Culinary Goddess Tip #3

Source: Flickr.com

Culinary Goddess Tip #2

Culinary Goddess: Winter Warmers Recipe - Broccoli & Cauliflower Soup

With the nights longer and colder, we really crave our comfort food.  Something rich and delicious (and preferably nutritious!) to warm us from the inside out!

So this is the first of my 'Winter Warmers' recipes, which will be a series of recipes full of food that does just that. To follow the series, you can click on the 'Winter Warmers' label/tag above or at the bottom of this post :)

This is such a nice, simple and comforting recipe that anyone can enjoy - and for anyone doing Slimming World, it's full of speedy veg too which is a great bonus! :)

Culinary Goddess: Cold & Flu Tips and Home Remedies

It's that time of year where the days are shorter and darker and the nights are colder - we're hustling and bustling to and from the cold and one central heating system to another and this can wreak havoc on our immune systems, so we need to take extra care of ourselves to try and avoid the sniffles that are bound to do the rounds any minute (if not already).

These are a few tips and tricks that I've come up with over the years that I always abide by as both preventative measures as well as upon first signs of any sniffle symptoms.

Culinary Goddess Tip #1

What can you do when a recipe calls for you to place your baked goods on a 'wire rack' to cool after removing from the oven, but you don't have one?

Culinary Goddess: Super Healthy Blueberry, Raspberry & Superfood Muffins Recipe

I love to play around with recipes, get creative and make them my own - which is exactly how I came up with the below recipe, which has become very popular and a real favourite with my family and friends.

I took a simple blueberry muffin recipe and adapted it to make it even more jam-packed full of goodness!

Celebrate 10 Years of Gorgeous Jewellery With Chupi

Multi-award winning jewellery brand Chupi today celebrates '10 wonderful years of designing everything from gorgeous dresses to glittering gemstone rings.'

To mark the occasion they are hosting a little soirée in their Powerscourt Townhouse location today between 3pm and 9pm, with '25% off all sparkles, bubbles to drink and some general fashionable mischief.'

Source: Twitter.com/xChupi

Do You Know This Couple?

Do you or someone you know like to spend Sunday afternoons paddle boarding with their other half on Dublin's River Liffey?

Dubliner Anthony Burrowes took the below photo on Sunday afternoon (November 1st) just before 4pm.

Overlooking the Liffey, the photo captured a perfectly candid and romantic moment between a couple on their paddle boards - which was completely accidental.

Is this you? #helpfindthehappycouple           Source: @anthonysdoodles

Visit The Dublin Home Transformed Into A Haunted House In Aid of DEBRA This Halloween

The Halloween Crypt in Bayview Court, Killiney, Co. Dublin is the creation of Electrician Ken Carraher, and is open to the public today and tomorrow in aid of DEBRA Ireland.

Ken started building the House of Horrors in his front garden 16 years ago and it has become a Halloween tradition, attracting thousands of visitors each year.



                                       Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com   Photo Sources: Newstalk and Herald

90's Horror Halloween Party at The Light House Cinema

Source: lighthousecinema.ie

As part of their 90's Horror Season, the Light House cinema in Smithfield, Dublin 7 are hosting a 90's-themed Halloween party this Saturday 31st October from 8pm.

Cinema-goers are encouraged to dress up as their favourite 90's Horror icon (e.g. Hannibal Lecter, Ghostface) OR to get creative and dress up as a Horror-influenced 90's character (e.g. Zombie Chandler from Friends - 'Could I BE any more dead?')

Queen of Ireland Gets Screening Plus Q&A With Panti Bliss, Director and Producers

Source: Twitter.com/PantiBliss

The Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield will host a Q&A session with Panti Bliss, alongside Queen of Ireland Director Conor Horgan and Producers following a screening of the unparalleled documentary at 6.15pm tomorrow night (Saturday 24th October).

Visit Tayto Park After Dark This Halloween!

Source: Facebook/TaytoPark

Looking for something different to do this Halloween?

Okay, it's technically not in Dublin, but only a stone's throw away in Ashbourne, Co. Meath - Tayto Park has a brand new, spine-tingling event for the horrifying holiday!

Donate Your Shadow To Focus Ireland

Yes, you read that right.

Dublin-based homeless charity Focus Ireland have launched their #InTheShadows campaign to help shine a light on homelessness this October.

Source: Focus Ireland

Wrap Up Warm For Kidney Disease

Source: Wrap Up Warm For Kidney Disease/Facebook

One of the main symptoms of patients of Kidney Disease is constantly feeling cold all year round.  The #‎WrapUpWarmForKidneyDisease‬ campaign aims to highlight this by asking people to take a selfie in your winter woolies to raise awareness of Kidney Disease.

You Need To Be Happy With Yourself Before You Can Be Happy With Someone Else

Shane Dawson Source: Wikimedia.org

A few months ago, popular YouTuber Shane Dawson (above) shared a very difficult and emotional video of himself coming out as bisexual.

Having been a big fan of Shane's videos for years, I realized this was the most honest, raw and bravest we have ever seen Shane.  This was a big step, and took serious guts.  My eyes teared up while watching and I have even more respect for Shane for doing this and letting the world see him in such a vulnerable way.

In the video, he confirmed that his nearly 4 year relationship with fellow YouTuber Lisa Schwartz was ended as a result of him wanting to figure out who he is.  He also acknowledges that he wants to be open to love, in any way, and needs to work on accepting and not being so hard on himself, stating "I don't want to hate myself anymore, and I don't want to be sad all the time...I want to just be happy...and I want to love who I love, whether that's a guy or a girl" (see full video below).

Lisa Schwartz and Shane Dawson Source: Flickr.com

A few days later, Lisa posted a video on her own channel addressing what had happened.  She says that although she is hurting, she is so happy for Shane to finally have a chance at happiness and at self-love, something which she has always known he struggled with and tried to give him, but it was just something that had to come from him.

Lisa goes on to talk about how this is also an opportunity for her to find happiness and someone who can love her fully, as she lived a lot of her life for Shane, but now "it's time for me to take care of me...you have to live for yourself and take care of yourself...that doesn't make you selfish [or] a bad person, that makes you human and that produces self-love", which she tearfully says is something she is happy both herself and Shane now have a chance at finding.

In response to people saying she's an angel and a hero for being so good and understanding to Shane during this difficult time, she says, through tears; "I'm not a hero...I'm just a girl who loved a boy who didn't love himself...so I had to let him go and I would do it again in a heartbeat...because I love you Shane and I just want the best life for you."

If I thought Shane's video was emotional... well, this video truly broke me.  Tears streamed down my face, and I felt as though I had gone through a heart break myself.  I'm not exaggerating when I say it took me a few days to get over it.

You can watch both videos below:

I have so much admiration for both Shane and Lisa for posting these videos and for what they said in them.

I've long been a fan of both - not just as YouTubers, but as I always considered them such a cute, idealistic couple (hashtag #RelationshipGoals!), so yes that is part of the reason why this upset me so much, but not the only reason.

I know it's so sad and ridiculous to have such an emotional attachment to people who are essentially strangers to me, but honestly, watching this was truly heartbreaking.  As a fan, yes, but also as it hit home something I feel very strongly about and really believe in, which they both addressed in their videos... you need to be happy with yourself before you can be happy with someone else.

Made In Chelsea's Binky Debuts New Clothing Line!

Season 10 of Made In Chelsea may have premiered this week, but let's shine a spotlight on one of the reality show's leading ladies...

Alexandra Felstead aka Binky has been a very busy beauty lately and officially launched her own clothing line last Thursday (October 15th) in association with In The Style.

Last night wearing the tassel dress from my @inthestyleuk range 💋 Now available online 🙌 pic.twitter.com/qGTqcArit0

— Alexandra Felstead (@BinkyFelstead) October 16, 2015

Binky at her clothing launch in Libertine nightclub, London.  Wearing her Black Tassel Shift Dress.

IFI Horrorthon 2015 - Our Top Picks!

In our previous post we gave you the full line-up and low-down on the 18th IFI Horrorthon which kicks off today in Temple Bar's Irish Film Institute.

Source: Horrorthon.com

These are our top picks from each of the five days, perhaps making your choice of which films to hit up at the festival that little bit easier:

IFI Horrorthon 2015

Source: Horrorthon.com

Kicking off today at the Irish Film Institute is a five-day Horror-fest, or rather the 18th annual Horrorthon - bringing to Dublin "the best of new Irish and international work in a programme sure to satisfy casual viewers and hardcore devotees alike."

The film festival full of frightful treats for the Halloween season will not only showcase new (and hotly anticipated) films, but pay tribute to some of the classics and masters of the genre.