Family - Food - Home

Dinner in 20 mins - I can do that

Can you get dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less? I'm not talking frozen meals or junk from the takeaway, I 'm talking home cooked...with a little help.




In this case, I'm talking pizza...one of the most requested meals around these parts. My family don't like it any old way either. They have become pizza connoisseurs and it's my fault.

As you may have seen from a recent post, Mr3P and I met up with some of the lovely people at Bakers Delight and tried their take home, DIY, fresh pizza bases. I'm impressed with how tasty they are and how they take all the hassle out of making your own bases, or buying those less than fresh ones I've seen in the supermarkets (which, yes, I have tried them too and IMO, they don't taste home made).

You don't have to be a master chef of even a pizza chef to turn out these meals in no time at all. I simply popped into my local Bakers Delight and grabbed a few fresh bases (they come in packs of 2).

Place your fresh (par cooked) Bakers Delight bases on a pizza tray or an oven tray if you don't have one.

Add some pizza sauce.


Top with a few of your favourite toppings...I like to do a quick prep and put all of my intended toppings on a plate on in some bowls. 

We like to get the kids to top their own pizza, so there is no arguing over who wants what or picking off of toppings later. A nice way also to get them involved in the dinner making process. My pickles LOVE cooking with me....it's just the washing up part that they suddenly become magicians, and disappear..................


These pizzas take around 10 minutes to bake at around 200ºC, depending on your toppings.

I like to serve the pizzas with a fresh salad and lemonade!

My favourite topping for a pizza is chorizo, anchovies, mushrooms, olives and capsicum with a tomato or ricotta sauce on the base.

I'm doing a little giveaway on my Facebook page, thanks to Bakers Delight. Just pop on over and tell me what your favourite topping for your pizza is. I have 3 kids colouring packs (to give them something to do while you assemble and bake you pizzas!) You need to use the hashtag #BDpizza and #BakersDelight in your Facebook post.Or feel free to post pics of your creations on Instagram with the same hashtags and @3picklesMarnie

Only open to Aussie residents sorry.
I'll choose my 3 favourites over the next few days and announce it on Facebook this weekend.

Happy pizza making!

x Marnie

Beauty Favourites August

Well August is drawing to an end this week and Spring is almost here!! I'm looking forward to some sunshine and warmth as Melbourne certainly did it's best to freeze me from top to toe this year.
In Winter, I find my already dry skin cops a beating from the cold and artificial heating and too many hot showers.
Below are a few of my favourite products that I've been using this month.


This is Pantene's NEW Ice Shine, Pantene’s new silicone, dye and paraben-free collection that protects against damage to give you a healthy, natural looking shine with zero weight and zero residue....that's the claim and now that I've been using it for a while, I can tell you that it is fantastic. I don't feel that build up in my hair like I do with a lot of products on the market. My hair seems to hold the style longer since I've been using this too.

 I've been slathering the Aveeno Stress Relief Moisturising Lotion on after a shower. The lightly scented lotion absorbs really well, so I can dress quickly...there's nothing worse that waiting for a body lotion to absorb while you freeze your bits off or dressing while it's still wet and your clothes feel gross on you. I regularly skip body lotion for this reason and wonder why my skin feels so dry. Happy to have found this little gem.
 I was asked by Aveeno if I'd like to try this facial moisturiser, BUT I already had it and have been a fan for many months. 

I like how I get an SPF in this moisturiser but it doesn't smell or feel like I'm wearing a sunscreen. There are natural "light diffusers" to give you a slight glow...and yes it DOES! I normally would think this was a bit of advertising fluff, but it does give your skin a lovely radiance. 

I took this great for travel bottle with me on a recent road trip and used it every day and bonus...no leaking!

Ahh, Jurlique...you know I love you so. 

These 4 products are my dry skin lifesavers. You have probably heard me go on about the Skin Balancing Face Oil in the past and on my Instagram or Twitter. The Herbal Recovery Gel has been a star on my skincare regime this season and is a must under the oil after too many late nights.

If you have dry skin, do yourself a favour and try this out! I wear it under makeup too.


My tweezers are always going walkabout, so I purchased some girly looking ones from my local hairdressing supplier. Very cute and hidden in a secret place......


How many times have you been in the shower with a treatment in your hair....your standing there, reading the instructions on the bottle where it says "gently comb through hair"? Doh! So then you have to get out of the shower, drip everywhere, freeze your bits off (again) to rummage through looking for a comb.....well not anymore!  I picked up this cute comb from Priceline for around $3 and it easily hangs on the shower tap. And it's PINK!! 



So there you have my little list of faves for this month. 


I'll be back tomorrow with some 20 minute meal ideas and maybe a giveaway. 

See you then xx

Marnie

Disclosure: These products (Jurlique and Pantene) were provided for editorial consideration. 3pickles has no affiliation with any companies mentioned and has received no remuneration for posting this review. All opinions are those of the author.

Yorkshire Pudding

The first time I remember tasting these little,  golden-brown puffs of delight was with my Nana. She prepared the Sunday roast (usually lamb) with a matter-of-fact style. I don't know if cooking was a pleasure for her, but she always seemed to do traditional English & Irish fare with ease. 
The Yorkshire Pud, as it is better known is always best if eaten straight from the oven and smothered with gravy (homemade gravy of course).




 I never had the chance to make these with my Nana, but was fortunate enough to be given the recipe from a work friend many years ago. We were unpacking boxes of cosmetics at the time, when the conversation came up. This recipe is from her Nana...I'd like to think it's the same one my Grandmother used. I wrote it on a piece of cardboard that I tore from one of the cosmetic boxes and I've kept it with all my other little scribbled down recipes ever since.


Mr 3P loves these protein rich dumplings....they taste even better with farm fresh eggs, laid that day, if you can get them. 

So I made them for him this week when we had a roast pork, potatoes and steamed winter veggies.

And I thought of my Nana...and how much I miss her


Yorkshire Pudding Recipe
Ingredients

1 cup plain flour
3 eggs
pinch of salt
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
(oil for cooking)

Mix all of the ingredients (except the oil) together ...whisk to remove lumps.
Add a few drops of oil into each cup of a muffin tin and place in the oven at 210º C to heat for 7 minutes.

Carefully remove from the oven and pour batter into each cup about 2/3 full.

Return to the oven and cook for 13-15 mins at 210ºC until risen, golden and puffy.

Serve immediately with your roast and gravy.

Pizza Master Class


Hands up if you like pizza?
....me too!!

Last week Mr 3P and I attended a Pizza Masterclass in Melbourne and I thought I'd share a few of the tips we picked up from the experts and what we used for our base and toppings.


  • Yummy fresh ingredients will always make your pizza special. 
  • Not overloading the base with too many toppings will ensure that your pizza will cook evenly and not end up a soggy mess. I love that the pizza (above) that one of the chefs' made has just a few simple ingredients and fresh, uncooked toppings too!
  • Some toppings, like mushrooms should be pre-cooked before using. The chef cooked his mushrooms in a little olive oil and garlic. I cooked some at home in the same way but added some chilli too!
  • Other toppings should be added AFTER your pizza is cooked... like rocket, baby spinach and freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.


Now you can make your own base (like my Farmer's bread recipe here) or you can save the hassle, especially if you're on your way home and can't be bothered making the base, but still want to have some home made pizza. You can pick up these fresh bases from Baker's Delight. They kindly supplied the bases on the night and they were really yummy. Simply add your toppings and pop in the oven....easy


On my pizza I used

  • a little of the Leggos Traditional Basil Pesto and some Sugo di Pomodoro
  • Bertocchi Flat Sopressa hot salami
  • Sauteed button mushrooms
  • Lots of anchovies
  • Fresh chilli (seeds removed)
  • Bertocchi pancetta
  • Black olives
  • Perfect Italiano Pizza Plus...what a difference this cheese makes to a pizza! I'd normally just use some cheddar. This was a blend of cheese that is perfect to sprinkle on your pizza. It really made the difference and wasn't oily like the cheddar can be.






 Mr 3P and I enjoyed a few drinks on the night thanks to Dan Murphy's. I had a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon called Cat Amongst The Pigeons and he tried this interesting beer ^^



 We were so inspired by our pizza masterclass that we made some more for lunch the next day.








So, what's your favourite pizza topping? And the biggest debate of all time.....does pineapple have the right to be on a pizza?


x Marnie

All of these photos were taken with my iphone as I didn't want to lug around my DSLR on the night, so sorry about the picture quality. xx

Chocolate Cups



Do you like my little chocolate cups? 

The look kinda fancy pants don't you think? 
If you stick around for a minute, I'm going to tell you how to make them for your next fancy pants dinner party....or any shindig that requires chocolateyness.

That would be any day ending in Y................



 I hosted a Chef's Toolbox party for a friend of mine, many moons ago and one of the things I purchased was a set of mini silicone tart cases (not sure if that's what they were actually called, so if you work for Chef's Toolbox, feel free to share in the comments). I've seen similar in most kitchenware shops...so long as they are flexible to peel away from the chocolate, then you're good to go.


Grab some chocolate melts and place into the silicone case. I then microwaved for about 40 seconds. Carefully remove from the microwave and use a teaspoon to spread the melted chocolate evenly over the base and sides. you need a nice thickness so the cups don't crack when you remove them. I'm still trying to perfect this!! You will probably make a few at first that will not work out...but practice makes perfect AND there's leftover choccie to crumble and garnish...or taste test ;)

When you've spread the chocolate evenly, then turn the case upside down onto a plate. I set mine in the fridge and it only takes about 10 minutes.

When set, VERY GENTLY peel the casing away.....and there you have it! 

Ready to be filled with whatever takes your fancy pants!!

I've filled these with whipped cream, sweetened with a little icing sugar and topped with some sweet strawberries. I was thinking a nice adults only version of whipped cream flavoured with a little Baileys and mixed with crushed Maltesers, maybe in a white chocolate case? Or a mixture of fresh berries and yoghurt?

What would you fill your choccie cups with?



sharing here today........