5/16/15

Friday Finds #9


FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your TBR list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased). This is hosted by ShouldBeReading!

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Alright, technically it’s Saturday, but I still wanted to share these beautiful books I added to my tbr!

Oh by the way, I hope you don’t have any plans for tomorrow BECAUSE NEVER NEVER PART TWO will be released!! Make sure you (pre)order it so you can start reading immediately! ;)


What did you add to your tbr? 

5/13/15

Recent release #30: Under The Influence by LB Simmons



Every Wednesday I share a recent release I’m excited to read. If you want to check out the previous ones, click here. These are all books I'm adding to my growing pile of tbr-books ;)

Under The Influence by LB Simmons

Series: standalone
Genre: NA, contemporary, romance
Release date: May 11th 2015
Publisher:  /
Length: /

Dalton,

I loved you once. A love I thought irrevocable. A love I mistakenly believed could transcend both time and circumstance. Under the influence of my dimwitted, naïve, traitorous heart, I became intoxicated with what I now know was simply a figment of my self-indulgent imagination. So drunk on the feeling, I couldn’t see what was right in front of my face. So foolishly enamored, I blindly followed my heart into the depths of an emotion that would ravage me.
Years later, I know now what I wish I knew then. I am stronger. Smarter. Tougher. I will not allow myself to be broken again.
I loved you.
I raged for you.
I wept for you.
And now, I’m letting you go.

Author’s Note: Under the Influence is the journey of two childhood friends that spans the course of five pivotal years in their lives. It is a story about their discovery of true friendship as it blossoms into first love, their experience of crucial sacrifice and ultimate betrayal, and their endurance of agonizing heartbreak on the way to finding lasting redemption.

5/10/15

Eat It #2: My milkshake brings all my book boyfriends to the yard!

"Eat It" is a new feature I'm starting on my blog. I love baking but since I don't want to waste my precious reading time messing up everything in the kitchen, I like to do simple but delicious treats I can devour while reading. So why not share my inventions with you guys? Read my previous recipes here.
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In my dictionary summer means tons of homemade milkshakes. I mean seriously, what’s better than enjoying an ice cold milkshake while reading a good book? Right? ;)


On of my favorite fruits to use in a milkshake are bananas! I love the creaminess it brings and the taste is always like heaven to me. And only recently I've found out how much I love coconut. I tried to combine it with bananas and OH MAN. Best decision EVER!

So here's my own creation, although it's probably not the most unique one ;) By the way, you won't need any ice cream for this recipe! Now you're probably like "WHAATT???!! How the hell can you make a milkshake without the best part??!!" . That's just the thing, the best part isn't the ice cream, it's bananas! Keep reading to find out why ;)




What you will need for one (big) serving:

Side note: the amounts of every ingredients is totally up to you! If you want more banana or coconut, just don't think about it too much, just add it ;) The amounts I'm giving you right now, it just to give you a little idea.

- 1 banana
- 150 ml coconut milk or cream
- 100 ml (or less) regular milk or soy milk or... any other milk :D
- honey (optional)
- ice cubes (optional)


Get started!

Step one: freeze it!
Like I said, you won't be needing ice cream for this recipe, because we are freezing the banana! Just slice up your banana in rough pieces and place it for 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. It will make your whole milkshake creamy and well... cold :D Plus, without the ice cream your milkshake will be less rich in calories!

Extra tip: you can always keep a cut up banana in your freezer (although I wouldn't keep it longer than 2-3 days). That way you can make a milkshake in a matter of minutes when you're craving one.

Step two: mix it up
Now, you just mix everything together. Put everything in your blender (banana, coconut milk/cream and milk) and mix it for 15-20 seconds until everything is smooth. When everything is smooth it's up to you to adjust the thickness of your milkshake. Add more milk until you have the consistence you like.
When I'm making this I always use banana/coconut soy milk. I find that when I use too much 'regular' milk I'm loosing the taste of the banana or coconut.

Step three: enjoy while imagining the boys in your garden
You can finish it up by going Starbucks-style and add a little bit of honey on top of your milkshake right before serving.  But honestly? Add whatever you want as topping!
Caramel, whipped cream, chocolate, coconut rasp... everything you like ;)


Enjoy!!
Let me know what you think of this recipe ;)

5/8/15

Friday Finds! #7

FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your TBR list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased). This is hosted by ShouldBeReading!
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WEEKEEEEEENDDDD!! Oh, finally! I’m planning to relax this weekend and do nothing that requires thinking or getting dressed :D I’m planning to work on some posts to share with you though, so I’ll still be a liiiiitle productive ;) Here are the books I added the past week(s). (It’s not much… I know).

5/7/15

Cover reveal: The Forgotten Mountain (The Collectors' Society #3) by Heather Lyons!


It is finally here and I am so excited to bring you the Cover Reveal for Heather Lyons' THE FORGOTTEN MOUNTAIN! It is an Adult Fantasy and the third book in Heather's The Collector's Society Series!

Heather Lyons is known for writing epic, heartfelt love stories often with a fantastical twist. From Young Adult to New Adult to Adult novels - one commonality in all her books is the touching, and sometimes heart wrenching, romance. And this book is absolutely no different! The Collectors’ Society’s adventures continues on June 25th!



Heather worked with Victoria Faye from Whit and Ware for the design of this fabulous cover! It's my personal favorite of all three books!!

About THE FORGOTTEN MOUNTAIN

After years spent in Wonderland, Alice Reeve learned the impossible was quite possible after all. She thought she left such fantastical realities behind when she finally returned to England.
Now Alice has become a member of the clandestine Collectors’ Society, and the impossible has found her again in the form of an elusive villain set on erasing entire worlds. As she and the rest of the Society race to bring this mysterious murderer to justice, the fight becomes painfully personal.
Lives are being lost. Loved ones are shattered or irrevocably altered. Each step closer Alice gets to the shadowy man she hunts, the more secrets she unravels, only to reveal chilling truths. If she wants to win this war and save millions of lives, Alice must once more embrace the impossible and make the unimaginable, imaginable.
Sometimes, the rabbit hole leads to terrifying places. 

Don’t miss the first books in this The Collectors’ Society Series!
THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY: Amazon - Barnes and Noble - iBooks - Kobo
THE HIDDEN LIBRARY: Amazon - Amazon UK - Barnes and Noble - iBooks - Kobo

About Heather Lyons

Heather Lyons writes epic, heartfelt love stories and has always had a thing for words. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher.

She and her husband and children live in sunny Southern California and are currently working their way through every cupcakery she can find.

Website - Author Goodreads - Twitter - Facebook


*In collaboration with Inkslinger Blogger*

5/4/15

May tbr!

I set up this little tbr, but to be honest I'm not sure I will follow it. It will completely depend on how I end up enjoying the next books of the Bloodlines series. I'm already finished with the sequel, The Golden Lily. And it was SO good! I might marathon the rest of the series, so I don't really know if I'll have the time to read the rest on my tbr.
But just in case, here it is:


1. The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
2. The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
3. Fall With Me by J Lynn
4. Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix by JK Rowling (reread)
5. The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings (reread)
6. Never Never, Part Two by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher (reread)
7. Legend, the graphic novel, by Marie Lu (not in the picture)
8. The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

What are you planning to read?? xoxo

5/3/15

Eat it #1: Make mug cakes like a pro!

"Eat It" is a new feature I'm starting on my blog. I love baking but since I don't want to waste my precious reading time messing up everything in the kitchen, I like to do simple but delicious treats I can devour while reading. So why not share my inventions with you guys?
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I'm currently home-alone and this is the perfect time to experiment in the kitchen. I love baking but making a huge cake or pie for one person isn't very ideal. This is why mug cakes are the perfect treat if you want something small but still oh-so-delicious.

Mug cakes have been some kind of "food trend" for a while now, but until now I never managed to make the perfect mug cake. And I don't think many people do. It always ends up too sticky or too dry or... But today I actually mastered it! This is a basic recipe for two servings. So invite your best friend to share or just keep the two cakes for yourself ;)


What you will need for two servings

- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (+/- 30 grams) of granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons of self-rising flour (or 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of baking powder)
- a pinch of salt

+ whatever you want to be in your cake: sprinkles, chocolate (melted or chopped), rasped coconut, fruit, ...

Little side note: you can split all the ingredients in half and to make on serving. Only splitting one egg is a bit tricky. But it's not impossible of course. Just beat the egg with a fork and split it that way. It's not precise but it will turn out just fine ;)

Get started!

Step one: the mugs
Prepare your two mugs. It's best to use two big ones (like on the picture). Spray them with cooking spray to avoid that you cake will stick to the mug. If you don't have cooking spray, just rub some oil in it and coat the inside of your mug with flour. All extra flour that isn't sticking to your mug should be removed (hold your mug upside down and tap on it... although do this above a sink otherwise you'll have flour everywhere haha).

Step two: mix it up
Melt the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds.
Take your bowl out of the microwave and add all the other ingredients. 
Mix everything with a fork until you have smooth and yummie cake batter.

Step three: be original
Now it's time to get crazy! At this point you can add whatever you want to your basic batter. For the two mugs in the picture, I chopped some delicious chocolate and also added a big spoon of rasped coconut. 

Step four: baking time!
Now, here's the "tricky" part. Obviously all microwaves aren't the same, you might have to adjust the time to your liking. Do not microwave both mugs at the same time btw. Always separately!
Now, every mug should be baked for 1,5 to 2 minutes on the highest setting you have. I baked mine for 1 minute and 50 seconds each and they came out perfect. 
To see if your cake is ready just toothpick in it. If it comes out clean then you're good. If not, and there is batter sticking to it, put it back in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
If you cake ends up too dry... well, it's the perfect excuse to eat it with some yummie ice cream! ;) No but seriously, you can avoid it next time by baking it 10-15 seconds less! 

Step five: toppings
When the both cakes are cooled down you can top them with whipped cream, frosting, sprinkles, fruit, ice cream, chocolate... really, anything you like! Enjoy the fun and bon appétit!

Extra little tip: Eat you mug cake while it's slightly warm. If you added chocolate to it, it will completely melt on your tongue and you will love it even more! 

Share it #BookishMugCakes

When you tried it out, please share your mug cake on Instagram! I'd love to see you mug cake with your current read! Just tag your picture with #BookishMugCakes!