Happy January: Introducing the Standard Blog of Goals for 2016...

Sorry for the delay in posting, my workload has been quite intense recently and I'm afraid I've not had many opportunities to put pen to paper! With the start of a fresh year, I have, however, come up with a list of all the things which I want to accomplish by the end of 2016! I've been fairly gentle with myself—setting relatively obtainable goals—so that I know that some items will be ticked off by the end of the year!

By the end of the year, I want to:

• Visit somewhere new
• Go to a Supernatural convention (preferably with Em)
• Finish my novel
• Finish editing my last NaNoWriMo novel
• Increase my cookery skills (particularly with savoury food) 
• Try out Laserquest
• Read at least one new book per month (I love reading so this will help me to do more of the things I enjoy)
• Watch one new film and one TV series per month.
• Double gaming score on the Xbox. 

I know that a couple of the items on this list might be quite hard to accomplish but I feel quite confident that I'll manage some of them. The book I have picked for this month is Maze Runner by James Dashner and it is a cracker! I've raced through the whole series and loved every single moment, even if The Death Cure (which is the final book in the trilogy) did make me cry!

I chose Crimson Peak as my film for the month. I have to say that I was a little disappointed after watching this film, possibly because I'd expected more of a chilling story centred around ghosts and hauntings. In any case, I thought the CGI in Crimson Peak was quite poor, giving the ghosts an almost laughable cartoon quality. Although the premise of the film was actually quite good, reminding me vividly at times of the fairytale "Bluebeard" (but with some added creepy twists), the film let itself down by placing most of its emphasis on needless gore, rather than on building tension and fear. I'm not sure I'd watch the film again; however, I have learnt that I should probably read the blurbs on films before watching them!

Homemade Gluten and Dairy Free Apple Crumble

It's late afternoon over here and the sun is lost behind a mass of thick charcoal clouds which deliver a menacing promise of more rain. It's on these rainy days that I feel inspired to enter the kitchen to create something warm and homely to line my stomach. There are very few things which I enjoy more than cooking tasty treats with my mum on a damp, blustery day—and I hope you find this recipe just as fun (and tasty) to try!

This recipe is perfect for anyone who has celiac disease and wants a warming treat on a winter's evening. The added benefit is that it's also suitable for vegans.

Ingredients: 

Serves 4

For the topping: 

6oz gluten free plain white flour (I used Dove's Gluten Free Plain White Flour)
1oz ground oats (I ground up Juvela's Gluten Free Rolled Oats but any gluten free oats are good)
1oz ground almonds
3oz dairy free sunflower spread (Pure Sunflower Spread works well)
4oz unrefined muscovado sugar

For the filling:

2 medium/large sized cooking apples
1 tbsp of water
2oz of muscovado sugar or honey


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Place flour and sugar into a bowl with ground oats and almonds.
3. Rub in the margarine lightly with your fingertips, until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
4. Peel and slice apples into a saucepan, adding water and a little sugar (depending on personal preference—I like my apples tart so I added 1oz).
5. Stew apples on a medium heat before spooning onto the bottom of a baking dish.
6. Place the mixture on top of the stewed apple, spreading across evenly until all of the fruit filling is covered.
7. Put in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the crumble is crisp and the apple is hot.