Tag: myles katherine

Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour with Transport from London with Viator Review – Best London, England Tours & Travel Tips

Published on by C'est le Brie1 Comment

Oh my goodness, this tour! I just got home from our trip to England last week and I’ve been itching to write a post about the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour with Transport from London. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip! We almost didn’t even go on the tour because we’d already spent 10 days hiking through the Cotswolds on the 103-mile Cotswold Way Trail (don’t worry, I’ll be sharing posts about that whole experience soon too). We ended up booking it for our very last day in London and it was 100% worth it.

While my husband and I both enjoy watching the Harry Potter films about once a year in the fall, we’re not super fans by any means. We weren’t sure if it was going to be a fun experience for us or if the whole thing was really meant for true Harry Potter fans only. But it is honestly an experience that anyone of any age could enjoy.

The bus ride from London was about an hour long and then we were given from 9:30am to 2:00pm to enjoy the Harry Potter experience on our own. There is no designated tour guide for the day but you have the option to purchase digital headsets to listen to key facts as you’re moving along. However, we didn’t opt for the headsets and we still thoroughly enjoyed everything and didn’t feel like we missed out on anything. There are plenty of signs, videos, and plaques along the way so you’ll get tons of information from those.

You start off in the Great Hall where you get to see the actual set that they used for the movie, including the magical floating candles and long tables! It was stunning. After the Great Hall, you enter a much larger room filled with props, videos, outfits, entire sets, and so much more. It was insane how much there was to see! We were lucky enough to be there for the “Tri-Wizard Tournament” so there were actors and dancers adding even more magic to the day. I don’t want to spoil too much so I’ll just include a few photos of my favorite moments from throughout the day. I will say that it’s important not to spend too much time on any one thing. There’s so much to see and do and you don’t want to run out of time!

Once you reach the cafeteria, you’re about halfway through the experience. We finally got to try Butterbeer and even got a Butterbeer cupcake and doughnut too! There are burgers, hotdogs, burritos and all sorts of food options for lunch. They have vegan options as well! I tried the vegan burrito and it was pretty good. Not amazing or anything, but decently yummy! The Butterbeer cupcake was delish though. 🙂

Throughout the day you’ll wander through the Forbidden Forest, stroll through Diagon Alley and board the Hogwarts Express. You’ll see thousands of props, hundreds of outfits worn by the cast, and dozens of different activities and interactive experiences. It was truly such a fun day and so incredibly memorable. I’d even go back and do the whole thing again next time I’m in London!

There’s a section of the tour that is outside so just make sure to bring an umbrella if it’s a rainy day! Though you could easily view those sections from inside the cafeteria and some of them are walk-through or have indoor portions, so even if you don’t have an umbrella, you’d be perfectly fine.

We didn’t have much time in the gift shop but we ended up visiting the Harry Potter shop at Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station in London and we were able to buy most of the same products there.

If you’re interested in booking the same tour, you can find it on Viator here! I’d 100,000% recommend this tour, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience! It’s amazing to see the sets they used to film the movies and we learned so much about how much time, money, energy and work went into their creation. We both came home wanting to watch documentaries about the making of the Harry Potter films because the lengths they went to to make these movies magical is truly epic. I’ve been raving about this tour ever since we got home. The only downside was that I would have liked a little more time to look at everything, but it also left me wanting more which is probably better than being “over it” by the end of the day. I’d gladly go back on this tour again if any of my friends or family members want to go next time we’re in London. We absolutely loved every second of it.

Thanks so much for reading! You can find out more about this tour on my photography blog here. If you’d like to see more of my recommended tours around the world, check out my Viator shop here! Happy travels!

❤ Myles Katherine

(This post contains affiliate links and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through our links.)

Avocado & Bacon Eggs Benedict on Polenta with Lime Hollandaise Sauce

Published on by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

by Myles Katherine

Oh… my gosh. I don’t think I’ve ever made a more delicious breakfast. All of my favorite things combined into one recipe. My sister and I are both obsessed with Eggs Benedict in any form so I decided to create my own version with bacon and avocado, while using some ingredients from my latest Portugal Try the World box. I was getting ready to leave town the following day so I was trying to use up some of the food in my house. I didn’t have lemon, so I used lime for the hollandaise sauce. What a good decision, because the lime complimented the flavors of the dish so perfectly. I’m 100% sure I’ll be making this one again. SO GOOD.

Avocado & Bacon Eggs Benedict on Polenta with Lime Hollandaise
(recipe serves 2 )

Ingredients for Eggs Benedict:
4 slices of polenta (1/2 inch thick – I used sun-dried tomato polenta)
4 eggs (poached)
4 slices of tomato
4 slices of bacon
1/2 avocado, sliced

Special Ingredients
(these items are optional, but make ALL the difference)
Sea Salt & Lemon
Caramelized Onions with Port Wine
Piri Piri Hot Sauce

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

  1. Cook the bacon to your liking and set aside.
  2. If desired, grill the polenta and sliced tomato in the leftover bacon grease on medium high until slightly crispy, flipping once.
  3. Poach 4 eggs. I have a special poached egg dish that makes it super easy so I’d recommend getting one, or follow this recipe.
  4. Make the hollandaise sauce, using the recipe below.
  5. Stack your eggs bennie with polenta on the bottom, followed by your grilled tomato, poached egg, bacon slices and avocado.
  6. Top with hollandaise sauce, caramelized onions, a sprinkle of sea salt & lemon, and a few dashes of Piri Piri hot sauce.
  7. Voila! Easy.

Ingredients for Lime Hollandaise Sauce:
(adapted from here)
2 egg yolks
1/4 lime, juiced
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup salted butter

  1. Beat egg yolks, lime juice, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth. Slowly stream melted butter into the egg yolk mixture while whisking to incorporate.
  2. Heat in microwave for 15 to 20 seconds; whisk.
  3. Drizzle on top of the eggs benedict.
  4. ENJOY!

Healthy & Easy Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies Using the Cutest Squirrel Cookie Cutter

Published on by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

by Myles Katherine

(As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

lemon lavender shortbread cookies

I picked up some culinary lavender from the farmer’s market on Saturday and couldn’t wait to use it in a recipe. I’ve actually never cooked with lavender since my husband thinks it’s too “flowery”. But I did catch him sneaking a few bites of the dough so he must not hate it that much!

These cookies were perfect for a breezy Sunday. I’ve also recently gotten into drinking matcha tea instead of coffee, and the cookies were a perfect treat to have on the side. The only downside is that I couldn’t stop eating them! But I made myself feel better by reminding myself that lavender is supposed to lessen anxiety and help calm the nervous system.

I was also looking for a recipe that didn’t include granulated sugar, and the maple syrup adds a lovely flavor to the cookies. You can pick up an adorable squirrel cookie cutter here!

INGREDIENTS

  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature OR coconut oil, softened
  • ½ cup maple syrup {or liquid sweetener of your choice}
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • dash of salt – I used a Sea Salt and Lemon blend
  • 2¼ cups flour (I used a combination of millet flour – for a more powdery texture – and unbleached all purpose flour)
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 to 1 tbsp culinary lavender (depending on how flowery you’d like your cookies – I used a whole tbsp!) – I got mine from Dancing Light Ranch

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Prepare a rolling area with two additional sheets of parchment paper for that, and have your cookie cutter(s) handy.
  2. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and whip it with a mixer until it’s creamy. Add sweetener, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt and mix once again to combine. Add in flour, lemon zest, and lavender (I used a mortar and pestle to grind the lavender first to bring out the flavor), and use a wooden spoon to mix. Then get in there with your hands and mix everything together by working the dough until you can shape it into a ball {note: as depending on the flour mix you use there may be a slight variance, know that the consistency of the dough should not be sticky but should press together when pinched — be sure to knead it really well first for some time — if it’s a little sticky, add a little more flour (try 1-2 tbsp); if it’s a little dry add a little more sweetener (try 1 tbsp)}. Shape the dough into 2 balls and then flatten each into a disk.
  3. Roll out one of the dough balls between two sheets of parchment paper to ⅓” – ½” thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Carefully transfer to a prepared cookie sheets, spacing them ½” apart {they won’t spread as they bake}. Gather up any dough scraps and repeat until all dough is used up. Repeat the process with the second dough ball. Sprinkle the uncooked cookies with a sea salt and lemon blend.
  4. Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 10-12 minutes, until the edges just begin to become golden. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. {Note: cookies will harden a little within minutes of cooling, so don’t overbake}. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from the Unconventional Baker

You can find this cute matcha bowl here and the fun Kate Spade cake plates here!

Th Best S’mores Cupcakes – Graham Cracker Cupcake with Marshmallow Fluff Frosting

Published on by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

by Myles Katherine ❤

So these cupcakes are DELISH. I was in a pickle the other night because I needed a treat to bring to a party and I didn’t feel like going to the grocery store. I LOVE s’mores and I’ve always wanted to try to make s’mores cupcakes. I was in luck because my boyfriend and I had recently gone on a trip so I was able to pull together all of the ingredients! It was meant to be.

 

Chocolate-filled Graham Cracker Cupcakes 

recipe makes 12 cupcakes
(derived from Baked Perfection)

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 15 whole crackers ground in processor)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole milk
4 hershey’s milk chocolate bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

Whisk graham crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in vanilla. Add graham-cracker mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with graham-cracker mixture. Fill cupcake liner’s 1/3 full, place two hershey squares in the middle of each cupcake, then cover with remaining batter.  Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center come out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack; cool completely.

 Marshmallow Fluff Icing 

(derived from Please Pass the Pie)

1 jar of marshmallow fluff
3/4 cup softened butter
Add powdered sugar (3/4 cup to 1 cup) and vanilla extract (1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla), to taste
Add small amounts of flour to thicken if desired

smores cupcakes