The Perfect Caffeine Shot: Baileys Coffee Cupcakes

I am a huge coffee addict. If coffee were a person, I would actually consider marrying it. I can sum up more types of special coffee flavours than I can sum up US Presidents and I am extremely judgmental of people who have never tasted a Pumpkin Spice Latte, let alone don’t drink coffee at all. (There’s clearly something wrong with them!) Sometimes I even think the guy behind the counter at my local Starbucks knows me better than my own parents…

Yes, if I were a fictional TV character I would definitely be Lorelai Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls: a woman after my heart with infinite babbling capabilities and a huge love for caffeine.

Just like her, I have strongly considered hooking myself up to an IV filled with coffee and carrying it around with me throughout the day.

Needless to say that a coffee cupcake sounds like music to my ears, so even without the addition of Baileys I would be happy to eat an entire batch of these cuties. With the added Baileys, however, I am completely going crazy. The perfection of this cupcake is simply mindboggling: a light sponge, the intense depth of the coffee, the soothing texture of sweet frosting and a kick of boozy Baileys…

My name is Eveline and I am a coffee addict. And I just overdosed on these cupcakes.

Ingredients (makes 6 big or 8 medium cupcakes)
• 80ml milk
• 40ml Baileys
• 10gr instant espresso powder
• 40gr butter
• 140gr caster sugar
• 120gr plain flour
• ½ tbsp baking powder
• 1 egg

For the Baileys frosting:
• 50gr butter
• 60gr icing sugar
• 2 tbsp Baileys
• 1 tbsp chocolate and hazelnut spread (type Nutella)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and fill a muffin tin with muffin cases.
2. Lightly warm the milk, Baileys and coffee powder in a small sauce pan.
3. Whisk the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder together until you get a breadcrumb consistency.
4. Pour in half of the coffee mixture and mix together on low speed. Add the egg and then the other half of the coffee mixture and keep beating until you get a smooth, glossy and thick batter.
5. Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes.
6. For the frosting, mix all the ingredients together until light and fluffy and spread generously onto the cooled cupcakes.

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Boudoir Babe: Confessions of a Lingerie Addict

“No one is going to see it, so what’s the point?” The frustration among single women can indeed be quite big when they happen to stumble upon a beautiful lingerie set , but refuse to buy it because they don’t have a partner to wear it for. If you’re one of those protesting single ladies, here is my piece of advice: Lingerie is never about him. It’s about you. Don’t ever let your single lifestyle keep you from rocking those sexy lace knickers.

At the risk of over-sharing: I happen to be a lingerie addicted single. Whereas other shopaholics might spend entire fortunes on shoes or Chanel handbags, I prefer spending my money on stuff no one but me can see. One possible explanation might be because I’m a hopeless romantic. Everything that’s dainty, refined, red, pink, lace or bejeweled has my direct attention, for it reminds me of hand-cut heart confetti and chocolate bonbons or triggers my all-time favourite fantasy of a Prince Charming on a White Horse singing emotional Bruno Mars songs just outside my bedroom window.

Another reason why I believe lingerie is the most important item in your wardrobe is because it creates self confidence. And that is why I’m truly convinced that all of you, single ladies, should have a bursting lingerie closet as well. Good lingerie makes you feel happier, sexier and more at peace with your body. Moreover, beautiful lingerie isn’t just for young and thin models. Plus sizes, older women, tall/short women, there is a pretty lingerie set for everyone!

I hereby hope I was able to convince you of the importance of lingerie, because this fall season is overflowing with romantic underwear!

One of my favourite collections is the fall collection from Andres Sarda.

My favourite affordable lingerie brand by far is the Italian boutique Intimissimi. Their lingerie is absolutely mesmerizing, but in contrast to Andres Sarda, you can buy as many items as you want because it’s not really expensive!

The collaboration between lingerie brand Etam and super model Natalia Vodianova is still drool worthy. This black lace bodysuit is simply sublime, don’t you think?!

What I wish my boyfriend would smell like: Viktor & Rolf’s Spicebomb

When I was flipping through the pages of Elle magazine the other day, I came across an advertisement for Viktor & Rolf’s fragrance for men, Spicebomb. The ad, featuring an ultra-hot model posing shirtless and staring seductively into the camera, made me linger for a few seconds. (Doesn’t he have a ridiculously high drool factor? ) Once I spotted the included scent strip my heart was racing even faster and I just knew I had to smell it! The ad’s irresistible charm was simply too powerful to ignore…

There is something you need to know about me. I am a perfume addict. I wear perfume every single day, I love having lots of different fragrances and my favourite type of shopping is perfume shopping. I sometimes put on perfume before I go to bed, which is truly and utterly ridiculous and some would say a waste of expensive perfume. (I don’t blame them!) I guess my subconscious just wants to smell really nice in the very unlikely event a sexy burglar breaks into my bedroom and tries to steal my pillow…

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, SPICEBOMB! Now that you know all about my crazy perfume addiction it is needless to say that I couldn’t resist trying out the fragrance. Once I managed to tear open the seal of the fragrance strip, a heavenly sweet and spicy aroma found its way up to my nostrils. The woody and oriental spices create a sensual and addictive blend with undertones of bergamot, tobacco and leather.

Oh yes, like the name suggests, Spicebomb is pure electrifying dynamite! An explosive cocktail of intense masculinity and fiery passion. It’s the kind of fragrance I imagine Damon Salvatore or Christian Grey would wear…

If those two names aren’t enough to convince you to buy Spicebomb for your man, I don’t know what will! 😉

Everything tastes better with cheese: Tagliatelle with crunchy Mediterranean vegetables and feta cheese

Have I ever told you how much I love cheese? Never? Really? Damn! How could I just forget to express my love and devotion for cheese? Because cheese is the epitome of comfort food! Cheese is great! Cheese is wonderful!

I’m currently obsessed with Shropshire cheese. It is best described as a cross between Stilton and Cheshire. It has a sharp and strong flavour and a tangy aroma. I daresay it is the best thing to have hit this earth since sliced bread. (It is that good!)

Another big favourite of mine is feta cheese. The taste of feta cheese immediately transports me to sunnier destinations. Think Greece minus the economic crisis, but with a bottle of retsina and sirtaki dancers. 😉

This pasta dish is so simple and quick you would almost think you were on candid camera: Some idiot would suddenly jump from behind your stove and shout: “Ha! You’ve just been pranked! Did you really think you could make this dish in fifteen minutes?”

Seriously. This is not a joke, this is reality. (And what a wonderful reality it is! ) Cook it. Eat it. Love it.

Tagliatelle with crunchy Mediterranean vegetables and feta cheese

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 350gr tagliatelle
• 2 medium-size courgettes, diced
• 1 yellow pepper, finally chopped
• 250gr cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 red onion, finally chopped
• 1 clove of garlic
• 250gr feta cheese
• 200ml vegetable stock
• Lots of basil leaves

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of good quality olive oil in a pan and fry the onion until soft. Add the courgette, pepper and garlic and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the tomatoes and the vegetable stock ( This will give the pasta a lovely saucy coating.)
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente. Drain and combine with the vegetables. Toss well.
4. Crumble in the feta cheese and sprinkle over lots of shredded basil leaves.
5. Let the summer begin!

I’m not crazy, I just think more complex than you

Okay, so maybe I am a little bit crazy. Sometimes I think that if people actually saw what I did on weekends, I would have my own reality show by now. Craziness – how I see it anyway – means that you don’t fit the mold. It means that you prefer doing something unexpected, rather than doing something everyone else does too. You have the courage to swim against the tide and to be original. And if that makes people call you crazy, so be it. I don’t know about you, dear readers, but I would rather be called crazy and stand out from the crowd than just be plain ordinary and fit in.

So, I would like you all to embrace your crazy side and to let your overactive imagination run wild. Be unique! So long as you don’t start eating couch cushions like that lady on ‘My Strange Addiction’ , because compared to her level of insanity we’re just a bunch of wannabe crazy bitches. 😉

Feather Fetish

I have a confession to make, dear readers. In a fashion world where every woman is glued to her lipstick and addicted to her “slim fit”-jeans, there are a few fashionistas who take it one step further and develop a more “exotic” fashion addiction. As you may guess, I am one of them. My addiction? Feathers!  I honestly can’t stop buying feathery things: from feather embellished skirts and dresses, to feather jackets and collars. As well as feather boots, bags and earrings. My feather collection is absolutely enormous! For some absurd reason, I especially love black feathers, because they stand for both classiness and mystery. A black feather outfit is edgy, eclectic and elegant: three words that – in my humble opinion- represent me as a young woman.

In short, I am seriously infected with feather flu. 😉

But what about you? Are you a feather fan as well, or do you have another fashion addiction?

You can leave your hat on

I have a confession to make, dear readers. I have a mind-boggling, hair-raising and heart-stopping addiction to hats.

There, I said it. Luckily for me, this addiction won’t make me fat or die of lung cancer. Hence, I can indulge in my little hat frenzy as much as I want to. I love hats in all styles, textures and sizes. They are fashionable, comfy and keep you warm: three very important advantages when you want to go shopping in the middle of winter.

So join me in my hat madness and buy yourself a hat! I can assure you, you won’t regret it.

Before I forget: this post is also – and especially – directed at every fashionable man out there! Hats are the epitome of style and class: Matt Bomer, Ne-yo, Bruno Mars, Johnny Depp,…. They are, quite frankly , so sexy it hurts. So buy yourself a hat and I can guarantee: your swoon factor will shoot through the roof!

You can leave your hat on van evelineversluys met fake fur hats

Diane von Furstenberg / Mulberry wool felt hat / French Connection floppy hat, $40 / Knit hat / Pieces wool hat, $28 / Fake fur hat, $25 / H&M , $24 / Yumi knit hat, $21 / Knit hat, $16