If you love your home and your garden then you will want to visit Better Homes and Gardens LIVE on 24th – 26th February 2012 at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton.   This fabulous LIVE event brings together household names from the Better Homes and Gardens family, providing home makers, DIY enthusiasts, keen gardeners and aspiring chefs with inspiring new ideas for their home and garden.  The Better Homes and Gardens LIVE event is a one-stop shop packed with hundreds of stands, inspirational live talks and demonstrations, educational workshops and unforgettable experiences. Plus, with plenty of entertainment for the children, this is an unbeatable day out for the whole family.  The show is also opening in Sydney (Sept 2012), so for tickets and more information on both shows visit bhglive.com.au.  Also, check out my Facebook page for the special offer to Madame Bonbon’s Facebook fans.

Image: Meet the stars

Image: Jump into a Better Craft Ideas workshop

Image: Grab some tips at the Better Cooking demonstrations

Better Homes & Garden’s LIVE Show GIVEAWAY

The team at Better Homes & Gardens have kindly offered TEN of my lucky readers the opportunity to win two adults tickets to the Melbourne show.  So if you’d love to spend the day being inspired by lifestyle experts from the Better Homes & Garden’s TV show, then send me an email with your answer to:

Name two of the Better Homes & Garden’s TV experts who will be presenting at the show in Melbourne.

It’s so simple

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{T&C: Eligibility is open to Australian residents only (sorry).  The prize for each winner is two adult tickets (value: $40) to the Melbourne show only (24-26 February 2012).  The giveaway commences at 10am (AEDT) on 25/01/12 and will finish at 10:00am (AEDT) on 15/02/2012.  The first ten correct answers will be chosen as the winners and they will be notified by email on 15/02/2012.  The prize cannot be redeemed for cash or exchanged.}

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 Good luck,

ñA few weeks ago I was sitting quietly on my couch and flicking through my Instagram feed when I spotted a photo of an almost empty glass of a Margarita cocktail.  It was photographed by a lovely fellow blogger, Laney of Crash Test Mummy… and she’d just devoured it!  It was all I needed to jump off the couch and make my own Margarita cocktail. I’d run out of standard tequila and so decided to use the 1800 – an añejo (or aged) tequila. Normally I would not mix añejo tequila, as I find an aged tequila comparable to an aged whisky.  But off I went and made preparations for a decadent Margarita. It was DEVINE! I’m not sure I could afford to keep making Añejo Margaritas and my sister-in-law would probably disown me (she loves her tequila).

Añejo Margarita

WHAT YOU NEED

• 45mls Añejo Tequila (We used 1800)
• 30mls Cointreau
• 45mls lemon juice
• Salt – garnish

HOW TO MIX THIS DRINK

Grind sea salt onto a small side plate.  Take your cocktail glass (120mls) and run the juiced lemon around the rim.  Place the rim into the salt and twist the glass around until the entire rim has been coated in salt.  Next, fill your cocktail shaker full of ice.  Add your tequila, cointreau and lemon juice and shake vigorously.  Strain and pour into your cocktail glass.  Serve immediately.

Note: I like my margaritas quite tart but if you prefer a smooth, sweet taste, add a dash of orange juice (15mls) to the cocktail shaker too. This is a tip I picked up from the Patrón bartender at a Taste of Melbourne event a couple of years ago.

Salud!

The Australian Open tennis tournament (Oz Open) starts in Melbourne today and what a glorious day to be playing tennis (pure sunshine and 33 degrees cels).  I’m an avid fan of the tennis and really excited that one of the grand slams is played in our city.  I had the good fortune to meet Ms. Serena Williams last week, at an intimate cocktail party.  She spoke about her sister, Venus (who is not playing in this tournament, due to illness), her fall in the Brisbane International and also her tennis outfits for the tournament – she’s chosen the colour blue to complement the Oz Open tennis courts and she looks fabulous!  You heard it first, right here

Image: Margaret Court Arena – one of the main outdoor courts at Melbourne Park – home of the Australian Open (source)

My tips for the tennis:

• Pre-purchase a Ground Pass ticket ($29) for the first weekend of the tournament – you are always guaranteed matches with seeds playing outside.
• Pack your lunch and bottles of water – food (snacks) can be expensive.
• Quench your thirst at the Heinekin Bar and listen to awesome Australian live music being played on the Heinekin Stage.
• Take the FREE Yarra Tram shuttle service operating on route 70 from the CBD to Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena.
• The tournament is played in the height of summer, so cover up, pack a hat, sunscreen and wipes, especially if you are spending a day outside in the grounds.  A hand fan is a lifesaver.

Click on the link {HERE} to visit the Oz Open website.  You can purchase tickets online at Ticketek.com.au or in person at a Ticketek Agency – click {here} for VIC locations.

Ciao ciao!

The Cosmopolitan or Cosmo is a classic cocktail.  A mixture of vodka, cointreau, cranberry and lime, this drink is refreshing and lively on the tastebuds.  It’s an old favourite of mine and a cocktail that I can confidently serve at parties due to it’s popularity.

Cosmopolitan

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• 30mls Vodka
• 15mls Cointreau (orange liqueur)
• 30mls Cranberry juice
• Squeeze of 1/2 lime
  
• Peel of lime (about an inch)
  

HOW TO MIX THIS DRINK

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Pour the vodka, cointreau, cranberry and lime juice into the shaker.  Shake gently and strain into a martini glass.  For the garnish, lay your lime peel on the chopping board and cut three thin slices, leaving a join at one end.  Place the lime strips over the rim of the glass….voila!

Cin cin!

I really like this illustrated guide on sushi etiquette. I found it on SwissMiss a few years ago.  Sushi bars are popular here in Australia and this guide is handy for anyone wishing to brush up on their sushi dining skills. I’ve also included some tips on chopstick etiquette. I love learning about other cultures and their customs.  I think food is a great way to do this…we all have to eat.  If you have any other tips that I have not covered, please feel free to add them to the comments section below. I’d love to hear them.

More Chopstick Etiquette*

• Decide what to pick up before reaching with chopsticks (do not hover around or poke looking for special ingredients). After you have picked up an item, do not put it back in the dish.
• When picking up a piece of food, never use the tips of your chopsticks to poke through the food as if you were using a fork. However, this kind of stabbing maneuver is common in informal use for hard to pick up items like cherry tomatoes or tearing apart larger things like kimchi. Never erect chopsticks point-first into a bowl of rice or a dish of entrée. This is reminiscent of ancestral offerings and can be seen as disrespectful.
• Chopsticks can be rested on one’s plate to keep them off the table entirely. A chopstick stand can also be used to keep the points off the table.
• Never wave your chopsticks around as if it was an extension of your hand gestures, bang them like drumsticks, or use them to move bowls or plates.
• In Chinese culture, it is normal to have your lips touching the edge of the rice bowl and using chopsticks to push rice directly into the mouth. In Korean culture, it is rude to pick the rice bowl off of the table and eat from it.
• In Chinese and Japanese etiquette, the blunt end is sometimes used to transfer food from a common dish to your own plate or bowl (never your mouth). In Korea, the blunt handle end is not considered sanitary.

*Source

itadakimasu

Over the festive season, I saw a new magazine in the shelves at Woolworths titled, ‘Entertain‘. I’m always looking for inspiration, so I grabbed a copy.  It’s full of creative table settings and menus for all occasions; from outdoor picnics, to Italian and Asian-themed dinners. Here are a few sneaky peaks from the magazine.

Image above: Asian-themed table setting

Image above: Tuscan-themed table setting

Image above:  ‘Entertain’ [cover].  The magazine is available at your local Woolworths for $9.95.

I’m inspired and will certainly be adding a little creative styling to my table settings this summer.  You can too…

• Pick two or three colours and feature these throughout your table setting.
• Use table runners along bare wooden tabletops and accentuate with complementary napkins.
• Pick fresh floral, fruit or herbs and arrange them into table centrepiece.  A centrepiece can really “lift” the table (see first image above).
• Use bright and colourful table linen or placemats.
• Stripes are also perfect for summer entertaining and can be used on a  formal or informal table setting.
• Dine outside – on your patio, balcony or in the backyard.

Happy styling,

The family and I have just returned from a wonderful holiday in Cairns, Queensland.  We celebrated Christmas Day with my family in Cairns. The day was a balmy 33 degrees (celsius) and humid, but thankfully the swimming pool and Christmas punch kept us all cool.  During the week, we ate our fair share of fresh local seafood and tropical fruit. We very happily drank our way through my parent’s wine cellar and made a few festive cocktails to boot. It was a wonderful Christmas this year.  Here are a few happy snaps.

Image: Holloways Beach – we took a leisurely drive up the coast through the northern beaches of Cairns. Unfortunately it’s stinger season so we didn’t want to swim at the beach. We spent most of our time swimming in the pool and the local freshwater creek.

Image: Rustys’ Market sell fresh local tropical fruit & vegetables. We picked up mangosteens, lychees and boxes of mangoes for Christmas. If you visit, you must grab a coffee from Billy’s coffee stand at the market. It was so good.

Image: Lunch…a bucket of fresh chilled local prawns. I ate so many prawns, I was afraid I was going to start to look like one

Image: Sunset cocktail – a mojito by the pool

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family or friends. I’m making preparations for New Year’s Eve in Melbourne.  I’ll post more on that soon.

Take care of you,

I’m loving the very generous designers who are donating printable gift tags, paper and Santa stationery.  Check out the funky font on this Letter from Santa created by Catherine aka Design Editor.   Choose some fancy paper and print it out on your printer at home or work.

I like Catherine’s suggestions for the letterhead too.

• You could use it as a Thank You note for the milk and cookies (or red wine & cheese )
• Use it as a gift voucher for adult gifts
• Place it on top of gifts that are too large to wrap

Click {HERE} to download and print the Santa letterhead.

Have fun!

Last weekend I bought a few ornate paper ornaments from Klopper at South Melbourne Market.  They look really good on the Christmas tree and so I thought I would try my hand at making a few more ornaments to add to the tree.  Where better to gain inspiration and instruction but from my fellow bloggers.  So after reading though some fabulous blogs, I came across these crafty ornament projects.

Image: Paper flower ornaments via How About Orange.  Click on the link {HERE} for instructions.

Image: Modern Paper Ornaments via Design Sponge.  Click on the link {HERE} for full instructions.

Image: Paper Wheel Ornament via Ruffled.  Click on the link {HERE} for the full instructions.

I hope this has provided a little festive inspiration for your home this Christmas.

Joyeux Noël

Earlier this year at the Taste of Melbourne festival, I booked into the Sensology Breakfast Martini cocktail class.  Unfortunately I was too busy tasting the Dal Zotto wine range and I missed this class. The Sensology team kindly offered me another class later in the day and I chose the Daquiri cocktail class. The Daquiri is a very simple and traditional cocktail. It’s not a very fashionable cocktail menu item these days, but I’ve rediscovered my love of this drink. The mixture of white rum, lime and sugar makes it quite tangy and refreshing. If you’re a fan of the popular citrus flavoured cocktails like Mojito, Caiprioska etc, I think you will enjoy the Daquiri, but make sure you shake…not blend

The Daquiri

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• 60ml white rum
• 30ml freshly squeezed lime juice (one whole lime)
• 2 tsp of white sugar
• Crushed ice

HOW TO MIX THIS DRINK

1. Fill your martini glass with crushed ice and allow it to chill
2. Squeeze the whole lime
3. Using your cocktail shaker, add white rum, fresh lime juice, white sugar and a little crushed ice and top up with cubed ice
4. Give it a vigorous shake until you can see the shaker is well chilled.
5. Empty the ice out of the martini glass and strain into the chilled glass. Use a hawthorn strainer to prevent ice going into the drink.

Note: Some recipes call for simple syrup/gnomme, but we used white sugar in this recipe.  I couldn’t tell the difference and if you haven’t a ready supply of syrup, then plain old sugar works just as well.  Also, we were advised not to garnish the Daquiri, as it’s perfect on it’s own.  You could add a lime wheel or peel if you were feeling creative.

Recipe courtesy of Sensology.

Cheers!