusting after so many others. On my long list are Cherries Jubilee,  Birthday Cake, Fruit Fairy, Spicy & Homey, Sweet & Musky, Sweet Pea and Cherry Pie. Those would last me a very long time indeed, and new ranges are brought out regularly. Recent additions have been Licorice Alsorts and Parma Violets.

If you are in the East Riding of Yorkshire you can find these vegan beauties at the UpMarket popup shop at Hull's Prospect Centre every Saturday 9-5pm and on the 1st Sunday of the month at Humber Bridge Farmers Market 9-1pm.

Her range is also available online at http://harpersbizarre.org.uk

At £8 per candle, or 3 for £20, each candle has an approximate burn time of 25 hours. Victoria has a fantastic nose and has even perfected a candle which smells like an authentic Jaffa Cake, which even now I still covet.

This is a great product which stays true to it's scent and lasts for ages, with a nice even burn and makes a wonderful gift for that someone special.

Seasonal Flavours: Kellogg's Special K Multi-Grain Porridge: Almond and Honey flavour

I was wandering around my local Asda the other day and happened upon this little pot.

At 50p I thought why not give it a go. Breakfast in the Princess Kitchen is often a hurried and stressful affair, so I tend to wait until the boys have got to school before I have mine. With a well deserved coffee.

How do you make it?: Boil the kettle, pour onto the line, stir, replace the plastic lid and leave for 3 minutes. Eat! Nice and stress free.

What does the packet say?: Not a lot to be honest. It has a mix of Whole Oats, Whole Rye and Barley, 7 vitamins and iron (I naturally need lots of iron or a get really poorly) and tasty in 3 minutes.

What I say: It looks good, when you decant it from the pot, and is in no way the same size portion that you would make for yourself if you made your own porridge. Which lets be fair isn't a tricky thing to do.

It's very sweet, overly so for my taste buds. I needed to add a reservoir of milk on top to detract away from that sweetness. The almond nibs were a great addition. With this being a multi-grain product the texture was amazing. I'm not one for a solid mass of smoothness. I need to chew. this for an instant product delivered that texture in just 3 minutes.

However, for what it is an on offer for 50p I would stock up. Not so sure I would pay full price for it.