24 October 2010

I *heart* NCL


Hey everyone,

Thank you so much for your kind comments on my last post.
I'm feeling a lot better now, and ready to get my blogging mojo back!

I think one of the reasons I've been a bit low is because I still can't get a job - despite having lots of experience (I've had a job pretty much non-stop since the age of sixteen) and a degree.
I've had four rejections and the rest just haven't bothered to reply.
But something will come up.

This does mean however that my pursestrings have been tightened, which SUCKS for a fashion blogger, right? Especially as the holidays are upon us!

So I've been doing things that cost as little money as possible.
Which included one of my favourite activities me and my friends used to do during college breaks - "Acting like tourists."
We would take our cameras out, and pretend we were tourists in our home city of Newcastle. We'd even try to visit cafés and exhibitions we wouldn't usually go to, to make everything feel authentic. It's SO much fun and cost effective.

My friend Sam is pretty much in the same situation as me right now, so we bundled ourselves up in jumpers and coats, and went out to explore.

A Clockwork Orange.
A new club night is using the poster for A Clockwork Orange - my favourite film.

Sam and Stars
Sam in the kid's area.
Central Newcastle
Just past central station - lots of lovely bars and cafés.

Newcastle
Typical Newcastle - full of old buildings next to modern monstrosities.

Tyne Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Tyne Bridge

The Sage
The Sage building - crazy non?


The Quayside
The Quayside. Used to be a shipbuilding site, but in recent years has become quite cosmopolitan with lots of expensive bars and restaraunts.

Baltic
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art used to be a flour mill.

Newcastle
Ahhh Newcastle, you are so cute and craggy. Sometimes.

I've put more pictures on my Flickr, and you can click the ones above for the full-size versions.

If any of you guys use this fun idea - please link me to your photos or blog entry.
I'd love to be a tourist in your city, too!


In other news, I've also been baking and cooking a lot.
I'd set myself a challenge to perfect cookie recipes, as mine always turn out very stodgy, or they rise too much like cake.

But these spicy molasses cookies turned out PERFECTLY - sweet and crisp on the outside, and spicy and chewy inside.
Perfect for autumn, teamed of course with a steaming mug of tea!



(Apologies for the picture - this was taken on my Blackberry)
RECIPE:
  • 2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup (210 grams) dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable, canola, or sunflower oil
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) unsulphured molasses (I used Lyle's Black Treacle)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar for covering the cookie balls before baking
METHOD:1. In a large bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

2. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the oil, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Beat in the flour mixture mixture until well incorporated. Cover and chill the batter until firm (about 2 hours or overnight).

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Place about 1 cup (200 grams) of white granulated sugar in a medium sized bowl. When the dough has chilled sufficiently, roll into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Then roll the balls of dough into the sugar, coating them thoroughly. Place on the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart and, with the bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies slightly. Bake for about 9-10 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies have crinkles yet are barely dry. (They will look a little underdone.) Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

(Recipe by Stephanie Jaworski.)


Apologies for the lack of fashion in this post - everything will get back to normal soon, I just thought I'd catch you up on what I've been up to.


Muchos love,
MessyCarla.

23 comments:

  1. ahhh I love Newcastle too hehe <3
    oh and those cookies yum yummmm!

    Indah @ Fashion Must Go On

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  2. oohh great . Id love to go out and take pictures where i live. Its really pretty in this part of wales loads of wildlife , lakes and parks/ farms would be lovely to take pics.. its espc pretty here when it snows xx

    fingers crossed you find a job soon xxxx

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  3. Don't give up on hope of getting a job. I applied for over 150 when I first moved to London. Then something clicks and you're away! (Trust me!)
    Hope you're feeling better.
    Stop by my blog..
    http://ifeellikeidreamtit.blogspot.com/
    Lar
    x

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  4. I feel your job hunting pain! I'm literally going insane thanks to daytime television and lack of anything to do. I hope something crops up for you soon sweet! I love the concept of this post by the way - it's interesting to see bloggers hometowns/cities (:

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  5. Your cookies look fab Carla! I may have to steal that recipe ;)

    I've been wanting to do a post about Newcastle for ages, I love the idea of pretending to be a tourist!

    Katie xox

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  6. your friend is stunning! love her style!

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  7. Wowww love ur hair colour :) GORGEOUS! SOOO VIBRANT. Do you dye it yourself??

    A
    M
    A
    Z
    I
    N
    G BLOG :)

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  8. Keep yourself positive about the job search-it's so hard sometimes but you will get there soon :)
    Love the tourist thing. I keep wanting to do it in Manchester, I think I'll give it a go on my next free day!
    Love the blog, you're so much fun! xx

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  9. I love doing this in Liverpool! It's so fun to go to the Tate and stuff. I once even went on the duckmarine tour around Liverpool and visited John Lennon's childhood house haha.

    I'm going to Newcastle next month for a work trip, hope I get a bit of spare time to have a nosy around! Good luck with the job hunt, I know how hard it can be and I have been so amazingly lucky to find my job. Something does come up eventually and everything works out for the best x

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  10. that sage building looks like a catapiller mated with a disco ball. hehehehe weird?

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  11. Hope something happens soon on the job front. Stay positive!! I am living in the USA for a year at the moment and feeling pretty homesick. So my tourism is for real!! Check out my blog www.americanechangeblog@blogspot.com I would love for you to tell me what you think. I'm new to all this blogging but you have such a great style. (fasion and prose!)

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  12. Something is bound to come up so don't lose the faith. Oh I love these photos the sage building is so cool, I love pictures of architecture I'm forever snapping round London. Hope we both get a little luck soon xxx

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  13. I love ginger cookies, I want to give 'em a try!
    I ought to try that idea. Maybe my city wouldn't seem as bad if I did it heh.

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  14. Yes I'm sure something will come up for you soon! Just take this as a well-deserved break for now and all the best!

    Thank you for showing me your city and I'll like to show you my city's nighscape in return:
    http://themerrytraveller.blogspot.com/2010/10/ilight-marina-bay.html

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  15. I love Sam's jumper and I love that little alley!

    ▲ WOLF WHISTLE ▲

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  16. Good luck with the job hunting, hopefully things will pick up soon. I visited newcastle for my brother's graduation such a beautiful city. Love the baltic art centre too! xXx

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  17. This is a lovely idea!! I'm so sorry that you can't find a job though, I've been in that situation before and it's so depressing. You will get there though, I'm sure of it! Wishing you the best of luck though my dear! x

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  18. ooh I really feel for you because I'm in the same situation! I've been looking for a job ever since I graduated which was in July... But I'm sure your luck is gonna change, and soon a job will come :)

    btw I really love your blog! and I love that your a size 16! :)

    Take a look at my blog if you have time :)

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  19. Tying to get a job atm is a nightmare. I felt like I was applying and getting nowhere for months but soemthing will come eventually.

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  20. Ohh I know how you feel about not being able to get a job - I've been at work since I was 16 and have a degree and although I've only worked in retail its still frustrating to not be able to get an office job as I am so not going back to retail! But good luck with it all!! :)

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  21. ♥♥ Indah ♥♥: Yayy for NCL <33

    Jo: Thanks and definitely have a tourist day - very cheap and lots of fun! :) xxxx

    LaraLainThatsMyName: Yeah it's just so disheartening when you don't even hear back...I'm trying to stay positive though! xxx

    bee.: Me too, I literally can NOT watch another episode of Jeremy Kyle or Bargain Hunt! Aaaargh! xxxxxx

    Katiecakes: Do it, it's so much fun! :) xxx

    lois mae: Hehe I've let her know, Sam's adorable! xxxx

    Tugba: Thanks! And yeah I dye it myself xxxx

    Shugalista17: Oooh I LOVE Manchester! Please leave me a link if you do it :) xxxxxx

    Cate: Isn't it lovely? From Topshop a few years ago I think.

    Helen: Oooh I've always wanted to visit Liverpool - and I hope you have fun here in Newcastle, I really love it here. xxxx

    Katie: Haha I think it's a bit of a disco slug, personally! ;) xxxx

    Sarah Davies: Thanks xxxxx

    Vintage and Cake: Best of luck to you too - I miss London terribly! xxxxxxx

    Gazel M.: Definitely try the cookies, and I'm sure your city is lovely! xxx

    The Merry Traveller: Thanks, that's a great way of looking at it! :) Thanks so much also for taking some pictures of your city - they're so beautiful! xxxxxxxx

    Amy: Me too! :) xxx

    Reverie: Yayy I love the Baltic too!

    Sarah: Thank you, doll! xxxxxxxxx

    Kathe Elisabeth: Thanks, that really means a lot :DD xxxxxxxxx

    sundaygirl: Here's hoping! :) xx

    Samantha: It really is frustrating, but I'm trying to keep positive! xxxxxx

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  22. our lives are so crazy similar right now! i graduated in june and couldnt find a job for AGES so was stuck with nothing to do. i went round newcastle with my boyfriend (he subbed me the busfare/starbucks dolla) and took photos outside. it was a bit warmer then though! we went to the centre for life and saw the doctor who exhibition, the baltic, the laing art gallery, the charity shops round the gate and down by the river. we avoided eldon sq like the plague because i cant stand window shopping. i enjoyed it and it made me appreciate where i live a bit more! as soon as i've got the cash though, i'm back on northumberland st twice a week. i know this is a backdated entry, so i'm glad you're feeling better now. x

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