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Dating in Your Dwelling: How to Cope with Socially Distanced Dates

*This post was written in collaboration with date Aberdeen singles.

With certain locations going back into lockdown, it can be a worrying thought that a second national lockdown is on the way. Although the rules only state you are allowed no more than six people at the moment, this could all change if the number of Covid-19 cases increases. Many people chose to put relationships on the back-burner during the lockdown, but now that we are faced with the prospect of more restrictions, people are trying new ways of dating to save being lonely during these worrying times. Luckily, there are several tips I can give to you for dating during a lockdown. 

Find a date online

The first thing you will want to do is find a date. Free dating sites like Aberdeen dating site are a great start when you want to find like-minded singles in your area. Because there is noting much else to do during a lockdown, it is likely that there will be an increased number of users on certain dating sites. One of your main priorities for online dating should be to ensure that you have an up-to-date profile and up-to-date profile picture. 

More time for talking

Some people might not be comfortable meeting up with strangers during a pandemic, and let’s face it the rules are pretty confusing. This gives you a great excuse to keep the talking stage going for a bit longer than both of you would usually be used to. If feel safe and you would like to, you can take your messaging to another level by swapping social media or even numbers. Sometimes it can be best to extend the talking stage as you will already have things in common to talk about and “in” jokes to start a conversation. 

Think of some original dates

So you have got to the point where you have used a local dating site like www.dateaberdeensingles.co.uk and you have found someone you enjoy speaking to and would like to date. The trouble now is, where on earth can you go on a date? Although pubs and restaurants are open, they need to be booked quite far in advance if they are popular ones, and this again depends on your level of comfort with going to public places. Remember that everyone is at a different stage in the pandemic and ensure you are in tune with the needs of your date. If they are living with someone vulnerable it is unlikely they will want to go anywhere busy. Thankfully, there are some things you can do that do not put anyone at risk, including:

  • Skype dinner dates where you talk and order a takeaway
  • Nice walks (as long as the UK weather plays the game)
  • Picnics in the park
  • Skype or zoom quizzes, which are a great way to get to know someone

With all of the different technologies available today, you can still date fairly effectively during these uncertain times. And if you do meet the person you end up marrying during the Covid-19 crises, imagine what a great story that will be to tell!

Spaghetto Napolitan Recipe

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Spaghetti Napolitan Recipe

*This post contains affiliate links

How to make Spaghetti Napolitan

I love Italian food, and even though I am not Italian, I do pride myself on the quality of my basic Spaghetti Napolitan sauce. One of many foods I find simple, and effective.

Equipment

The main piece of equipment you will need is a good wok. You might find that weird for an Italian sauce, but I use a wok for everything.

Ingredients 

(serves 4)

2 x tins of tinned tomatoes

1 x garlic clove

1 x onion

1 x teaspoon of basil

100ml vegetable stock

1 x teaspoon of tomato puree

Salt & pepper to taste

Method

  1. Start off by putting some butter in the wok and sweating out the onions on a low heat for a bit.
  2. Add in the garlic.
  3. Bring the heat up now to medium heat, and add in both of the tins of tomatoes.
  4. Keep the sauce simmering, and add in all of the other ingredients.
  5. Let the sauce simmer until it is thick enough to serve with spaghetti.

Cooking tips

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Five Foods That Sound Hard to Make, but Aren’t

*This blog post contains affiliate links.

Coq au Vin

I’ve made Coq au Vin a few times, and it isn’t too bad to get your head around if you practise. One of the things I do to make it a bit easier is to use individual chicken breasts rather than a whole chicken. Aside from that it is just a case of throwing everything in and waiting. When you are done, you can drain out the sauce and add flour to it to thicken it to serve, and my main point of advice here is don’t forget yourself and drain it down the sink because I have definitely done that in the past.

Fudge

Fudge sounds so hard to make but it is actually one of the most easy baking recipes I have ever used. A little while back I shared my no-nonsense fudge recipe with you. Follow it to the letter and you won’t go wrong. It’s just a recipe you have to keep your eye on.

Gratin dauphinois

Again, this looks quite hard to make and it can take a bit of practise with the thickness you slice the potatoes. Do it a few times for you and your family before you make it for guests and you won’t be able to go wrong. Although the sauce is easy to make, it is how you slice the potatoes that makes this dish a bit harder than it should be. Ensure that you cut them as thin as you can without the possibility of them breaking. I recently shared my dauphinois recipe if you want to try it.

Fried chicken

Another food I can shameless share my recipe for. I’m going to tell you a secret: fried chicken is one of the easiest foods you will ever make. All you need to do is coat the chicken and throw it in (I use a wok for my fried chicken recipe). Make sure you marinade the chicken beforehand so that it doesn’t dry out during the frying process.

Yorkshire puddings

This is one I have only ever got down ONCE. The main tip my friend’s Nan says about yorkies, is don’t keep opening the door to let all of the secrets out. I firmly believe the one time I have had success is because the batter was really cool, and the oil already in the pan was about 600 degrees. Alas, if anyone has any “work every time” recipes for Yorkshire puddings please let me know!

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Cafe Rouge Windsor

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Cafe Rouge, Windsor

I know what you are thinking. “Why is this basic bitch telling me about another chain restaurant?”. Well, I don’t know if you have seen this news kicking about anywhere, but there is currently a pandemic. Rather than getting invited to reviews or going to restaurants I want to try off of my own back, I’ve been trying to just blog when I can and also because I’ve had so much free time during the lockdown I have also been trying to beef up my recipe section a bit too. So when Trace (that’s my Mum) and I decided to go to Windsor for a day because I’d been before and it was lovely, I thought I might as well review my Cafe Rouge experience while we were there for something to eat.

First and foremost, they had their Covid-19 procedure down to a fine art. Unlike when I went to Prezzo, Lakeside a couple of weeks back, they actually took our names for track and trace. They also had a one way system and all of the hygiene stuff like hand gel and that. Very safe and very clean!

What’s on the menu at Cafe Rouge?

In case you couldn’t tell form the, you know, French, in the name, Cafe Rouge is actually French cuisine. Now that I have helped you to make the earth-shattering discovery, shall we all see what sort of food “French” food is? I lived in France for six months when I was 20 and a few years after I probably still couldn’t tell you what food was “French” even if it had come served with a string of onions wearing a beret. All of the standard French fayre is on the menu at Cafe Rouge, apart from snails and frogs legs, and can I just say on that, good. You’ll find things like Moules and Poulet Breton, but when we visited it was breakfast time. I like the breakfast menu at Cafe Rouge more than any other menu’s because it contains one of the foods I have been in a long-term love affair with forever: a Croque Monsieur. Yes, I’m aware it is just a fancy toasted sandwich, but honestly, food that it simple and effective always comes up top for me. I will admit, my toasted sandwiches at home are pretty professional (thanks to this bad boy), but having them in a French restaurant is still a level up!

What’s the food like at Cafe Rouge?

No matter how professional your sandwich toaster at home is, you CANNOT beat a Croque Monsieur. In Cafe Rouge they make their Croque Monsieur’s with bechmel sauce which is a literal dream on a plate. Let’s be honest as well, would you ever know in your life what a Croque Madame is without it being on their menu (it’s a Croque Monsieur with a fried egg).  Again to reiterate, I just love food that is simple, and effective. I think the word you’d use for a lot of food in Cafe Rouge is “hearty”. You also get fries with a Croque Monsier which switfly takes it from “snack” to “main meal” status. I’ve actually eaten breakfast in a few Cafe Rogue’s in my time and the omlettes are a winner as well. I’d also recommend their coffee, it’s beautiful.

What is the atmosphere like at Cafe Rouge?

The atmosphere at the Cafe Rouge in Windsor was very laid back. We were there on a week day as we both had annual leave, so it wasn’t busy at all. But I was seeing a guy once who lived near a Cafe Rogue and we used to go Sunday mornings, which again was very calm and chilled. I think the vibe in any Cafe Rouge is just like that anyway. It’s one of my favourite chain restaurants specifically for this. Any other French restaurant is so pretentious, I feel self-conscious just walking through the door, but Cafe Rouge is a great place to have a relaxing “day out” breakfast.

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Five Fun Food Facts About Me

The worst place I have ever eaten is…. Tangier in Morocco.

My friend and I went on a holiday to Marbella. We both had really good jobs at the time so we stayed at the Melia Marbella Banus which was one of the most luxurious hotels I have ever stayed in. On the spur of the moment we decided to book a day trip to Tangier as we had never been to the African continent. It was AWFUL. A friend went to Morocco, specifically Tangier and his pictures of it were lovely. not sure where we got taken but we then went to this marketplace for lunch and the chicken was pink in the middle, the soft drinks were actually OUT OF DATE and the cous cous was all watery and plain. We had got up at 5am and had no breakfast, and I usually eat everything but even I couldn’t eat this. It wasn’t until we got home around 10pm we ate food. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE cous cous uasually.

My favourite food in the whole world is… Fried chicken.

Or if you want to be particular about it, Jollibee Fried Chicken that you can get in the Philippines. As I proved on my vlog, it IS more fun in the Philippines, and the food is good too. If the Philippines is my favourite country, Jollibee is my favourite take away. There is one in Earl’s Court I can get to in my lunch break and they have just opened one in Shoreditch. Do you know what my big secret is to frying chicken? I use a REALLY GOOD WOK.

The food I would cook to impress someone is… Coq au Vin.

Coq au Vin is a French chicken stew made with red wine. To put my own little twist on, instead of using a whole chicken on the bone I do a chicken breast for each person. Not a huge amount of effort goes into making it but it is delicious! If you want to cheat though, you can buy the sauce.

The place I like best for eating out on holiday is…. The Philippines.

You guys must be so bored of all of the content about travelling to the Philippines but I obviously just love it don’t I? The cuisine there is a mishmash of a few things. You’ll find elements of influence from America, Thailand, Spain and many others. They have a huge Korean cuisine and Australian cuisine markets out there too.

One food I hate but everyone else loves is...Mayonnaise. 

It is absolutely grim and if you like it you are a wrong un.

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Socially Distanced Dating: Keeping up With the new Rules

*This post was written in collaboration with Date Cumbria Singles

The lockdown has been a stressful time for all of us, and now that things are starting to ease off a bit, we’re having to roll with some changes to our new normal. I’ve been single all through lockdown and one nice thing is that there is a guy I have been speaking to for nearly the whole thing. We’ll see where it goes but you very rarely get to talk to people that much before they pressure you into a meeting. And that’s what I love about dating. Say for example you are in Cumbria dating site, you find a nice guy on their site, you are not too sure but he wants to meet. Well, the only place you can go from there is meeting or stopping talking, there is no in-between. Coronavirus has given us the gift pushy boys on internet dating don’t want to: the gift of time. So what are my tips and ideas for dating during Aunty Rona’s reign?

Watch a film 

The most recent advice was to not gather outside in groups of more than 6, so a big step back basically. What this says for the local Cumbria pubs and Cumbria cinemas, anybody is yet to guess but it certainly does look like dating in the outside world is a going to become a “no go” again at least once. How do I mean watch a film? Simple. Put the same film on at the same time and watch it together so you can talk about it. That’s about as close as you can get during a pandemic. 

Getting to know you quiz

This is probably one of my finer ideas. Even if you find someone you do like chatting to, keeping the conversation alive through an entire pandemic can be challenging. Talking every day is great and it is exciting but eventually, you might run out of things to talk about. Challenge each other to write 10 “getting to know you” questions in advance and set up a call the answer them for each other. You can have things like “what was your favourite lesson in school?” and “what item of clothing did you LOVE as a child?”.

Make use of GOOD dating sites

Not that I will name any names, but be honest “swipe style” dating sites are not something I think will lead to long-term love. Websites like datecumbriasingles.co.uk have got a bit more about them (I think) when it comes to finding people that are matured and possibly looking for something long-term. If you are into dating just for fun then plenty of sites will help you there, but look into the sites that ask a bit more about you if you are looking for love. If someone takes the time to make a detailed profile they sound like they would be interested in something more than a one night stand. If you are on a short-term wavelength there are plenty of “adult fun” websites you can use for that too.

Host the perfect dinner party

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Tips for Hosting the Perfect Dinner Party

*This post contains affiliate links.You know you have reached the pinnacle of adulthood when you start to throw dinner parties. Gone are the days of having everyone around for pre-drinks, eating nothing but a few Pringles and going out on a more or less empty stomach. I have some wisdom to share with any young ones here: you won’t miss it. Because what replaces the drunk shenanigans? Gloriously sophisticated dinner parties which serve as an excuse to dress up and use the fancy plates. Followed by drunk shenanigans. If you do enjoy playing host, I have a few tips for you.

Stick with what you know

If you watch “Come Dine With Me” you will probably notice that if someone tries to cook something they have never made before it ALWAYS goes tits up. Choosing a dish you are familiar with and have cooked a few times before will save you a hell of a lot of stress. It doesn’t matter if it is fancy or not. One of my signature dishes is fried chicken, and I can tell you now people would rather eat well-cooked, non-fancy food that you got right rather than some “supposed-to-be-fancy” mess that is not edible. One of my personal “go to” dishes is Mediterranean salmon. 

 Over-count

Imagine how embarrassing it would be if one too many a guest showed up and you did not have enough for them. Not your faux pas, but an unsettling one all the same. Then what if you are doing individual dishes, like little ramekins of dauphinoise, and one of them comes out wrong or you drop one? Believe me I do love a little individual ramekin to make a dish look fancy. If you cook over the numbers you need, you’ll either be able to be a generous host and offer some people seconds or save some for Ron (later Ron), if you do not need to use the spares.

Speaking of numbers…

You might want to invite as many people as possible to show off your cooking skills. Well, I will let you in on a little secret: any more than six people in a normal-sized house becomes too much, VERY quickly. If you are that keen have two different parties. There is absolutely no way that you can cater to the needs of your guests if there is one of you and there are more than six of them. Even if you live in a big house, more than six people will still monopolise your time too much for you to be able to be adequately attentive.

Keep the drinks flowing

The funny thing is: I don’t drink. However, I LOVE getting other people drunk. Not that anyone needs encouraging that much out of the sort of dinner guests that come to MY dinner parties. I’m not saying my dinner parties turn out to be full-on raves, but there is ALWAYS dancing after dinner. Being the hostess or host means that you have to ensure you have correctly paired the wine with the food. This is again something you can learn even if you do not drink the wine yourself you can still learn the pairings. I invested in this ice bucket a while back and it was a very worthwhile purchase.

Plan and prepare ahead of time

As the idea of a dinner party is to socialise. Therefore, you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen cooking all night. Chop things before-hand. Mix things before-hand. Do as much prep work as possible so that you can flit in and out of the kitchen and still give your guests the impression you are actually listening to them. 

Tips from around the web

I asked some of my followers what their best dinner party tips were. If you have any different ones, feel free to leave a comment below.

“Get a raclette grill,  get them to cook their own steak which sorts out the entertainment side of things too” ~ Hannah, Behind the False Lashes.

“Decor can cover up dodgy cooking. Invest in creating an ambience” ~ George, BritVoyage.

“Make food that you can make in advance and heat up when the guests arrive” ~ Lilla, Lilllaloves.com

“Use the cook shop, don’t be put off that it is frozen meals” ~ Kimberlee, wagsandtails.wordpress.com

“Put laxatives in the food so people leave quicker” ~ Lauryn, What Saint Wears

 

 

 

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Prezzo, Lakeside

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Prezzo, Lakeside

One of the things I wanted to do when I changed the direction of my blog to focus on food was to make sure I reviewed places to suit all budgets. Food critics really do not go out of their way very often to ensure their reviews are inclusive. So taking that into consideration, I decided to do a review on Prezzo, Lakeside. Prezzo is on “The Boardwalk”, which is a row of restaurants that sit on a pier over the lake. We booked this rather than wait around because eating out during a pandemic is quite obviously different from the norm. 

What’s on the menu at Prezzo?

Prezzo is an Italian restaurant so as you can imagine the menu is loaded with pasta and pizza. We eat pasta quite a lot at home, so my Mum and I both decided we would have a pizza. I went for a Tre Gusti which had pepperoni, chicken and pancetta on it. Mum doesn’t eat meat so she just had a basic cheese and tomato pizza.

What’s the food like at Prezzo?

The pizzas we got were both huge. We didn’t even order the large pizza and one still would have been enough for both of us. I also ordered some fries and garlic bread on the side. I like getting pizzas at Italian restaurants because the bases are always thin. There is nothing worse than getting a pizza that is 90% bread. All of the food was really nice, but the garlic bread was my favourite, and it had cheese on which always adds a little bit of value for me.

What is the atmosphere like at Prezzo, Lakeside?

Prezzo in the middle of a shopping centre is never going to be empty, is it? We didn’t go Monday to Wednesday so it wasn’t even during “Eat out to help out”, and it was still busy. But you could easily argue the point that social distancing has done everyone a favour because the tables were quite far apart. Even though it was busy, it still felt like you were relatively far away from the next table. I was very impressed by the aspect of social distancing being adhered to this closely.

Would I go back to Prezzo?

I would 100% go back to Prezzo. Some food bloggers look down their noses at chain restaurants, and I really can’t see why. Prezzo serves decent, well-cooked food at very reasonable prices. 

A meal for two with two sides and 4 soft drinks cost £39.

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Keeping the Long Distance Love Alive

*This post was written in collaboration with Match Me Happy.

The Coronavirus outbreak has made some changes to the way we go about our daily lives. Anyone single has probably ended up putting dating on the back-burner for a bit, which is understandable. But what about those people who are in a relationship? Or a very new relationship? Even though things seem to be opening up again, local lockdown measures seem to be multiplying across towns and cities in the UK. So if you are attached, newly attached or you are looking to get attached, how on earth can you cope with dating in these weird and wonderful times?

Food Zoom calls

Granted, this one sounds a bit weird. But you CAN still “go out for a meal” even though you are staying in. Going out for meals is one of the great pleasures of dating. You get food, you get alcohol, and if you are lucky you get good conversation. With a little bit of tweaking, you can still have a nice “dinner date” over Zoom. Just make sure you try and get your food at the same time, sit at the table with your tablet or laptop and let the conversation flow much in the same way as it would if you were facing each other in real life.

Write letters

When you meet people on free dating sites, you tend to send quick-fire messages back and forth. Sometimes it can be information overload and you probably wouldn’t realise how common it is to say the wrong thing in a rush or have a text misconstrued because it is read in a rush. Why not bring some romance back and write some letters to each other? Let’s face it if your local area goes back into lockdown you won’t have much else to do. People tend to pour their hearts out more on a letter than they would a text, so it can give you a really honest insight into the person you are trying to get to know. 

Arrange to meet – safely

Restaurants and pubs are back open again, but that does not mean everyone is going to be comfortable going to them, especially if you initially found your date on a site like matchmehappy.co.uk. The most important thing to gauge first is how comfortable you and your date are going out in public. Have the mask conversation first. Remember, some people cannot wear them for medical reasons so you might not physically be able to go to a place that requires masks. Although you do not need to wear a mask to eat, most restaurants require them in communal areas. If you are a spontaneous person, a huge element of date planning has been taken out of your hands. With limited space, you will need to book a restaurant ahead and even tables in pubs in some instances. It would also be worth having the health conversation. Who has your date been around? Have they been isolating? Given all of this, there is still no reason you can’t go on some fabulous lockdown dates, and find the love of your life.

 

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