Berry Meringue Roulade

I thought I'd try something a little new for this blog, which is a cooking post. I've done quite a few baking posts but I've not actually done any for cooking and today, for Christmas lunch, I made this super easy but quite impressive looking and really delicious berry meringue roulade. So I took some pictures as I made it and thought I'd show you all how, if any of you are on the hunt for a nice dessert to make for a dinner party coming up or something. The recipe isn't actually mine, it's from a recipe book by Sharon Glass called Absolutely Delicious, so I take no credit for anything except following the recipe, but it's one of my favourite desserts to make for big dinner parties and stuff and it feeds up to about 16, which is always a plus. 

Okay so the first thing you need to do is make the meringue, you will need:

4 eggs

1 and 1/4 cups castor sugar

1 teaspoon vinegar

2 teaspoons corn flour (maizena)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 F).

So start by separating the eggs and in a biggish bowl, start whisking the egg whites (electrically) until they are stiff. 

Gradually add the sugar over about 15-20 minutes, keeping the electric beater going the entire time. After this time, it should be really thick and glossy.

Now stir in the vinegar and corn flour. Okay, so for this next bit, I use a SilPat, which is like a silicone, non-stick baking sheet thing to go over your baking trays, which I highly recommend to use here (but if you don't have one, you could probably use wax paper I think?). So you want to spread the meringue mixture with a spatula over the SilPat on a baking tray to almost cover the entire area and make a large rectangle like this:

Let the meringue cook in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes, then turn it right down to 120 Celsius and cook further for 15 minutes more. After which, take it out and let it cool down completely. 

While the meringue cooks, you can make the filling. You will need the following:

200g ricotta cheese

100g plain cream cheese

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

1 punnet of fresh raspberries (you could actually switch in strawberries/blueberries/whatever you want here, but raspberries work best as they break up easily)

3 tablespoons icing sugar

To make this, you literally just mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

We are getting towards the part where we fill and then roll the meringue, and so there is a bit of awkward manoeuvring here. Basically, gently ease the meringue off the SilPat (it comes off easily) and flip it swiftly upside down on a counter/baking tray/second SilPat so that the peaks and top of the meringue is now face down. 

Now you can evenly spread the filling all over the inside of the meringue (which is now facing upwards). 

And now you can just go to town with adding any berries (or other fruit) you want. They only thing you need to remember to do is place them in vertical lines down the meringue, so that when it is cut, each piece gets some of the berries. I did 2 columns of raspberries, 1 of cherries (obviously pitted first, haha), 1 of strawberries (finely chopped) and also a row of granadilla pulp.

Now comes the last step, which I used to think would be super hard but actually it is so simple. You just need to roll up the meringue. You would expect it to be hard, but something in the recipe makes this meringue more flexible and so actually, it's quite easy to fold. Start on one end (width not length) and basically you just roll the meringue up into a big spiral. If it starts cracking or breaking, don't stress, just rework it until it is sturdy. 

And to end it off, move it to a pretty platter and cover it in some icing sugar, sifting it over the whole thing. I served it with a strawberry and granadilla sauce  (I just blended up strawberries, granadilla, lemon juice and a simple syrup of sugar water), and then served with a few more fresh berries.

Hope you enjoy and all had a lovely Christmas :D 

Lush Haul | Limited Christmas Range

I've made a few stops at Lush lately and seem to have accumulated pretty much every item on the Lush Chritsmas range. I have no idea why it makes me so happy, maybe its the fact that it's limited edition, or maybe it's just a combination of Lush and Christmas, two of my favourite things, but either way, I am very excited to get using these! 

So I just thought I'd show you what I've picked up from Lush and tell you about the one's I've used so far!

SO WHITE BATH BALLISTIC
So this was my first year trying this one under high recommendations and I really enjoyed it! It is not as exciting as some, in that it is mainly just a plain white bath bomb, but it feels super good for the skin and smells like apples, which is such an amazing scent of Lush's!

SPARKLER BATH BALLISTIC

Sadly, this broke in half before I could use it but it still did it's job! This one smells absolutely amazing! It's nice and sweet and it looked so cool in the bath! This was also the first year (I think) that they brought out bath ballistics that aren't round, so it was cool to give these a try. 

LUXURY LUSH PUD BATH BALLISTIC

These bath ballistics are so amazing! This one particularly, just exploded crazy whirls of bubbles and colours and glitter all over the bath, and smelt sweet and christmassy. 

DASHING SANTA BATH BOMB

I didn't see this one last year and so had to try it! I haven't use it yet, but it smells so good, sweet and floral but still fresh and quite crisp. I can't wait to try it!

CANDY MOUNTAIN BUBBLE BAR

This cute little bubble bar is in the Lush scent 'Snow Fairy', which pretty much just smells like sweets (or candy), and so it is not a smell that everyone likes, and can be a bit much if you use it often, but I really do love this scent! This bubble bar can be broken up and used at least 3 times and it fills the bath with loads of pretty pink bubbles. 

STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT BATH MELT

I have just used this one recently and it is one of my favourites! It has a beautiful smells of lemons and just melts away in the water, so really moisturises your skin and leaves it feeling so smooth!

GOLDEN WONDER BATH BALLISTIC

I haven't used this one yet but I had the same one last year and it was amazing, so I'm saving this one! Apparently this is one of their most popular ones and while it is a bit pricey, cause it's so huge, I know it is worth it and makes for a very exciting bath!

HOLLY-GO LIGHTLY BUBBLE BAR

This bubble bar's scent is just the epitome of Christmas, it smells like spices and is so fragrant! I've not yet used it, but it is so pretty and I think it will makes so delicious smelling bubbles. 

ROCK STAR SOAP

I've never bought any of the Lush soaps before cause I'm usually more of a shower gel person, but I got this one, which smells like Snow Fairy and is just so lovely and sweet and I am really enjoying it! I'm keen to give some other new Lush soaps a try now too. 

SHOOT FOR THE STARS BATH BALLISTIC

Hmmm, this one smells amazing! I also used this one recently and it is just so exciting in the bath! After it has finished it's show of fizzing and bubbling and darting all over the bath, it leaves the water a super deep blue and sprays out loads of pretty silver glitter, I loved this one!

CHRISTMAS EVE BUBBLE BAR

I've not used this one yet either, but I did try it last Christmas, and it's one of my favourites because the smells is quite natural, fresh and not too sweet or overpowering, so it's really lovely. 

LORD OF MISRULE BATH BALLISTIC

If you read this blog regularly, you'll probably know this is my all-time favourite Lush bomb! It's smell is just so good and like nothing else, I just can't stop sniffing it! Not to mention how amazing it is when you pop it in the water and it spins and fizzes and colours you water leaving behind that amazing smell!

NORTHERN LIGHTS BATH BALLISTIC

This unfortunately also broke before I could use it! I haven't used this one yet and I think it's also new to the Christmas range, so  am so excited to give it a try, and it, of course, smells delicious! 

So that's everything I got from Lush! If you feel like a treat, particularly those of you up in the Northern Hemisphere, in the midst of winter, a lovely hot bath with any one of these will just instantly cheer you up!

November Favourites

Hi everyone :D

Time for another favourites! Christmas is well on its way now and so before I launch into full Christmas mode on my blog, I really wanted to do a November favourites first because I haven't done one in a while and there have been a few products I have been really thoroughly enjoying over the last month or so. 

So starting with 
MAKE-UP AND BEAUTY
REVLON AGE DEFYING TARGETED DARK SPOT CONCEALER TREATMENT
in the shade 02
For a while now, I've been struggling to find a good concealer. In fact, before this one, I have never found one that I like enough to buy another tube of! I personally, am not a fan of  the blemish crayons and prefer a concealer with a slightly more liquidy consistency. But I have finally found a pretty great one! Not only does this have great coverage and lasts pretty long, it also is the perfect colour for my skin tone, which is something I often have struggled to find in concealers. I can't remember what it cost, but it was fairy inexpensive and so I rate definitely give this a go if you're on the hunt for a great new concealer. 

MAYBELLINE- MASTER DUO GLOSSY LINER
I have been on the hunt for a good liquid liner recently, and I stumbled upon this one, which I have been really enjoying. My main issue with liquid eye-liner is that it can smudge so easily, but this one really doesn't, is very much waterproof and, as liquid eye-liners go, is relatively easy to apply. 

THE BODY SHOP: GLAZED APPLE BATH JELLY
Gotta love a new Body Shop product, particularly when it's in their new Christmas scent! This bath jelly makes SO many bubbles and smells so so good! I literally am alternating between this and a Lush christmas bomb every time I have a bath. 

RANDOM FAVOURITES
So now onto a few more random things I loved last month. 

CANDLES
HOLIDAY TIME GLASS CANDLE
in the scent PINE
So, I've definitely expressed my love of scented candles on this blog before, but recently I have been loving this one, cause it is such an unusual scent. It's very light and subtle but is also chistmassy and slightly sweet. I bought it at this massive department shop called Macro for a crazy cheap amount of money but it has lasted so long, comes in this lovely jar, and is a great dupe for the christmas Yankee candles I have been wanting to try.

FOOD/DRINK
CADBURY SNOWFLAKES
Sorry, I have accidentally turned my favourites post into a christmas one, but over the last month, these have definitely been one of my favourite little treats! Cadbury chocolate is just so delicious, and these little icing sugar covered chocolate balls are just so good!

FASHION/JEWELLERY
LOVISA (SETS OF 4)
My jewellery favourite this month has to be rings! I am not a huge eating or bracelet person, but I really do like rings and recently this South African (I think) shop called Lovisa has recently opened near me and they have the prettiest rings! I bought these four which I have just been loving, so yeah, definitely check out Lovisa if you're from SA. 

TV SHOW: 
VEEP
So in the last month I have just be obsessed with this show! It is just amazing! I tried it a bit reluctantly because it's based on politics and the (fictional) Vice President of the USA, which I wouldn't have expected to enjoy but the acting is amazing, the storyline is brilliant and it's very funny and still light-hearted and easy to watch! I am just so in love with this show and I'd say it's a humorous mixture of something like Parks and Recreation with Scandal or that sort of thing! Give it a try, I was hooked from the Pilot! 

MOVIE:
INTERSTELLAR
I literally don't even know what to write about this movie, it is just absolutely phenomenal, but to the point where I can't even begin to actually describe the plot or the concepts or anything, it kind of just blew my mind! It is so so clever, and is about space travel and galaxies and all that, but whether you think that's your thing, watch this movie nonetheless! It's just a huge movie, with brilliant acting and so much thought, not to mention stunning cinematography! I watched it in the theatres and afterwards I literally didn't even know what to do with myself, it's just so impactful, definitely worth a watch!

Hope you enjoy any of these if you give them a try! Expect some christmassy posts coming your way soon :D 

Love

My Holy Grail: Mascara

MAYBELLINE 'THE FALSIES- VOLUME EXPRESS' MASCARA

This is honestly the best mascara I have ever come across! And so I decided it was finally time for a blog post to share it with all of you! I have been using this mascara for quite some time now actually, but in between have tried a whole bunch of other mascaras too, but I always seem to come back to this one, because it is just so good and I've yet to find a highstreet brand of mascara that is nearly as good as this one!

This one, in the purpley-magenta tube is the original one and there are a whole bunch of other types within the "The Falsies" range, but I've tried two of the others and in my opinion, this original one is still by far the best! 

Maybelline 'The Falsies' just makes my lashes look so much longer and fuller but is also not cake-y or clumpy and so separates the lashes really nicely. I tend to avoid mascara on my bottom lashes, but the few times I have done those, this works nicely for bottom lashes too. 

The wand is not one of those horrible plastic ones and I find that it grips the lashes really well. The shape of the end is also really helpful in coating all your lashes without any smudges anywhere else on your face (this is something I tend to end up doing quite a lot usually). 

Click here, to check it out on Feel Unique where you can check out reviews and prices or order it online if you want. 

It costs about R130 here and lasts a good while! So yeah, looking for a relatively cheap, really good quality mascara? 

This is your one. 

Check out some of the other posts in the "Holy Grail" series:
Bronzer

Baking Oreo Cupcakes

A couple of weeks back, I baked these super easy and delicious Oreo cupcakes and took some pictures to share the recipe with you all, so here they are, hope you enjoy!

YOU WILL NEED:

* 1 cup of flour

* 1 cup of sugar

* 3 teaspoons of baking powder

* 3 eggs

* Half a cup of oil

* Half a cup of water

* 3 packets of Oreos

*  2 cups icing sugar (confectioners sugar)

* 125g butter

* Vanilla essence

* Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius/ 350 degrees Farenheit. 

So first thing to do is to sieve the flour, ordinary sugar and baking powder into a mixing bowl. 

Now add the oil, water and 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence. 

Next, you need to separate all three eggs. Put the whites into a fairy large bowl as we are going to whisk them just now. Toss the yolks into your flour-sugar-oil-water mixture and mix it all up with a whisk/spoon until the yolks are properly blended in. 

The egg whites need to be beaten now, and I highly suggest you use an electric whisk if you can! Beat them on high until they are stiff enough that they won't fall out the bowl if you tipped it upside down. When they are stiff, add another teaspoon of vanilla essence and mix that in. 

Fold the whites into the batter now, do so with a spatula and make sure you don't stir it any more than it needs. 

Take 3/4 of a packet of Oreos and use a food processor to make them into tiny little crumbs. You could rather do this by hand by popping them in a sandwich bag and hitting them with a rolling pin, but either way make sure they are very fine. Add the Oreo crumbs to the batter. 

They are almost ready to go into the oven. But first, put cupcake holders into your cupcake tins and at the bottom of each holder, place down a whole Oreo for a little treat at the bottom. 

Now pour the batter into the holders and put them in the oven for 15-25 minutes, it completely depends on your oven, but I'd start checking from about 15 minutes. To tell if they're done, just stick a knife or toothpick into them and they are done if it comes out clean (without any batter on it). 

When they are done, let them cool completely. Meanwhile, you can make the icing. To make this, let the butter soften (if you do this by putting it in the microwave, make sure it doesn't melt, just softens) and then combine it with the icing sugar (sifted), 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence and 3/4 of a pack of ground up Oreos again. If the Oreos make it too thick, just add a little cold water. And if it is too runny, add some more icing sugar. 

Now you can ice the cupcakes and for a little last decoration, add half an Oreo on top. 

And that's it! I hope you enjoy!

(This recipe was "inspired" by Tanya Burr's video on them, but the actual icing and cupcake recipes are mine :) ) 

Happy baking!