Lamb Rack with Dukkah Crust & Baked Eggplant Layer

lamb racks with dukkah crustYou know when you have a meal that’s so good, you keep thinking about it, over and over? Well, this dinner will have you re-living every forkful for a good week.

Dukkah. Contented sigh. Oh, how how I love you. Dukkah goes perfectly with lamb, and hummus, which was convenient on the night I whipped this all up as I had a couple of jars of dukkah leftover in the cupboard post Christmas and a fresh batch of hummus.  Bonus.  This Baked Eggplant layer dish was a side dish I made by chance: I had the latest Healthy Food Guide sitting on the bench as I was pondering what to cook for dinner and there it was, a picture on the cover, calling out to me as the perfect accompaniment…. I even had all the ingredients (I did tweak the recipe a little, I can’t help myself). Sublime. (more…)

Pin It

Healthy Hummus (with a twist)

low fat hummus recipeThis hummus is heroic in in my eyes as it’s got half the amount of oil contained in usual hummus and no flavour has been sacrificed. Why is low fat important? So, well, time to fess up: My jeans shrunk in the wash over Christmas (yeah right), so I’m engaging some common sense and turning to nutritious snacks that cost next to nothing to make, that are low in fat and contain no sugar. What to whip up in such situations? I don’t reckon you can beat hummus which has been one of my favourite stand-by snacks since, well, ages. Unfortunately lots of store bought hummus can be quite high in fat. Not this stuff! (more…)

Pin It

My favourite things – January

Here’s my beauty and foodie favourites from January… There’s a few!

rimmel nudeimageRimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Nude Eyeliner – Eek, what’s with the long product names? My super thoughtful friend lovely Caron sent me this from Aussie after reading my whinge in a blog post that Rimmel doesn’t sell this eyeliner shade in NZ (Kiwis:  But we can get it online). I know what you are thinking… “Why the heck do you use a nude eyeliner for??”  To wake up tired eyes, that’s why! You know when you are tired and the rims of your eyes go red?  Well, run a nude colour eyeliner on the waterline (i.e. your inner eye rim) and you are sorted: The red is neutralised back to ‘flesh colour’.   Because this pencil is waterproof it will last a lot longer on that part of your eye (‘coz it’s slightly damp). Genius. You can, incidentally, use a white eyeliner, but a nude shade is so much more natural looking.  Rimmel NZ: Please start stocking this shade!  Here’s a photo of me (right) wearing this eyeliner on my waterline.
Price: NZ$9 (from ASOS with free postage)

(more…)

Pin It

Koh Samui: Shopping, Cooking Schools, Tailor Made Clothes & More! (Part 2)

Typical pricelist at a beachfront massage (when we went NZ$1 = 24 Thai Baht
Typical pricelist at a beachfront massage (when we went NZ$1 = 24 Thai Baht

Here is part 2 of ‘Kicking Back in Koh Samui’: Cooking schools, massage, partying, shopping, technology and how to pay for stuff! I have just realised my DREAM JOB in writing this: Taking small groups of lovely ladies to Koh Samui and being their tour guide! I can just imagine them getting off of one the bus services like Phantip Travel that run from Phuket to Koh Samui and showing them around this fantastic place. The only way this could have been even more perfect if I were on the beaches of Koh Tao which isn’t far from Koh Samui, but just cause I’m not enjoying that beautiful view doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the scenery from Bangkok to Koh Tao. I knew my degree in Tourism Management would come in handy some day! (more…)

Pin It

Kicking back in Koh Samui (part 1)

Our view from our breakfast table
Our view from our breakfast table

Looking for a one stop overseas destination that’ll offer everything? Adrenaline opportunities? Foodie paradise? Somewhere you can seriously relax and get away from it all? What about amazing tropical weather so you can return home with a kick butt tan? Well, I personally don’t think you can beat Thailand’s Koh Samui. Our family holiday there was so amazing I’ve (uncharacteristically) struggled with the words to do this paradise justice. Also I’ve got so much to say I’m going to have to divide my narration into two parts! Here’s part one. (more…)

Pin It

You really should get that line seen to…

Avon Clinical Anew Line Corrector Hydrating Cream with A-F333 blog reviewAbout three years ago a wonderful friend (who shall remain nameless) and I were bitching and moaning about the perils of aging, including the overnight onset of wrinkles. Not to be outdone by her whinging about her wrinkles I pointed to the crease running across the center of my forehead. “Oooooh yes”, she said, peering closer. “You really should get that seen to!”. Ouch! Now I’ve got to be honest, I did contact Jarrod Little to see what options I had when it came to wrinkle removal cosmetic procedures, but I just don’t have the courage to fight the stigma attached to such things. I wish I did because I’m sure I’d look much better for it and wouldn’t have to keep dealing with rude comments like those, but I guess that serves me right for pointing it out in the first place! We will all age and there isn’t much that can be done about it. Saying that though, there are clinics like the victorian cosmetic institute that offer treatments that could help reduce the signs of aging and improve the appearance of deep-set wrinkles.

Where some people may decide to get botox to tighten the skin, others may stick to using skincare products to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. With that being said, if this is something that you can relate to, it may be worth it to click here to take a look at some skincare products that could help with this concern. When it comes to skincare, it is hit or miss. Even if something works for one person, doesn’t mean it has the same effect for everyone else. But you don’t know if you don’t try.

(more…)

Pin It

Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

imageI’ve been making this recipe for the last month or so, playing around with different combinations to get it just right. I’ve finally cracked it.  This delicious salad is the perfect accompaniment to BBQ or pan fried chicken breasts (rubbed in Mexican seasoning) and Mexican Street Corn.

If you are looking for a salad, or a meal that’ll impress, you can’t go wrong. Enjoy! (more…)

Pin It