Current Netflix Top Picks #15

I've been in such a slump with pretty much everything recently. Blogging, cooking & even just watching TV. I've just not been able to find anything than can hold my attention. Does that make sense? We watched so many boxsets and films at the start of lockdown that by the time restrictions started to ease and we could sort of start to get our lives back a little, I just had no interest in watching anything else for a little while. As we did watch so much during lockdown though, I still have some Netflix recommendations that I wanted to share!

The Lovebirds

This was a proper laugh out loud comedy. We watched this quite early on in lockdown & it's ended up being one of my favourites that Netflix have released over the last few months. It stars Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani (funny in every film he's in) and they were perfect together. They play a couple on the brink of breaking up who one night get unintentionally embroiled in a bizarre murder. They flee the scene worried they'll be seen as suspects but with people trying to track them down can they even survive the night, let alone save their relationship? It's hilarious. I can't wait to watch it again.

White Lines

I heard really mixed things about this so had no idea if I was gonna love it or hate it. Now I've watched it (and I actually got through the whole series in a day) I can say I'm in the camp of people who actually really enjoyed it. This is set in Ibiza and follows Zoe Collins (played by Laura Haddock) as she tries to solve the mysterious death of her brother, a famous DJ from many years ago. Whilst there she meets many of Axel's old friends and colleagues and it turns out they've all got secrets they've been hiding. I can see why people didn't like it and some of the accents were a bit dodgy but I personally found it a really easy watch!

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

I'm not sure there are words for how much I loved this. I went into it not expecting much to be honest as I think a lot of people probably did and I find Will Ferrell films can be a bit hit and miss sometimes but I thought this was absolutely brilliant. I must have watched it at least 5 times since it came onto Netflix and I'm sure I'll re-watch many more times too. Will Ferrell & Rachel McAdams play Lars and Sigrit, aspiring musicians who are given the chance to represent their country at the Eurovision Song Content. I think Rachel McAdams is fab in this as is Dan Stevens who plays a singer from Russia. It's so funny and the music is so catchy. If you haven't watched this already, it's the perfect Saturday night film!

Celebrity Masterchef

I am thrilled Celebrity Masterchef has been added to Netflix. There's only 2 seasons so far which is  a little annoying but I live in hope that they'll add more of the previous seasons soon. I just love cooking shows. I watch them all the time and each year I always look forward to Masterchef, whether it's the 'normal' version or the celeb one. I always find it so interesting seeing what everyone chooses to cook - it gives me inspiration and I also love the mass catering challenges! This is one of the only shows I've really enjoyed binge-watching over the last few weeks.

Selling Sunset

I was a little late to the party with this one but OMG I am obsessed! Whilst I do love reality TV, it usually takes me a lot longer to get into American shows but I can totally see why people have been talking about this non-stop for weeks. If you've not seen it already, Selling Sunset revolves around a real estate company, the Oppenheim Group and the women who work there. Whilst we get to see some of the amazing homes in L.A, so much of it is about the girls and their own personal lives. It's very Real Housewives so if you like that, this is for you.

Have you watched much on Netflix lately?

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Thinking Of Starting A Fast Food Delivery Service? How To Make It Happen*

This is a collaborative post*

It's one thing to consider yourself a foodie and a person who appreciates all types of cuisine, flavours, and ingredients, but it is an entirely different thing to take that passion for food and turn it into your career. They always say to take what you love to do and make it your job, so why not take that love of food and translate it into a smart career move? If you're thinking about starting your own fast food delivery service there are a number of thing to consider. These tips can help you get started and make sure your venture is a success.

What Will Be Your Unique Hook?

The first thing you'll want to think about is your offerings. What will you offer to customers that is unique and special? This is what will prompt people to give your new food delivery business a try and choose your company over other fast food options. In reality, this can prove to be the toughest step of all.

Perfect Your Recipes

You'll also want to be sure you give yourself plenty of time to perfect your recipes. Instead of creating a menu with dozens of choices, it's always best to stick to your best dishes and really master them. You can focus on growing the menu later after you establish a following.

You'll Need a Vehicle for Your Deliveries

Of course, in order to get the food delivered to your customers, you'll need some sort of delivery vehicle such as a van, a small vehicle, or even a bike. And that also means you'll need to look into fast food delivery insurance for that vehicle. Obviously, speed is of the essence when delivering food to customers, so with that said, this type of insurance is traditionally higher as there is a heightened level of risk involved. Quotezone is the perfect place to find competitive quotes on fast food delivery insurance in the UK. It will provide you with a list of quotes from the top UK insurance providers quickly and smoothly, allowing you to pick the best provider for your needs.

Start Working on Branding

Now you need to create buzz around your delivery service and the food options you offer - in other words, the branding. In today's digitally focused landscape, social networks are typically the best platform to spread the word, market your business, and truly create buzz. You can use these networks to post pictures of dishes, upcoming promotions, pricing, and other details that will spark the attention of potential customers. Just be sure that you can stay on top of customer engagement, which means answering as many comments and questions as possible in a timely manner. This helps to give a face to the brand and make it feel more personal.

Following Your Food Dream

By using these tips and steps, you'll be well on your way to following your dream of starting your own fast food delivery and catering service.

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M&M Cookies Recipes

It's not often you'll see me posting cookie recipes on my blog because they're actually one thing I find quite tricky to get right! Recently I've been sharing lots of brownie recipes aswell as a beautiful lemon & blueberry cake and an extravagant cheesecake but a few weeks ago I really fancied some cookies so I whipped up a batch with added M&M's. Some weren't shaped perfectly but they tasted amazing and they made our home smell like vanilla biscuits for hours! You could of course switch out the M&M's for things like smarties or mini eggs (at Easter obviously) or even skittles for a fruity twist! I'm a huge fan of every type of M&M though so I went for the chocolate ones this time.

Ingredients:

125g butter or margarine

100g light brown sugar

75g granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

275g plain flour

1 tbsp cornflour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder
250g M&M's

Method:

1. Add your butter and both sugars to a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy

2. Add in your egg and vanilla extract and mix again until everything is combined

3. Pour in plain flour, cornflour, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and beat until a cookie dough is formed

4. Add in 230g of M&M's and mix again until they're distributed well through the dough

5. Form balls weighing about 60-70g from your dough, put onto a baking tray or plate and pop in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. You could chill them in the fridge for an hour if you'd prefer

6. Whilst your cookie dough if chilling, pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees or 180 fan and line 2 baking trays with baking paper

7. After 30-60 mins, take your cookie dough out of the fridge/freezer and put onto your baking trays. You want to leave some space between each ball of dough as when they cook they'll flatten and spread

8. Add a few more M&M's that were leftover from earlier to each cookie dough ball, pushing in a little

9. Bake in the oven for around 12 minutes 

10. When baked, leave to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack if possible. After around 30 minutes, enjoy!

These will last about 3 days, though to get the best out of them I'd recommend eating on the first and second day and I'd also recommend storing them in a tupperware to keep them as fresh as possible. If you wanted you could also enjoy these warm! Just pop into a warm oven for 5 minutes or the microwave for about 30 seconds. They'd go so well with a scoop of ice cream too! Who doesn't like warm cookies?

A similar recipe you might like is my peanut butter cookies!

What's your favourite thing to bake?

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The Perfect Couple By Lisa Hall Book Review*

I received a copy to review but all opinions are my own*

Today I'm back with another book review and it's a thriller this time! I love a good thriller and it's made a nice change after reading quite a variety of different genres recently. I was kindly send a copy of The Perfect Couple by Lisa Hall and I couldn't wait to share my thoughts with you.

'When Emily applies for a job as a housekeeper for widower Rupert, it's a chance to start over - a steady job and regular money means she can work towards her own place, not sharing a grimy flat with old mate, Mags. As Emily gets to know more about Rupert's world - how he likes his supper when he comes in from work, who his friends are - she can make sure everything runs like clockwork for him. Soon there's a spark between them; Rupert likes Emily and invities her to stay. For good. To the outside world, they seem to be a perfect match. There's just the small issue of what really happened to Rupert's first wife...'

My Review

It had felt like quite a while since I'd last read a thriller which is a firm favourite genre of mine so I couldn't wait to get stuck into The Perfect Couple by Lisa Hall!

The book opens with Rupert coming to terms with his wife's death and trying but slightly failing, to get his life back together. A close friend recommends getting a housekeeper to help him out and he agrees, which is where Emily comes in. Emily is not long out of a bad relationship, isn't happy living with her flatmate Mags and just seems to want more from her life than she currently has. When she applies for the housekeeping role and gets it, her and Rupert soon form a really close connection. It doesn't take long for them to fall in love and marry, despite reservations from people around them but are either of them as they seem?

This had me on the edge of my seat from the very first chapter. I was so intrigued by Rupert and was desperate to know what had happened to his late wife and I also really wanted to know more about Emily. I didn't trust many of the characters including Emily's flatmate Mags which made for a really interesting story as I was forever questioning each person and wondering what was going to happen next. The chapters alternate between Emily and Rupert which I liked as you could really get to know each character themselves rather than just from the other persons point of view and generally I found this just so easy to keep reading, chapter after chapter after chapter.

I loved that there were lots of twists throughout this and at times it felt very much like Gone Girl with the cat and mouse element to it. When strange and scary things start happening around the house, I found myself wondering was Caro still alive and trying to get revenge?! Was Rupert trying to send Emily crazy? Was Emily actually the bad one and playing a game? I just couldn't predict it.

I'd have liked just a few more chapters at the end to really fill it out and add some extra detail after everything comes to a head but aside from that I thought this was a really great domestic thriller and I'd highly recommend!

Are you a fan of thrillers?

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