:: Recipe - Gluten Free, Dairy Free Rocky Road ::

In the week leading up to Easter my work mates and I kept bringing in chocolates for everyone. One of the guys in my team went one step further and made everyone rocky road (except me, he gave me a block of gluten free, dairy free chocolate - so nice of him!). Ever since then I have been craving rocky road.

Fast forward to Easter morning where I received a huge amount of lollies and dairy free chocolate from Mr LG and my Secret Easter Bunny (like Secret Santa - cute, no?). Winning! I realised I had enough ingredients to make some makeshift rocky road. The reality is, I threw a bunch of ingredients into a bowl and hoped for the best, but I've had a few people ask me for the recipe after I posted a photo of it on Instagram, so I thought I would share it with all of you. Obviously, if you don't have any food allergies, you can just adapt this recipe back to 'normal'.

:: Gluten Free, Dairy Free Rocky Road ::

:: Ingredients ::

300g gluten free, dairy free chocolate (I used Sweet Williams)

150g gluten free marshmallows (I used Eskal)

100g Jelly Bellys (I used fruity flavours like cherry, blueberry and peach)

3-4 table spoons desiccated coconut, plus extra to sprinkle on top.

:: Method::

1. Chop marshmallows into quarters, place in a bowl with Jelly Bellys and coconut.

2. Melt chocolate until it has a smooth, creamy consistency. Make sure not to burn it.

3. Pour melted chocolate into the bowl containing dry ingredients. Stir until mixed.

4. Pour into a lined tray and spread to desired thickness.

5. Refrigerated until set. Enjoy!

See? Super easy! And oh my gosh, so yummy! This afternoon I contemplated skipping gym, but realised that in order to be able to devour this rocky road I needed to go to the gym. Totally worth it.

:: Come Dine With Me - Part One ::

I come a fairly large family (second eldest of six kids). Most of us are old and grown and have moved out of home. As a result we don't see each other as often as we used too, so to make sure we see each other once a month we have decided that once a month we will have a three course meal at one of my brother's or sister's houses. This weekend marked the second meal we have had and it is so much fun getting together and eating fabulous food.

The very first meal we had together was at my brother and sister-in-law's house. These two are known for their culinary masterpieces, so we were all salivating in anticipation! They chose an Asian themed menu of Thai beef salad, satay chicken skewers on fried rice, and sweet rice pudding. Mmm!

My sister-in-law has made a guest post over at my other blog :: Mind Your Crumbs :: because the entire menu was gluten free!

Now that I have the recipes in my hands, I will definitely be making them a part of my weekly meal rotation. Satay chicken on rice would be perfect with the chilly weather we've been having lately!

What would you serve if you were hosting a dinner party? Mr LG and I are hosting next month and any suggestions would be wonderful!

PS. A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who voted for my photo last week. Even though voting started five weeks before I entered my photo, with your help I managed to make it to ninth position with 193 votes! I felt so loved every time I saw my vote count jump up. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. xox

:: Winter Warmer ::

Winter has well and truly hit Brisbane. And I don't just mean the fact that the first official day of Winter was yesterday. I mean that I spent yesterday rugged up in three tops, long pants, and two pairs of socks.  I realise that "Brisbane cold" does not really measure up to "real cold" standards, but spending most of my life living in a semi-tropical climate has made me a big wuss!

When the cooler months hit, I drown myself in entirely too much tea. The above tea towers were a wedding gift from an unknown guest! They came with no tag and we haven't managed to find the giver yet. I love them - such amazing flavours (Coconut Chai? Yes, please!) and best of all - they're organic and fair trade certified, certified gluten and allergen free AND the tin they come in is also recyclable (should I ever feel the need to throw the prettiness out).

So far my favourites are Coconut Chai, Raspberry Earl and Peach Ginger. Mmmm!

Are you a tea drinker? What's your favourite flavour? I like good old English Breakfast and Orange Pekoe on an everyday basis. I also like to indulge in a chai latte sometimes when I go out!

:: Mind Your Crumbs ::

About four years I found out I couldn't eat gluten/wheat. I admit, I panicked. I didn't know what to eat and I didn't know anyone else who couldn't eat gluten. I slowly learnt for myself what I can and can't eat, what tastes good ... and what doesn't.

In this light, I've decided to start a gluten free blog. It will be a blog full of recipes, and product and restaurant reviews. I hope that it will help other coeliacs so that they don't panic like I did! I also recommend the recipes to all you lucky people who can eat gluten, they're delicious and you can simply swap the gluten free ingredient with a gluten alternative if you wish!

Mr LG came up with the name 'Mind Your Crumbs' because I am constantly telling people to be careful of their crumbs! I'm pretty sensitive, so residue crumbs in my butter from someone else's piece of toast can make me really ill. Mind your crumbs has now become my mantra!

I have posted my recipe for gluten free vanilla cupcakes that you may remember from Gracie's birthday last month. They're super light and so delicious!

PS. Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my ballet photos!