prawns, backyard cricket, and a christmas dog

Christmas this year came and went in the blink of an eye, literally! I'm sitting here writing about the day and I can't believe it's already the 27th of December (blogspot says the 26th but here in Australia we're from the future ;) 

That brings me to my second point: I'm now 3 weeks and 2 days out from the day I leave for Bristol in the UK! If you know nothing about Bristol, it's a cultural hub in England's south west, a cute but not-so-sleepy city and the eighth most-populous in the UK. In November of this year I was accepted into Bristol University to complete a six month study-abroad program, basically completing subjects at an overseas institution that can be credited towards my degree. For me this opportunity was perfect- it would allow me to travel and experience life in another country without disrupting my studies back at home. While I'm super nervous having never lived out of home before, let alone in temperatures below 10 degrees, I've never been more excited and can't wait to be let loose in a foreign country ;) Anyway, back to Christmas... 

This year it was all about prawns, stuffed turkey, roast ham, champagne, an Adrian Zumbo gingerbread house, birthday cake, uno, charades and general camaraderie in the pool :D Oh and a christmas dog! The occasion this year had an additional bonus: we were able to spend it with our english cousins who had flown all the way in from London, trading wooly jumpers and snow for sun and some backyard cricket. 

With such build-up, it's always a little on the depressing side to see Christmas finally over. But alas, NYE is just around the corner and this year I know it's going to be a good one!

not-so-naughty caramel slice

Caramel slice has always been one of my favourite treats: I have many a memory of my mum buying them for my brother and I as an after-school treat, or devouring a boxful of my grandma's mars bar version on numerous special occasions. The only problem with this super delicious treat is that it's not really that healthy.

Now don't get me wrong, I love splurging on treats (read: I'm a chocolate addict) and there's certainly a time and place for every kind of naughty food, but sometimes it'd be nice to eat a lot more of them, more often, and not feel so guilty.

Inspiration for this not-so-naughty caramel slice comes from stumbling home after a messy night out in town *hangs head in shame* to my friend's Laura's house and heading straight for the kitchen for that all-important 'gorge-yourself-silly' 3am feed. But alas! Laura whipped out her version of a healthy caramel slice, so utterly delicious I'd had three slices before I even realised (not drunk at all), and the best thing was that I didn't feel so bad about myself, despite all the alcohol I'd previously consumed, whoops!

I found this recipe for a not-so-naughty caramel slice via The Good Food Cook Nadia Lim, and although the caramel tastes a little different to the kind you find in a store-bought slice, it's silky, rich and so so tasty- I can't imagine it's going to last in the fridge for very long!

  

Ingredients:

biscuit base

¾ cup wholegrain rolled oats

¾ cup shredded coconut

1 tbsp cocoa powder

12 dates

½ cup natural almonds 

Pinch of salt 

7 tbsp coconut oil 

caramel filling

400g dates

¾ cup boiling water 

2 cups cashew nuts

¼ cup pure maple syrup

½ cup melted coconut oil 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

chocolate topping

200g  dark chocolate 150-200g

2 tsp olive oil

1/3 cup walnuts

shredded coconut to top

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease and line squae baking tin (20cm x 20cm).

2. Place oats, shredded coconut, cocoa powder, dates, almonds and salt in a food processor and pulse until fine and crumbly. Add melted coconut oil/butter and pulse until well combined.

3. Press mixture into baking tin. Bake for 15 minutes, then set aside in fridge to cool.

4. Soften cashew nuts by boiling in water for 15minutes.

5. To make caramel, place dates and water in a medium-size pot and boil, stirring frequently until dates are soft and mushed, and all the water has evaporated.

6. Place dates in the food processor along with softened cashew nuts, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla. Pulse until smooth.

7. Spread caramel over the base in baking tin. Set aside in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or the freezer for at least 2 hours.

8. Melt chocolate and oil on stove. Pour melted chocolate over the filling and spread it evenly. Top with chopped walnuts and shredded coconut.

9. Return to fridge for 20 minutes.

10. Cut into small cube-size pieces with a serrated knife- the slice will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

girls at the beach

With the parents away in Hawaii, my two best friends Brittany and Hannah crashed at mine for a night of food, wine, chocolate and way too much laughter. The next day we thought a drive down to Cronulla would be the perfect treat accompanied by brunch and a walk along the beach. This was the first day I tried out my 'nifty fifty' lens which I had just bought for my camera: turns out it works a treat!