Baked Ricotta {recipe}

Back to good cooking habits after the weekend baking attack here & here. I still managed to lose 500g over the weekend, so that's good......


Onto today's lunch...I hope you try this recipe, it's very simple to make and can be adapted to suit what you have in the garden/pantry. Today I only have parsley and eschallots growing, so I used those and some dried oregano, but you can use whatever tickles your fancy. The great thing about this recipe, besides being low in fat & carbs and high in protein is that you can make it for one, two or however many people you like. Simple and quick. I made it for 2 today...I ate one and have kept the other one for tomorrow's lunch.


I love making this for lunch and it works well for the lunchbox too.

makes 2

150g fresh, low fat ricotta (from the deli department)

20g fetta (optional, but I like it for some zing...I used Danish fetta)

sprinkling of fresh &/or dried herbs (I used dried oregano, fresh parsley)

2 tablespoons finely chopped red capsium

2 tablespoons finely chopped eschallots/spring onions

1 clove finely grated/crushed garlic

salt & freshly ground pepper 

Mix ingredients together and press into lightly oiled muffin tin.
Bake at 180C till set (about 20-25 mins)
Serve hot or cold with salad

I like to make a simple dressing for my salad...just a little olive oil & some balsamic vinegar.

More low fat, low carb, high protein recipes to come.

Be good.

{Point & Shoot} my baby

I'm joining the Point & Shoot linky at Sunny + Scout today. Hope you join in too.

I love shooting with natural light and it was just right this morning.

I know I'm biased, but isn't my littlest pickle adorable?

Our new floors got laid yesterday and he was having a ball, sliding around on them in his PJ's.

I'm off to enjoy this sunshine. 

See you tomorrow.

Mars Cheesecake {recipe} AKA Nickelback Pie

OK, so it's a special occasion recipe (for us)...and yes, I'm still on this weight loss journey O' mine, so I've been good. But....
IT'S MARS CHEESECAKE DAMITT!!!!!


....and I'm celebrating because.......... I'M GOING TO SEE NICKELBACK....LIVE!! WOOT, WOOT. 


Got my tickets on Saturday and I'm so excited, I might actually vom..


So, I'm renaming this recipe "Nickelback Pie"...yeah, yeah...I know...you must have been expecting something like this from me by now?? Will be counting down the days and of course blogging about it in November. I even got Mr 3P to come with with me....he certainly knows the words to their music...bless his cotton socks. what a good man.


Anyhow, I've had many requests for this recipe, which was given to me by a friend and I think she may have gotten it from Women's Weekly...but I can't remember.
I make this when we go to someone's house for dinner & we take a dessert....sometimes...lol
Many times I have taken the basis of the recipe and swapped out the Mars bar, caramel & choc for other things, like strawberries and strawberry jam, or chocmint and peppermint crisp....use your imagination.
And don't spoil your dinner!!

250g chocolate biscuits

120g melted butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

25g extra butter

300ml thickened cream

50g chocolate

3 teaspoons gelatine

1/4 cup boiling water

500g cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup caster sugar

3 Mars Bars, chopped (180g) I used the "fun" sized bars (there were leftovers...mwahaha)

1. Make the base by processing the biscuits into crumbs and mixing through the melted butter. Line a 20cm springform tin with baking paper and press mixture into base (and up the sides if you like...it never works for me). Cover with foil and refrigerate for 30mins to set.

2. Combine the brown sugar, extra butter and 2 tbsp of cream in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until dissolved. (This time, I just put these ingredients in a microwave safe mug and microwaved for one minute...worked out the same).

3. Combine the chocolate & 2 tbsp cream and melt together. (again I did this in the microwave, but you can do it on the stovetop in a small saucepan).

4. In a heatproof cup add the gelatine and stir with boiling water until dissolved. Set aside to cool...no longer that 5 minutes or it might set.

5. Beat the cream cheese and caster sugar together with an electric mixer, until smooth. Beat the rest of the cream together in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Stir the gelatine mixture into the cream cheese mixture, then add and stir in the Mars Bar bits and then fold in the cream.

6. Pour half the mixture into the prepared base. Drizzle half of the caramel and chocolate sauce over. add the other half of the cheesecake mixture and top with the rest of the 2 sauces. Drag a skewer through to make a nice pattern if you like.

7. Lick the bowl...it saves on washing up and is much better for the environment.

8. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours....overnight is best.

9. Yum.

I made Mr3P hold this for me while I took a bunch of pictures...it started to melt by the time I got the lighting right...lol

linking to Whipperberry

Custard Creams {recipe}

I'm baking this weekend, something I haven't done in a while. I used to find it hard to resist, but now I can bake and walk away.


Custard creams have always been a hit with the pickles and with the lemons at their peak again, I have to find ways of using them up....this recipe only uses one...but that's one less than I had falling off the trees.


This is a very simple recipe and I wouldn't worry about how long they'll keep for...cos they'll be gone as soon as you serve them.


Enjoy....

I'm making a Mars Bar Cheesecake today as well, so I hope to have that recipe on here by Monday.


Have a great weekend.

Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus

I've been using this delicious skincare from Jurlique for a while now and I'm really impressed. 
My skin gets quite dehydrated during the winter months and always needs an additional boost, which is why the Skin Balancing Face Oil is my favourite in the collection. I love the way my skin feels when I wake up in the morning...and it smells so pretty, just like fresh roses. Love that......

I lather the Moisturising Cleanser in my hands and use on my face and neck, morning and night. I keep it in the shower so it's easy and quick to use.

After a shower or cleansing my face, I use the Rosewater Balancing Mist...it just sprays on and smells heavenly.

I also use this to mist over my make-up...kind of like a gentle setting spray.

 The moisturiser is wonderfully light in texture, but keeps my skin feeling moisturised all day. It's great for under make-up too.

You can check out more of Jurlique's range on their website and on Facebook.

DON'T FORGET, THERE IS ONLY ONE DAY LEFT TO WIN A SKINCARE PACK FROM JURLIQUE. (AUSSIES ONLY, SORRY). JUST ENTER VIA THE BANNER ON THE SIDE BAR. GOOD LUCK!! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WIN.

Quick updo using scunci pin twirls {video}

Hi, it's me again. How's your weekend been? Good I hope.

I've been playing hairdressers today and thought I'd share this little video with you. 

This is a simple little updo using the scunci pin twirls, which were kindly sent to me to try. As you can see by the video, they are really easy to use...they just screw it and hold, even my very thick hair, really well. 

I'm going to call this a messy look as I was filming outside for better light with no mirror. Even though this stayed in perfectly all day, if you fiddled a bit more, you'd get a much neater result. Personally,  like it a little less structured.

you get 3 pin twirls in a pack

Don't you just  love the plastic party chairs in the BG? lol

Washing kids hair without dramas

Have you had trouble washing your children's hair?

All three of my Pickles have been an absolute nightmare in the hair washing department (and the haircut department....but that's another nightmare for another day).

I'm not an evil mother, I'm not...but for some reason they just hate having their hair washed....pickle #1 would scream so much that I was afraid the neighbours might call family services....it was horrible.  Pickle #2 & #3 followed suit like it was an inherited trait. 

I wasn't dumping buckets of cold water over their heads....maybe I should have. I tried every trick in the book but the more worked up they got, the more I did too...it was a blood curdling, screaming match that just went round and round. It was so bad that I dreaded bath time. It should be a happy, fun time, just like in the commercials, shouldn't it?

Not at our house.

Then it all changed.

I'm not totally sure what happened, but they all seemed to just accept it. All at about the same age too...which was around 3 1/2 - 4 years old (yes that's a long time....a really...really...long time).

I can only put it down to a few things.

• I can scream louder than them.
• I have a large jug and do only one rinse (a big rinse)...yeah, yeah...kind like a bucket dump...but it works. 
• I have a hand towel on standby so they can wipe their faces immediately after dumping the water over their heads.
• The right, soap-free shampoo that's gentle on their sensitive skin. The last thing I need is a child with stinging eyes and a rash.
• Eventually convincing* them to face the ceiling when I pour the jug of water over their locks.

Now these days, the 2 older ones DIY in the shower. 

#3 still needs my assistance as he's still only a little fella.

 My baby.

I'm gonna need a little, fluffy doggy soon...once he goes to school.

Sad...yes.

I understand the dog thing now.

Do you have a story like this, or was your experience like the commercials? 
I'd love to hear.

And if you have any pearls of wisdom...please share. 
Pickle #3 could relapse at any time!!

You can leave a comment here on the blog or join me for a chat on Facebook or Twitter

* threats of being banned from whatever is their favourite thing at the time

Barque Eyeshadow M.U.O.T.D

This is the eye make-up I did today. All from Nutrimetics.

I don't often wear a lot of mascara on my bottom lashes as I find it can cast shadows and give me more lines than I already have....and I don't need that (I'm doing a good enough job of that without any help, thank you very much)

I just did one fine coat of the Bump Up the Volume Mascara as it's very volumising and I just wanted to add some colour. The Rosie & Barque shades have a warm reddish undertone which helps bring out the green in my eyes. Green is opposite to red on the colour wheel, so this always works.

So to use this principal to bring out your eye colour:

If they're blue, use orange based colours.

If they're brown, use blue & purple based colours.

Try it and let me know how you go.

If I can borrow some of my blue & brown eyed friends, I'll do some examples shortly.

I got some other lovely beauty products that I've been playing with to show you soon. 

Take care.

House Update ...so close, yet so far away

Well, I haven't done a house update for a while, mainly because we've been so busy working on it!

• The painting is pretty much finished...inside and out.
• The stairs are in!!
• The lights are in too!!
• The driveway is finished.
• Heating and cooling is installed.

Now we just need to put floor coverings in...some of which will be done tomorrow.

Then the tiling and plumber fitting of...and then the finishing carpenter will come and do his thing.

Then onto the garden.....hopefully the weather will be a little nicer soon.

 Measure twice, cut once. The mantra around here.

Since I took this pic, the stairs have a railing and have been painted and stained (by yours truly)

 Mr 3P has been working away this weekend to get the fireplace ready for rendering and new floorboards. That little Dremel Saw Max has been very handy around here lately. 

We went looking for a new gas fireplace to put in the existing cavity, but we haven't found one we like yet. Any suggestions?

 I pretty sure this is the bathroom floor tile we're going with. I really wanted something that was fairly neutral and didn't show dirt and hair easily. Everyone I spoke to at ALL of the tile stores suggest that you go for a matte tile for this purpose too. Time will tell.

Hopefully tomorrow we will have this laid downstairs. Will let you know how it goes.

And if you're in the market for a new sofa, come back soon as Mr3P is guest posting for me this week about what to look for (and avoid) when buying a new sofa  (he's been in the know for sometime on this subject).

See you soon.

Davids Country Shanghai Restaurant

I had the pleasure of attending the relaunch of David's Country Shanghai in Prahran last Friday night and I wanted to share the experience with you.

From the moment you walk in the door you feel like you are 'home". It's that warm feeling that you'd rarely get in a restaurant and I liked it....a lot.

To tell the truth, I can't remember the last time I went out for dinner with a bunch of strangers, so I was feeling a little apprehensive as I approached the entrance.


Those thoughts were dashed pretty quickly.


I was warmly greeted by and shown to my table where I met "in real life" real bloggers whom I chat with on Twitter. Kyrstie from A Fresh Legacy, Melody from Melludee, Ros from Sew Delicious and Vu from Very Vu
The first thing I noticed was how beautiful and fresh the interior was. David had appointed Hecker Guthrie to design the new interior, drawing on the heritage of old Shanghai and Melbourne's hospitality scene, giving new life to the warehouse architecture of the building. Delicate door screens contrast with rustic, timber finishes and sleek Chinese lanterns are suspended from the ceilings. Stacks of antique tables and displays of traditional jewellery provide a relaxed, old world feel. 


Then I met David.


From my first impressions, if I could choose only one word to sum up this man, it would be passion. Passion for the food, the staff, his family and of course his diners. He's one of those people that you just want to hang out with in the hope that his enthusiasm and passion will rub off some how.....you know what I'm talkin bout.


And it's this passion that translates to his food, which were passed down through his family from Shanghai.


Now for the food..........

David's serve unfussy (amazing) food that reflects real Country Shanghai.

Now, I've eaten Chinese food before...but this was different. I was like nothing I've ever tried before. The "One Bite" soft shelled prawns I am still craving and will be taking Mr 3P back just so he can try them (if I decide to share).

Spicy beef with white radish & cucumber

From left to right
Vu (Very Vu), Melody (Melludee), Ros (Sew Delicious), Me, David, Kyrstie (A Fresh Legacy)

Green and red soy beans, bok choy & chilli. Spiced oolong tea eggs with bean curd and wolf berries.

David has kindly shared his recipe for Spiced oolong tea eggs with bean curd and I'll be making it this week to share with you, so come back and check it out.

Drunk chicken

Ros from Sew Delicious showing me how to roll the DIY shredded duck and veggie wrap.

Sticky pork belly & chat potatoes....another craving

Osmanthus & Red Bean Black Sticky Rice Pudding
Traditional Chinese Almond Pudding.

It's hard to find somewhere that offers great food AND I feel comfortable taking the whole family, but David's is perfect for a relaxed family get together and the munchkins will be welcome. I'm looking forward to taking my lot in the near future....maybe I'll see you there?