Easy Nutella brownies?

While I was stalking scolling down Facebook this popped up on my news feed!

NUTELLA BROWNIES!!! Nom nom nom nom.

It looked so easy I just had to try! I already had the ingredients in my pantry so all I had to do was whip up a batch. I baked my brownies for about 12-15 minutes at 180c and this is what mine looked like....

The verdict? I may have overcooked my brownies a little bit as they were not as chewy as what a brownie is supposed to be. But it tasted GOOD like chocolatey hazelnut good! I made about 23 bite-sized brownies from this recipe - they were all gone in 5 minutes.

Besides being a simple and tasty recipe, I thought it wasn't the greatest in terms of price and quantity. I mean Nutella is an expensive commodity! Since the recipe does not yield a lot (especially when people would eat at least 6 of the bite-sized brownies) it is not very affordable. I may need to experiment a bit more with this recipe and maybe use an el'cheapo version of Nutella and see if there is any noticeable difference.

I believe this recipe does not need to be limited to Nutella. Most nut butters would work but may need to add some sugar/sweetener as well if you want a sweet treat. But this recipe is definitely delicious and popular. Give it a try and let me know if you agree with me!

Andrea

Cheesy Potato Gem Bake

Last year I promised to share a simple recipe to you all involving potato gems!!

This recipe is SO SO SO EASY and you don't need to be some MasterChef to do this! My brothers and their friends absolutely love this dish. It is a great side dish to serve with other things at a big dinner or gathering. Of course it is not healthy dish but you could always change the potato gems for a healthier alternative such as pumpkin or sweet potato.

Ingredients:

Potato Gems

Shredded Cheese (I used mozzarella and tasty cheese but the choice is yours!)

Diced Bacon

3 ingredients - THAT IS IT! This recipe is so easy to follow (and even more so with pictures!), so give this a try :)

Method:

1. Bake/fry the potato gems according to the packaging instructions - this is so you can avoid having mashed/soggy potato gems in the final result.
2. Lightly spray your baking dish and put one layer of cooked potato gems.
3. Layer cheese and bacon on top of potato gems
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 till you have filled your baking dish. (I did three layers in total)
5. Bake it at 200c for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and turned golden

And VIOLA! You are done with a cheesy bacon goodness of a potato bake. It is crunchy, stringy and tasty. You can always enhance this by adding some sauteed onions and mushrooms etc. Be creative with this basic yet delish dish.

Here is my brother's plate filled with mainly potato gems (serving number 1). 

Now a quick mention about healthier alternatives of this dish. Here is one made with roasted pumpkin (Sorry about the poor quality picture). It has been made the same way as previously mentioned (just with pumpkin & low fat cheese instead) and it was a success. It was pretty tasty but unfortunately does not have the crunch factor like the potato gems. But hey I thought it was a good substitute for me considering that I am watching my waistline more than my brothers (haha).

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you thought! :)

Andrea

Plans for 2014

Hi all

Sorry for being absent for the past few months. Usually at the end of the year my schedule gets a little crazy and exhausting. But nevertheless  .....

There is something special about the beginning of the year - maybe it is the fact we can start over afresh and feel just oh so new. 2013 was an EPIC and AWESOME year for me and I hope it will be the same (or even better) for this year! Anyways I just want to share some goals, plans and dreams I have in store for 2014 - for life and this blog.

Eat Clean-er
Since as a teenager, I struggled with my weight for years. I was always overweight and in 2012 I decided it was time to take charge and persevere. I started at 87.5kg and through the Dukan Diet I lost 23 kilos in 10 months. 2013 was the year of maintaining and following through Dukan's stabilisation phase. I am proud to say that I have managed to keep the weight off!
So now for 2014, I want to take a step further and start to eat clean. Loose the extra fat and gain lean muscle. Start to portion control and eat good wholesome meals.


Finally finish my studies
I have been taking forever to finish my bachelor degree mainly due to academic reasons. When I first got into university, I was so slack and unmotivated that it greatly affected my academic performance. So I got back into university last year with the maturity and a mindset to succeed. And that is what I did - successfully completed one year with marks that were a lot better than my past years. Now I only got this year, 2014 to finish it off. I know it is going to be tough but hey I know it is possible.



Have more creative fun time
I love to be creative but I never set aside any time for it. I am planning to actually timetable it into my diary as a commitment and not as a 'if only I got time'. I think it is important to have this to de-stress and not worry about other things. Just spend some time to enjoy the moment of creating something. Also this will help finish my unfinished projects (those that are several years old hahaha...).


ORGANISE myself
This is a biggie. I am what I call an organised chaos. Everything is messy and all over the place yet I have managed to remember errands, engagements and stuff. But when I organise myself and plan day/week, I tend to be less stressed and feel more accomplished when I tick the to-do list. Also I always hear that planning helps you in the long run.




This Blog
I want to start updating this blog regularly and I think I can manage it by posting weekly. What would the posts be about? I don't want to promise anything but as long I can post a decent one each week, I will be happy. Of course the posts will most likely consist things about food and craft with a picture here and there. As long it is decent and I do it weekly (minus the weeks when I am travelling) I will have fulfilled this goal!



So those are my goals and plans for 2014. What are yours?


Happy New Year
Andrea