RECIPE: Coconut & Pistachio Tart

Anyone that knows me, knows I am a complete chocolate addict & when I say addict, I really mean ADDICT!  In twelve years, I have been a maximum of six days without the good stuff in my system.  So when I came across this recipe, it was like hitting the jackpot!

Coconut & Pistachio Tart

Über delicious, chocolatey, vegan friendly goodness, which comes with the added benefit of being gluten free!  This moreish recipe, which is simple to make & includes only healthy, unprocessed ingredients, all of which I can count on two hands, is from the makers of Apartment 34, a great blog that I really like.

What's your favourite dessert?

Ciao da Pisa!

After a two month break in England, I have finally made it back to Italy.  A brutal early morning wake up call, a few sobs at the airport, hugging mère goodbye & a short flight & I am in Pisa.  Land of the wonky tower. 

Getting the Lam Rossa bus from the airport to the Piazza dei Miracoli, a snip at €1.20, I walked around the corner to my hostel, Hostel Pisa Tower.  Handy location & for €16 for the night, I can't really complain, although, with no real kitchen facilities, being a vegan in Pisa is not a convenient option.

Having only a day in the city, I decided to follow an itinerary by Around Tuscany.  Although, rather in reverse.  Starting back in the Piazza dei Miracoli, I obviously went straight for the Torre Pendente & oh, what a sight.  I'm a cliche, I know it, but, I only really came to Pisa for the leaning tower & I have to admit, even if I had done nothing else all day, that sight alone was worth it.

After gazing admiringly at it for quite some time, under my umbrella, I moved on to the duomo, which is free to enter, but you do have to acquire a ticket from the Museo delle Sinopie next door.  Don't ask me why, but you do.  [rolls eyes]  I'm in no way religious & don't get any kind of 'vibe' in a church, but darn it, some of them are spectacular, especially the gilded ceilings & this one did not disappoint!  Well worth a visit, especially as it's free.

Deciding to dedicate some time to the joys of the square, I popped back into the Museo delle Sinopie & bought a due ingresso ticket, which allows you to pick any two attractions in the square to visit, for €7, otherwise, they are €5 each.  They do other combinations, tre ingresso for €9 & quattro for €10.  However, the Museo delle Sinopie & the Battistero looked kinda boring, so I just opted to see the Camposanto & the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo.

The Camposanto Monumentale is a cemetery, which was somewhat destroyed before World War two & then ravaged again during restoration work, due to the outbreak of war.  Now with the roof restored & many of the original frescos salvaged, it is a great place to visit.  Equally so is the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo, which is quite large & takes more time to fully take in, than I envisaged.

Housing original works of art from over eighteen hundred years ago, which, I would like to add, are not in any way encased & therefore took all my will power not to grope!  Unlike stiff museums & galleries in England, Italy has a very relaxed policy & whilst you may see a CCTV camera about, there isn't anyone standing by to tell you off for poking a finger at a thousand year old statue.  Much to my glee!

Leaving the square entirely, I pottered off down Via Santa Maria & took a right turn down Via del Mille to Piazza dei Cavalieri.  A huge open expanse, surrounded by the Scuola Normale Superiore (an amazing building), Torre della Muda & the Santa Stefano dei Cavalieri church.  Not much to do there, but worth it for any architectural lovers.

Taking a right turn down Via Ulisse Dini until Via Borgo Stretto, I strolled along, popping in & out of a few shops.  Finally reaching the end of the road, with night upon me, I crossed over the Ponte di Mezzo, stopping midway to take a snap of the river.  Unfortunately, due to lack of camera skills, I was not successful in gaining a nice shot, but the scene itself was rather special.

After a quick walk down the road to see the Chiesa di S.Maria Spina, I carried on down the Corso Italia, which is a long shopping strip.  Made the obligatory visit to Zara naturally, although, walked out empty handed & full of longing.  [sigh]  Taking my retail sorrow to the end of the road, I ended up at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, where, just to my right, I got to see Keith Haring's colourful mural.

Satiated with my day's excursions, I dashed into a local supermarket to grab something for dinner.  Whilst paying for my olives & lentils I got the shakes & nearly had a cardiovascular breakdown, when I found my hostel keys were gone from my jacket pocket.  All I can say is, I have never been so happy to find something in my jean's pocket in all my life.  [phew]

Off to Florence tomorrow!  Ciao!

REVIEW: Dr Organic Manuka Honey Shampoo & Conditioner

After bleaching & dying my hair, over & over again, for countless years, I finally put down the corrosive products & left my hair to breath.  One long year later, in a further bid to save my locks, I cut ten inches off the length, just before leaving on my travels last summer.

Although my hair is now in much better condition, I wanted to continue the good work, by investing in a natural & enriching shampoo & conditioner.  Perusing the options available, I decided to try out Dr Organic Manuka Honey Shampoo & Conditioner.

Claiming to be 'restoring', 'regenerating' & 'nourishing', they seemed perfect for me at the moment & the rich smell of honey was divine!  For once, I was actually looking forward to washing my hair!  But, oh how I was disappointed by the results.

Once fully rinsed out, my hair felt dry, like straw & not silky smooth, like I was hoping.  After naturally drying, even argan oil couldn't tame the frizz & so, up it went into a bun, where it stayed until requiring a wash again.

Downhearted, I emailed Dr Organic, to pass on my experience of their products & explain my disappointment & a few days later, I received a less than welcome response.  Their customer services department, essentially tried to tell me that, it was not their products that were the issue, but in fact my hair.  I had supposedly picked the wrong range for my hair type & that it would take time for my hair to adapt to chemical free products.

Less than impressed, I thought I would give them the benefit of the doubt & so kept using the products, in the hope that things would improve, but alas, the results remained the same.  To further prove my point, mère, who has strictly used organic, chemical free products for over twenty years, decided to try them out & she too found the results to be the same; dried out, straw like hair.

I'm afraid, on this occasion, Dr Organic have not only failed at providing products that work, but they have also failed at good customer service as well.