093.

Three years ago, my dad bought a pizza oven. 

That pizza oven was only the beginning,

You see, my dad has a bit of a pizza obsession.

Three years later, we have two pizza ovens

and my Dad considers himself somewhat of an expert

(Hi Dad - I mean you are an expert, of course) 

 When he was younger, my Dad fancied himself quite the pizza master.

He managed a little pizza shop, so he takes every opportunity to show off his skills. 

According to him, a good pizza has toppings you can count on one hand

and you always but cheese on the bottom and toppings around the edge. 

When I was sent some products from iDELI

we knew exactly what they were going to make. 

In that package, I received.......

drum roll please

Two cans of San Marzano Tomatoes

San Marzano tomatoes are a variety of plum tomatoes that are considered by many chefs to be the best sauce tomatoes in the world. 

I used them to make a basic pizza sauce, adding only a few herbs. 

I definitely agree with those chefs. 

These tomatoes were full of flavour and delicious!
Nothing like your average supermarket canned tomatoes.

These could possibly become a pantry staple for me.

I also was sent some paper thin slices of Prosciutto di San Daniele

according to the iDELI website, King's Prosciutto di San Daniele is widely regarded as the finest producer of Prosciutto di San Daniele.

I can honestly say I've never actually had prosciutto before receiving these products. 

I used to be an extremely fussy eater, so things like prosciutto weren't touched by me :P

But according to my prosciutto expert parents, it was fantastic. 

I was also sent some Mozzarella di Bufala Pomella

which is Buffalo Mozzarella. 

Another ingredient I'd never had at home, only eaten in restaurants.

You see, I'm a little bit clueless. 

I seemed to have this idea in my head that buffalo mozzarella was like buffalo wings.

Meaning it had nothing to do with buffalo. 

Don't ask me why - I don't know! I was born blonde

But anyway, 

I made up some pizza dough from my never fail recipe.

Basic Pizza Dough 

(from Pizza Modo Mio - John Lanzafame) 

Makes enough dough for one 30 cm/12 inch pizza

Ingredients: 

1 tsp dried yeast

1 tsp salt

100 ml warm water

2 tsp olive oil

160g plain flour

Put the yeast, salt and warm water in a small bowl and whisk until just combined. 

Gradually whisk in the olive oil, then leave in a warm place for 10 minutes, or until the mixture starts to bubble.

Add the flour and knead for 15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Rub the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Roll the dough around in the bowl to coat it with oil, then place in the bowl, cover with a clean cloth and leave in a draught-free spot for 1–1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough to expel trapped air. (At this stage, the dough can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight or frozen. Bring back to room temperature before continuing.)

Place the dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper, cover and leave in a draught-free spot for 15 minutes, or until risen by half again.

Then all you have left to do is put on your choice of pizza sauce and your toppings.
I decided to keep it simple with just the buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto. 

The prosciutto crisped up really well in the pizza oven

and the buffalo mozzarella melted perfectly.

My verdict? 

iDELI's products were fantastic for making pizza.

It added a gourmet element to the pizzas which made it perfect for having people around. 

We often have "pizza parties" so I'd definitely consider buying these products again for one of those nights.

Plus, buying their products is so simple! Just head to their website! 

I have my eye on their confectionery and cheese sections :P 

Fairy floss and vintage cheddar... mmmmmmmmmmm

But now I want to know, 

how do you like your pizza? 

Kristy received iDELI products courtesy of iDELI, 

if you'd like a review of your product, send an email to 

ksayerphotography@gmail.com 

092.

I love Autumn colours,

it's the only thing I look forward to in the cooler months. 

I even have two gorgeous Japanese Maple trees in my backyard

that only change colour for one day 

and then drop all of their leaves. 

I'd been waiting for the maple tree to change.

....and waiting

and waiting... 

and then we left for Forster.

I told my mum the maple tree would change while we were gone

and what'd we come home to find? 

A naked maple tree. 

drats

 

Luckily there's still plenty of trees with gorgeous autumn leaves in my neighbourhood

But I guess I'll be waiting till next year for that maple tree.

091.

I

 I love herbal teas.

I can't stand coffee or regular tea,

but give me a herbal tea any day!

My current tea of choice is green tea,

I probably drink at least 3 cups a day. 

Before that it was peppermint tea 

(which by the way, makes Dello Mano brownies even better!)

A while ago I was sent some tea from neo australia,

specifically their Gorgeous Green Invigorating Tea Blend

A special blend of Japanese green tea with strawberries, mango, cornflower and sunflower which helps invigorate your system. With double strength antioxidant as compared to black tea, high in vitamin C and has been known as natural source of fluoride. 

Before I even opened the jar I could smell it

and it smelled delicious!

You can definitely pick up the sweetness from the mango and strawberries

So I brewed up the tea

and poured myself a cup :) 

And it was really nice, 

a good change from my plain old green tea. 

The sweetness of the fruit really came through in both the taste and the aroma. 

neo australia tea is available from their website 

and a 120g jar of their Gorgeous Green Invigorating Tea Blend will set you back $25.00 

and they don't just do teas. 

They also have hair care, body butters, deodorants etcetc. 

So check it out! 

But before you go,

do tell me. 

What's your winter beverage of choice?

Kristy was sent neo australia tea courtesy of neo australia

if you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com

090.

i

I'm still here!

and I'm alive!

yes, I may be coughing and spluttering, but I'm alive! 

I feel like my poor little blog has been super neglected,

so I've come to explain! 

First the issue was computer troubles

and then once that was fixed I thought it was back to blogging.

But then, a death in the family meant I had to spend a week away from technology

therefore, no blogging 

But I came home and thought "yes! back to blogging!"

only to be overcome by the worst flu i've had in a long time. 

So i've spent the past week in bed. 

But don't worry! 

I'm back! 

And not giving up.

I have lots I need to share with you all!

and I'll find my way around the computer troubles. 

Is anyone else finding this Sydney weather horrible? 

Cold, wet, miserable... ewwwwwwwwww

Let's just say I've become extremely well acquainted with my fireplace :) 

But now that, hopefully, fingers crossed, i'm back to blogging, 

I want to know what you want to see

Because, afterall, you're the ones who read my posts 

:D 

So tell me!

089.

 

“Life is like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're gonna get.”

Forrest Gump

 

 That quote is not only fitting for this post, but for what's been going on too.

I promise I haven't forgotten about you! 

I just haven't been home or around internet to blog.

 

However, I thought I'd jump right back into it with a super sweet post! 

 

 

A little while ago, I received this perfectly wrapped box of chocolates from Belgian Delights.

I carefully unwrapped the box to what I thought was twelve gorgeous chocolates.

I soon found two that were hidden :P

So, I took out my knife,

Gathered my taste testers

and began to dissect the chocolates. 

It's an extremely technical activity. 

The first of the chocolates I tried was the Heart Caramel.

A super rich dark chocolate shell with a gooey caramel centre.. 

I'm a biggggg caramel/chocolate fan and this caramel was almost butterscotch like.

Next up was the Heart Croquant

which was a smooth white chocolate 

with a nutty hazelnut praline and croquant inside.

Definitely a favourite!

I then chopped up the Horse Marble Praline

which became an instant favourite with its smooth marbled praline.

Hazelnut + Chocolate = Heaven.

The next chocolate in line was the Mylene,

a dark chocolate that held a creamy praline filling topped with a hazelnut. 

The Mocha was next,

a rich coffee buttercream enrobed in super smooth milk chocolate, topped with a coffee bean.

I'm no coffee fan, but my caffeine junkie taste testers loved this.

This is the Mannon,

a white chocolate with coffee flavoured marzipan and walnut pieces. 

We found this had an almost fruity, coconutty taste. 

But that may have been the chocolate overload on our taste buds.

 

These milk and dark chocolate squares made up the fourteen chocolates, hidden under another square.

I loved the simplicity of these chocolates, it was a nice break from the intense flavours.

I would've loved a white chocolate square though!

 

The Perfecta was a rich chocolate rum ganache

coated with dark chocolate 

The Coffee Diamond was a milk chocolate that held 

a brandy and coffee flavoured ganache.

The Sasha Mango was a dark chocolate 

with a light and fruity mango ganache filling. 

Verrryyy tropical

The Macadamia Praline was a milk chocolate with a smooth,

nutty praline filling topped with a crunchy hazelnut.

Not photographed was the Ginger Marzipan that was marzipan

with rum soaked ginger pieces, coated with dark chocolate

My taste testers and I collectively agreed that our TOP TWO 

were the Horse Marble Praline and the Heart Croquant.

The white chocolate was super smooth and not overly sweet. 

But all of the chocolates had great flavours!

Good enough to score an 8/10!

 So tell me, 

What's your dream chocolate combination?!

Kristy received Belgian Delights chocolates courtesy of Belgian Delights.

If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to: ksayerphotography@gmail.com

088.

I'm a super creative person.

When I'm not taking photos, I'm sewing or drawing or making a huge mess in the kitchen.

That little guy above was made by me. The first 'plushie' I ever made actually!

While I do tend to focus my time on photography,

I adore sewing, especially in Winter.

I think my plushie total has now exceeded thirty something.

Not including the ones I've given away.

My "office" and I say it in inverted commas because it's not really an office,

it's more of a storage space....

It's overrun by creatures like this

as well as mountains of boxes filled with products I'm yet to review

and the occaisonal yeti...

So now, you know a little bit more about me

Tell me a little bit more about yourself!

VISIT OUR NEW BLOG SOUTHERN IN-LAW

087.

I adore cheese. 

Especially vintage cheese. 

At parties, I'm always the one who stalks the cheese plate.

A while ago I was sent a package from The Simply Fine Food Company

that contained their delicious lavoche crispbreads.

I received their Sesame and Poppy Lavoche and their Organic Lavoche

and both were delicious!

The Simply Fine Foods Company's Lavoche crispbreads are made from 100% natural ingredients and free from nasty preservatives and msg. 

They're also baked not fried!

But I have to warn you. 

They're addictive

I had this cheese plate out at a dinner party and they received rave reviews

and disappeared verrrryyy quickly.

 If you want to get your hands on some of these delicious lavoche crispbreads for yourself head on over to The Simply Fine Food Company's Website where you can find a list of their distributors.

Anddd... in other news! 

It seems that my computer is fixed! 

(Thankyou technogenius Dad :D) 

But I'd like to know.. 

Where could I find you at a party! 

Kristy received the Simply Fine Food Company's Lavoche Crispbread courtesy of The Simply Fine Food Company.

If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com

086.

Just a quick post to let you know why I've been MIA lately.

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth and I definitely haven't quit blogging.

My computers, however, have decided to band together and go on strike.

If you ever needed a reason as to why technology is evil, I think I just gave you one.

But hopefully, my technogenius dad (Hi Dad!) can do something to fix them.

That, or I may become one of those anti-technology people who live in the middle of no where and knit with sticks from the forest.

Okay.. I don't know if people actually do that.. but theoretically speaking yes.

I've been pretty busy lately. I've been to the launch of a new Sony product that's absolutely perfect for bloggers (will share ASAP), I've been trying to find delicious healthy recipes to share with you, I've been working through the mountain of products that have turned my office into a storage space and of course I've been balancing it all with school work.

So here's hoping that you'll be seeing ALOT more from me soon.

But do tell me, What's been happening in your world?

085.

I'm all for healthy eating.

Sure, I love brownies and cookies and chocolate,

but I adore salads and foods that aren't fat laden.

So when I was contacted by La Casa about reviewing their bocconcini products,

I knew I wanted to come up with at least one healthy recipe.

Bocconcini is a delicately flavoured fresh cheese that is a Pasta Filata (also known as a stretched curd). In Italy, it's usually made with water buffalo milk, however La Casa use cow's milk in their bocconcini.

We had a small barbeque for mother's day and I was looking for something that was fresh and light.
I knew I had some cherry tomatoes as well as the La Casa Cherry Bocconcini and a loaf of fresh, crusty bread.
So I decided to do a simple twist on the usual Bruschetta.

Bocconcini Bruschetta 

1 Loaf Fresh Bread, sliced (any type would do)

250 grams Cherry Tomatoes, quatered

1 Tub La Casa Cherry Bocconcini, drained (Available at Coles)
1 Clove Garlic, cut in half
Olive oil

First I grilled the bread slices until they were firm enough to rub with the fresh garlic. I then drizzled the bread with olive oil and returned them to the oven to toast some more under the grill.

While the bread was grilling, I tore up the Cherry Bocconcini - you could slice it or leave it whole - and then tossed it with the quartered cherry tomatoes, olive oil and some salt and pepper.
Then all you have to do is arrange the toasted bread and top with the tomato bocconcini mixture.

I would definitely add some basil, however, I didn't have any at the time.
Another idea would be to spread some basil pesto onto the toasted bread for extra flavour!

Super simple.
Super fast.
Super light.
Perfect!

Now, I want to know -
What's your favourite thing to do with bocconcini?
Your idea may just end up here :)

Kristy received La Casa Del Formaggio products courtesy of La Casa,
If you'd like a review of your products - Send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com

084.

I really dislike winter.

the cold.

the drearyness.

the flu that gets passed around

the lack of pretty flowers.. you name it!

The only thing good about winter is that it brings my birthday.

But i'd happily trade my birthday for a warm day.

That's how much I dislike being cold.

Lately I've been freezing

and it stops me from getting out and taking photos.

The other thing that stops me from getting out and taking photos

is school work.

But don't worry!

I'm working on taking more photos so my blog won't be neglected.

:)

I'm also thinking about posting some healthy recipes.

I don't mean crazy healthy recipes where people make brownies from mashed up beans

or that include ingredients I couldn't pronounce.

I'm a fussy eater, so they're all normal recipes.

With normal ingredients.

What do you think?

083.

I loveeeeeeee berries, 

but I'd never eat them if I was wearing white.
That's an accident waiting to happen.

So, when I received Pynk's Amazing Stain Remover

I went searching for foods that every parent of young children would cringe at the thought of.

This is because my younger sister was banned from ever wearing white clothing as a child :P

And I wanted to push the Amazing Stain Remover to its limits.

So I started squishing.

Now lets imagine this piece of fabric is actually your brand new white shirt,

and you're supposed to be out all day.

You don't want to be walking around looking like that do you?

Didn't think so.

This is when you pull out your Amazing Stain Remover,

Either the Female or Male version.

All you do is spray on the solution, wait 15 seconds and rub the fabric together.

Then you press down on the fabric with a tissue or cloth to remove the residue.

And repeat, if necessary.

Now I'll admit, I was very sceptical of this product.

Kind of like the guy at the mall who promises you that if you buy this mop,

you'll never need another cleaning tool in your life.

After following the instructions, this was the result I got.

Not perfect - But it's a big improvement on what was there.

(No infomercial hoo-hah here people! Just plain honesty)

Here I was thinking I may have pushed the Amazing Stain Remover a little too far.

When I had a thought, How about I wash the fabric?

That's the next logical thing - Right?

So I rinsed the fabric under cold water and patted it dry and I was suprised.

The white fabric was once again white! No purple haze.

So I'm going to recommend using the stain remover on stains while you're out - Big or small

as it's convenient and does give pretty good results.

But I'd suggest washing the fabric under cold water if you can, or waiting until you get home - Because at least you know 90% of the stain is gone.

You might even get better results by re-spraying the solution and then washing.

The Amazing Stain Remover gets an 8/10 from me.

It's available from www.jkpynk.com for $14.95 for each of the bottles (Either him or her)

And the 50 ml refill bottle is available for $8.95

So I want to know,

Have you ever had an embarassing experience with stains?

Kristy received this product courtesy of http://www.jkpynk.com/

If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com