Pasta Bolognese

How to make pasta bolognese without using a jar of sauce! It's so easy to make your own bolognese sauce, cheaper & a lot healthier.

All ingredients in the photo apart from the pasta is from Aldi

Ingredients

Pasta - Up to you what pasta you use but for bolognese it's best to use penne, fussili or tagliatelle. 

Mince meat - Again up to you, beef, lamb, pork. I used turkey. Which made me think how come you can get every meat minced but you can't chicken??

Onion - I ended up using 2

Courgette

Chestnut Mushrooms

Couple of cloves of Garlic

2 Fresh Tomatoes

Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

Tomato Purée

Boil your pasta.

In a heated oiled pan, put your garlic in. Then fry your mince for a couple of minutes with the lid over the pan.

Once you mince is cooked you can add your onions.

Once you onion have softened & have gone translucent, add your courgette.

You might need to add a bit of water & cover the pan. Once your courgette is soft add your mushrooms.

Once all your ingredients are soft & cooked, you can pour the whole tin of chopped tomatoes in.

Something everyone should have in your kitchen cupboard or fridge is a tube of tomato purée. It is so useful for thickening sauces. Squeeze a couple of table spoons of it into your pan until the sauce is nice & thick. Once it starts to bubble you can add your pasta in.

Season with salt & pepper. And there you have it. Your own pasta bolognese without using a jar of sauce!

You can add the fresh tomatoes into your pasta or just put it on top when you've plated up. I prefer having tomatoes cold.

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Breakfast/Brunch

Yesterday I went for breakfast/brunch with Holly & Gabby. Holly's home for the week from Nottingham as she's got a reading week in uni. I also happen to be on half term from college. 

We were meeting for 10/10:30 in town but Gabby as per usual was late & didn't arrive till 10:45. We went to Leaf on Bold Street. I thought 10/10:30 was late for breakfast & that places stopped serving it then but turns out it's brunch served till 12.

Eggs Royale

Smoked salmon, poached eggs & hollandaise sauce. Served on a toasted English muffin - £6.95

Poached eggs, mashed avocado & roast tomatoes on toast, extra mushrooms - £5.50

Cinnamon toast with crème fraiche & mixed berry compote - £6.25

Considering we were waiting for Gabby for a while I still couldn't decide what I wanted once she arrived. I couldn't decide if I wanted scrambled or poached eggs. I wanted 1 scrambled & 1 poached but they wouldn't let me ask so I ended up with poached. I've had hollandaise sauce before but couldn't remember if I liked it or not so asked for it on the side. Turns out I do like it!

Gabby wanted pancakes but they said they'd ran out! How can you run out of pancakes?? It's the easiest thing to make & with only 3 ingredients, flour, egg & milk! I could've made some for her! She ended up getting cinnamon toast as she wanted something sweet. The bread was so thick like slices of cake. It was nice, tasted like cinnamon swirls & the berry compote was nice too.

This is probably the second time I've been out for breakfast apart from being on holiday. It was nice to be out super early when town is empty. Will have to do it again sometime.

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Baby Shower

Yesterday I went to my first baby shower! I've never been to one wasn't really sure what one was, only ever heard of them in films it's a very American thing. Devin in work is having a little girl next month & we were all invited to her baby shower at Osqa bar in town.

Baby bottle shots of jager

Guess the 'poo' (Melted chocolate bars in nappies) 

Me & Danielle got there around half 6, when it started at 5. I don't think we missed much though. We played different games, I had to wrap toilet roll around Danielle to make a nappy. We clearly had the best but was robbed of winning & came second. I got blind folded then got fed baby food & had to guess what it was, who could down the shot of jager in a baby bottle the quickest, guess the 'poo' which was melted chocolate in a nappy. Then we were meant to play pin the dummy on the baby but that never happened. It was fun & really nice night.

It was nice to see Lillie too who came home for the weekend from uni just for it. Sadly I didn't get a photo with any of the other girls from work, only Danielle & Lillie.

Plain black top - Primark

Necklace - H&M
Skirt - Zara

Bag - Marc B, Topshop

Leather Jacket - Matalan

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Balmain X H&M

Yesterday the full Balmain X H&M collection Lookbook was released. It will be available on bonfire night the 5th November 2015. The collection doesn't look like a special collaboration made just for H&M, it looks like high end Balamain that you would see on the runway which Olivier Rousteing has mentioned himself. He wanted to create pieces that everyone could afford. He created the collection for his followers on his Instagram who comment saying they would do anything to be able to own a piece of Balmain. 

His signature embroidery & beading can be found in the collection back to his original first collection for Balamin. The pieces look expensive & unique.

Want this jacket & belt!

Want this leather jacket!

I really want the beaded jacket in the first photo which was first seen on Kendall Jenner when she wore it Billboard Music Awards. Jourdan Dunn also wore the outfit in photo 10. I really want a leather jacket & expect both of the jackets I want to be over £100. I think I would be willing to pay that for a Balamin real leather jacket as it would probably cost £1000+!

I'm not a fan or all the velvet (I think it is) as I can't touch it! There's also a lot of suede for the 70s look that's still going on.

This collection is definitely going to be more than the Alexander Wang collection they had last year the fact they've done the same detailing as runway Balamain! This isn't a cheaper high street alternative that's for sure. I think everything will probably be £100+ but it will still definitely sell out in no time with people flogging it on eBay.

You can read the interview Olivier Rousteing did with Vouge here.

GQ also has the full men's collection here. 

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