Happy (Belated) Anniversary!!!

I first set up RMMR on 4 February 2012, and I completely forgot my one year anniversary! That won't be happening again, let me tell you!

I started RMMR purely as a book-review blog and from there, it's really just taken whichever direction I've felt like. There's been a mix of recipes, television-show reviews by episode, TED talks, rants as well as the odd book review when I feel like it. I started RMMR because I want to work in publishing and I thought that a book review blog would help to add something more to my repertoire. Instead, this blog has really taken a life of its own and it has taken me by surprise more than anyone else. All I can say is: let it continue!

Some stats for y'all, just because I'm really addicted to them and so you should be too:

Banana bread (and some more Coffee and Walnut Loaf)

I've been horribly absent for ages now and the truth is that I just don't have the time to blog, so things have been put on hold for a while. I'll try and get my half-finished reviews done, but no promises.

Sorry for the crappy photos - per usual

A few weekends ago, I made another Coffee and Walnut Loaf because it's so awesome and I had a go at this one for banana bread at the same time, courtesy of Recipe Rifle. Esther Walker has about four different recipes for banana bread on her website, and so feel free to try whichever tickles your fancy. This one looked the easiest and had fewest ingredients.

I scaled all the ingredients down and used about three-quarters because my tin is a funny size and I was scared that it wouldn't all fit in. Definitely the right choice, but I should probably used more banana.

Anyway, this is fabulous and ridiculously quick. Partly because I measured out all the ingredients while I was waiting for my coffee-and-walnut-loaf-butter to warm up, but whatever. The mashing up of the bananas isn't the most glamorous of jobs but it's so worth it once this is done baking because it smells awesome - and tastes even better.

As it says on step two, don't get freaked out when the mixture gets sublimely dry. I still added about a teaspoon's worth more of milk, but don't bother. It all turns out A-okay so just keep going. I didn't bother with the chocolate or walnuts, but will definitely give it a try next time. It did turn out a little burnt in some places, but in my opinion, that just adds to the authenticity. If you have baking paper, then use that instead of greasing your tin: less messy and makes getting your cake out of the tin a dream!

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Completely my newest obsession. Watch from the start here or here or wherever else they're shown. I've watched all current 84 episodes, as well as the Q&A sessions and Lydia's videoblogs in less than a week. I need more.

What is The LBD? Basically, a modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice. Lizzie is in grad school racking up the debt, there are only three Bennet sisters and Charlotte, Bing Lee and Caroline inject some very welcome Asian-ness into the show (I'm Asian too, if you don't know why I said that) but otherwise the rest of the story is pretty true. Mrs Bennet is still frantically trying to marry off her daughters, Darcy is still as stuck up in Austen's version and Lydia takes off-the-rails into the twenty-first century.