5 Quick Money Making Tips

Hi Everyone,

Recently I posted 5 Quick Saving Tips, this turned out to be a really popular and much viewed post so I thought I'd share with you another post with some more frugal living tips, this time rather than money saving I am focusing on making extra money!

1. Sell, Sell, Sell - Have a good sort out, most of us have 'stuff', so much 'stuff' we don't know what to do with. The kind of 'stuff' will differ from person to person, but if your not using it, and your not going to - then SELL! I have recently started selling using local groups on facebook, mainly I have sold clothing that me and my partner don't use, this has been fairly productive. I have made a few hundred pounds and have managed to organise my a little more. You could sell on Facebook, Ebay, Amazon, or even locally at car boot sales.
2. Make, Make, Make - Are you crafty or perhaps your talented in the kitchen? Is there something that you can make to sell at a profit; have a look into things such as jewellery, knitted/sewn items, candles, there is so many projects out there that you could turn into profit given the right skills and target market. Check out www.pinterest.com for inspiration on hand crafted items that you could make to sell. You could sell your hand crafted goodies at craft fairs, on Ebay or even using Etsy.com
3. Surveys - Doing online surveys is another way to earn a couple of extra £££'s, these take a little while for the funds to mount up. If you have spare time then it could be worth a try. I am not the most patient person and have managed to earn just £50 using these over the last 2 years, but I really haven't been that proactive. Here's a list with some of the top survey sites to check out if your interested: Click here
4. Rent out your space - Do you have a spare room? Maybe a parking space you don't need? Failing that, some spare storage space. You would rent a room, parking space or even some storage space.
5. A bit on the side - This could be a weekend job or if you want something more temporary a Christmas or seasonal job. Casual work and odd jobbing is also another good way to make extra cash and you can work the hours you want and fit it in with your lifestyle.

Cookie x

Sweet Freedom - Choc Shot Coconut review

Recently I was sent the Sweet Freedom Choc shot in Coconut to try.

These are predominantly advertised as a chocolate fluid to make hot chocolate with, however turn over the bottle and there are some really great suggestions for other uses.

What I will say about this product is that it's not ridiculously chocolatey, but having learned afterwards that it contains only 14 calories per teaspoon I have to say it's a pretty delicious substitute.

I chose coconut because I really love bounties and coconut macaroons and I just think chocolate and coconut is a damn good combination. But that's just me, there is a plain chocolate flavour and a chocolate and orange spice which has a nice ring to it!

My boyfriend has also helped himself to this, he has mainly been eating this neat from the bottle. I have been concocting more exciting uses for it however.

Image from http://www.sweetfreedom.co.uk/

This chocolate liquid is so versatile, yes it does make hot chocolate but it also makes great porridge too.

 

Why stop at porridge, this works great on pancakes, you can even add it to your pancake batter for a colourful alternative to pale and pasty pancakes.

Want to make fruit a little more interesting for the kids, or maybe your other half?

Got some plain yogurt that needs jazzing up? This stuff is lovely on plain yogurt.

I have added desiccated coconut to most of these things before and its really gritty, the great thing about the choc shot is its lovely silky texture which makes it a really versatile store cupboard ingredient.

There are a whole host of great uses for this product if you put your mind to it, if you're not adventurous Choc shot have done the work for you and have put together a comprehensive recipe list which can be found here.

Don't feel you need to take my word for it, go and try it for yourself. These are sold in all the major supermarkets, a list can be found here.

Already tried this product? I'd love to hear your thoughts, please comment below.

Cookie x

Strawberry and Rose Meringue Roulade

I tried a dried rose petal just as it comes from the glass bottle, it wasn't great and I was thinking that cooking with this would definitely be a mistake, how wrong I was!

Further to my previous post I have found a use for the dried rose petals my inspiration cake from this beautiful Ottolenghi recipe

I didn't really follow the recipe too much just used it for a little inspiration. Here's the ingredients you need to create the strawberry and rose roulade.

For the meringue
4 Large egg whites
150g granulated sugar
150g caster sugar

For the filling
1/2 tub of cream cheese
300ml double cream
150g caster sugar
10 strawberries sliced
2 tsp dried rose petals
1 tbsp. rose water

For the strawberry rose sauce
1 tsp dried rose petals
2 tbsps. rose water
3 tbsps. granulated sugar

Firstly I made the meringue by whisking my egg whites until stiff and then adding the sugar a tbsp. at a time - I had a little helper who added the sugar whilst I whisked.

I then added the mix into a lined swiss roll tin and baked for 30 mins on about 140c. Once ready I turned this onto some tin foil and left to cool for 10 mins.

Whilst the meringue cooled I whisked the cream cheese along with the caster sugar and rose water. Once combined I added the double cream and whisked until thick (not whipped, just a little before that stage)

I then smoothed the creamy mixture over the flat roulade and added the strawberries and the dried petals. Now for the hard part, I carefully rolled the roulade.

This was them decorated with some more dried petals and the rest of the cream mixture, strawberries and sauce.

 

 

So, what do you think? Looks nice right? But what does it taste like, bear in mind the rose petals weren't a hit on their own.

 

 

This was absolutely delicious, I have already bought the ingredients to make another tomorrow. The roulade you see in the picture is actually half of one, I cut it as I didn't have a plate long enough for it.

It was beautifully soft with a very light crisp crunch and the cream and cheese filling was very light and ever so slightly rose flavoured. the rose petals weren't dry as they had soaked up the moisture from the filling and had a great flavour and texture.

 

This was a hit with all who tried it and my boyfriend has already asked for more, even saying that this is one of best desserts I have ever made him!

 

If you have this ingredient in your cupboard the above is a recommended recipe for you to try. If you don't have this ingredient in your cupboard I would still recommend the above recipe.

 

In my search for the perfect dried rose petal recipes I came across several ideas, here are some of my favourites.

 

• Rose/Herb infused Honey from The Kitchn
• Rose and Pistachio Custard from Epicurious
• Raspberries and Cream cake with Rose petals from Tesco
• Lychee, Rose and Raspberry Marshmallows from RaspberriCupcakes
• Rose Lassi from Fa's kitchen

Check out some of these, some fantastic ideas and great inspiration.

 

Thanks for reading

 

Cookie x