Beef A La Mode - Liz's Version

Beef A La Mode

I saw this recipe in Gourmet Traveller but changed it significantly to suit my own tastes and small kitchen. You can't believe how much I can't wait until my fiance and I move into our new house with it's giant kitchen. Then I can make things properly!

	INGREDIENTS 2kg beef chuck, in 4cm cubes 150g flour for dusting 1 tsp red peppercorns, crushed 2 tsp Maldon Salt 60gm vegetable shortening 12 baby carrots 1 small celeriac, sliced thinly 1 celery heart, diced 12 shallots, cut in half 2tbsp red wine vinegar 350mL red wine, sweet 2 tomatoes, finely chopped 1 litre vegetable stock 1 sprig fresh thyme and fresh bay leaf Instructions Coat beef chunks in flour seasoned with pepper and salt.
	Fry for a couple minutes on each side. I had to do this in batches.
	Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove sediment.
	Place each batch into the crockpot with the crockpot on high.
	Toss the vegetables minus the tomatoes into the fry pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
	Remove vegetables and cover with foil.
	Deglaze pan with red wine vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pan into the sauce then add red wine, getting as much of the pieces from the pan into the mixture.
	Let cook until reduced. About 5-10 minutes.
	Add tomatoes, vegetables, stock and herbs to crockpot and let bubble away for 4-5 hours.

Serve in bowl to large greedy hungry men and yourself, if you can get any.

Thank you!

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Grand Marinier, White Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes with Grand Marinier Marscapone Icing

For the Cupcakes:
60g almond meal
125g SR Flour
125g butter
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
60mL Grand Marinier
75g white chocolate, broken up into tiny 3mm rubble

For the Icing:
30mL Grand Mariner
2 tbsp Icing Sugar
250g Marscapone

200g raspberries


Preheat oven to 190c.

Combine almonds and flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl, sifted. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar, slowly adding one egg at a time. Add liquor and flour mixture until combined then stir in chocolate pieces.

Bake 20 minutes in lined 12-cupcake tin. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Combine marscapone, liquor and sugar in a bowl and use as icing. Top cooled cupcakes with icing and rasperries and sift sugar on top to decorate.
Deeeeelicious!

Avocado a Day - Day 15

Avocado Margarita

30mL tequila
30mL lime juice
15mL Grand Marinier
1/4 avocado
5 ice cubes
Rock Salt to Decorate

Ignore the fact that this photo was clearly taken during the daytime and that my glass is a martini glass and not a margarita glass and you have yourself a delicious drink.

Place all ingredients bar salt in the blender and whizz until smooth. On a clean glass, use a slice of lime with a slash cut into it to wipe the rim of the glass down. Pour salt on the table and rub the rim of the glass in the salt. Top with lime slice and pour alcoholic beverage in. Drink!

How I feel today: Happy, but that could be because I was drinking before noon.

Avocado a Day - Day 14

Smoked Salmon Avocado Baguettes with Baby Spinach and Rocket

I bet you're wondering where I went for the last week. Where's my avocados? I am afraid to say I had a major emergency in my life and had to spend a week elsewhere and while I brought my camera, I was unable to have a workable kitchen and only ate avocados from their premade green packets.

But, without a photo, I also made Avocado Mousse. Two avocados, 60g sugar, 1/4 cup hot water and the juice of two limes with whipped cream to serve and some berries on top. Melt the sugar in the water and process the avocados. Slowly pour sugar mixture into the funnel tube as the processor continues. Add lime. Put i serving containers and refrigerate 4 hours. Pretty good!

How I've been feeling: A bit up and down. When the stress got to me from the week I was pretty bad. My skin and hair are still doing amazing and I will have update photos from that coming shortly. I also feel immensely thinner, but it could just be the packets of hospital grade food I've been eating.

Avocado a Day - Day 7 - With Pictures

Day 7 - Avocado and Roast Beef Sandwich on Seed Bread

After undertaking this experiment I have come across much information regarding avocados. First off is that they're technically a berry. Also, the name avocado comes from a Spanish name, meaning 'testicle'. They are considered an aphrodesiac and a fertility fruit. Worrisome for me! Hopefully not so much for you!

Another friend of mine was certain they became poisonous once cooked. This is not true and I cannot find any evidence supporting this. They are, however, poisonous to some dogs, cats and birds - so be careful who you feed these to.

Avocados are higher in both potassium and fibre than a banana and contain a lot of vitamins that are harder to obtain in other foods, such as Vitamin K and E, both which are famous for hair and skin youthening properties. 75% of the avocado's calories come from fat. Good fat. Monosaturated fat.

Now, time for my pictorial update. You'll be INSANELY surprised.

Hair before:
Hair after:

Skin before:Skin after:


Let it be known I did not change my hair products nor my skincare products at all during this time!

My hair is obviously and definitely more shiny, silky and smooth. I did not wash it before this photo, either. My skin, while still roughly the same, has a slightly more firm and dewy appearance. No new blemishes have appeared.

Today I feel: Happy. Well balanced. I've been going to the bathroom much better lately and have been eating a bit worse than normal but maintaining my appearance. I am more energetic and even worked 12 hours last night from waking up at 8am (worked from 4pm til 4am) and was not very exhausted when I finally got home. Slept well, as well.