Monday, February 9, 2015

About a Year ago!

Its 2015 and the days are flying, we already in the month of February its crazy, that means in a few weeks I'll be back at uni! this feeling reminds me of back in the day when the back to school ads would come on and I would start crying because no more staying up till late at night and living life with no school work. Uni is a lot different and I hope this year would be better than last year.


Biggest Accomplishment of 2014


Completing my first year with good grades! I never did any science subjects in high  school and having to do anatomy & physiology was hell on earth, I had to work double time on that subject, I neglected the other subjects and didn't think I was going to do well . Praise God!


Best Memory of 2014


Wow 2014 was good to me in producing the best memories I can't pick one so got a few highlight images...

                                         SYDNEY        


















                                     PERTH






                                   BRISBANE








                              WHITSUNDAYS






Even though there were a few dramas, I still look back to those moments and I am grateful for the new friends I made, the new people I met, the lessons I learnt and also the friendships that ended during that period, there was a reason for it all. I wouldn't change anything.


Biggest Obstacle of 2014

My procrastination! the amount of time I put into studying but wasted it on YouTube or food is sad. I would drive to the library or study groups and I didn't gain much, I would procrastinate and take way to many breaks. I would have been sitting on High Distinctions but procrastination got in the way.

Favorite Beauty Product 2014 (concealer)

MatchMaster concealer by MAC. I love this I bought it when I went to Perth, a friend of mine was looking for concealer and I was sold I had to get it. it's light and it's creamy it doesn't feel dry, it doesn't crease and it blends well. Best for under eyes  and other blemishes.

Regrets 2014

How some of my friendships ended.


Most Memorable Phrase


I guess the basic music phrases and stuff e.g
"I woke up like this"
"about a week ago"


Most Embarrassing Moment


I was with a friend at scabarough beach in perth, we were siting on the grass and we decided to move coz the seagulls were being mean to us so we decided to go sit on the concrete block. As I was trying to put my leg over the concrete block to sit down I felt myself losing balance and I didn't do anything about it, in my head I had to somehow protect my camera and I tipped over and I landed on the ground I LOLed  while laying on the ground and saved a man from coming to get me up  although he kept staring. Thank goodness the hot surfer dudes were not in sight lol


Lessons learned In 2014


I learnt that I should stay true to myself, people come and go, I should not expect anything and  leave room for disappointments. As well as that I should put God first in every decision I make and every action I take *I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Philippians 4:13*


Goals for 2015


  • Get stronger in my walk with God and grow Spiritually 
  • Solo travel to a place I know no one or just solo travel to my favorite cities and explore
  • Achieve even higher grades *put in work* 
  • Make new friends 
  • Live healthy 

What I'm Looking Forward to In 2015


I'm looking forward to seeing the person I truly am. I'm growing everyday, I'm learning new things I've dedicated myself into tying new things, Sharing God and I want to be the best person I can be. I am very excited about this year. It hasn't been perfect, some friendships haven't worked out since the beginning of the year and I'm looking forward to meeting new people and trying to make new friends . This is not my year to find a bae lol but a year to love myself.

Xoxox...







Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Pizza of the week

Having a lifestyle change is not an easy thing especially if you live with people that are happy with what they been eating and also happen to be the main person that has to prepare the meal, IT'S TOUGH! I have tried to become a vegan and I am proud to say the longest I lasted was 3 weeks haha, maybe it's because I picked the wrong timing because it was a few weeks before Christmas.

Truth is I love food! at one time I reckon I was addicted to having take aways at least twice a week,, if I didn't have any, my body would feel like its missing something, #silly!

I still get the cravings but I am working on it because I realized that I was feeding a really bad habit and I was lucky enough to meet someone who was cleansing his life and getting rid of his bad habits in order for him to grow and become the best person he could be and that really inspired me to check myself.

 My cravings have not completely vanished, now if I want something I make it, so I made a chicken mushroom pizza, I didn't make my own dough there was a special at the supermarket and I managed to grab a packet with two bases. I tried to make the meal as healthy as possible and it tasted better that the one i usually get at dominos! The best thing when making a pizza is that it is your own creation you can just throw whatever you want on. I fried my chicken inn olive oil and i just sprinkled spices and salt and then I constructed my pizza, I tried to make it as colorful as I could and I was pretty happy with the result.

Chicken and mushroom 

Ingredients

 After 10 min in the oven 
Pizza base 
Pizza sauce 
Mozzarella cheese
Green, red and yellow capsicum 
mushroom 
carrots 
cherry tomatoes 
Chicken

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

When i checked after 10 min i didn't like the color so I left in for a bit longer to brown.


* try different flavors and feel free to share what you did different!






Friday, January 30, 2015

Cottage pie for dummies


I live for food and travel and whenever it's my turn to prepare dinner I always make sure that I cook something i like or I've been craving and sometimes I do take special requests from my niece :)
I only learnt how to cook a few years ago, reasons for not doing so earlier is because I learnt at a boarding school and food was well provided. I love cooking and I love challenging myself and sometimes my results are not so pretty but I always try to make it work and practice makes perfect, I'm almost hanging on the perfect side  #Yassssss





Cottage pie for DUMMIES it tastes good looks good and simple to make. had it with a coleslaw salad with green apple it added some sweetness to the meal, add garlic bread or any bread.
I usually boil my mince first to kill the beefy smell before browning it.
Let's create

MASH
potatoes 7
milk 1/4 cup
Cheese 1/2 cup
bread crumbs 1/3 cup


  • boil potatoes is salted water until soft
  •  drain and place in a bowl, 
  • add butter and milk then  mash,
  •  add breadcrumbs and cheese mix 
MINCE
1 chopped onion
1 chopped shallot
mushroom
1/2 red &green pepper
diced tomatoes
frozen veges (optional)
salt & pepper
1 cup beef stock
1tsp nutmeg, turmeric, basil, parsley paprika


  • boil or brown mince move in to the side, add olive oil. onion spread evenly on the pan until cooked,
  •  add mushroom, shallots, red and green pepper, frozen veges stir,
  •  add tomatoes and all the spices mix,
  •  add beef stock cover and simmer for 10 min.
Preheat oven conventional 220 degrees C







Grease casserole dish, sprinkle bread crumbs and rosemary leaves on the sides as well.














Add the mash around the edges using a fork.
add the mince mixture in the middle and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the mince.













Add the mash over the mince and spread gently and evenly, ensure there are no gaps.
Use a fork for the edges to seal the mince under.

I added a bit of cheese and breadcrumbs to achieve a pretty gold color.

20-25 min or  until golden



*Make sure you taste as you go to balance the flavors.










VIOLA :)



Good thing with cooking is that you can create absolutely anything. Experiment with flavors and spices, if you make a mistake, next time you will know what you did wrong....



Serves: 4-6 people
Skill: Easy
Time: 40 min.












Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Chicken macaroni cheese using shell pasta with tomato mint salad

Yes I still have my xmas tree  up, i'm sooo 2014! I never really concluded my year on this blog and i'm still behind. Moving on, here is a nice tasty recipe you can pretty much use everything in the fridge and only make 2 pots and 1 casserole dish dirty #winning.

You can use any preferable pasta, I was out of macaroni and I had to pick between pasta screws and pasta shells, Pasta shells it was I still haven't discovered a way to prevent them from sticking. If ya'll have any tips please inform me, thanks in advance.





  Ingredients 
  1. 250g Medium pasta shells 
  2. Chicken breast or boneless thighs chopped
  3. 1 cup Mushroom, 1 clove garlic
  4. Half red & green Capsicum, 1 onion, 
  5. 1 tsp Spices dry ( pepper, basil, parsley, paprika)
  6. 1 tsp olive oil
  7. 40g butter
  8. 3tbsp plain flour
  9. 2 cups Milk
  10. half cup Cheese of your choice (cheddar)
  11. Salt

Salad



  1. 1 large Carrot
  2. 5 leaves Mint
  3. 1/2 large Red onion 
  4. 2 tbs Balsamic vinegar
  5. 1 Tomato


Instructions 


  • Prepare pasta according to packet
  • Stir fry chicken in olive oil, salt and season with spices, set aside in a plate once browned
  • Stir fry mushroom, capsicums, onions, garlic and set aside in the same plate as the chicken, reduce to medium heat
  • preheat oven 175 degree C or 350 degrees F
  • White sauce--> same pan, melt the butter add the flour cook for 3 min until mixture is bubbly, add a pinch of salt  
  • add milk slowly and whisking or stirring to prevent lumps, until its smooth then add the rest of the milk, continue stirring to avoid sticking and burning
  • When mixture starts to thicken add the pasta and stir fried food turn the stove off and add the cheese, continue stirring until cheese has melted then spread mixture evenly on to casserole dish
  • slice tomatoes lay on the pasta and add cheese over the tomatoes then put casserole in oven
  • bake for 35 min in a preheated oven
Salad

  • Slice onions
  • grate carrot
  • chop tomato
  • Clap the mint (just like you clap your hands) before breaking it this infuses the mint smell and flavor
  • Mix in a bowl and balsamic vinegar 
  • All ready to serve





Serves 4-6 Total time: 60min Level: Easy


Sunday, November 23, 2014

Get to know me :) 20 facts about me..

I posted this on Instagram on my birthday back in September and since i haven't been on here for a while now, this will be our catch up session :)

1. I love food, 
that's how I learnt to cook coz someone had to prepare it 

2. I am very shy, the friends I have approached me coz i'm not equipped with that skill, I cant make friends 
3. I am very analytical with everything its my defense mechanism
4. I love makeup but don't like wearing it a lot coz I don't want to forget how I look naturally haha
5. I don't wear false eyelashes coz I don't know how to apply them haha my eyes are too tiny 
6. I'm a hypochondriac I always feel like i'm dying or there's something wrong with me 
7. I want to go for a boob reduction so that I can wear some clothes without looking erotic :/
8. I don't like attention and I don't know how to take compliments
9. I cant taste my food without bbq sauce or perinaise yummm
10. I'm a sucker for love I believe in true love and that I will meet my one I will love FOREVER♥♥
11. I am not affectionate and sexual, I guess I'm bottling all that for my future husband (he gon get it) :p
12. I don't like shopping for clothes id rather buy online than walk in shops
13. I love traveling, I feel depressed if I don't go anywhere
14. I love my own company. I'd rather stay at home than go out or hang out with people 
15. I loved Vikings that I had to watch all the seasons 5 times
16. Im not a materialistic person i'm comfortable with what I have. I'm not really keen on brand names
17. My voice is so tiny and I have an accent people have a hard time hearing me n I hate repeating myself grrrrr
18. I have a scar on the left side of my forehead it cuts through my brow I call it my beauty mark
19. I go to church on Saturday my week doesn't feel complete if I don't go 
20. I don't discriminate I talk to anyone who approaches me just because i'm amused by the human brain and I like knowing how they function its interesting....

Thank you for reading :)

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Effortless meal!

One of those lazy days when you have no idea on what to have for dinner and can't be bothered on cooking a meal from scratch and you lucky enough to have last nights plain left over rice, WINNING!! Obviously its stir fry for dinner or even your own invention. During the week I have long hours at Uni and by the end of the day I would be so hungry I could eat a horse, only to get home to find a dry kitchen its so frustrating . I must admit when you are so hungry that is when you are at your best in inventing an amazing meal.
There happened to be left over rice in the fridge and I decided to do a one pot wonder meal, I cooked my steak  to my liking transferred it on a separate plate, browned my onions,added my frozen veges added my spices (turmeric, nutmeg, mixed herbs, chili powder, pepper and more) I poured 1 1/2 cup of beef stock and allowed it to simmer as if i was making a stew, I kept tasting to check what was missing and after I reached my desired taste I then added my rice mixed everything together and served it while it was hot, It tasted so good completely different from last nights rice and I only had one pot to wash! 



Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Did someone say CHOCOLATE Brownies!

Who doesn't love chocolate? absolutely no one I know of. As the Queen of procrastinating I tend to spend my time snacking and then i wonder why i'm gaining weight.
 I decided to make some brownies with white chocolate and dark chocolate today because I had chocolate cravings. I wanted to bake something that didn't require me using electric beaters and the works. Brownies happen to be the easiest thing to make with a few ingredients! and i happened to be impatient, and not wait for them to cool as a result they cracked. oh well.
 I guess more tea breaks for me, with a brownie of cause!  

Ingredients
3 eggs 
125 g melted butter
white choc chips
dark chocolate pieces
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 caster sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup plain flour
Instructions 
Preheat oven to 180° 
Grease and line pan with with baking paper,Sift flour, sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl 
Add white choc chips, vanilla essence, eggs and melted butter, mix until combined, lastly stir through dark chocolate pieces (save some of the choc pieces and place them on top of the mix after spreading in the pan). Transfer mix into prepared pan, spreading it evenly to the edge of the pan.
BAKE! for 35 min or until brownie is set
* allow brownie to cool completely in pan before serving or else they will crack!!!!

preparation time 5 min 
baking time 35min