Midweek Meal: Chinese Chow Mein Rice

I would like to preempt this post by saying that 1. I am definitely not a food photographer (I took all these pics on my phone while I was cooking!) and 2. I realise this is probably the furtherest recipe away you can get for an authentic Chow Mein, but this is the name I made up, so I'm going with it!

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie

It's really not the right season over here in New Zealand to be making desserts like Pumpkin Pie. Our weather is warming up, and you're more likely to be indulging in strawberries and ice cream! BUT I can assure you, once you've had this pie, you will change your mind! It has a beautiful sweet, velvety texture, and it's hard to stop at one slice!

I got the recipe from an old work colleague who used to make it every time we had a pot luck meal. I actually hadn't had it before then, it always seems a bit confusing to make a sweet dish from a vegetable! So the thought of it might put some people off. If I had the choice of apple pie or pumpkin pie, I might actually choose the pumpkin option! 

This is really a very sweet, decadent dessert that can be eaten warm or cold, alone or with cream, ice cream or yoghurt. 

It's definitely worth a try, and if I have any Northern Hemisphere readers, here's an easy recipe for your Thanksgiving dinner!

DIY: Upcycled Necklace

Here is a SUPER easy project you can do with any jewellery that needs freshening up. It literally took me 15 minutes from start to finish!

Before I had my son, I wore a lot of jewellery and especially necklaces. If you are a mother, you will know necklaces + baby = chaos! So up until fairly recently I haven't been wearing a lot of my stash! I also used to wear a lot of different necklaces at work, but once we switched to a uniform, I couldn't really wear them anymore. 

What I've been up to! Making, Baking and Creating!

Last week I was SUPER busy! We had a short week because of the holiday on Monday for Labour Day. This doesn't really affect me given that I don't work on a Monday! But it was nice to have my husband at home with us. So I didn't get much done that day as a result, being in weekend mode for an extra day!

(The view from my deck, last friday night)

Ninja Cookie Drop: Double Dark Chocolate Cookies with Hazelnuts and Sea Salt

This past weekend I participated in what is known as "The Sisterhood Ninja Bake 2013". This is where a group of women all over the country, secretly bake and drop off homemade goodies to hundreds of others. The idea behind this is to brighten someone's day, bring them a little joy if they are going through a hard time, or just to let them know someone out there cares.