It could be perfect, but you playin'...

 Hi everyone, how are you all? It feels like high time I update you with another fashion and food filled post. Get ready to be made hungry again, I apologise in advance guys!
So this weekend was certainly interesting. I will not say that interesting means that it was all good either, because that would not be an accurate representation. Anyway, as usual this blog is meant to be fun and lighthearted so let's look at the good side of things over the past few days. Sunday was the highlight of my weekend and I couldn't resist having a quick look around Liverpool One. I popped into my beloved Primark and before I knew it I had spotted a chic navy wool hat in their Limited Edition range. I have a real things for these floppy wool hats at the moment as you all know. This one ticked all the boxes because it is navy rather than black (I know, a daring departure for me!) and it has a faux diamond brooch on it which is a nice detail.
The outfit pictures below are not the best quality, because the daylight was fading fast by the time they were taken. Anyway, you can see that I was pretty lazy, throwing on jeans and my favourite new faux fur again. I added the hat later, you know that feeling when you get out of the shop and you can't wait to put on your new purchase? Well, this was one of those occasions! I also wore a pair of Primark sunglasses for most of the afternoon to hide my tired eyes from staying out late on Friday night...let's face it, most of us have been there on one occasion or another!

Here is the look:

 Everything Primark except the bag which is Forever 21.

 Trying on the hat...lets face it, I was never going to leave the store without buying it! 

Prior to hat buying, I had lunch with my family at the Olive Restaurant and Bar again. Just like last time, the pizzas were delicious and huge. Perfectly crispy base and loads of mozzarella. I am actually day dreaming about eating the pizza again right now! We started with a Garlic Pizza Bread too which was lovely. I avoided wine and stuck to sparkling water!

http://oliverestaurants.uk.com/

 Pizza time! 

After the pizza, we headed for coffee armed with the Sunday Papers and Vogue Magazine. We relaxed with our coffee for a while and then walked down to the Pier Head to look at the River Mersey and amazing architecture.

 Starbucks and Sunday papers.

 Autumn evenings in the city are my favourite!

I made some special friends on the way to lunch, yes everyone,  Mario and Luigi!

 The Royal Liver Building. 

How beautiful does the River Mersey look at night?

So that is the end of another catch up, what have you all been up to? Remember, I really appreciate that you take the time to read this blog. I love to read your sweet comments and I follow back my followers. 

Until next time, 

Camille 

xo 

Until the sun comes up...

Hi everyone, well this is a somewhat belated post since it is about what I did last Saturday, but never mind, let's just go with better late than never! I awoke to a lovely autumn morning, with a washed out watercolour blue sky and soft yellow sunlight filtering through the golden leaves. I love this time of year...of course it is with a certain melancholy that we must wave goodbye to those heady summer days of fingers sticky with ice cream, swimming in the chilly sea or laying in the park with your arms around that somebody who makes your spine tingle and fills your days with rainbows...
Yes, I digress. So we bid summer adieu with a tear in the corners of our eyes, and yet autumn sweeps in with the promise of a new beginning. The golden leaves, the soft light, the amber glow of the setting sun. This was one of those days filled with expectation and yet I had no plans until a phone call came with an invitation to go for cocktails at one of my favourite haunts in Liverpool, the Pan-Asian restaurant  Matou. It is a place which holds many amazing memories for me, since I have been going there for years, and it makes me so happy to go back. So, I dusted off my ruby slippers and skipped merrily into the city. Having a little time to kill when I arrived, I sloped through the streets at a pace which can only be described as dawdling , admiring the beautiful architecture which is just one of the things that makes this city so great. Doorways, I have a thing for doorways, and staircases. Gargoyles too. Yes, we have established that I am a little, shall we say eccentric. I blame my mother, she is an absolute history fiend and has dragged me on architectural appreciation trips to everywhere from Egypt to Dublin over the years. Not that I mind, as she has instilled in me an appreciation for truly beautiful buildings. With a hop, a skip and a jump down Water Street, I discerned by staring up at the beautiful and familiar clock face of The Liver Building, that it was time for my date with a  Mojito or two...

Here is what I wore:

Head to toe Primark apart from the bag which is Marc B at Topshop.

After a warm welcome from the staff, (special shout out to the ever lovely Roshan) it was time to cast an appreciative eye over the cocktail list. Before I knew it I was happily installed on the deck of the restaurant with a chilled Mojito in my hand. Even though there was an autumnal chill in the air, it was a glass full of summer with the perfect amount of mint and lime to counterbalance the rum and soda water. Matou is one of the places to go for a perfect cocktail in Liverpool, and the stunning views from the terrace and the restaurant make it an exceptional place to drink or dine. After a while sipping our drinks outside and watching the iconic Mersey Ferry chugging to and fro across the river, it got a little chillier so we headed indoors to peruse the wine list.
Matou is also a really good place to people watch, and we soaked up the atmosphere with a deliciously crisp Pinot Grigio and later a perfectly smooth Merlot, bursting with undertones of cherries and plums. Well what a lovely day. We didn't eat there on this occasion, but having done so many times, I can confirm that the food tastes every bit as lovely as it smells. So, after hours of fun, the dark inkwell of night poured across the Liverpool sky, and the clock face of The Liver Building took on its evening glow. We finally wrenched ourselves away and went in search of the only place to feast when a naughty afternoon cocktail descends into a whole day of drinking, yes everybody, I mean McDonalds. I know, I know ;)
It really was a perfect day and I felt almost like Cinderella as I skipped through the city streets at midnight, again soaking up all of the amazing architecture. Let's just say that Sunday was a day of recovery!

http://www.matou.co.uk/

 Cocktail o'clock!

 A delicious Mojito.

 Two drinks and ripped jeans :)

A stunning view over the River Mersey.

I hope that you enjoyed my fairy-tale foray into the city! I love to read your sweet comments and I follow back my followers. 

Until next time,

Camille

 xo

Easy one pot vegetarian chilli

Hi guys, I have a recipe for you today. This is something I fall back on time and time again when the nights draw in and it starts to get slightly colder. It is the perfect dish for this time of year, easy and cheap to make as well as being filling and healthy. The best part about it is that there is no finesse required in making this either, it is basically one of those dishes which you can make by just throwing everything into one pot and leaving it to simmer. The prep takes no time  and the cooking time is only 20-25 minutes, that is the perfect amount of time to open a nice bottle of Merlot and sit down relaxing whilst the smell of delicious chilli fills your kitchen! 

Vegetarian chilli.

(if you prefer a meat version, just cook beef mince according to the instructions on the packet, then add to the dish at the same stage as you would add the Quorn.) 

Ingredients 

Two tins of chopped tomatoes

One carton of tomato Passata 

Half a packet of Quorn mince

One tin of red kidney beans (drained of water)

Mild chilli powder to taste (I like mine spicy, so I use quite a bit, but season to your own taste) 

One onion, peeled and diced

'Glug' of Olive Oil to fry the onion (about a dessertspoon)

(To make this even healthier, try adding a rainbow of chopped peppers to the pot, too. I like to wash and dice a mix of red, green and yellow pepper to add another element to the dish) 

To serve 

One sliced sourdough baguette (or bread of your choice)

Grated Cheese 

Sour cream

Jacket potato

Method

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of chilli powder, fry until the onion is softened (3-4 minutes). Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato passata. Next, add the drained tin of kidney beans. Stir all of the ingredients well to combine. Then, add the half bag of Quorn mince (or the cooked beef mince if you are using meat) again, stir well. Next, add more of the chilli powder seasoning to taste. Then simply cover and simmer on a medium heat for about 20-25 minutes. Stir the pot occasionally during this time. Make sure to taste it too. so that you ensure it is seasoned to your taste. 

To serve, I cook jacket potatoes and spoon the chilli over the top, then top with a little grated cheese and sour cream. This time, I also served sliced up sourdough bread with the meal too.

This recipe makes enough to serve four very generous potions, or six smaller ones. I always make a big pan, so that if it is not used up in one evening, I can pop it in the fridge (when cooled) and then have it again the next evening. You could also serve it with boiled rice, chips, potato wedges or nachos wth melted cheese. Yes, I am all about the melted cheese! 

 I must also add that this is the perfect dish to make for upcoming Halloween and Bonfire Night Parties. There is nothing like a huge pot of delicious food simmering on the stove to keep guests happy. All you need to do is provide bowls and spoons and put a big ladle in the pot so that guests can help themselves. Just cut up a few baguettes so they can grab some bread too and they will be happy! Don't forget to put some sour cream and grated cheese out too, this really makes the dish more yummy!

I hope that you enjoy this recipe, as always, I love to read your sweet comments and I follow back my followers. 

Until next time, 

Camille 

xo 

Ingredients 

Chop the onion. 

Heat the glug of olive oil over a medium heat in a large pan.

Fry the onion and a pinch of the chilli powder, until the onion is softened. 

Add the chopped tomatoes. 

Add the Passata.

Add the drained kidney beans.

Add the Quorn. Stir everything well.

Add more seasoning to taste, then simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Serve when piping hot, over a jacket potato or boiled rice.

Top with grated cheese and sour cream. Enjoy! 

You are my silver lining...

Hi everyone, so another week has slipped from our grasp and here we are on Friday, I hope that you have all had a great week. Mine has been filled with the usual mix of work (dull) and play (fun) so let's concentrate on the latter. Here is what I wore recently for lunch with a friend, we had such a good time catching upon everything. 

Outfit: All Primark except for the bag which is Forever 21. 

I went for a lovely walk on Friday with my friend Claire and her friend's dog Barney. We walked along the Wirral Way and enjoyed the beautiful views. Afterwards, we stopped for coffee and cake at Tanskey's, a cute bistro which even provides dog biscuits for canine visitors :)

 The beautiful 'Wirral Way'.

 I love the colour of these leaves ;)

A little pick-me-up at Tanskey's in West Kirby, Wirral.

http://tanskeys.co.uk/

Coffee cake and a latte for Claire, carrot cake and a Pepsi for me and dog biscuits for Barney :)

I also went to Superdrug on several occasions this week, to buy some items which I desperately needed simply wanted to buy ;)

Here is what I got: 

Batiste dry shampoo in Blush

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation 200 'Soft Beige'

John Frieda Frizz Ease Secret Agent

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Velvet 206 'Atomic Rose'

Kate Moss Rimmel lipstick shade 08

MUA Blusher 'Bonbon'

MUA Blusher 'Marshmallow'

MUA Blusher 'Candyfloss'

Maybelline the colossal volume cat eyes mascara 'Wild Black'

Make Up Revolution Lipstick 'Bliss' (gloss finish)

Make Up Revolution Lipstick 'Divine' (matte finish)

Make Up Revolution mono eyeshadow 'Finally'

These three items are the basis of a perfect 'nude' make up look:

Kate Moss Rimmel lipstick 08

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Velvet 'Atomic Rose'

MUA Blusher in Bonbon 

I was also lucky enough to go out for lunch this week with my lovely friend Claire. We headed to one of our favourite places, The Wro Lounge in West Kirby, Wirral. We had a delicious two course lunch for the amazing price of £10.07 each. I had mushroom soup followed by Cajun chicken and Claire had a yummy starter (which I forget the name of) involving cheese and crispy bread, followed by the gourmet burger. All of the food was amazing as usual, and of course, a side order of gossip and laughter made the occasion even more enjoyable. 

Mushroom soup and cheese and bread starter.

Cajun chicken and gourmet burger.

I saw this beautiful rainbow yesterday...I want to share it with you all and I hope that it brings love and luck to all of us :)

So that's all folks, what have you been up to this week? Remember, I love to read your sweet comments and I follow back my followers.

Until next time,

Camille

xo