Thursday 6 November 2014

Blood, Guts, Gore & LARP

If you're squeamish or afraid of zombies, look away now! Seriously, go and Google some pictures of cute unicorns or kitties or something.

Okay, you've had your chance. This post is going to be pretty picture heavy. 
*Note: Click on the images to make them bigger*

Brace yourself!

I was recently involved in a photoshoot, to remake instructions for Deadtime Stories: A Zombie LARP. I had so much fun, and learnt so much, I just had to share it with everyone!

What is LARP you ask? Why it's Live Action Role Play of course! Essentially, you get to dress up in character (or as a class) and complete a mission, depending on which game you're playing. You can play with 5-50 people, anywhere, and (almost) anytime. 

Now, Deadtime Stories is a zombie LARP, so you have survivors (still humans) and zombies (dead!). The zombies have different stages (wandering, dead, or active) and I had the honour of being a zombie. Kon, who organised the day, was kind enough to supply us with costumes as well.



Unfortunately a couple of the MUA (Make Up Artists) pulled out, but thankfully we had the wonderful Zoe on hand and ready to make us all over! Because we were short on time and helping hands, I ended up being 'The Blood Girl'. Not even kidding, they nicknamed me because I kept doing everyones blood. By doing, I mean artfully covering them in fake blood. Because, ya know, I'm an artist.



Now, the other players in Deadtime Stories are survivors. There are a few classes of survivors including: Soldiers, Medics, Clerics and general population. Obviously soldiers are the best at weapons, Medics heal people, Clerics use the power of their faith against zombies and the public have survived on sheer dumb luck. Survivors primarily use Nerf guns, but can also make their own weapons (foam ones of course).



It was so much fun playing dress ups and getting all bloody (without the pain!). All in all it was a great day. I learnt so much about using latex and special FX makeup, as well as how to clean up fake blood!

I'm thinking actually playing the game, now that I have a basic knowledge of the rules, could be a lot of fun...

Love

J xx

Wednesday 5 November 2014

Healthy Home Made - Roasted Capsicum Dip

This is such an easy recipe and takes little to no time to make. You can buy most of the ingredients preprepared which cuts down on the time.

If you want to start from scratch, then keep reading, if not, skip to the bottom. But be warned, you're going to miss out on the good bits...

You'll need:

3 fresh medium sized red capsicums
2 cloves of fresh garlic (not peeled)
oil spray
salt & pepper
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1-1 1/2 cups pine nuts
1 red chilli

Start off by preheating the oven to 180°c for 10 mins. Then grab your capsicums, core & deseed them, then cut into halves or thirds. Lightly oil the pieces, put them and the garlic on an oven tray, and bake for 30 minutes.

While they're baking, we need to lightly dry toast the pine nuts. In a non-stick pan, with no oil, throw in the pine nuts, and toast over a medium flame. You'll see them change to a light golden colour. Make sure not to burn them though. Set aside to cool.

Grate the parmesan, and put in a bowl, ready to go.

When the capsicums and garlic are done, squeeze the garlic out and carefully chop them and set aside to cool. Make sure everything is cool to touch before putting them in the food processor. 

Then, put everything in the bowl of the food processor, and blitz until you reach the consistency you like. 

Now, you may find that you use all the pine nuts, or not a lot, work the recipe to your tastes.

 


You can serve it straight away, or chill it till firm.

Let me know how yours turns out!

Love,

J xx


Healthy Home Made - Roasted Beetroot Dip

Recently I wrote a post for my HHM - Raw Beetroot Dip, and now I'm sharing my roasted beetroot dip recipe. All you need is a little time and patience... oh and a food processor. I originally sourced the recipe from here, but adapted it slightly for my tastes.

850g Fresh beetroot, peeled and cut into chunks
spray oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup of Greek yoghurt
2 cloves of garlic
Splash of lemon juice

1) Lightly oil the beetroot, and bake at 180°c for 30 minutes, allow to cool. The beets should be soft, but firm. When you feel it, you'll know what I mean.
2) Blitz the now cooled beetroot, as well as the garlic and seasoning, until you reach the desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky.
3) Transfer the mix to a bowl, and fold in the yoghurt.

That's it. Roasting the beetroot brings out a slightly sweeter, deeper rich flavour, which I've found many people prefer. 

I made this yesterday to take to a Melbourne Cup BBQ, and it was a hit! I also took some home made falafel and roasted capsicum dip (which I'll post about soon). 

Beetroot is such a versatile vegie, and I still have a couple left, so look out for more beetroot recipes!

Love

J xx

Monday 3 November 2014

Healthy Home Made - Raw Beetroot Dip

Beets, beets, the magical food, the more you eat, the quicker your liver can process toxins, the quicker your liver processes toxins, the better you feel, so eat your beets with every meal!


But seriously, the beetroot is an amazing vegetable, and is both delicious and good for you. 
Did you know that the beta cyanin, the pigment that gives beetroot its amazing colour, is actually an antioxidant? It helps speed up detox of your liver, so if you've gone out for a night on the town and are feeling a little worse for wear, try a glass or two of beetroot juice, it might just help beat that hang over.

Beetroot also contains betaine, a substance which relaxes the mind, and is used in other forms, to treat depression. It also contains trytophan, which is found in chocolate and contributes to a sense of well being.  

I myself love beetroot in burgers, the true Aussie way! But you can have it in various forms, such as dip, chips, grated in salad or even in soup. It's great raw or cooked. 

I recently bought a couple of bunches from Bushy Park and would normally turn them into chips, but I thought, with the weather warming up, why not try our hand at a beetroot dip. 



Clearly it's a messy venture, so make sure you have lots of room, and cleaning products on hand. Food handling gloves are also your best friend, have a few pairs on hand (pun intended) and swap them out if you get any holes, otherwise you risk having pinky purple skin for a few days.

You'll need:
850gm of fresh beetroots, peeled - cut into medium sized chunks. The smaller the bits, the quicker and easier they blitz. You can also cut the beets into small cubes for a chunky version.
2 cloves of garlic
about a cup of natural Greek yoghurt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 
1/2 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Feel free to add any other spices or herbs depending on your tastes. Everyone is different, and you may not like Cumin, but love turmeric etc etc. 

Chuck the beets and garlic in the food processor (or not), and blitz until smooth.
Now throw in the spices and seasoning's and blitz until combined.
Transfer to a bowl and fold in the yoghurt, spoonful at a time, until it suits your tastes. You might find you want more yoghurt, and that's cool, just add more!




Now, some people among us may not like the fact this is raw, and may comment that they don't like the 'raw' taste. That's perfectly fine, we always have a way of working around these things

If you don't want Raw dip, then:

Cut the beets into chunks, and lightly coat in oil and spices. Roast at 180°c for about an hour. Take them out of the oven and allow to cool, then blitz and add yoghurt.

I did not prepare my space very well... whoops!


This recipe makes quite a lot of dip, so unless you eat beetroot dip twice a day, every day, you can either halve the recipe, or make the normal amount, and give it away as presents. 

Unfortunately, I've found it doesn't really freeze very well, but will store in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Just charming isn't he.

Anyhoo, let me know if you have any other delicious uses for beetroots! I have a chutney recipe I've been dying to try, so when I do, you lovely readers will be the first to hear about it!

Love,

J xx