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Yearly Archives: 2014

What better way to make the most of warm days ahead, then with some chocolate mint macaroons. The recipe for this French treat may be long, but the results are worth it.

What you’ll need:

  • 165g almond flour
  • 165g caster sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 150g granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ tsp. tartar cream
  • 4-6 drops green food colouring
  • 235ml cream
  • 2 tbsp. light corn syrup
  • 11 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp. peppermint extract

What you’ll need to do:

  1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Sift almond flour, caster sugar and salt a bowl and then set aside.
  3. Whisk together granulated sugar, egg whites and tartar cream by hand to combine. Then with an electric mixture whisk for ten minutes, until the mixture is meringue is glossy with stiff peaks.
  4. Then add the dry mixture to the egg white mixture and fold using a large spatula until both mixtures are smooth and shiny. Fold in food colouring into the new mixture. The batter should be nicely firm and drip slowly from the spatula.
  5. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip and pipe one-inch rounds on prepared baking sheets. Rap bottom of each sheet with hand to release trapped air.
  6. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Check for slight crust to form – macaroons should not stick to finger when lightly touched.
  7. Preheat oven to 110°C. Bake one sheet at a time for 15 minutes, rotating halfway through.
  8. Increase temperature to 180°C and bake for an additional 9 minutes.
  9. Let macaroons cool on sheets for 2-3 minutes and transfer parchment sheets to a wire rack to let cool completely before filling. Use an offset spatula to remove from sheets.
  10. Now it’s time to work on the ganache (sauce between the macaroon shells). Place chopped chocolate in a medium heat safe bowl and set aside.
  11. In a small saucepan, bring cream, corn syrup, and pure mint extract to a boil over medium high heat.
  12. Remove from heat and immediately pour over the chocolate. Allow chocolate to sit for two minutes before stirring until smooth. Add butter and stir until fully incorporated and the chocolate is shiny.
  13. Allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Transfer ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round piping tip.
  14. Pair together shells of like size and shape before starting to fill.
  15. Pipe a generous layer of ganache on the flat side of half of the shells and sandwich with the matching shells flat side down.
  16. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
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Niall Horan was at home in Mullingar this week to celebrate his nephew Theo’s first birthday – and he did it in style!

Check out the present!

Niall is obviously a very proud uncle tweeting: “Happy 1st birthday theo! Love you,have a great day buddie! Remember the day u were born very well. #HappyBirthdayTheo”

Awh! He’s one lucky baby!

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There are plenty of wedding viral videos out there, but we can’t help but smile at this best man’s rap.

Spencer Loveridge’s decided to treat his friend to a different kind of wedding tradition by rapping his best man’s speech.

Spencer’s funny but clever rhymes had the whole wedding party bent over with laughter.

“Lewy’s really found the perfect hubby, but as we all know he’s a little bit grubby. Eating bacon with his hands, from a pasta bowl; why is there jam on the remote control?!”

The footage of Spencer’s speech has become a viral hit since it was posted online on Sunday with over 9,000 hits and counting.

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Anna Paquin finished up on True Blood last week, and she decided to well and truly kiss goodbye to her character Sookie Stackhouse by dying her hair purple and blue!

The actress revealed her new look on Twitter saying:  “Just fulfilled my teen dream of being a mermaid” and asked her husband Stephen Moyer: “whatcha think?”

Moyer replied: “Wow wife… You look amazing. #sookie is no more. Long live Mrs. Emery…! Xx”

Awh! We have to say, we totally agree!

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No matter your age you are bound to experience skin issues that can leave you feeling down and a little insecure.

Here we have found the four most common skin complaints and tips on how to treat it:

Acne
Acne can hit at any time in your life whether you are in your teens or mid-twenties. The best way to treat it is to keep your skin clean with gentle washing and use a product suitable for your skin type.

Psoriasis
Psoriasis causes your skin to become very itchy and can flair up anywhere on the body. Unfortunately, there is no cure for it so you should book an appointment with your doctor who will be able to prescribe something that will help keep it under control. Avoid harsh chemicals and take cod liver oil supplements.

Athlete’s foot
This can actually be quite painful and incredibly itchy. The best way to treat it is to wash your feet regularly, keep them dry and use an athlete foot powder.

Warts
Not just for witches, warts are flesh coloured lumps that usually appear on your hands. Head to the pharmacy and pick up an over the counter cream. You only need to book an appointment if the wart is in an awkward spot or is particularly annoying you.

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Alias actor and Jennifer Garner’s ex Michael Varton is splitting up with his wife Lauren Skaar.

Lauren is said to have filed for divorce after three years of marriage, because of ‘irreconcilable differences’.

The couple don’t have any kids, and are said to have been separated since April 5th.

It’s sad news, though Varton’s reason for proposing back in 2010 might give you a hint as to why things didn’t work out!

“She has a dog that fell in love with my dog. It's the only reason I proposed!”

Well, it looks like puppy love just isn’t enough these days!

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Experts are now saying that calorie counting apps or fitness bands are causing people to actually put on weight, rather than lose it.

Online forum users are saying that despite the apps telling them that they’ve burned a lot of calories, they are weighing more than they should be on the scales. Apparently this is down to the apps not being totally accurate, leading users to believe they’ve burned more calories than they actually have, and so they think they can afford to eat more food.

The problem with the apps is that they don’t take into consideration individual circumstances – such as if they’re on medication, or if they’re pregnant. It also doesn’t consider the kinds of foods they’re eating.

However, they’re not ALL bad. New York based personal trainer Matt Townsend says: “My clients use them as an excuse to walk a few extra blocks, go for a water break, take the stairs instead of the elevator and many other situations where you would often pass on physical exercise.

“The key here is to not over-consume the calories you are working hard to burn off. Fitness bands can help you find a way to sneak in cardio while also lowering stress levels, raising energy and, of course, ensuring your clothes fit the right way.”

Looks like the moral of the story is to use your head, as well as your app!

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The news broke last week that Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes are rumoured to be expecting their first child together.

While we’re still coming to terms with this – more rumours are now emerging that the couple could be getting married quite soon.

Yes, you read that right. A close friend of Eva’s has revealed, that the couple plan on getting married soon after the arrival of their first child.

“I think they will wed after the baby is born. Eva would love to eventually marry Ryan and be a family with their new baby.”

While both Ryan and Eva have yet to confirm the good news, several sources have confirmed that Eva is expecting, and even American TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres, tweeted her congratulations to the couple.

Ryan and Eva have been dating after working together on the 2011 film, The Place Beyond the Pines. 

Oh well, we’ll just watch The Notebook instead.

 

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We all know that supermodels have outrageous wages, but Gisele Bündchen is definitely breaking the bank with what she earns daily.

According to Forbes, the model has earned a staggering $47 million (approx. €35million) over the past year, which works out at $128,000 (approx. €95,000) per day.

Apparently the last twelve months have been the best yet, in the Brazilian’s model twenty year career.

And it’s no wonder thanks to lucrative contracts with big fashion brands including H&M, Chanel, Carolina Herrera and Louis Vuitton. 

And if that wasn’t enough the 33-year-old also manages her own sandal collection, and recently joined forces with lingerie brand Hope to create a collection.

Gisele may be rich, but she sure earns it!

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Talk about a no-frills airline! Seriously, if the latest concept is brought in to aeroplanes we’ll be catching the boat.

Economy seating is about to change a whole lot and not necessarily for the better. Airbus, who manufacture aeroplanes, has designed a new type of seat that will mean airlines will be able to squish more passengers onto them – 50 more passengers to be exact.

The seats are similar to bicycle saddles and don’t look particularly comfortable, although the patent filing does acknowledge the “reduced comfort” adding that it is more “tolerable for passengers” going short-haul. Eh, really?

Mary Anne Greczyn, spokeswoman for Airbus, says the idea is still just a concept and might not be developed: “Many, if not most, of these concepts will never be developed, but in case the future of commercial aviation makes one of our patents relevant, our work is protected,”

Here’s hoping it doesn’t come in – aeroplanes are already making us feel a little claustrophobic.

airbus

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We all know how disappointing it can be when our favourite acts cancel, but to send abuse to replacement acts is definitely uncalled for.

But that’s what poor Lily Allen had to put up with this afternoon, when she revealed that she would be replacing Two Door Cinema Club at the Latitude Festival.

Lily Allen saved the day for festival organizers, when the band was unfortunately forced to cancel due to singer Alex Trimble being hospitalised with a chronic stomach complaint.

Despite this, the singer still received plenty of abusive messages from fans, saying that she wasn’t suitable for the festival.

But Lily being Lily was quick to respond to the angry fans and said that she understood they were disappointed, but it didn’t “warrant abuse”.

 

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The official trailer has been released for GOLD, a new film by IFTA winning writer and director Niall Heery, and it looks it could be up there with some of the best Irish films to date.

The film tells the story of Ray, a father on a mission to re-connect with the daughter and ex-girlfriend that he hasn’t seen in 12 years. However, it turns out they are now living with his former controlling and regimented P.E. teacher and as you can imagine, his attempts to reconnect with his daughter don’t go as planned.

The film stars Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones, David Wilmot from Calvary, Kerry Condon from The Runway and James Nesbitt from The Hobbit, and judging from the trailer, they give a great performance throughout.

We can’t wait for this to be released this autumn – we’ve a feeling there will be many a laugh had at ‘Frank the Wank’s’ expense! 

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