Borders vouchers!

Including one for 40% off all cookbooks! All valid from Friday 13th to Wednesday 18th of August.

Click here for the link.

Enjoy! Lots of love, Little J

The joy of making pancakes!

Long time no blog. Yup, life has caught up with me and the last time I blogged was in February... Miss CL was right that I would neglect the blog.. I do have valid excuses study, work and we're building our first home! But I'm back!

The art of saving money requires a bit of imagination and effort with things you want to do in life. This morning it happened to be pancakes. Having a mortgage means forced savings and no longer reaching for the 'shake and mix' packs.

Even though they are about $3-4 each these costs all adds up. It a bit like the stories financial advisers in Marie Clare tell you, if you give up your daily coffee you'll be able to afford a car in ten years time... Eh.. and I couldn't be bothered driving to IGA, which would mean I'd have to change out of my PJs.

My close friends will know that I love to bake and cook but to be honest I haven't made pancakes from scratch since I was young. Miss EC recently asked for my shortbread recipe and I shared with her that I got it from the website 'Joy of Baking'. It's fantastic because similarly to the Australian Women's Weekly recipes they test it out the recipes to makes sure it tastes good.

Whipping out all the ingredients that I had home at already, eggs, butter, flour, sugar.. I thought I really do love I can create meals that others can enjoy by just putting these raw items like these together.

I won't go through the recipe, you can get it by clicking the link here.



It might not look like the recipe makes much, but I halved it and ate half of what I made as I was frying them. Yum!

My tricks for making the pancakes are:

• When you heat up the pan use the standard tempurature for the fry pan


• After you make the first pancake on standard tempurature turn the heat down to low, by then your pan would have completely warmed up; if you leave it on standard heat your pancakes will burn before the batter is cooked. The colour should turn golden brown


• After pouring the batter onto the fry pan and before you decide to turn the pancake make sure most of the air bubbles pop before flipping the pancake over
  

• Like the recipe says don't over mix the batter, otherwise it won't turn out soft and fluffy

• You can change the recipe how you like it for more flavour. For example putting in cinnamon or using brown/raw sugar instead of castor sugar

Only thing missing was maple syrup... should have gone to IGA!

GTG! Lots of love, Little J

Happy Red Tidings!

...For all who celebrate Valentine's Day and/or Chinese New Year!

Although the day hasn't really started, since most people are still asleep at 6am in the morning I know for sure love is all around us. I woke up in my usual insomniac state (it's better to wake than keep sleeping.. so), I open my windows for fresh air and I see my grand parents who live nearby going on their daily walk, together being happy, cheerful, talking to each other on their early morning strides together. As I yelled out to them good morning and Gong Xi Fa Cai, and from their sunny response I noticed how much they love each other.

I know this may seem like a stupid thing to say, since they are my grand parents and of course they should love each other! I've always seen them as my 'Po por' & 'Ah Gong' but since watching the Valentine's Day movie and especially it being Valentine's day I've been more aware at the different types of love around.

Little sis and I watched Valentine's Day on our usual chick flick movie goings a couple of days ago and the Hollywood production is set out similarly to Love Actually. That it's about types of love at the different stages of life except this one is about love surrounding Valentine's day.

Not to ruin anything... but it cute 'love' between little kids who realise they like each other, teenagers on their conflicted definition of what love is, retarded teen love, love when you least expect it (even as far as hating Valentine's day with a vengeance), motherly love plus a bit of heartbreak and the seasoned love like that of my grand parents.

The key message which I think or hope most people already know is that the person you fall in love with should be someone who is your best friend, not just a lover, but someone who accept you for you are warts and all.

Check out the stellar cast including Anne Hathaway, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher and many more in the Valentine's Day trailer link.

P.s. Taylor Swift is crack up hilarious as the crazy in love teen, reminiscent of her hosting gig on SNL!

Thanks to MA for the $8.50 Hoyts voucher sent via email I used it Friday! Here's a discount voucher for a Hoyts $8 ticket and choc top voucher valid 'til 25th March.

Also my freebie to share a CNY surprise gift voucher from Biotherm!

Happy red tidings,
Little J!

Little Caesars in 2010!

Hello to all, hope you have had an awesome start to the new year. From my catch ups, I'm really sorry to those who had kept checking in for my return from my hiatus. Study, work and life just took over...

Anyway it is a new year and I should be back to my usual antics of blogging anything that comes mind, usually related to my shopping adventures.

So.. what's new in 2010?

The arrival of LITTLE CAESARS in Leedie!

No longer is the want for scrumptious pizza the feeling of a one hour trip to Mundaring Weir, but now less than a ten minute drive from the city. This pizzeria is well known as the best pizza place in Perth and one bite of their inventive savoury and sweet pizza and you will know why. Many of their pizzas are entered into world pizza competitions as evidenced by their incredible list of awards to their name. Every time KK and I go up there, there is always a long wait line and there's no chance of a seat unless you get there at 5.30.

We got to the Leederville pizzeria today at about 6 and it was filling up quickly at that point. Most likely as news spreads of this store's opening, being pack will be it norm. Tonight we had Oysters Kilpatrick pizza which is topped with smoked oysters, bacon, mozzarella and worcestershire sauce. The richness of the pizza is refreshed with squeezings of lemon juice and works well with the combined flavours of this pizza.

It's no surprise that this pizza has an asterisk next to it on the menu, as it one of many that have been entered into competitions.

I absolutely love their desserts and my favourite is the New York Pecan Pie* pizza (I didn't have it tonight, especially with one of my resolutions is to try more new things), we ended up trying the Green Day pizza.

Seemingly new to their original menu, the Green Day pizza is described as a green tea pizza topped with icing sugar, vanilla icecream and green tea syrup. Although it was delicious, for my tastebuds the piping hot base with the coolness of the icecream in my mouth it was not what I imagined it to be. I expected an intense flavour of green tea infiltrated through each bite perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the syrup and icecream but we were barely aware of any green tea flavour.

I think I will always be in love with their New York Pecan Pie, the pecans are finely grounded in a texture simular to almond meal in addition to the butterscotch pudding makes up 90% of the base. It is then topped off with icing sugar, golden syrup and shards of pecan toffee. It is a very sweet dessert and every time I have this I can eat at the most two slices. The remaining we usually take home and I have for it for breakfast over weekend coupled with a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

To check out the menu, click here for the website.

Til next time,

Lots of love Little J

P.s. my blogs will be more random this year and not next every week like before my hiatus.

P.p.s. i can't wait for Japan.. one week to go!