Molton chocolate peanut butter lava cake

Ingredients:
115g chocolate (milk or dark depending on how sweet or rich you want it)
2 tablespoons butter softened (plus extra to grease dish)
2tablespoons sugar (plus extra to coat dish)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons plain flour
Additional chocolate for filling 
Peanut butter

Method:
Preheat oven to 160 degrees 
melt chocolate
In a seperate bowl cream butter and sugar
Add eggs and beat
Add flour and lightly beat
Fold in half the melted chocolate and then the other half - don't over mix.
Grease two ramikins with butter, dust with sugar (add a couple of tablespoons and swirl dish around to coat)
Add 1/4 mix to each ramikin, add a scoop of peanut butter and chocolate chips
Add 1/4 mix on top of each and slightly smooth
Cook for 15 mins or until surface is firm and a skewer in side comes out clean.

This recipe makes two smallish cakes. I prefer to double this mixture for slightly larger cakes

Love From Lou-Lou xox

Dreambar slice

This is my childhood on a plate!

Base
Melt 1/2 cup butter then take off heat and add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 beaten egg and 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Return to low heat and stir constantly until thickens - 1 to 2 mins

Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups crushed plain biscuits and 1 cup shredded coconut

Press into a greased dish and pop into freezer

Middle 
Beat 1/4 cup soft butter until creamy

Add 4 heaped tablespoons of custard powder, 2 cups icing sugar and 3 tablespoons milk or cream

Beat until smooth and spreadable.

If its not spreadable add a splash more milk

Spread over base and return to freezer

Topping

Melt 1/4 cup butter

Add 1/2 cup cocoa and 1/2 cup icing sugar

Beat and add water slowly until smooth and creamy.

Add more equal amounts of Cocoa and icing sugar until you have desired amount of icing.

Spread over base and add sprinkles

Place in fridge until set.

ENJOY!

Love From Lou-Lou xox

Nutella Ice Cream

I had my first ever attempt at making ice cream last night and it was amazing!!

I have to share the recipe with you guys.

Now I'm not sure about the rest of you guys but in NZ milk and eggs are EXPENSIVE!! 

This recipe does not have any eggs in it and there is no need to cook it first.

It is super easy and so so yummy!!!!

NUTELLA ICE CREAM...

Ingredients

1 cup milk
2 cups cream
Pinch salt
1 3/4 cups sugar (can adjust depending on your sweet tooth)
vanilla (extract or seeds)
1/3 cup nutella

Method

Mix milk, cream, salt and sugar to a bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add vanilla and stir again.
Stir in nutella until you reach desired consistency (personally I stop mixing while there are still strands of nutella throughout, they turn into chewy pieces within the ice cream...)
Chill in fridge for 1 - 2 hours
Add to ice cream mixer following mixers directions.

Enjoy!!!



psst - you can leave out the nutella and add berries or caramel or any other flavours that you want!!

Tag me - if you do make this share it on instagram and tag me, I would love to see what you make, or see what other concoctions you come up with.  @louisetaylor22

Love From Lou-Lou xox

Beef stroganoff

Beef stroganoff

Ingredients - meatballs

500grams mince beef
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcester sauce
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg

Ingredients - stroganoff

10 - 15 thinly sliced mushrooms
1 onion chopped
1 tablespoon butter

1 cup mushroom soup

1/2 cup white wine
2 1/2 cups beef stock (set aside 1/2 cup to deglaze meatball pan)
1/2 cup cream
Salt and pepper

Cooked egg noodles or rice

Instructions - meatball

Mix all meatball ingredients together
Roll into small balls
Fry until brown in all sides
Turn heat down and put lid on while making sauce

Instructions - stroganoff 

Fry onions and mushrooms in oil, set aside in bowl
In same pan melt butter
Add white wine and stock
Add mushroom soup 
Cook until reduced and thickened
Remove meatballs from pan and set aside with mushrooms
Heat meatball pan on high and add a splash of beef stock to deglaze the pan
Scrape bottom of pan to remove browned bits (flavour)
Tip juice from meatball pan into sauce
Add cream and cook until thick
Add mushrooms, onions and meatballs
Cook until hot
Serve onto of rice or egg noodles

Love From Lou-Lou xox

MOST AMAZING NIGHT EVERY!!!

Hey guys, sorry it has been a while, some REALLY exciting stuff has happened in the past few weeks so decided it was time to 

New addition to the family

First piece of exciting news is that my new niece was born a few weeks ago. 

She is such a cuddly, adorable little girl!! We are so excited to welcome you to the family!

Isn't she cute!!

Now we are waiting on the next niece to be born... she is only a few weeks away so watch this space!

BEST NIGHT EVER!!!!

So I am a HUGE fan of The Script but missed out on going to see them when they toured a few years ago. (insert sad face!!)

Therefore when I found out they were coming back this year for their No Sound Without Silence tour I had to get a ticket.

I had been so excited for months that I had tickets.

In the lead up I had a few very busy, very tiring, very long weeks of work, and this continued right up until 3 hours before my flight (truth be told, even at the airport and on the plane I was still running through to do lists and priorities for when I get back to work... great start to a holiday right!)

I flew into Auckland and straight into peak hour traffic... (FUN!!!) to arrive at the hotel tired and cranky. Upon arrival I was told by the lovely receptionist that my room had been upgraded for free!! This was amazing news, I had gone from a one room plus bathroom unit to a unit with bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom!! Now this is how we start a holiday!!!!!

So with no time to spear it was preparation for concert mode, shower, make up, hair, dressed and out the door in record time...

Ready to leave for the concert - SO EXCITED!!!

Quick stop downstairs for a huge slice of pizza - so good!

If you are in Auckland and love pizza, I recommend you try Sals Authentic New York Pizza. YUM!!

Opening for The Script was Colton Avery who was awesome. I have never heard his music before but loved it!!

Colton Avery

Then it was time for The Script - AHHHHHHHHHH SO EXCITED.

I jumped and danced and sang and screamed and laughed. It was such an amazing night, the music was awesome. It is safe to say I was on top of the world!! You can tell that these lads really love their fans!

Not to mention I was about 10 people from the front and got a great view...

Danny O'donoghue on-stage

Mark Sheehan on stage

You know you have had a good night when you wake up the next morning sore and still tired!

After a quick breakfast and stroll in the sun it was off home again... back to windy, rainy, cold Wellington. 

Flying home

 A week later I am still trying to wipe the smile off my face, this was one of the most amazing nights of my life and I can't wait to go and see The Script live again!!


Anyway that is my mini update on life right now, easy to say it is pretty good!!

Thanks for reading, I will try and check in again really soon!! 

Loving my new hat!!

Love From Lou-Lou xox

Its my birthday

So Sunday while we were in Auckland just so happened to be my birthday... Woopwoop

Peter and me at breakfast

We enjoyed an amazing breakfast at Nottingham Cafe in Parnell, it was easily the best cafe I have ever been to!!!

awesome front page of their menu. The waitress took pitty on me taking a photo and gave me a copy. (Ps the bottom guy had a "squidly didly" stuck on his hand)

Nottinghill kitchen in Parnell 

Free range bacon buttie and chai late - heaven. Couldn't think of a better way to start my birthday than with good company and really good food. 
Peter managed to arrange a surprise piece of birthday cheesecake. Yum!!

Bacon buttie with potato rosti

Beth and Kyle enjoying breakfast

Leaving the cafe Beth pointed out my new favorite sign.

Best sign ever!!!

After breakfast we dropped Beth and Kyle at the airport and went for a walk into the city for lunch and a drink at Danny Doolans and a quick walk around the viaduct.

Dolan at Doolans

Found this random cow statue in the city

I think she laughed her ass off....

Later a quick swim and dinner where we witnessed two old people making our on a park bench (full on making out) followed by more cider and ice cream.

Cider and ice cream

Monday, bright and early, we flew home to family birthday celebrations.

Amazing home made cake made by my mother in law

All in all a very good and very tiring weekend! I'm glad for things to be back to normal!

Sleepy time

Love From Lou-Lou xox

Rainy afternoon update / Auckland trip

Well its a rainy afternoon, the house work is done, dinner is in the oven and the other half is taking a nap. Finally some time to update the blog (sorry I have been slack so far...)

So what has been happening?

Baby Shower

Both of my sisters are pregnant, so we had a very pink (both of them are having girls), very cute combined baby shower.

So much PINK!!!

Upper Hutt Summer Carnival

As per my usual tradition, we attended the annual Upper Hutt Summer Carnival. Wood chopping and carnival rides, it was like going back to my childhood.

A day of watching competative wood chopping (my father is a wood chopper and this is his home competition) followed by a bbq and a beer with the axeman. 

Sun, beer, food and good company... couldn't get much better.

Back to the childhood with some carnival rides

Wood Chopping - Dad is the third back on the right

Body Building

So my other half is a body builder and for the past 16 (?) weeks he has been working out and dieting hard the Auckland Pro Ams.

Last weekend we went to Auckland for this show and a mini holiday (although I came back more tired than when I left)

We had a huge issue with our accommodation, booking.com cancelled our booking and didn't tell us, luckily I logged on to check something a week before we flew up and noticed. 

In the end we got a really nice hotel (Quest Parnell), although it was more expensive.

We stayed with Kyle (Peters Brother) and Beth (Kyles girlfriend) for two days and they flew home on Sunday which was also my birthday so Peter and I had the night to ourselves.

Peter and Kyle headed out and did cardio on Sunday night while Beth and I stayed at the hotel and drank cider and talked.

While out for their walk they stopped at the supermarket and brought some cards and Peter brought me some lovely flowers to say thank you for supporting him - SO CUTE!!!!

View from our hotel room - that long skinny bit is a pool

Beth (peace), Peter (in the kitchen prepping his food) and Kyle (reflecting the sun) in our Hotel room

Mr Tan (Peter) prepping his food for the night

The beautiful flowers that Pete brought, excuse the fancy vase (they even made it home on the plane)

Saturday was the show. Up early and off to the Victory Conference Centre to watch men and woman on stage in their underwear showing off their muscular bodies.

I felt very, very pale in comparison. 

Since it was the Pro Am they had a guest poser in the evening, Jason Compton was AMAZING, while waiting for the show to finish up Peter and I spoke to him out the front of the venue, he is such a nice guy and so down to earth.

Peter on stage at Pre-judging, not the best photo as it was taken on my phone

Peter chilling out with some music before going on stage

Jason Compton guest posting - this guy is massive!!!!

SOOOO pale!!!

Leaving the venue we were met with a beautiful clear Auckland night.

Auckland

Of course we went straight to the supermarket and stocked up on good foods (and soap and a loofa mit for Peter)

That's some healthy shopping!!

We then settled in for a quiet evening of pizza, cider, wine, chocolate and ice cream.

Relaxing in pj's watching tv with some wine - let the "holiday" begin!

Love From Lou-Lou xox

Were all a little mad here...

I am very excited to be starting this new blog, and that you are reading it!!!  Since this is the first entry on this blog I should probably introduce myself.

This is me... I'm the one without the beard!

So lets get the formalities out of the way

My name is Louise, I am 23 years old and I live in New Zealand. I am in a long term relationship, and this time next year I will be married :)  (Yes the guy with the beard in the above photo is my fiancée...)

We have two babies:

Bounty - our youngest baby, an absolute nutter butter!!

Chia - our older baby, very loving, but a big time cranky pants!!!!!!!

We our own home, we brought it just over 3 years ago. It needs some work... A LOT OF WORK... so we are doing renovations and trying to tidy it up a bit.

Anyway, you will get to know more about me as I post more  entries.

I did do another blog a few years ago focused on health and exercise but I wanted to do something a little more general, so this blog will have a bit of everything, food, fashion, family, house, health, goals - you know LIFE!!!!!

I really hope you enjoy this blog and I look forward to sharing more with you guys.

Please leave me comments, let me know what you think, what you might like to see on here etc.

Love From Lou-Lou xox

P.S - welcome to the maddness...