Green Slime Eyeball Pasta with Fiery Hell Sauce

This is a gruesome Halloween recipe hot from the menu of Very Lazy who have kindly sent me some ingredients to use in the next week. I am thrilled so far as its saving me so much time.

Back soon to share my review, in the meantime why not give this little dish to your spooky little trick or treaters!!

Green Slime Eyeball Pasta with Fiery Hell Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients 

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Very Lazy Chopped Garlic

2 tbsp Very Lazy Chopped Chilli

400g tin chopped tomatoes

10 cherry tomatoes

100g (about 20) mini mozzarella balls, drained

4 basil leaves

200g fresh green tagliatelle

½ jar pesto

Method

1.      Start by making the tomato sauce. Fry the garlic and chili for 30 seconds in the olive oil. Add the tinned tomatoes and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until thickened.

2.      Meanwhile, halve the cherry tomatoes and use a small, sharp knife to remove the seeds. Stuff each half with a mozzarella ball. Cut the smallest circles you can from the basil leaves and place one at the centre of each mozzarella ball.

3.    Boil the pasta according to packet instructions. Once done, drain then stir through the pesto and divide between 2 shallow bowls. Spoon over some tomato sauce, then arrange the stuffed tomato eyeballs on top.

2 for one book deal on the Ramion collection

I recently hosted a lovely Giveaway for a fab children's book The Body Collector by Frank Hinks. Six lucky winners have scooped a copy for their children.

If you did not manage to win a copy, but fancy the book for a Christmas present, there is a 2 for one book deal on the Ramion collection 2 titles THE BODY COLLECTOR and THE BLIZARD WIZARD. The offer is for one month only so don't miss out.

*SPECIAL OFFER!

2 for 1 price deal on THE BLIZZARD WIZARD and THE BODY COLLECTOR.

MRP for each book £12.99. Special offer price, buy THE BLIZZARD WIZARD & THE BODY COLLECTOR together for £12.98.

Free delivery

Offer and buying information only available from http://www.perronetpress.com/special-offer

This is a one month exclusive offer only available through Gazelle-book services.

The special offer will be available from 15 October to 15 November. Offer ends 15^th November*

Win £500 Voucher to buy All your Christmas Gifts!

I have just entered a rather nice blog giveaway for £500 to spend at the Personalised Gift Shop,there are some really great gifts and with the added personal touch, a great idea for Christmas. Why not check it out and good luck if you do!

http://www.personalisedgiftsshop.co.uk/

GOSH BB CREAM Review Giveaway ends 14th November

As regular readers will know, I am not the most confident beauty blogger, however what I do possess is the ability to be (I hope) like most women, natural and real.

I do not always get time to apply my makeup perfectly. My daily beauty routine is neglected sometimes as I just haven't the time. Shh don't tell my beautician aunt because I just can't be bothered to cleanse,tone and moisturise. A quick splash of water and a slap on of my anti ageing latest and I'm off!

When I do have time, I like the whole routine. However I do like an 'all in one' method for rush days and there are many good products out there.

I came to start using primers while being a blogger and I find them amazing, but again its adding extra time to my busy schedule and I think many beauty companies have realised this with the launch of new BB creams. They are perfect for time saving,a moisturise, primer and foundation all in one and are right up my easy street!

As always GOSH have brought out a BB cream which is affordable and more importantly gives good results for the money spent.

GOSH boast  a radiant, natural, even complexion with the new multi-talented  BB Cream, and claim its wonder product you can’t afford to be without.

I have been trialling the 02 Beige shade for a week now and as usual am impressed with the ease and application. The colour seems to blend into my skin well. It is liquid enough to glide onto my skin, I have found using my anti ageing serum first gives a better result for me. Possibly those with a plumper,younger skin may be able to shortcut totally.
Due to it's 'colour adapt' technology one shade can cover a variety of skin tones as it blends with the skin’s own colouring

There are five shades to choose from

What I like about it is as a pretty natural kind of girl, the foundation part is light on my skin, I hate heavy makeup, it covers my freckles and evens out darker patches.

It really does give a glow and that is a tall order for any product with my tired dark circles and blotches. With the added SPF 15 to further protect against UV's and early signs of ageing, plus highly effective ‘good for your skin’ ingredients, including a highly active ingredient called Phytosan™ - it will work hard to increase skin smoothness, firmness whilst reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

I am really pleased with the effect and adore the all in one benefit. Oh and its water resistant, so good if out in rain or if you cry....please don't do that though!!


GOSH have kindly offered TEN!! of Given To Distracting Others readers a chance to own one in a shade of your choice, so if you fancy a quick flawless finish to your skin,then fill in the easy peasy Rafflecopter below You can just follow and comment for a quick entry or get the chance for some other entries.

The GOSH BB CREAM is best applied using your fingertips or a synthetic brush. 

Choose from 5 skin adapting shades: 01 Sand, 02 Beige, 03 Warm Beige, 04 Chestnut, 05 Espresso.

Available exclusively from Superdrug stores  nationwide or from www.superdrug.com

RRP: £7.99
Facebook and Twitter is a good place to find all the news and giveaways for GOSH-UK

https://twitter.com/GOSHUK
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Gosh-UK/137224756349645

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Disclosure I was given a free product. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.

GO NUTS FOR PROVAMEL’S NEW RICE COCONUT AND HAZELNUT DRINKS

Word is spreading about the latest two additions to the Provamel range – a delicious Rice Coconut drink and indulgent Hazelnut drink. The new products from the expert in plant-based foods not only taste great, but are dairy-free and of course, 100% organic.

Provamel Rice Coconut drink is a light, refreshing drink made from ground coconuts mixed with rice drink and water. Blending the pure taste of coconut with the subtle sweetness of rice creates a delicious drink that tastes great served either hot or cold.

The new Hazelnut drink is made from ground hazelnuts mixed with water and has a rich taste and a creamy texture, this drink is equally delicious served hot or cold, and makes a perfect addition to a steaming bowl of porridge.

In addition to these two new lines Provamel’s 1-litre Almond drink is now being rolled out in a 200ml format. The almond flavour contains all the goodness of pure almonds – widely known to be rich in mono-unsaturated fats and vitamin E – and is naturally sweetened with agave syrup. With its mild, sweet taste, the Almond drink adds a little luxury on any occasion.

At the heart of everything is Provamel’s mission to spread the message that plant-based foods offer a more efficient and sustainable way to feed the world – just one hectare of land where plants are grown is able to feed five times as many people as one used for meat production.    

Provamel Rice Coconut drink and Almond drink (200ml) are now available from independent and multiple health food stores, priced at £1.99 and £0.79 respectively. The Hazelnut drink will be launched later on this year.

• The new additions complement the existing range of delicious plant-based products in the organic Provamel range, which includes milk alternatives, soya alternatives to yogurt, soya shakes, desserts, cream and custard. Please note the Oat, Almond, Rice Coconut and Hazelnut drinks do not contain soya.   
• For those with lactose intolerance or an allergy to cows’ milk protein, soya, coconut, hazelnut, almond and oat products are dairy-free and as a result, completely suitable to consume. More and more people with and without allergies are including soya and other plant-based products in their diet in order to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle.  
  
  

GarlicCard Review

I love a new kitchen gadget, though I was surprised to learn that the GarlicCard  is not a new invention, more a newly improved kitchen accessory. As I use garlic a lot from cooking to using it for garlic flavoured breads and naans,  but first I was interested to hear how the idea came about, I  just love this story of 

Mother is the necessity of invention certainly is covered here. A Swedish chef on a fishing trip was preparing his evening meal when he realised he’d forgotten to pack a garlic crusher, knowing that his dish would not taste quite the same without a hint of garlic he decided to improvise.  Reaching for his wallet he pulled out his credit card rubbed the clove of garlic against the embossed letters and numbers, resulting in perfectly pureed garlic and so the GarlicCard was born.

I imagine this would have taken a little time to achieve, given the small amount of embossing on a credit card, I imagine too the card was a bit whiffy after. 

The original form was a flat card much like the credit card, the new version is more ergonomic and even easier to use.  In its original form the GarlicCard was a flat credit style card grater, the new version now features an ergonomic finger grip that can be used by either right or left handed people.  

I found it easy to use, the garlic handily was more puree than crushed when I used it. That may be the way I applied it, however I will be using this when I need pureed garlic in some of the curry pastes I make.

I did find that my hands smelt very garlicky, if you don't mind this, there are some great kitchen hand washes now for ridding the smell from skin.

Where I find this coming into its own is for ginger, I really find grating ginger a chore, the stringiness makes it tough going. It easily dealt with a large chunk required for one of my recipes.

I will be using this on holiday as its a tiny handy gadget that takes up little room and does its job.

Whilst the concept for the GarlicCard remains the same; a hand held grater that allows you to grate cloves of garlic and even fresh ginger quickly and easily; the design has been updated to create something that is more ergonomic and even easier to use.  

Unlike traditional garlic presses the new GarlicCard is quick and easy to clean.  Simply run the GarlicCard under the tap to wash away excess garlic or pop in the dishwasher.  Made from ridged plastic this new version still features the patented embossed grating surface that is gentle on your fingers and nails whilst still producing perfectly prepared garlic every time. The curved end of the grater can also be used to spread the prepared garlic onto foods such as garlic for garlic bread or brushcetta.

The rigid nature of the new GarlicCard also means that it can be used anywhere, whether that be in the kitchen or outdoors whilst barbecuing.  It’s small and light enough to pop in your pocket and would make a great addition to your camping, caravanning or self catering holiday kit.  Available in six colours red, yellow, blue, green, pink and black this colourful grater is sure to be put to good use.

£2.75 currently at Colanders Cook Shop £1 off retail price.
http://www.colanderscookshop.co.uk/product91630/garlic-card--assorted-colours.aspx

www.garliccard.com


 Disclosure I was given a free product. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.

Cathedral City Selections Review

All I can really say is NOM!!

Cathedral City is a favourite buy, - the lighter mature which I reviewed while losing weight has helped feed my cheese cravings.
http://given-to-distracting-others.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/cathedral-city-mature-lighter-cheese.html

  Now as many of my regular readers know, I have just moved house and am also the very proud carer of my 92 year old grandmother. This is going really well, but not leaving me a lot of time while unpacking, settling in to a new routine and providing meals at different times of the day.

Minus a cooker at the moment, is like torture, you all know I love to cook, having Granny to cook for is a great pleasure too,she adores her food. So I have been looking around for handy reasonably healthy snacks.

The takeaways are handy, however we need to eat well and we are pretty sick of junk food. I want to keep my weight loss on track too so  the slow cooker, microwave  have been a must.

For speed I am buying lots of easy to prepare foods for lunch and right on time I was offered the Cathedral City Selections to review.

 They have saved me the bother of unwrapping a block of  their lovely cheese cutting a nibble sized piece off, then while chewing fighting with the cling film to re wrap, only to decide the nibble was not enough and starting again!

Paige has had countless cheese snacks bought and consumed for review, stringy ones, round discs, the tasty Chedds also by Cathedral City http://given-to-distracting-others.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/chedds-review.html

I have often dipped in myself to the child friendly snacks, they appeal to me, but this is more adult and very pleasurable.

They will make a great addition to a wine and cheese evening when I finally get unpacked, until then Granny and I will keep snacking on them to keep us going!

I also like the fact that for Granny who has a varied appetite, if she does not fancy too much the cheese can just stay in its wrapper.


If you have eaten any of the range I am preaching to the converted,  if not and you like a tasty mature cheddar, which I find to be smooth, with a really good strong, not bitter punch. The Extra Mature is particularly nibble friendly. I had not tried the Vintage 20 and was pleased by its addition to the pack. It has a good rounded taste, really flavoursome and its ideal for a quick snack bite.


http://www.cathedralcity.co.uk

 Disclosure I was given a voucher to purchase Cathedral City Selections. I was under no obligation to receive the voucher or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.