Quinoa Salad with Chargrilled Veges and Garlic Yogurt Dressing

Quinoa Salad with Chargrilled Veges and Garlic Yogurt DressingI think this Quinoa Salad with Chargrilled Veges and Garlic Yogurt Dressing could be my best quinoa salad recipe yet. This is actually the third salad recipe on this blog featuring this yummy and healthy ‘wonder grain’ on this blog.  Seeing as the other two recipes have been super popular I thought “why not?”  Indeed, this dish is high in WOW factor. Get in quick and rustle this up before the price of capsicums and eggplants skyrocket Downunder as we scurry into autumn.

Low in fat and high flavour this salad ROCKS as a lunch dish on it’s own, or, it is the perfect accompaniment to a beautifully cooked piece of meat (we’ve had it with steak as well as roast chook) and there’s always lots left for lunches for the next few days (this recipe feeds 6-8 but we are a family of three!).
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My Favourite Things – March

Avon A-F33 Pro-Line Corrector Treatmen

Who hijacked March? Where did it go? I missed it!  Here’s my (very random) assortment of beauty and foodie goodies I gave a good bash in February.  Note,  I would have put Vaseline Spray On Moisturiser and Avo Smash in here as firm favourites, but I’ve already raved about both of these (has anyone tried my Avo Smash recipe yet?) These two loves aside, here’s what else has been spinning my wheels lately.

Avon A-F33 Pro-Line Corrector Treatment – I’ve already raved about the Hydrating Cream from this range. Now I’m in love with the pro-line corrector treatment that my friend Toni thrust at me. “Try this” she said. Um, Toni, can I grab your bank account number? Coz you’re not getting this back, sorry.  For the past two weeks I’ve smoothed this lightweight gel-lotion over my face and neck morning and night after toning (and before moisturising). Already I’ve noticed a visible reduction in fine lines and I swear the deep groove that runs through the centre of my forehead has diminished.  Looks like Avon’s claim that the A-F33 molecule helps stimulate collagen carries some weight…  I can see why this product has won a lot of beauty awards.  Now I want my eye cream to run out so I can get A-F33’s offering.
Price: $60 for 30ml from your local Avon lady. (more…)

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Mars Bar and Baileys Cheesecake

Mars Bar and Baileys CheesecakeI’m not a big fan of dessert, I’m a savoury tooth girl – dessert? Or a cheeseboard and a Port? I’m the latter, every time.  However, there’s an exception. Put this cheesecake in front of me and I’m there, with bells on!

This is probably my signature dessert, I’ve been making it on on and off for at least a decade since my friend Marissa gave it to me!  It makes me warm and fuzzy inside when I go to my friends’ houses for dinner and this comes out as dessert. It’s tried and tested and I reckon one day when I’m an old lady, I’ll rock up to my son’s house for dinner and he’ll make it for me (he loves it – don’t judge me on letting a seven year old eat cheesecake with Baileys in it!). Anyhow, back to the recipe… You’ll see from the photo below that you can also make this in individual dishes, as opposed to being made in a cake tin (which is what I usually do) This is the sheer brilliance of my colleague Kelly who made this (kindly) for her team as a special treat and, lucky me, I got one too!  I shared this photo on my Facebook page and loads of you asked for the recipe. Sure thing! Here it is, complete with the photo of Kelly’s wonderful creation.  Big picture, make the cheesecake however you like, whether that’s in a springform cake tin, or Kelly’s way, in individual containers (it would be nice in red wine glasses!)  Either way… You’ll have your dessert goers begging for the recipe!

mars bar and baileys cheesecake recipe

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Vaseline Spray on Moisturiser – Does it deliver?

vaseline spray moisturiser reviewAfter Nivea’s In Shower Moisturiser, you know, the one that I reviewed that I wasn’t backwards about coming forwards on (it was rubbish), I had low hopes for Vaseline’s newest offering in the moisturising Convenience Department: Vaseline Intensive Care Spray on Moisturiser.

I’m lazy when it comes to moisturising. I like a super hydrating product but I don’t have the time (nor inclination) to spend much time rubbing it in. Which is why I gave this a go. Spray it all over your body, holding the can 10cm from your skin.  After spritzing, you quickly rub it in – good to go.  A bit like Neutrogena’s spray on sunblock, if you’ve given that a bash.  In a nutshell, this is moisturiser-spray-and-go. (more…)

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Avo Smash Recipe

Avo Smash recipeIf you’ve read my Eating Like a King in Palmerston North blogpost you’ll recall that I raved about Avo Smash, the absolutely fabulous breakfast we had at Palmy North’s Tomato Cafe… I have shamelessly recreated their recipe and it rocks.

I’ve made Avo Smash a good number of times for breakfast/brunch since our Palmy trip and I’ve made variations* with great success! Here’s the recipe for you. Oh, it is great as a dip too! (more…)

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Findation – The easy way to choose your foundation!

Had a shocker in the past where the wrong foundation shade left you looking like an Oompa Loompa?

Keen on purchasing a new foundation online but a bit stuck as to which shade of beige you are from swatches on your computer screen?

Haunted by an experience where a well intended makeup artist or makeup counter assistant sold you the wrong shade? (I am deeply traumatised about this).

Have you answered yes to any of the above? Read on: This blog post is for you.

Introducing Findation.com. This is a blinkin’ genius of a website that is almost foolproof in helping you identify your perfect foundation shade. This is a must visit website ahead of a visit into town, online makeup purchasing (fellow web-shopaholics will love this). It’s also brilliant if you are in-store and want to check on your Smart Phone that you are definitely about to buy the right shade!  I do this. Full confession.

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Eating like a king – In Palmerston North (NZ)

Barista – This was a Monday night!

A few weeks ago a colleague and I went on a work trip to Palmerston North. I have to fess up: Apart from the opportunity to catch-up with lovely colleagues and partake in some mall-based shopping, a visit to Palmy doesn’t usually make my heart soar with excitement. John Cleese was much less diplomatic when he visited in 2005. He said ‘If you ever do want to kill yourself, but lack the courage, I think a visit to Palmerston North will do the trick.’ Ouch. Incidentally, Palmy North town got their own revenge by naming a rubbish dump after him.

Well, after our visit my foodie colleague and I reckon John got it wrong. He can’t have gone out for dinner. Nope, he must have eaten in his hotel room and ordered tough steak and soggy chips from room service. By contrast, we were blown away by the eateries we experienced in Palmerston North. Actually we are trying to engineer another few days in the good ‘old Manawatu to sample more splendid tucker. (more…)

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