Sunday 27 January 2019

ULTIMATE PRAWN AND AVOCADO CEVICHE


So, my random Sunday craving led me to the Tesco fish counter ordering raw prawns and then going on to buy a whole load of limes to then creating this delicious, tangy and refreshing prawn ceviche.
 For those that may not know, Ceviche is a raw seafood dish that I believe originates from Peru. The fish - in this case the prawns - is marinated/cured in a citrus juice making it well, “cooked” I guess. It can be served on its own, as a starter or a main with tacos or I think some people even have it with rice. 



I love to have it with tortilla chips! You could serve it like I've done when you’re hosting a party, it’s super easy but looks very impressive. Just be sure to use the freshest fish possible! Its light, refreshing, healthy...not really a winter dish but hey, give the body what it wants! The best thing is that you can play around with the ingredients and what you add in, I used avocado and mango for a sweet and creamy texture but some people like to add tomato or bells peppers. So its totally up to you ;)


Hope you enjoy the recipe below. I'm no expert but it came out pretty damn good if I do say so myself ;) If you do make it be sure to tag me in your photos! Xx

  
This is about half of the amount I made, the recipe below serves 4 people. 


Ingredients
- 400g raw peeled king prawns, roughly chopped
- 4 limes (juiced) 
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 to 2  birds eye chilli (depends on your taste buds)
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2 tsp salt
- Half a large firmish mango, diced
- Half a large firm (but ripe) avocado, diced
- Handful of chopped fresh coriander
- A quarter of a red onion, finely sliced

Method

1.  In a bowl, add the lemon and lime juices, the salt (start with 1 tsp and see how it goes), the chilli, some of the coriander and half of the red onion. You can taste this now before if goes on the prawns. 

2.  Add the prawns to a sealable container, or a bowl that you can cover, pour the lemon juice mixture over the prawns, cover and leave in the fridge for about 10 minutes to "cook", give it a shake/stir and replace in fridge for 5 minutes until fully pink and/or opaque. (If after the 15 minutes the prawns are still not quite opaque then leave for a further 2 minutes until you think they're alright - I'd say, no longer than 20 minutes or the texture won't be quite right.)

3.  Add in the mango, avocado, the remaining coriander, spring onions, red onion and olive. Stir and taste, add more salt if necessary.

4.  Serve alone or with your choice of side, I recommend tortilla chips, and enjoy!

Sunday 20 January 2019

EVERY FUR HAS A STORY

Hello hellooooo, happy Sunday beautiful people! 
If you read my last post then you'd know I've promised a whole lost of content. Which is still coming don't you worry, I just thought we could kick off with a fashion story...enjoy! 


Lets talk FUR.
 I know, controversial. 




I've never purchased any real fur or leather products myself, partially because I feel like I've been a broke student my whole life but also because I'd rather spend money on faux products,  I think they look just as nice! Although...ask me again in a few years when I'm  a millionaire, I might think differently! 
Jokes aside, I've been gifted real leather/fur products before and I loveeee them. So I can't sit her and judge anyone for their views, supportive or non supportive of real products. If anything, I love hearing everyone's thoughts and listening to all your views.



Now. You may know by now, I am partial to a fur coat (real or faux). I'm a strong believer that every fur coat has a story behind it. Last summer I got gifted this beautiful white fox coat by my boyfriends mom. It was hers in the 80's and she no longer wore it, in fact she had it rolled up in a bin bag and hidden in the attic (My heart!) and it just so happened to be my size (we tenk God!!). Fur coats are lifelong pieces, especially when you live in a cold country and look after them properly - rumour has it you should keep them in a cold room - but I just have mine in a suit bag in my closet. I think its stunning and it is so warm. 

When I tell you this thing is warm, I mean it is bloody warm! My faux fur coats have nothing on this one. I have to layer up when I wear those, no matter how fluffy. 
You can dress it up or dress it down as well, an all black outfit with trainers or dress it up like I've done here. My jeans and turtleneck are from Primark and the shoes are from Missguided. I'm not sure where the purse is from - it was a Christmas gift, sorry! Crazy how something so chic can dress up an outfit that isn't worth anything close to its price huh!? Hahah. 

Wishing you all a great positive week ahead! 















Sunday 13 January 2019

REGROUPING

Well guys, I guess I should start by saying I hope you had a great start to the New Year! 
Oh how I have missed you and the therapeuticness that writing here brings me <3 

Enjoy some recently discovered pics of mini me :) 
I'll admit, it hasn't been so much of a good start to the year for me or end to the last either. I was sooo ready to start off the New Year with positivity and making progress but there hasn't been much of that and I'll get in to all of that in another post. This one is all about hitting refresh on that 2019 button, pushing for positivity and channelling the passion I had two weeks ago, before things went south. 


There's some big changes coming my way in the coming months and with some uncertainty ahead, I felt the need to regroup and ground myself back to where my passion lies...here! 

 I guess what I want to say and/or let you know is that I'll be bringing a different vibe to my blog, sharing a little more of what I'm going through and how I deal with it. The last time I posted was 6ish months ago and that makes me sad, I'd hate to let my blog go after 6 years just because I "don't have time for it or to be all dressed up" anymore. So I thought, hmm Maria, why not expand! I already have the categories I want to share, so why not fill them in more?! During my 6 months of silence, I learnt a lot of things that I think have and will continue to shape me into the future me, and with my busy brain it seemed only natural to write them down and share it with the world. Who knows, maybe I could help a few people too!?

What I want is for my blog/readers to grow with me or to see my progress rather. Which, for the most part, has been the case. The vibe from post one to post 122 is madness! Looking back and seeing your progress is everything and I think part of the growth process. I've always said how this blog is for me to express my passions and to share those with you (if you're interested!), nothing more nothing less. Just a hobby not a chore. This all started out with a fashion focus but I want to do moving forward is share my life experiences and how I got through them. I want to inspire and be inspired so you'll be seeing a lot more personal posts - into the nitty gritty we go. I'm talking setting goals, dealing with loss and uncertainty, managing finances, how I stay motivated, fitness, beauty industry theories, recipes, as well as my usual fashion posts and more! 

So, now that I've filled you in a little bit, I want to wish you all a lovely lovely Sunday and I guess I'll see you in my next post, lets kick this year's ass with a whole lot of positivity!!!!

xx Mimi