D Day!

So today is the day! The day we start our training plan for the 2014 Virgin London Marathon! 

Leeanne and I both have the Marathon on our bucket list and in 25 weeks time we would have completed it (fingers and toes crossed) and been able to tick it off! 

My main reason for running the marathon is to raise money for Fight for Sight.  My little boy Rocco has Albanism Nystagmus - this is an eye condition of involutary eye movements - meaning his eyes wobble. There is no cure for it at the moment and it does effect Rocco a lot - however with current medical advancements i am so hopeful that a cure will be found! 

This is the training plan we will be following:

beginner-24-week-training-plan

This was us before our half marathon last October! we did absolutely no training and we really really struggled! We both want to do the Marathon in a similar time to what we did the half marathon! We were both injured (i had my ankle strapped as i had torn the ligaments and it was as big as a balloon) but the main this we did it! We just want to do it better and be proud of ourselves! 

We've got our matching trainers ready to go and we will defo be doing some sports equipment reviews in the next few months!!! 

I love this print from Etsy.com £12.69 and I can't wait to be able to put it up in my house knowing that i've accomplished a huge thing! 

Please wish us luck and if you do feel like sponsoring us this is our page 

www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/rockstarrunners

Happy Monday 

Chick-Lit Heaven

Wow i've just finished reading "One Perfect Summer" by Paige Toon and once again she has written such a good book!!!

I feel like i barely have the time to think at the moment - zero spare time - but i started this book on Friday and i literally couldn't put it down!!

I found the time to read it in 4 days!! Every spare child free moment i was in this magical love story!

If you like chick lit love stories that are easy reads and enthralling then you need to read all of Paige Toons! I've read them all except "The Longest Holiday" which i started yesterday.

I love seeing this on Paige Toon's website

Sneak peek of Jessie!

From 2014 I will be releasing TWO books a year: my usual chick-lit in May (Thirteen Weddings), and a brand new series of Young Adult books about fifteen-year-old Jessie, the daughter Johnny Jefferson never knew he had. The first book in the series, The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson, is coming in January, but there will be a sneak peek of the first chapter at the end of Johnny's Girl. Can't wait to hear what you think!

Thirteen Weddings

My next chick-lit book (out in May 2014) is about a wedding photographer who falls in love with a groom. The star is Bronte, who you first heard about in Pictures of Lily (she was the editorial assistant Lily covered for when she worked at Marbles magazine in Sydney). So expect plenty of Ben and Lily updates!

Happy Reading! I hope you enjoy if you order! 

Beef shin stew with Parmesan dumplings

There's nothing better for dinner when its all cold outside then a good stew! Maybe its the northerner in me but i just love stew and especially one with dumplings mmmmm.

This recipe from Simply Delicious is really tasty and the parmesan dumplings are a nice twist on regular dumplings.

One of the main things i love about stews is you can bung it all in the oven or your slow cooker and dinner is really ready when you are! Perfect when you have a busy day, or if you put it in the slow cooker before you went to work dinner would be ready when you get home!

So here's the recipe, hope you enjoy it!

Beef shin stew with Parmesan dumplings

Recipe type: Stew, Dinner,

Prep time:  30 mins

Cook time:  2 hours 30 mins

Total time:  3 hours

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

for the stew

• 1kg beef shin
• 1 onions, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1x400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 250ml red wine
• 2 tins (use the tomato tin) beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 250g portabellini mushrooms, halved
• salt & pepper to taste

for the Parmesan dumplings

• 125g butter
• 250g flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup Parmesan, grated
• 100ml milk
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. To make the stew, season the beef shin with salt and pepper and sear in a heavy-based pot in a splash of oil until browned on both sides.
2. Remove the shin from the pot and set aside.
3. In the same pot, fry the onion, celery and carrots until soft and fragrant.
4. Add garlic and fry for another 30 seconds.
5. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, wine and soy sauce and allow to come up to a simmer.
6. Add the beef back into the pot and pour in the beef stock, add the bay leaf and thyme.
7. Turn the heat down and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer for 2 hours until the beef is soft.
8. Add the mushrooms and allow to cook for 10 minutes uncovered then adjust the seasoning to taste.
9. To make the dumplings, place the butter, flour, baking powder, salt and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs.
10. With the motor running, pour in the milk slowly until the mixture comes together in a ball.
11. Remove and form dumplings, just slightly smaller than golf balls.
12. Place the dumplings on top of the stew and cover with the lid. Allow to steam for 10 minutes. (Make sure the stew is simmering gently otherwise the dumplings will fall apart.)
13. When the dumplings are cooked through, remove the lid and serve immediately.

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