Ten things I loved in the 90's

My post a few weeks back about my journey through perfumes made me a bit nostalgic and set me thinking about other things I loved from my past. I was 10 in 1990 so the nineties are very memorable to me as my teenage years.  Worryingly it only seems like yesterday and I really can't believe how fast time is going. Whilst I'm feeling all nostalgic I thought I'd share a few things that I loved back in the 90s. I wonder if you loved any of these too?

Looney Tunes Tazo's from Walkers Crisps

The joy of opening a packet of Walkers Crisps and finding a Tazo inside - and one that is not already in your collection - is one that can't really be replaced and was only matched by the feeling of pouring your cereal into your bowl and landing the "surprise". Why do these things never happen anymore? I'm presuming it's down to health & safety or some nonsense like that.  Back in the 90's I was an avid Tazo collector but I never managed to lay my hands on the elusive Taz Tazo. This was probably down to the fact that he only came in packs of Doritos and I was not a Doritos fan back in the day. I'm currently pondering over whether these Tazo's might actually be in my loft somewhere...

Images via http://www.milkcapmania.co.uk/

Sega Game Gear

Whilst everyone else was all about the Nintendo Game Boy, I was embracing the COLOUR screen of the Sega Game Gear. It was a revelation after the dull Game Boy and even better? It had Sonic and Tails. I remember saving up with my own pennies to buy the Game Gear, about £110 if I remember rightly which looking back seems quite a lot when you think about it. I had this knocking around a couple of years ago but can't remember what I did with it now.

Image Credit: http://gamesworldbodmin.co.uk/

Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Don't even dare try and tell me you don't join in once you here "Now this is a story all about how..." start up? I bet you know the whole rap don't you? Will Smith before he got all annoying and full of himself. I loved the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and used to watch it all the time. I watched it recently and alas, I didn't seem to find it quite as entertaining as I did back then. Perhaps it hasn't aged well. Unlike Will Smith who appears to have aged rather well.

Dummy Necklaces

I was too young for raves in the 90s, but I was not too young to sport a rave dummy. Remember dummy necklaces? They were everywhere, even featuring in one of my favourite Take That videos. (Anybody know which one? It featured the girl who got to star in the video by writing to Jim'll Fix It - I kicked myself that I never thought about it, but with hindsight...). I probably still got a dummy or two loitering in the loft. Shall we start a revival?

Image via http://myvintageonline.blogspot.co.uk/

Round The Twist

Another 90's classic - I spent an entire summer adding "without my pants" on to the end of every sentence. Oh who am I kidding, I still do it occasionally when the mood takes me. This programme was ker-razy but very entertaining. I won't lie, I have since watched many episodes and clips on You Tube. 

Curtains

I was sucker for a boy with curtains. Okay, looking back, probably not the best look but back then, a well-placed pair of curtains made me all a-quiver.

Benetton

Benetton jumpers in an array of colours - I had pink, lime green, day-glo orange and red amongst others.  School bags had to be a Benetton duffle bag, although Sisley branded ones were acceptable too. Man, I wish I still had these - I bet they class as vintage/retro now and are probably worth a bomb!

Scrunchies

*sings* I'm bringing scrunchies back....

Okay, I know they are seriously uncool but c'mon people, I miss the scrunchie. I think I spent the best part of a decade with one around my wrist, just in case I should need to tie my hair back. And I colour-coordinated too. 

Image via Etsy http://www.etsy.com/listing/100669824/sateen-blue-scrunchie-wedding-party

Hooch

Hooch wasn't my first introduction to alcohol. No, that was ridiculously cheap cider in 2litre bottles but Hooch was the first alcoholic drink, that at the tender age of 15, I could stomach and actually liked. What's more, I was able to buy it from the off licence in town without fake ID - result. Hooch always had to be lemon, I had a terribly bad experience with blackcurrent Hooch, a McDonalds chicken sandwich and the Waltzers for which I still blame the blackcurrent flavour.

Mood Rings

We were all about the mood rings in the early 90s although for some reason mine never seemed to change colour. Perhaps I was just in a permanent bad mood throughout 1992 or perhaps they just never really worked but at about £3 what were we expecting?  All I remember is that the ones we bought were really cheap metal and they made our fingers go green. Classy.

Image via http://www.bestmoodrings.com/mood-rings/stylish-oval-mood-ring

Oh there's so many more I could mention - Tab Clear, Wayne's World, Kickers (keep the tags on guys!), Zig and Zag, Mr Blobby, dial-up modems, Tamagotchi...the list could just go on and on.

So tell me, what were you doing in the nineties? Do any of these ring any bells for you?

Cherry & Almond Victoria Sandwich

As I mentioned on Twitter at the weekend, cake decorating really isn't my forte. At all. I won't even pretend to be nearly good at it. I'm sure I could be if I tried however I haven't got the patience and well, I really don't care about how good it looks if it's just going to be eaten at home. I am a slattern, what can I say.

When a cake tastes this good? It doesn't need to look pretty. Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

This cake is delicious - if you like cherry and almond flavouring that is. If you're a fan of Bakewell Tart (not the pudding, bleurgh) then chances are this cake will be right up your street.  Every time I take a bite I do a big MMMMMMMM. I'm not blowing my own cake trumpet or anything but it ROCKS.

My version of this cake is quite almondy (is that a word? it is now) as I like it to be quite flavoursome but if you're not so keen I'd reduce the almond extract to 1/2 tsp.

I love this cake for the simplicity of being able to bung it all in a bowl or mixer - it takes no time at all.

Cherry & Almond Victoria Sandwich

Ingredients

For the cake;

200g butter, well softened 

200g golden caster sugar

100g ground almonds

100g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp almond extract

4 large eggs

For the filling;

jar of morello cherry conserve

100g butter, softened

140g icing sugar, sifted

drop of vanilla extract

For the top;

175g icing sugar

5-6 tsp water or lemon juice

1 tbsp ready-toasted flaked almonds

glace cherries

Method

Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas mark 4. Lightly grease and line the bases of two 20cm round sandwich tins.

Put all the ingredients into a large bowl or cake mixer and beat them together until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the two tins and level the tops. Bake in the oven for around 30 mins until they are golden.

When the cakes are ready, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes before taking them out and leaving them to cool completely on a wire rack.

Whilst the sponges are cooling, prepare the buttercream. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy, then gradually beat in the icing sugar and vanilla extract. When the cakes are cool, put one sponge onto a serving plate and then spread with the jam. Take the other sponge and spread with buttercream and then sandwich the two halves together.

Sieve the icing sugar into a large bowl and add the water (or lemon juice if you prefer). Stir until smooth and thick, then spread evenly over the top and let it dribble down the sides. Scatter with the toasted almonds and decorated with halved glace charries. Leave to set.

Well leave to set if you can wait that long...but I recommend you do, it's nicer when the icing is a bit firmer.

I've found that morello cherry conserve or jam can be quite hard to find however I now know that Waitrose stock it so I'm rarely without a jar in the cupboard!

Mmm tea and cake! Who cares if there's about 10,543 calories per slice?

Best websites for family life

In today’s world there are more challenges facing parents than ever before – from the right way to teach kids about the world, to the best way of keeping our homes efficient and clean. Join us as we take a look at some of the websites which are making our lives easier (and sometimes a little more fun).

Mumsnet

When the history of parenting is one day written, time will be split into two categories – BM and AM: Before Mumsnet and After Mumsnet. The website has grown from a simple forum for discussing parenting issues into a major force of its own right, influencing politics and parenting debates across the UK.

The website is now an excellent resource for advice about all matters relating to parenting, including potty training, diet maintenance and internet safety.

Flylady

Although everyone has their own routine when it comes to keeping their homes clean, the Flylady approach starts with a very simple premise: clean the kitchen sink.

Sound strange? It might do but the Flylady approach has become massively popular for helping thousands of people overcome the familiar feeling of being overwhelmed at the amount of cleaning which needs to be done.

Starting with small steps and gradually increasing day after day, its teachings are a fantastic way of finally getting to grips with things and ensuring no part of your house is left untidy.

Houzz

On the surface, Houzz is quite simple – a collection of decoration ideas, arranged by theme and room. Jump in a little deeper and you’re bound to find a treasure chest of inspiration for developing and applying your own interior style.

Rated people

We’ve all been there: we need a reliable tradesperson but we have no idea where to look. While you can take a gamble on advertisements posted in the local paper, it can be difficult and time-consuming calling around for the best price quote.

That’s where Rated People comes in. Users simply fill in a form, detailing the type of work they need doing and then they’ll be contacted by up to three different tradespeople who are interested in completing it. It’s a great way to save time and ensure you always get the best possible deal.

Just Eat

We all deserve a break from cooking now and then, which is why Just Eat has become a lifesaver in the home. It’s easy to use, letting you explore the menus of takeaways all over your local area and order the food online. It doesn’t matter where you are – Just Eat’s food delivery restaurants in Brighton will be just as delicious as food delivery restaurants in London.

Post in association with Just Eat

Meal Planning Monday (17th June 2013)

Howdy!

Hope you had a lovely weekend. The weather wasn't as bad as feared so ours panned out okay in the end. I've struggled with meal planning this morning as I've just not had time to think about it over the weekend, have had a lot of stuff on my mind and trying hard to focus. I need to make a list!

My meal planning therefore is a little vague and I'm digging out some old favourites but will no doubt firm up later today when I have to go to the supermarket!  Here's the rough plan...

Spaghetti Con Gamberetti e Rucola

Chicken Fajitas

Chinese Style Lemon Chicken

Keema Curry

Garbage Frittata

I've no socialising planned this week, so no reason to not stick to the plan. Fingers crossed I don't get swayed by some random takeaway craving.

Ok over to you. We're always open to welcoming new people into #mealplanningmonday in fact we love it, so if this is the first time you've stumbled across this the idea is simple - all you have to do is write a blog post about your meal  plan for the week and submit the URL of your post using the Linkytools below. If you've not got a blog but want to join in, that's fine - just leave a comment below telling us what you're planning this week.  Any questions, just holler at me via email (in the contact page) or on Twitter @madamding.  

The Link Party for June is still active if you've got any recipes blogged this month that you'd like to pimp out! You can check it out here.

Catch up with you all this week, have a good one!

Cheese, Chilli & Chorizo Quesadillas

Quesadillas are fast becoming one of my favourite lazy "treat" teas. So quick and easy to throw together and incredibly tasty too. I normally stick to my tried and tested spicy cheese variety but this week I played around a bit and threw in a few different ingredients.

The combination worked really well and I think I prefer them to the original ones I made, they were really very tasty!  The recipe is meant to serve four but in reality it serves two piggies!

Cheese, Chilli & Chorizo Quesadillas

Ingredients

pack of 8 tortillas

tub of salsa 

200g grated mature cheddar

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 pack of sliced chorizo

Method

Take a tortilla and spread a good spoonful  of salsa over it before covering with a handful of the grated cheddar. Sprinkle over some of the finely chopped red chilli and top with a couple of slices of sliced chorizo.  Put another tortilla on the top and your quesadilla is ready to cook.

Pop your quesadilla into a dry non-stick frying pan over a medium heat for about a minute and a half before carefully turning over to cook for a further minute and a half. You want the outside to be slightly crispy and your cheese to be all melted and gooey so you may need to make a judgement call on this - but go easy as if the pan is very hot, the tortillas will brown very easily.

When cooked, cut the quesadillas into quarters and serve with guacamole and soured cream.

I've said to use sliced chorizo as it's nice and thin, the diced chunks you can get wouldn't really work so well in these quesadillas.

I've been asked before about how to keep quesadillas from falling apart in the pan, especially when turning them over. There isn't really any secret to it, but I just make sure I have oodles of cheese in them to help the two tortillas to stick together and press them down lightly when they are cooking to help them bind a bit better.

Who is reading my blog?

I saw this idea on Emmys Mummy blog and it struck me that really I don't know a whole lot about the people who read my blog. 

I started this here blog back in 2009 but had been blogging under various guises since about 2005. I've been a pregnancy blogger, a wedding blogger, a home shopping blogger and a dedicated food blogger but none of them really suited me and what you see today is the result of all of those - a complete mish-mash of the things that make up my life!  I've blogged before about not being a niche blogger and whilst I enjoy the freedom of being completely random with my blogging I do feel that it probably costs me readers.  I never get very many comments on my blog but I know that people are reading it from my stats, so come out from lurking and tell me a bit about yourself and your interests. 

Are you a man or a woman?

Are you a parent?

Where do you come from?

I want to know all of this stuff!

Is there something you'd like to see more of on my blog?

If you have your own blog or are on Twitter, let me know so that I can follow you or add you to Bloglovin'.

Do you have anything you'd like to ask me or have a burning desire to share something about yourself? 

I'd love to hear all your random thoughts but mostly I'd just love to find out who my readers are and perhaps get to know you a bit better.   So if you read this blog post leave me a comment, it only takes a second (once you get past the Disqus thing, I know it's annoying) - today it's all about you!

Look forward to hearing from you!

Film Review: This is 40

I was recently sent a review copy of This is 40 by the Universal press office. This is 40 is an American comedy film that is a kind of sequel to Knocked Up. I say kind of as the lead characters in This is 40 were not the main focus is Knocked Up, therefore it works really well as a standalone film if you haven't already seen it's predecessor.

This is 40 follows the lives of a a middle-aged couple, Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) who have just reached their 40th birthday and documents the struggles they have with their jobs (Pete's business is failing and Debbie thinks her employee is stealing from her) and families (daughters arguing, Pete's dad borrowing money and Debbie trying to build a relationship with her absent father) which puts a fair amount of stress on their relationship.  Debbie and Pete clearly already have their differences, for instance they're both into different music styles and as the couple try to deal with all these other day-to-day burdens they annoy each other more and what start as tiny annoyances seem to blow up - as I'm sure as happened to most of us at one time or another.

There are some truly funny laugh out loud moments but the film is also quite touching in places and the characters of all very likeable. I think anyone with young children and/or stressful jobs can appreciate the feeling of being ground down by the daily churn of it all whilst trying to maintain a good relationship with your other half - as in reality it's normally that which gets neglected when you're trying to keep everything else up and running!  I think one of the underlying tones that the film focuses on is that you can also lose sight of why you were together in the first place and how important it is not to let that go. I enjoyed the scene in the hotel bedroom for that reason as it was a glimpse of them getting back to being the couple they were - before things go wrong of course.

I loved the appearance of Jason Segel as Debbie's fitness coach and also Melissa McCarthy who had only a tiny bit-part but managed to turn it into a starring role. The woman is hilarious as an angry parent and I wish we'd seen more of her.  The children in the film are played by the director, Jude Apatow, and Leslie Mann's (Debbie) real life children and I thought they played the parts really well. 

I enjoyed the film a lot, although I will say that I thought it could have been a bit shorter - at 134 mins it did feel a tad long for the storyline.  I am also going to say that it's probably more of a chick-flick but having said that, Mr M did really enjoy it too as the humour was definitely  aimed at both sexes. You'll probably appreciate this film more if you are in your 30's/40's as there will definitely be parts you can identify with - I felt myself nodding in agreement more than once!

This is 40 is available to pre-order now and to buy on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 24th.