Stuffed Red Peppers |Veggie Cooking|

 

For the last 10 years and 11 months I have been a vegetarian 🙂 So here’s a recipe for my fellow veggies for an easy sort-of healthy mid-week dinner.

 

First off I apologise for the terrible photo: The camera on my phone is rubbish, I didn’t have the time or light to take a decent photo (I was hungry!!) and lastly my puppy likes to photobomb!

Moving on… I always see various stuffed pepper recipes floating around on pinterest/buzzfeed/ect, so thought I would finally give it a go for myself! As you will see in a minute I like cheese a little too much, so feel free to make this recipe slightly healthier by cutting some of the cheese out and adding any ingredients that you like.

Ingredients:

• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Shallot
• 1 Garlic Clove
• Pinch of Paprika, Mixed Herbs, Salt and Pepper
• 1 Large Tomato
• Tomato Paste
• Small Piece of Mozzarella
• Sprinkling of Parmesan
• As much Cheddar Cheese as you like

….Preheat your oven to around 180’….

First off slice your pepper in half and cut away the middle part, so it is ready for stuffing. Next lightly cook the shallot and garlic in a pan until slightly browned. Then cut the tomato into small pieces and mix into the pan (off the heat!), add a pinch of paprika, mixed herbs, salt and pepper, whilst also mixing in a small amount of parmesan and cheddar. At this point you can layer your pepper however it pleases you, I lined my pepper with a small amount of tomato paste to add extra flavour, then placed a layer of mozzarella following by a large layer of the mixture from the pan and topped off by a hearty layer of cheddar cheese on top, with a little bit of spare parmesan and mozzarella mixed in for good luck! I then baked my pepper in the oven for around 30 mins, once the pepper is soft (ie. you can poke a knife easily through it) it is ready to come out!

I really enjoyed this dinner and its great when you are not feeling like too many carbs, which many veggie meals often contain!

As I only managed to get though one half of my pepper, I put the other half in the fridge and the following night turned it into a delicious pasta sauce! (Chop up the stuffed pepper and add half a tin of tomatoes into a pan and you have yourself a tomato and red pepper pasta sauce, perfect for one and so so tasty, as it already has shallots, garlic and cheese mixed in).

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and that you try it out yourselves, I would recommend it to everybody (even meat eaters! :p ).

Please like and follow!

Rosa Jane

❤

Zoella Soak Opera Review

Whilst I was in my local Superdrug the other day, I decided to pick up a bottle of Zoella’s Soak Opera (Bath soak/Shower cream) to see what all the hype was about!

At £5 for a large bottle I feel the Soak Opera is pretty reasonably priced and the ‘cute’ packaging gives a girly, fresh feel to the product (perfect for a stocking filler?). It has a mild but fresh smell and pours easily out of the bottle. Overall I found it didn’t produce many bubbles in my bath which I was disappointed about, but it did leave my skin feeling ‘soft and conditioned’ just like it says on the bottle! As a bubble bath I’m not sure that I would buy this product again (unless my next bath turns out more bubbly! Fingers crossed!), however I do think it serves well as a shower cream which leaves your skin feeling soft and fresh  🙂

Find it here: http://www.superdrug.com/Toiletries/Washing-%26-Bathing/Indulgent-Bathing/Zoella-Soak-Opera—Bath-Soak-Shower-Cream-490ml/p/303500#.VHzwq4c_a9A

 

I’m also excited to try out the Fizz Bar and Let’s Glow candle from Zoella’s range, however they are currently out of stock everywhere I’ve looked 😦

Rosa Jane

❤

 

Boots 3 for 2 Offer!

So it’s that time of the year again, when Boots (and Superdrug) have their christmas 3 for 2 offer! So go out and take advantage of it 🙂

Here are the items I picked up:

1. Rimmel Match Perfect Fix and Perfect Primer – I’ve used this product before and really liked it. It gives an overall smooth finish to your skin and I find it doesn’t irritate my skin like some other primers do.

2. Rimmel London Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder – Rimmel’s powders are a staple product in my makeup bag, I decided to go for the colourless option this time as I felt my previous coloured powder had been looking a bit heavy on top of my foundation and concealer.

3. Maybelline Great Lash Very Black Mascara – I have never used this mascara before but I have read great reviews. For £4.99 I’m excited to give it a go!

4. Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer, in Naked – I’m hoping this will work well as a highlighter rather than concealer as I bought it in a very light colour. I’ve liked most of their products I’ve used so far, so fingers crossed this will be no different!

5. Bourjois Blush in Rose D’or Golden Rose – I’m not sure if this is a limited edition as I can’t seem to find the same one on their website. I really like this blush, it’s quite pink but goes really nicely with a light pink or nude lipstick.

6. Maybelline Colour Drama Lipstick (Pencil) in Nude Perfection – I actually bought this lip pencil after reading a blog about it, I had been looking for a nude colour and I really like the pencil applicator. Although I have noticed that they do melt easily so probably not one to keep in your makeup bag permanently.

So that’s it for now, let me know what you guys get! Or if you’ve used any of these products before. Don’t forget to like and follow.

Rosa Jane

❤

Lush Haul

So Lush is officially my new favourite place. For some reason I’ve never gone out and bought their products before, however I shall now be spending every last penny I earn there!

I walked into Lush this morning aiming to buy their Cosmetic Warrior face mask. I’ve been reading really good reviews about it all week and thought it would give my skin the vital boost it needs to deal with all the stress I’ve been putting it through lately!

I got talking to one of the sales assistances in Lush and she recommended I used the ‘Mask Of Magnaminty‘ instead, this mask is predominately made with peppermint oil and helps to combat troublesome skin, whilst also acting as an exfoliant! It costs slightly less than the other fresh face masks and also lasts longer as well, which is a win win. I have literally just used the product and I have to say  I already think it is amazing!!!!! The peppermint has a cooling effect on your skin which feels really nice and my skin already appears less red and more healthy from just one 10 minute mask. I’m very excited to see the long-term effect this has on my skin. It is £5.50 for 125g and I am guessing I will get around 8 uses (maybe more) from the pot, which I think is excellent value! Here is the link: https://www.lush.co.uk/products/masks/mask-magnaminty

The next thing I bought today was ‘Ultrabland‘, I had never heard of this before, but the sales assistant swore by it. It’s a cleanser that really works, I have just used it to remove my makeup and I shocked by what came off on the cloth, it really proves how much face wipes and other standard removers leave behind on your skin, even some of the high-end ones! The only slight downside to this is that it is on the oily side, but don’t let this put you off, it really does work and leaves your skin feeling soft and extremely clean. I just wiped my face over with my normal toner afterwards. Used with the Mask of Magnaminty it is meant to be the complete skin boosting and spot zapping package. The mask is £7.25 for 45g, which I guess is slightly pricey for the size but it is the best makeup remover I’ve ever used! Find it here: https://www.lush.co.uk/products/ultrabland

As I bought two products the lovely sales assistant (who is now my new best friend) gave me a bath bomb for free!!!  I chose the Dragon’s Egg bath bomb (middle), as I’ve read really good reviews about it and it smelled like sherbet. Can’t wait to try it out!! It normally retails at £3.35, find it here: https://www.lush.co.uk/products/dragons-egg

She also gave me a 2nd free bath bomb #bestdayever called Luxury Lush Pud (left), I think this is a christmas themed bath bomb? According to Lush’s website it is full of relaxing lavender oils and leaves your bath bright pink! Which sounds very exciting. It’s £3.50 normally and here is the link: https://www.lush.co.uk/products/bath-bombs/luxury-lush-pud

The other two items, I didn’t actually buy today but I thought I would included them on this blog as I bought them pretty recently. The first is Rub, Rub, Rub, I absolutely adore this product! It is an exfoliating shower scrub that you can use all over your body and can even wash your hair with (though I’m still undecided if I like using it as a shampoo or not). It is £8.75 for 330g, and it leaves your skin feeling smooth and refreshed. I would definitely recommend rub, rub, rub, don’t be put off by its bright blue colour, its full of natural ingredients such as sea salt and leaves your smelling and feeling lovely.  Find it here: https://www.lush.co.uk/products/rub-rub-rub 

The last bath bomb I got to try is the Avobath, I usually hate avocado anything, but the smell of this is amazing. It’s also got lemon grass it in and apparently hydrates and uplifts your skin. It’s £3.35 and here is the link: https://www.lush.co.uk/products/avobath

I would also like to quickly mention another bath bomb (yes, I know I’m sounding a little obsessed), which I used the other day the Fizzbanger (£3.35, here: https://www.lush.co.uk/products/fizzbanger). I can’t really describe the smell of this but it was lovely, it smells fizzy (I know that makes no sense). It’s yellow on the outside, so it really surprised me when I dropped it into the bath and found it had a blue centre! It turned my bath the most amazing bright green colour, I came out feeling so relaxed and my skin felt amazingly soft. This picture doesn’t really do the colour justice, but you get the point:

Please note: This blog is full of my own opinions and all products were purchased with my own money! 

Hope you enjoyed this post and let me know your favourite lush products.

Also don’t forget to like and follow!

Rosa Jane

❤

SKURAR Brush Holder |Ikea Hack|

The other day my brother went on a little trip to Ikea and picked me up a few things! 🙂 One of which (the rest were pretty mundane) I thought I would share with you..

The SKURAR plant pot makeup brush holder, is a really pretty and simple way to store your makeup brushes. It’s £1.90 so doesn’t break the bank and is really large so you can see all of your brushes easily or fit loads in!

I filled mine up with some dry quinoa, that acts pretty much like sand and helps the brushes to stand up. It also makes the pot heavier so my puppy can’t knock it over!! 

Here’s the link: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20186101/

…And yes those are my brand new Zoeva Rose Gold makeup brushes!!!!! I only used them for the first time today, so will put a review up as soon as I’ve tested them out.

Rosa Jane

❤

Vanilla Biscuits |Autumn Baking|

These biscuits take a little time to make but taste amazing! They are loved by kids and grownups alike and are great if you fancy doing a bit of decoration or just eaten on their own.

You will need:

• 1 Egg
• 200g Unsalted Butter
• 200g Caster Sugar
• 400g Plain White Flour
• 2tsp’s of Vanilla Extract or essence
• A set of cookie cutters (optional)

Step by Step:

1. Beat together the butter and sugar, until it reaches a soft and creamy consistency.  Tip: I always find it easier to soften the butter first, either leave it out the fridge for a while before you begin or heat for a few seconds.
2. Add in the vanilla extract, I like to put in two teaspoons which gives the biscuits a lovely vanilla flavour (which you can actually taste). Feel free to add in less or more depending on your personal preference.
3. Beat in the egg.
4. Once everything is mixed together, add in the flour bit by bit. The dough will appear very hard and dry at this point (but don’t worry you’re doing it right!), so I tend to use my hands to mix in the last bits.
5. Gather the dough into a ball and press in the last little crumbly bits. Then wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour (this part is important so be patient). 
6. TEA BREAK! (Use this time to get our your baking sheet and line/grease if needed, I like to use a non stick baking sheet which I got in TK Maxx for a few pounds)
7. Take the dough out of the fridge and lightly spread flour over a clean surface, then begin to roll out your dough and use your cutters or free style cut your dough into any shape you like. (Try not to make the biscuits too thick as they will take longer to bake and may not bake evenly).
8. Transfer all of your cut out biscuits onto your baking sheet/tray and return to the fridge for another 30 mins.  (Tip: If you wish to make your biscuits look a bit fancier, you can use a fork to make a pattern on them). 
9. TEA BREAK No.2 (This is a good time to pre-heat your oven to 180″c)
10. Take the biscuits out the fridge and transfer them to the oven!! It’s baking time!! I like to cook mine for around 8 minuets, until the edges are golden brown. I then move them onto a wire cooling rack to cool until they are ready to eat!

When they’re finished they will look at little bit like this: (I made these to decorate so they look a bit plain/boring here, but taste amazing!!)

If you feel like getting creative, grab some icing/sweets/decorations and see what you can design, these were created by my lovely cousins:

Hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you make them and how you get on!

Please note: I am not a professional, this is just a home recipe I use and love, also I apologise for the quality of my photos, they are all taken on my phone which clearly is not very good!! 

Rosa Jane

❤

Collection Makeup Review

So about a week ago, or nearly two now! I ventured out into the big wide world and found myself at the Collection makeup counter in Boots. As the entire range was on sale for £4 and under!! I decided to pick up a few things and give them a try.

Please note: Prices on this post are the current prices on http://www.boots.com as of 05/11/14: I bought these items whilst on offer, which I believe has now ended 😥

Collection Work the Colour Eyebrow Kit (£3.99)

As I had never used a powder for my eyebrows before, I thought I would give this a try. My first impressions of this kit were pretty good, it comes with a two ended brush and a clear brow mascara to hold your brows in place. Unfortunately, I found the dark brown too dark for my brows and the medium brown too light for my brows! However, after a little mixing I found I could get a colour which I was more or less happy with. At £4 this kit is most definitely a bargain, but it does require a little skill and time to get nicely shaped brows, which I have struggled with on several occasions!

Collection Work the Colour Eye Palette – Nude (£3.99)

Although I had my reservations about buying this set whilst in Boots, I’m really glad I did! I absolutely love these colours, they blend really easily, are long wearing and create a really lovely light smokey eye effect when blended together. The set comes with a tiny eyeshadow brush, which isn’t too great (but you can’t have everything for £4!). It also includes a highlighter, as can be seen in the top middle circle, however this a cream highlighter which is poor quality, so I would avoid using that part of the kit. Overall, I would recommend picking one of these sets up, if you are on a budget the colours work really well together for all sorts of looks and the set also comes in three different colours (smokey, purple and blue).

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19)

After reading amazing reviews about this concealer I definitely wanted to give this a try and so bought it in No.3 Warm Medium. I am still slightly undecided as to whether this shade is slightly too dark for my current skin tone, so I shall soon be purchasing the lighter shade No.2. Cool Medium. I have to say that the reviews do not lie, this concealer is great!!! I have now taken to wearing just this and powder, rather than using foundation. I blot this concealer straight onto any blemishes, red areas and under my eyes and then use my concealer brush to blend it in. It really is lasting perfection, I can go a full shift at work without the need for any touchups and once blended I really love how well it covers up any problems areas! I 110% recommend this go out and buy one now! ❤

Collection Blush (£2.99)

As I couldn’t find the Sleek Blusher I wanted and this was on sale I decided to try it out. Personally I didn’t like this blush very much, although it is a nice colour in the pot, once on the brush it is very powdery and doesn’t transfer onto your face or blend very well. I guess for a very cheap blush you can’t expect too much, but I won’t be buying it again.

Here is a photo of me after applying all the makeup I’ve just mentioned above (plus some powder, bronzer and mascara). As I was off to work I only used the very lightest of the eye shadows but will try get a picture up of the smokey eye look soon. Just wanted to show you guys how good the concealer is as my skin is having a lot of issues at the moment!!

Rosa Jane

❤

Bad day? 10 steps for a stress relieving evening!

The first thing I usually do after a bad/stressful day is order a pizza and raid the cupboards for junk food! However, this doesn’t really leave me feeling any less stressed or relaxed, just a bit groggy and my jeans a little tighter!!… So I thought I would write a post about how with a little bit of ‘me time’ you can turn a bad day into a relaxing and stress relieving evening. For some people this might just be your daily routine, but if you’re lazy like me! or are just always really busy a little bit of down time can really turn your day around !

Step 1: Change your bed sheets.

Now I know the last thing you want to be doing after you get in from a long hard day is more work, but trust me this is a very important first step to feeling better and you will thank yourself for it later! Everybody loves the feeling of getting into a freshly made, clean bed and it can make the world of difference to your nights sleep.

Step 2: Get your PJ’s ready.

Pick out a pair of your most comfy and warm pjs, making sure they are clean! Even if you’ve only worn them the night before, get a new set out and put them on the radiator to warm up. Ps. Whilst your there get out a pair of cosy socks or slippers too!

Step 3: Take off your makeup.

It’s time to take off your make up and wipe the day away. I usually complete my normal skin care routine, but make special effort to make sure my skin is feeling clean and fresh. (I personally wait until after my bath/shower to put on my creams/toner/moisturiser/etc, but that’s just me, it’s completely up to you what order you do it in!)

Step 4:  Run yourself a bath or shower.

At this point I like to run myself a nice hot bath and light some nice smelling candles. Take over the bathroom and have some ‘me time’. If you have one use a bath bomb and also put on some music (whatever you are into!), then climb into the tub and have a good old relaxing soak.

Step 5: Exfoliate

I know you are meant to do this all the time. But for those of us who forget or are too busy, this is a great time to have a good scrub. I love to use Lush’s rub rub rub, I think it’s just great for all over exfoliating and it smells nice too!

Step 6: Moisturise

Jump out the bath/shower and wrap yourself in a nice clean fluffy towel. Now you’re feeling completely fresh, clean and scrubbed, it’s time to moisturise! I also put on all my additional face products at this point and moisturise my body from head to toe.

Step 7: PJ’s again

Now you’re clean and dry (and already feeling much less stressed), it’s time to climb into your nicely warmed pj’s and feel all cosy.

Step 8: Blow dry

During one of my stress relieving evenings I also like to take the time to blow dry my hair, usually I opt for the ‘leave it to dry on its own/stick it up in a bun’ option, so I love to spray some taming oil in and make the effort to dry my hair properly. Also it’s never nice going to bed with wet hair, so take the time to pamper yourself a little!

Step 9: Green tea

Green tea is great, I find it helps me to relax and leaves me feeling refreshed and detoxed (well much more than a can of coke at this stage would!). Make yourself a nice, warm cup, you can even put it in your favourite mug!

Step 10: Bed

Now this is the best part of the evening, climb into your newly made, clean, fresh bed, in your nice warm pj’s with your mug of green tea and chill! If you like take some time to read or watch a programme and then drift off to sleep all refreshed and ready to take on whatever tomorrow throws at you!

I hope these steps help you to de-stress and have some much needed me time, let me know if they help! 🙂

Rosa Jane

❤

Liebster Award!

Good evening,

I would like to say a big Thank You to both Amy (http://blushingbeautea.blogspot.co.uk) and Pearlyn (http://modmaquillage.blogspot.sg) for nominating my blog for the Liebster Award. They are both fellow blogging newbies and I really think you should check out their awesome blogs right now… !!

THE RULES:

• Acknowledge the blog who nominated you and display the award
• Answer the 11 questions given to you from the blogger
• Give 11 facts about yourself
• Nominate 11 blogs you think are deserving of the award (less than 200 followers)
• Let the bloggers know you have nominated them
• Give 11 questions to them to answer

AMY’S QUESTIONS:

1. What’s your favourite brand of skincare or makeup products?

My favourite skincare brand would have to be ‘Simple’, as I can rely on all their products to be kind to my skin, and I also know they will be ethically and sustainably sourced (which is very important to me!)

2. What’s your favourite treat?

Crisps!! I love crisps.

3. Tea or coffee?

Tea all the way. Can’t live without tea! 

4. Lipstick or lipgloss?

I actually prefer the felt-tip pen type ones (I’m not sure what they are called!! – I’ll get back to you on that). I’m not great at applying lipstick, though I’m getting better and lipgloss I find a bit too sticky. 

5. Favourite mythical creature?

Dobby the House Elf 

6. Pizza or macaroni cheese?

Ahh! This is a real hard one, both are probably my favourite foods! I think it might have to be pizza, but it’s very very close one! 

7. What’s your favourite book?

Harry Potter (Never going to change!)

8. Do you have normal, dry, oily or combination skin – and how do you care for it?

I would say normal-dry, I like to use a lot of simple skin care products, and I should hopefully have some Pixi Glow Tonic on its way soon (very excited for that!)

9. Favourite drugstore product?

At the moment my new collection concealer, its amaze! 

10. What’s the best lip balm you own?

Blistex Mango, it’s so yummy. 

11. What’s your favourite hair product?

A Touch of Silver shampoo and conditioner, its savour for anyone with dyed blond hair!! 

PEARLYN’S QUESTIONS:

1. One skincare/makeup product that you can’t live without?

Foundation powder, if I’ve only got 5 mins to leave the house I know I can quickly brush some powder on and look slightly better than I did when I woke up!

2. Favorite film or television series?

Nashville 

3. Celebrity crush?

I’ve never really been into celebs, I’ll have to get back to you on that one! 

4. What are your wardrobe staples?

Jeans and converse! Not very glamorous but practical and comfortable! 

5. Your favorite fashion brand?

Not sure if it’s a brand but I really like ASOS it’s affordable and I get free next day delivery! 

6. What’s your greatest fear?

Trying new foods! I have a really stupid phobia of food I haven’t eaten or tried before.

7. A place/country you would like to visit?

Maldives 

8. What’s your horoscope?

Scorpio

9. Favourite YouTubers?

I’ve only been watching YouTube vlogging for the last couple of weeks, but I like Zoella’s makeup tutorials 

10. If you can be anyone or anything for a day, what would it be?

If I could be anyone, I think I’d like to be Cara Delevingne. Anything, then probably a bird 🙂 

11. Favourite food?

Probably cheese and tomato pizza! Yum. 

11 FACTS ABOUT ME:

1. I take way too many photos of my dogs!
2. My dogs mean the world to me ❤
3. It’s my birthday on Wednesday! woo! Slightly scared of being 23 though…
4. I love reading
5. I’ve been to Sierra Leone twice!
6. I wrote my dissertation on female fighters in Sierra Leone – & got a first class degree! 🙂
7. I spent 3 months solo traveling East Asia (there’s a reoccurring theme here)
8. I have a massive Italian family who I love unconditionally
9. I would eat pizza or/and pasta everyday of the week if I could
10. I would love to my skilled/patient enough to write a book
11. I’m really hungry right now…

NOMINATIONS:

http://thecheltenhamgirl.blogspot.co.uk

http://fallenforthecurls.blogspot.co.uk/

https://alicewonderland17.wordpress.com

http://rymzbeauty.wordpress.com

http://sophiejoanbeauty.wordpress.com

MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

1. Why did you start blogging?
2. What’s your favourite high street makeup product?
3. What’s your favourite high end makeup product?
4. What’s your favourite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?
5. Favourite mascara? (I know that’s a hard one!)
6. If you could only wear mascara or foundation for the rest of your life, which would you choose and why?
7. Where would your dream holiday be to?
8. If you had to order a takeaway right now, what would it be?
9. What sort of blogs do you like to read?
10. Dogs or cats?
11. If you could only wear one colour, everyday, which would you choose?

Rosa Jane

❤