super simple turkey bake...

I love dishes where everyone gets to tuck in and help themselves. It brings people together and I just love sharing food around the table. I've found a nice festive bake to make use of all the Christmas dinner leftovers. This is delicious and obviously the recipe is just a guide, so feel free to chuck in anything else you might like. I love mushrooms so add those in to almost everything I cook.

Ingredients:
stuffing, use leftovers if you have some, if not you can use a packet mix if you are not up to making another batch to cover the top of the bake.
turkey, enough to feed four, feel free to add some leftover ham to this aswell if you dont have enough turkey.
brocolli, again use the left overs this is what this recipe is all about, maybe even cook some extra on Christmas day so you know you have enough for both days.
1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup of milk
grated cheese, enough to taste, leftovers from the cheese plate are great for this.

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Combine your turkey and brocolli in a baking dish.
3. Mix the soup, milk and cheese and pour over the top of the turkey and brocolli.
4. Top with the stuffing and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. It really is as easy as that!

This is so quick and easy, you would be crazy not to try it.

Merry Christmas!

turkey, turkey, turkey...

Rosemary Scented Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa

In our house the left over turkey from Christmas day usually gets made up into a delicious turkey curry or popped between a couple of slices of bread and served up as sandwiches until it has all been devoured. I thoroughly enjoy both of these but thought how nice it might be to serve up something different. I've had a scout around and come up with a few new recipes that I will share with you. I found this recipe in a healthy eating magazine and have already tried and tested it so i know not only do they taste amazing but they are pretty healthy too. They taste light and fresh and are the perfect meal for the day after Christmas when you may have overindulged a little too much.

Ingredients:
8 Stalks celery, minced
1 yellow onion, minced
100g fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped (thawed, if frozen)
2 large pears, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice 1 orange
1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp dried rosemary
500g shredded turkey, if you are not using leftover turkey you could use ground turkey for this.
8-15 corn tortillas (6-inch diameter)
grated cheese, enough to taste, why not use up the left overs from the cheese platter and create lots of different flavour combinations.

1. To prepare the salsa add 2 stalks of celery, 1/2 onion, cranberries, pear, 1 clove of garlic and orange juice. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Set aside for later.
2. Preheat a large non stick frying pan or skillet and add the remaining celery and onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the rosemary and the remaining garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. If you are using the ground turkey add this now and cook for 5 minutes breaking it up as you do. With a fine mesh colander drain the turkey mixture and leave to sit in a large bowl. If you are using leftover turkey you just add this to the bowl of celery, onion, rosemary and garlic now.
3. Wipe out the frying pan or skillet and reheat to a medium heat. Add a tortilla to the frying pan then add a few spoons of mixture to cover the tortilla. Sprinkle cheese to cover. I like a lot of cheese so I get a little carried away at this point. Leave this to cook undisturbed for 3 minutes.
4. With a spatula gently fold the tortilla in half and cook for one minute gently pressing the tortilla closed if need be.
5. divide the quesadillas between the plates and add some salsa to garnish. They are so tasty, you will just love them.

I love making quesadillas as you can add any leftovers you have in the fridge and make delicious snacks in no time. They can be as simple or adventurous as you like and always go down a treat. I love to add some sour cream to top mine off perfectly. Enjoy.

smile... it's friday...

Well December is upon us and although it doesn't feel very much like Christmas in Australia, we are hopping on a plane to New Zealand tonight and taking a months holiday including Christmas spent with my wonderful aunt in Auckland. In light of this I thought Some festive facts would go down a treat this week.

US scientists calculated that Santa would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver all the world's presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second.

Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.

The tradition of putting tangerines in stockings comes from 12th-century French nuns who left socks full of fruit, nuts and tangerines at the houses of the poor.

Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.

In Greece, Italy, Spain and Germany, workers get a Christmas bonus of one month's salary by law.

If you received all of the gifts listed in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song, you would receive 364 presents!

During the Christmas season, 1.76 billion candy canes will be made.

The average person spends 2 hours and 27 minutes wrapping presents!

The average person will go to one Christmas party, sing five carols and eat 30 pieces of chocolate candy!

Based on previous surveys, 17% of you will embarrass yourselves in some way at your office Christmas party!

Nearly 3,000 tons of aluminium foil will be used to wrap Christmas turkeys!

Happy Friday all and hope people are beginning to get into the festive spirit a little bit too. x

hate to say goodbye...

So my little brother, who is not so little anymore has left Australia to go home and I'm pretty sad to say the least. We have had moments in our lives where we couldn't stand the sight of each other but in the last few years we could not have gotten on any better. He's cheeky and drives me crazy at times and never ever turns up on time for anything but he does make me laugh and he's always there if I need him.

Family is super important to me and although I'm going to miss him and this is our second Christmas apart I'm glad my mom and dad will get to spend time with him this year and I know we'll definitely make up for lost time next year.

He told me under no circumstances to put up a blog post about him but then he did mention in the same breath that the picture below was one of his most favourite pictures ever so I'm just hoping I get away with it. Miss you already you little brat.

little black dress...

When it comes to the little black dress there are sooooo many options out there to choose from. There really is an LBD for every shape and size and every budget too. Celebrities rock their LBD's and here are a few dresses that I just love.

Eva Longoria has to be the queen of the LBD. Here she is wearing a Victoria Beckham creation. I just love how this dress cuts in at the top. It's so flattering although I'm sure a bin bag would also look flattering on this lucky lady.

Here she is again in a simple strapless black dress. It looks effortless.

I love this dress that Emma Watson wore quite a while back. The feathers and the lace just work together brilliantly.

Jennifer Aniston looks so chilled in this LBD. I'm a real fan of a skater or flared skirt. They are just so comfortable and easy to wear and if like me you love to get down on the dance floor then this is the perfect dress to do so in.

Here Eva breaks out the bling in this little sequined number. I'm generally not a huge fan of sequins but because the lines of this dress are so simple it just works.

As it's only coming into summer here now I'll have to wait another while before I get to pull out all my LBD's so until then I will just have to druel over all the images on the net.

fun festive finds...

I really like to get into the festive spirit and this year because I am in Australia where it's not as cold and winter like as we are used to, I feel even more compelled to be as festive as possible.

Here is a list of a few festive finds that I love and instantly put people into a jolly mood.

Christmas socks

Keep those toe toes toasty in some jolly Christmas socks. You may even be lucky enough to find some with bells.

Christmas Jumper

Nothing says festive fun then a group of people laughing and joking in their Christmas jumpers.

Christmas Jewellery

If you don't want to go all out with your Christmas clothing why not accessorise with some jewellery. Little Christmas tree shaped stud earrings will give that subtle hint of Christmas cheer.

Christmas Hat

When I was younger I loved wearing my Christmas hat at the horse riding school. Not only did it spread a bit of festive cheer but also kept my ears nice and toasty too.

Christmas comes but once a year. Go out and spread some festive cheer.

steamcream...

I'm sure I've rambled enough about my love of steamcream but I've just seen their Christmas tins and they are the cutest.

This little Rudolph tin is adoreable.

Imagine pulling this little gem out of your Christmas stocking.

They also have lots of great deals on at the moment too so if you're stuck for a secret santa present or just want to treat yourself then definitely have a look.

buy it here...

perfect pressies...

I love Christmas time and everything about it. I love catching up with friends I may have not seen too often over the last few months. I love spending more time with my family. I love visiting my cousins and aunts and uncles, I love the food, the mulled wine and of course the presents. I'm one of those people that prefers giving rather than receiving presents, because I'm a pretty practical person I usually have a list of the things I would like to receive rather than people spending money on things I may not use. This sounds pretty blunt but I just don't see the point in money being spent on something I won't appreciate or use. My mom now loves this plan and she still insists on buying me a few little surprises every year which I love too. After all it is the thought that counts.

Here are a few of my favourite gift ideas, I love personal gifts and a gift which has a story behind it.

Personalised Pottery from Emma Bridgewater

Any of my friends that have gotten married or had babies know my love for gifting Emma Bridgewater. I worked for this company for three years and in that time fell head over heels in love with the products. I know, I know a fascination with pottery is a bit nerdy but when you see how each piece is made and the planning and designing and painting and love and care that goes into every piece from factory to shop floor you can't help but fall for it a little bit. All the pieces are hand painted or hand sponged and the personalised pieces are made to order so every mug really is made specifically for the person you want to give it too. What a nice thought. Even my dad has grown pretty overprotective of his "Jim" mug. Don't tell him I said that...

Name necklace

Any lady that has watched Sex and the City will know Carrie and her deep love for her "Carrie" necklace. I never thought too much of it as I'm not a big necklace wearer but recently have found myself looking up these pieces more and more often. Such a simple piece that can be worn every day. I think it would be a really lovely idea to get one made for yourself and one for a friend too so you get to share the name necklace buzz together.

Photo calendar

I made my mom a personalised photo calendar last year filled with pictures of me and my little brother from when we were growing up. It didn't cost a lot but after seeing her reaction I would gladly pay ten times the price again. Anyone that knows my moms knows that she cries, a lot, she cries when she's happy and when she's sad which has become a bit of a running joke in our house. Poor Mom. But she loved this calendar and there were definitely happy tears on Christmas morning in our house.

Steamcream

I LOVE STEAMCREAM. It's plain and simple. this stuff is awesome. You may have read an earlier post that I did on Steamcream and if you haven't you need to check it out. Steamcream makes the perfect gift anytime of the year but especially at Christmas in Ireland when it is cold and blustery and hands and faces need a little TLC. Keep an eye out for some festive tins aswell as some great deals they run on their website.

My other favourite idea when it comes to giving presents is to make up little boxes filled with lots of small presents. Most of the excitment with opening presents comes from the anticipation of unwrapping the paper so it's even more exciting when you find you have ten little things to open instead of just one.

Be creative when giving gifts and give something you would be happy to receive yourself.