7 Movies for Singles to Watch on Valentine's Day

Generally speaking I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day, but as it's my first as a single person in a while I started thinking about how I might celebrate it. I figure I will celebrate as I spend most of my Saturday nights - watching a movie by myself in my jammies on my couch.

It sounds pathetic because it is. However, I really don't mind. I like my own company and a good movie with take out! Sounds like a great night in to me! So, I thought if you were like me you might need a suggest or a reminder of a great movie to watch this Valentine's Day!

Without further delay here are 7 movies I couldn't recommend more!

Bring it On! 
- Your first thoughts may be why would I want to watch a movie with a bunch of girls going "rah rah rah"? Don't be fooled as this movie is so much more. When Torrance takes over as team captain she thinks it will be another easy season, but when she learns of a well kept secret it turns her world upside down. You can't go wrong with this movie as it's a lot of fun and will get you cheering along!
Quote: "She puts the 'whore' in horrifying." - Courtney
Romance/Relationships: a terrible boyfriend vs a cute crush on the new kid

Pitch Perfect
- If you haven't heard of this movie you must have been living under a rock the last few years .... if you haven't seen it, it's a must! Becca starts university because her dad wants her too, she'd rather be in a recording studio anywhere, but there. To please her dad she gets involved and that is where the magic starts.
Quote: "Even though some of you are pretty thin, you all have fat hearts, and that’s what matters." - Fat Amy
Romance/Relationshops: moody girl doesn't let anyone get close to her, but will she make an exception for this one guy?

He's Just Not that Into You
- It's also maybe not the best movie for Valentine's Day. However, it's full of interesting characters in a variety of different relationship stages. It is easy to relate too because many of us have been where the characters have been at some point in our lives. If we haven't been there we will be.
Quote: "So trust me when I say if a guy is treating you like he doesn't give a shit, he genuinely doesn't give a shit. No exceptions." - Alex
Romance/Relationships: the whole point of this movie is how men and women behave in different relationships

Devil Wears Prada 
- Girl who has no fashion sense, but wants to be a writer, gets a job at the biggest fashion magazine as an assistant to the editor and hijinks ensue. Will she ever fit in? Will she ever be a writer or will she live life as a go-for? It's a must see!
Quote: "...It's for Paris, I'm on this new diet. Well, I don't eat anything and when I feel like I'm about to faint I eat a cube of cheese. I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight." Emily
Romance/Relationships: the sweet down to earth boyfriend vs the hot sexy guy in the publishing business

Now and Then
- A great coming of age film. Probably one of the best of all time. After making a pact with her best friends that whenever one of them needed they others they'd come running. With Chrissy due to give birth at any moment she calls her besties to be by her side and together they reminisce about the summer their lives were changed forever.
Quote: "As we grow older, it becomes difficult to just believe. It's not that we don't want to, but too much has happened and we can't." - Samantha
Romance/Relationships: young girls figuring out that not all boys have cooties

Waitress
- A dark comedy/drama about a waitress named Jenna, who is in a very unhappy relationship and is a waitress at a diner where she is known for her pies. She has all sorts of silly, life reflecting names to give to her pies. She has a plan to escape when things take an unexpected turn.
Quote: [after reading a news column about a woman contemplating suicide] Oh I love living vicariously through the pain and suffering of others. - Old Joe
Romance/Relationships: horrible marriage and an affair

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
- The title says it all. What more could you ask for in a movie to watch alone on Valentines Day. Miss Bennet and Mr. Darcy all hate and then love, but in the midst of it killing zombies!! I know which movie I will be watching first on Valentine's Day.
Quote: "A woman is either highly trained or highly refined. One cannot afford the luxury of both in such times. - Elizabeth Bennet
Romance/Relationships: it's Jane Austen at the heart and zombies at the brain plus of course marriage

What movie(s) would you add to the list?

Leave a comment below!

*Photos are not mine own 

Five on Friday: Five Reasons to Love Hawaii Five-O

It’s all my friend’s fault! Sometimes when the girls are in bed I sneak out to my friend and neighbour’s house for a chat and a cup of tea. Sometimes when things get bad it’s a bottle of wine or vodka with apple juice. Don’t judge it’s tough being a mom. 

The said friend watches Hawaii Five-O and when I stop over it’s usually always on. Then without knowing I found myself watching it in the afternoons when I have that random hour with nothing to do before the school run. With just an hour it’s pointless to start anything and by the then I have a load of laundry out on the line another in the wash, dinner prepped etc… I could read one of my many books still waiting to be read or write a blog post, but I have found myself watching Hawaii Five-O instead. 

Here are the main five reasons I keep going back to it. 

1. It’s set in Hawaii. 

    Hawaii is beautiful. Some of the landscape shots are breathtaking. I would love to live here one day! 

source

2. Alex O'Loughlin as Det Steve McGarrett 

    He's a super smart ex-Navy Seal who is basically a cop ninja. Which makes him sort of cool.

3. Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kelly

    I loved loved loved him in Lost and I love him all over again in Hawaii Five-O

4. Entertainment

    It’s a bit corny at times and even a little far fetched, but it’s entertaining. When I watch TV, which isn’t often, it’s to be entertained. I am always up for a bit of crime drama! The characters are loveable too, you start to care about what happens to them.

5. Did I mention Alex O’Loughlin??? 

notes: images are not my own, but links to sources are included in the caption. 

A Holiday of Love {Oreo Truffles}

I have written in the past about how I’m not overly big on holidays. There are parts of holidays that I do enjoy and others I don’t.

It’s very conflicting actually. 

For instance, Valentine’s Day (today) I think it is an incredibly stupid holiday and probably the best of all the holidays.

I think it’s stupid that there is so much pressure put on couples to celebrate the holiday to prove that they are in love. Then it completely ostracizes those who are not coupled up and in love.

There are so many people in my life that I love. Why should it focus mostly on couples? Which is why I like the holiday. A day that celebrates love is a good day in my books!

I made these truffles for the two little people who I love more then anyone or anything in the whole world. It is for them that I celebrate this holiday of love. 

Oreo Truffles:

200g oreos or other sandwich cookies, crushed

100g cream cheese

283g (10oz/1pkg) of white candy melts

Mix the Oreo crumbs and cream cheese together, until completely combined. It will be sticky, but roll the mixture into about 12 one-inch balls. Place in the fridge for at least an hour; they can stay in for longer if need be.

When they are ready, but before you take them out melt the candy melts according to the instructions on the package.

Once it’s all melted, stick a fork into the candy melts before using it to pick up an Oreo truffle and dip into the melted candy melts, gently rock back and forth until covered. Very gently pull them out and let drip until smooth. Don’t worry too much about them being perfectly smooth if you are covering them in sprinkles.

Then set in a cupcake case or on a sheet of grease-proof paper. Cover with sprinkles right away because candy melts set fast. Repeat until they are all done!

notes: These were all over the internet a year or two ago, so it’s nothing new. However they are delicious. It’s the cookies and cream flavor covered in chocolate or candy melts that makes them a gorgeous treat! They also make great gifts and are really versatile! Decorate for any holiday, sports team, or special event!

I forgot to add that these are my entry for this month's Treat Petite, a monthly blogging challenge hosted by The Baking Explorer and Cakeyboi, this month's host. The theme is "Loved Ones" and I think these fit that theme perfectly! There is still time to enter so, head over to his site to find out more!

What's a Party without Cupcakes??

A party isn't a party without cupcakes. Especially a birthday party! My father-in-laws girlfriend threw him a surprise 60^th birthday party a couple weekends ago and of course I supplied the cupcakes!

I went with a crowd pleaser Oreo Cupcakes! I followed a recipe from Love Bakery by Samantha Blears exactly. It’s a go to cupcake book.

It’s been quiet on the blog and it probably will be until the end of the year. I will hopefully be baking a bit more once the girls are off and I have a bit more down time.

I hope everyone else is enjoying the holidays! 

Banana Cupcakes!!

I was never much of a crier, until I had babies… my hormones have been in chaos ever since! So, today I told myself I wouldn’t cry.

I haven’t yet. Maybe I won’t and I will hold all the tears until September when Mini-Baker is off to her “big girl school.”

Today is her last day of pre-school and for their party I signed up for fairy cakes! I made banana cupcakes in fairy cake cases. There is a difference. This recipe would normally make 12 cupcakes I managed 30 fairy cakes!

Now that it is officially summer time, as school is finally done, we need the weather gods to give us some sunshine! I won’t hold my breath! So, if you’re in England and holed up in your house you can make these!!

cupcakes:  

100g unsalted butter, room temp.

175g soft light brown sugar

½ tsp banana extract (optional)

2 (m) eggs, room temp

300g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb

½ salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

140ml buttermilk

2 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas4 and line your muffin tin.
2. Cream the butter, brown sugar, and banana extract (if using, I didn’t) for 7 minutes, or until light and fluffy!
3. Add the eggs one by one, mix for about 2 minutes
4. In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients: flour, b.powder, bicarb, salt, and g.cinnamon.
5. Mix into the butter mixture until just incorporated.
6. Add the buttermilk and bananas and mix for a further minute
7. Divide into your paper cases in your lined tin and if you are making cupcakes bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes. If you are making fairy cakes, like I did, only bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. NOTE: be aware that the bananas in the cupcake could cause a toothpick to come out a bit wet so check a few cupcakes!
8.  Out of the oven transfer to a rack and leave to cool before icing!

frosting:

125g unsalted butter, room temp

300g icing sugar, sifted

1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

1 tbsp clear honey

1. Cream the butter in the mixer until light and fluffy I found this hard, as it wasn’t enough butter for my mixer to mix properly. You may want to use a hand mixer for this icing!
2. Add the icing sugar, milk, and honey and mix for 2 minutes until well blended.

decorating:

chocolate covered banana chips

or

3 small bananas and 12 tsp honey

1. I piped my frosting on, but you could also use a palette knife!
2. I then added a chocolate covered banana chip! The recipe suggests a couple of sliced bananas covered in a tsp of honey (1 tsp for each cupcake) remember if you make fairy cakes you could use less.

I took this recipe from Love Bakery: Cupcakes from the Heart by Samantha Blears

I shared these on Homemade Hooiser's Cupcake Tuesday!!
Button on the side bar! 

Janet made Martha's Roasted Banana Cupcakes if you're looking for an alternative!! 

Coconut and Raspberry Cupcakes!!

Based on Love Bakery’s Raspberry and Coconut Cupcakes

Coconut & Raspberry Cupcakes 

125g  unsalted butter, room temperature

125g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

125g self-rising flour

½ tsp baking powder

3 tbsp coconut milk

Preheat Oven 180*C/350*F/Gas Mark 4
Cream the butter and sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy
Add eggs one at a time until combined
Mix in the flour and baking powder until combined
Add in the coconut milk and mix well
Scoop the batter into your cupcake cases and bake for 25 minutes

Frosting:

80g unsalted butter, room temperature

½ tsp vanilla extract

250g icing sugar, sifted

5 tsp coconut milk or more

Cream the butter and vanilla until light and fluffy
Add the icing sugar and coconut milk and mix until well blended
Add more coconut milk by the tsp if you prefer a lighter icing
Chill in the fridge until ready to use

Filling and Toppings: 

Raspberry Jam

Raspberries

Coconut Chips or desiccated coconut

I used an apple corer to take out the center of my cupcakes
Then put 1-2 tsp of raspberry jam into the center and put the cored out piece back on top.
Frost the cupcakes however you like either by piping or spatula. I used a butter knife.
Top with 1 or more raspberries and sprinkle with coconut. I would have preferred using coconut chips, but my local grocery store doesn’t stock them and I couldn’t be bothered with a special trip to town. Coconut chips are easily located at any health food store! Chips will soak up moisture so be sure to not top until serving!

Love Cake - A Baking Song by Rocky and Balls

Here's a little someting for the end of the weekend- A very fun song about loving cake! You can't help but smile!! You can download this song on their website!! They have a limited edition cd too!! They ship anywhere!! You can follow them on facebook or twitter!! I love there song about beards too!!

Here are the lyrics: (taken from youtube)

I'm gonna bake you a love cake
I'm gonna bake you a love cake
I'm gonna put it on a love plate
and serve it up to you

I'm gonna bake you a love cake
I'm gonna bake you a love cake
I'm gonna put it on a love plate
and serve it up to you

I'm gonna mix it in my love bowl
and add a little bit of my soul
I'm gonna put it in your cake hole
I'll serve it up to you

It'll be so moist
It'll taste so good
then you'll feel my love
deep inside of you

I'm gonna fold in a love egg
I'm gonna add a little nutmeg
I'm gonna guarantee you're well fed
now time for some kazoo

I'm gonna cut it with my love knife
I'm gonna cut it til it feels just right
I'm gonna feed it to you all night
there's just enough for two

It'll be so moist
It'll taste so good
then you'll feel my love
deep inside of you

I'm gonna bake you a love cake
I'm gonna bake you a love cake
I'm gonna put it on a love plate
now put it in your mouth!