She's making a list, and checking it twice . . .

Is it that time already?

You'd better believe it, Christmas season has well and truly arrived.

In Adelaide, my family always kicked off the festivities with the Christmas Pageant. Only then were we allowed to start talking about the big man in red and the upcoming holidays. Mum put a stop to decorations though - we had to wait until 1 December to put the tree up and then of course, there was the opening of the first advent calendar door that was always a special occasion.

I'm going home this weekend for the cricket (my favourite time of the year) and can't wait to put up the Christmas tree with my niece and nephew at Mum and Dad's house. Then I have to come home and work out how I'll deck out my new little pad - I move into a new flat in two weeks and can't wait to style it up. Pink as far as the eye can see . . . and noone to complain :)

Moving house is always a good excuse to ditch the old and invest in the new. I am sick of living like a uni student in a share house and want to start enjoying the finer things in life. I'll be dusting off my Kate Spade plates and Laguiole cutlery and start living like a grown up for a change! The timing is also perfect to put in some sneaky requests for some home related Christmas presents from the fam.

And so we begin Kate's annual Christmas wishlist. As self indulged and spoilt as it must seem, it's so nice to pretend that money grows on trees!

I'd love a cool new doormat for my new flat. I'm up on the first floor and there are two other doorways in my little alcove so I want to make sure mine is the best dressed! The Woodsfolk have a great range, but there are so many cutesie ones out there.

I've been coveting these Celine sunglasses for a while now and am trying to get Mum to cave and buy them for me before Christmas so I can wear them to the cricket this weekend. She's adamant I need to wait until Christmas #firstworldproblems

Market shopping is one of my favourite things to do in the world. If I could swan around all day with a baguette and bunch of fresh flowers in my basket, I'd be the happiest girl on the planet. Lady Chatterley's Affair has just brought out the most fun Portobello Road Baskets that would make market shopping such an adventure. I've got my eye on the pink and green one (aka 'Watermelon Fizz') #hinthint

Food is always a safe bet with me as a gift. I love to give it and I love to receive it. I'm desperate to try out a famous Lune croissant and am psyching myself up to battle the early morning crowds over Summer. I'm trying to work out the best way to get around the queues and think maybe I've struck gold - a Lune Lab experience. Did someone say three courses of croissants? Yes please!

I'm all out of perfume and I feel like a half human. Dramatic, yes. Time to restock my Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia - let's go for the big bottle this time!

I am desperate for some new champagne flutes. Now that I'll be out on my own and it will be so much easier to entertain, I'll need some nice flutes for all that cheersing! I adore the stemless variety they use at Ombra. Can someone kindly track them down for me, please? And the recipe for the eggplant fritte while you're at it!

I'm loving my Spotify beats like noone's business and am struggling with the playback through my handset. Time to invest in some proper speakers - my old ones were for an ancient iPad and my new phone doesn't fit. Apple is infuriating like that. These Bose ones will do just nicely!

My current laundry bag is . . . my bedroom floor so it's time to get my grown up on and invest in some proper storage solutions. I'm open to suggestions, but I want it to look pretty in my room. Not like the blue, white and red striped bogan bag I use when Mum and Dad come to visit (because surely that's a step up from the floor?).

And there we have it. Kate's epic wish list for Christmas 2015.

I might add a few more down the track but it's a start (are you reading this, Mum?)

xx

Gifted

A quick debrief on my Christmas haul (because we all loved my annual wish list, oui?!) ...

I was a very good girl and Father Christmas was uber kind.

Look what he left under the tree!

Nespresso, Kate spade and my girl Sam. Nailed it, big man!

I was ridiculously spoiled by friends and fam and won't go into detail with a list of gifts but more than anything, above and beyond the material possessions, I'm very grateful for the time everyone gave me over Christmas - time with my niece and nephew, time with my grandparents, time with my friends and their new bubs, time with my pregnant gal pals, time with old workmates, time with my parentals, time with my godchildren and time with the bride. This is what I'll cherish from my two weeks home.

That, and the coffee ;)

I hope you all had lovely holidays and took time out to spend with loved ones.

xx

Match made in heaven

With all this festive eating under my belt (more like shortening my belt) over the last few weeks, I thought it only fair to share some of my new fave treats.

Nibbles are my bread and butter, I could just graze all day every day. I think it's the 'order envy' beast coming out in me - I hate having to limit my order to one thing off a menu and inevitably always wish i could have wgat the person sitting next to me has ordered. But with nibbles, starters, appetisers, finger food, canapés ... whatever you want to call then, you can have a bit of everything.

Christmas Day was off to a great start with (amongst many other delights) one of my fave dips that is so delicious but so ridiculously easy. It's almost embarrassing, it's simple. I think my friend Sarah was the first to introduce it to me, and I know my friend Ad has made it for me lots (she's the one famous for Aunty Rach's tuna dip) but I've also seen donna hay roll it out aswell.

You can't beat it. 

Hommus with crispy chorizo.

Mince one chorizo sausage to chunky crumbs. Technically, you're supposed to skin it but I can't be bothered, and I don't have a magimix or food processor so I just finely dice the sausage.

Heat a big slurp of olive oil in a fry pan and add your chorizo crumb. Cook, stirring, until crunchy. It's good to let it really crisp up. Take off heat. 

Spread a tub of store bought hommus over a plate or platter. I guess you could make your own, but seriously ...

Spoon the warm crispy chorizo crumbs over the hommus, drizzling the oil from the pan over the dip as well.

Serve with grilled/toasted flatbread or bagel crisps.

You're welcome.

Happy house

I'm a bit of a Mother Hen in my sharehouse and like to keep my housemates well fed. I just love cooking and feeding people and sharing a big feast with friends.

Christmas is a great excuse to get people together for a beautiful celebratory meal but this time . . . I put my foot down and insisted my housemates pitch in. Okay, so I was a bit of a control freak and wrote the menu and told them what they had to buy/contribute, but it all worked out brilliantly. Some couples bought and made their own dishes while others gave me the ingredients and I cooked it up on their behalf. Worked for me!

One couple did nibbles and I had to laugh - my actual housemate did nothing but her boyfriend totally took charge of the situation. His spread was quite impressive.

Then it was the main deal and my contribution - the turkey.

I did a Donna Hay recipe and it was brilliant. So so so tender and so easy and delicious. I can't believe how moist it was - I've always heard how easy it is to dry out a turkey breast, but this was perfection.

I ordered the turkey breast from the poultry man at the South Melbourne Markets. It was about 2kg for $53 and it would have served about 10 people I reckon. Recipe from here.

prosciutto-wrapped turkey

• 100g butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon sage leaves, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 2kg turkey breast fillet, skin on
• olive oil, for brushing
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 15 slices prosciutto

Preheat oven to 200ºC (390ºF). Place the butter, lemon rind, sage, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine. Gently push a spoon between the skin of the turkey and the breast meat to release the skin from the flesh. Using your fingers, evenly distribute the butter mixture under the skin. Brush with the oil and sprinkle with the extra salt and pepper. Wrap the prosciutto around, place on a greased rack in a baking dish and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the skin is golden and the juices run clear when tested with a skewer. Rest the turkey for 15 minutes before carving. Serves 6–8.

Then for sides I allocated one couple to two salads. It was really nice to have everyone get their hands dirty and feel proud about their contribution.

This Ottolenghi one was a real winner. And so so so easy. Recipe from here.

We cheated and just put the beans in a bowl and poured boiling water over them, left them for a while then added the snow peas towards the end until ever so slightly cooked, then ran cold water over them. I really like my greens crunchy and this meant the team could stay out of the kitchen. Much better!

Green bean, snow pea and hazelnut salad

You can really play with this salad, the beans make for a perfect base from which to improvise. You could add pomegranate seeds, goats cheese and/or pinenuts. Or you could replace the mange tout with chickpeas or white beans, and chop the green beans into segments to make it a little bulkier.

Ingredients
300g (one std pack) of fine green beans
150g (one std pack) of mange tout
50g hazelnuts
15g chives
1 orange
1 tblsp sesame oil
1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper

Heat the oven to about 150 oC.

Fill as big a pan as possible with water for the beans and mange tout. The more space you give them, the more they retain their vivid green colouring. I use a big old casserole pot. Bring the water to the boil.

While it’s heating up, trim and wash the beans and mange tout, keeping them separate. When the water is bubbling merrily away drop the beans in and cook for 4 minutes. Take them out, plonk them in a colander and run under plenty of cold water to stop them cooking further.

Bring the water back to the boil and drop the mange tout in and cook them for no more than a minute. Then drain them into a colander and run under cold water. Dry the beans and the mange tout with some paper towels and put in a large salad bowl.

Put the hazelnuts into the oven and roast for about 7 minutes. Remove and squeeze the skins off – they should mostly crumble away. It doesn’t matter if some bits are left on. Roughly chop with a big, very sharp knife, You don’t want them too finely chopped, there should be plenty of halves, even the odd whole hazelnut left.

Wash the orange and peel away the zest in strips, trying to minimise the amount of white pith you take with it. Slice the strips as finely as possible. Slice the chives in to 1cm lengths.

Add the hazelnuts, orange zest and chives, grind over some black pepper to the beans and toss until all mixed up. Add the sesame (or walnut, hazelnut, pecan or any other nut oil you might have) and olive oils and toss some more.

Serve at room temperature.

The next salad was one I've featured before - it's so Christmasy with those gorgeous gems of pomegranate.

See here for my previous post.

The potatoes were the stand out of the night. Apparently. They got all the attention. Such a simple thing but so hard to get right. And we nailed it (I still think my turkey was the shining light of the evening!).

They were a Gordon Ramsay recipe without all the trimmings - we didn't do the turmeric rub that's recommended, just simple salt and pepper and olive oil. The key is the hot oil on the tray, and roughing up the potatoes after boiling. And turning them during the cooking stage.

It's so worth the effort.

Recipe here - but ignore the chilli and turmeric. Unless you want to be a bit adventurous.

Dessert was an age old favourite - sticky date pudding. I did my Mum's sworn winner - the Masterchef recipe that I featured a few years ago. I cooked it in a spring form tin the night before then just heated it up after main course. Served with vanilla icecream.

The praline was a winner. I doubled the recipe. Boom.

And I tell you what, I could eat that butterscotch sauce 'til the cows come home.

Here's the recipe.

I have raved about the whole night non-stop so Mum has said I have to roll it out again for Christmas Day at home. Suits me just fine, I've had the dress rehearsal, I'm ready for the real deal now! We're currently sitting on the couch watching Maggie Beer's Christmas special and flicking through Christmas cookbooks looking for 'entree' inspiration. Christmas lunch deserves a more decadent starter than just nibbles, so we're tossing up different versions of prawn cocktails. So retro. So cool.

I'll be sure to post about our feast soon!

It's good to be home x

The way to my heart . . .

This is quite possible one of my favourite posts of the year - Kate's annual Christmas wish list!

My Mum is quite the present giver . . . she always nails it but I've realised it's because I'm quite specific in what I want! A little bit of guidance never hurt nobody, right?!

Look, I know these are all superficial gifts and I must seem quite shallow with this list of shiny pretty things, but this little blog is a lovely little escape from reality and the opportunity to indulge in the surreal.

So let me present Kate's wish list for 2014 . . .

My home girl Sam Armytage has released a book. I need a copy stat.

Nespresso Coffee machine. I tree hugger in me hates the landfill aspect of this gem, but I promise I'll search for a recycling option as part of the deal!

Kate Spade's 'place to go, people to see'. Love me a coffee table book.

Bally poster. This will be on my list every year until I get one. Oh how I hate not having my own house to decorate.

Stella McCartney fragrance. A staple. A must.

A facial. My skin has been rotten lately and I feel like a deep cleanse will be a great start to 2015.

Taylor Swift's album - 1989. Yes, I still do CDs.

Lady Chatterley's Affair 'Ladies Who Lunch' necklace. Because it's not Christmas without some LCA bling.

Kate Spade Tidbit Plate set from Brown Button Trading. Hello picnics in the park!

New pillows. Mine are gross and my neck hurts.

Workout gear. Especially a visor. I really want a visor (Who am I?! And what have I done with couch Kate?!). And the new Country Road activewear range is cute.

New sunglasses. I'm not sure what ones, exactly, but I'll quite happily take yours off you Mum . . .

I'm off to New Zealand in January so would also find a passport holder quite handy.

World Cup Tickets. Yes, I love my cricket.

And some other little stocking fillers (mainly because my brother just texted me to see what I wanted!), I'd love some new PJs, a battery operated electric toothbrush, some folding chairs, bodum coffee cups and a 5:2 fast diet recipe book.

Okay, enough already. You haven't been that good this year, Kate.

**Update! I need one of these! Not sure if it's the lemon or watermelon I prefer, but how fruitastic are they!? So sweet!

Shop here at Lady Chatterley's Affair

Christmas in colour

Call me kitch, but I do love it when the colour of food reflects the season.

So my Christmas go-to at the moment is a light and fresh coleslaw - I want to call it Asian inspired, but is probably is more Mexican in flavour?

Great with a roast chook (which is exactly what I served it with at Carols by Candlelight with my friend Nadia this week) or of course, with pulled pork in a soft bun.

Delish!

Recipe from here

Coleslaw

• ¼white cabbage, finely sliced
• 1 bunch(about 300 g/11 oz) radishes, finely sliced
• 4spring onions, finely sliced
• 2green apples, finely sliced
• 1 handfulcoriander leaves
• 1 handfulmint leaves
• 2limes, juiced
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• Make the coleslaw by combining the cabbage, radish, spring onion and apple. Tear the herbs over it and squeeze in the lime juice, along with a small drizzle of oil. Season to taste.

On the box

It's no surprise that Christmas is my favourite time of the year. 

Great food, great spirit, great excuse for celebrations.

And as soon as the Adelaide Christmas Pageant has been and gone, I'm ready to kick off the shenanigans (even in Melbourne!). 

Christmas marketing campaigns always grab my attention and two of my faves so far are below. They're both heavyweights in the retail world (UK and Australia) but do these ads speak to you?

John Lewis

David Jones

Yes, they do to me.

It's a wrap!

 

May I present my gift wrapping efforts for 2013.

 

Ta da!

 

 

Those skills I acquired at Country Road circa Christmas 2000 have not been wasted!

 

Now the question is, how am I going to get them home to the Rads in one piece?

 

Oh the joys of Christmas travel #thankgoodnessforQantas

 

 

 

Hashtag Christmas

Some might call my recent blog posts lazy.

 

Yes, I am reposting some viral videos that are doing the social media rounds, but they're just so funny and worth sharing.

 

And let's be honest, we're all lazy when it comes to reading text heavy blog posts at this time of year. Our eyes hurt. Our heads hurt. We're over it.

 

So a video sometimes is just what the doctor ordered.

 

Feast your eyes on this viral video.

 

Only in America . . .

 

 

Clothesline decorating

How much fun is Christmas?! It's a great excuse to get everyone together to celebrate the ups and downs of the year. I know there are lots of bah humbugs out there who curse the frantic festive catch ups in the lead up to Christmas, but I revel in them.

I indulged in the merriment of the season gathered my Melbourne family for lazy Saturday drinks at my place. I am so grateful for my little support network over here. I haven't made many friends from scratch, but rather borrowed from my existing friends' pool of friends. Sharing is caring, right?!

Well, we all know I love a nibbles platter or two so experimented with a few Michelle Bridges canapé options and some serious sangria - red and white.

Fun fun fun! My laptop is flat so I can't link to recipes right now but stay tuned for these guilt free treats that I'll share tomorrow.

Ps. My housemate is caving, she even helped put up the decorations. I can be very persuasive when I try ... and I find bribery works!

 

Update: Links to recipes below

 

Donna Hay's white sangria

 

Mexican dip

 

Christmas cakes

 

Traditional sangria

 

Beetroot and goats cheese tarts (my own little concoction)

• Puff pastry rounds (a scone cutter is about the right size for mini muffin tins)
• Beetroot relish (hello Beerenberg!)
• Goats cheese
• Fresh mint

1. Cut out the puff pastry rounds and line mini muffin tins (spray tin with non stick oil first)
2. Prick the bottom of each pastry round with a fork
3. Fill each cup with a small dollop (not quite a teaspoon) of beetroot relish (do not go overboard otherwise it will spill over)
4. Top with a sprinkle of goats cheese (about half a teaspoon)
5. Cook in a preheated oven at 180C until puffed and golden
6. Cool in tray until easy to handle and then transfer to wire rack
7. Sprinkle with torn mint leaves and serve

 Michelle Bridges 12WBT Chicken & Herb Tartlets

• 1g Olive oil spray        
• 2 1/3 slices Wholemeal mountain bread (58g)
• 250g Cooked lean chicken breast, diced
• 2 stalks Celery stalk (40g), finely diced
• 2 tablespoons Chives (6g), finely chopped  
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves (6g), finely chopped
• 1 teaspoons Lemon zest (5g), finely grated        
• 2 tablespoons Low-fat natural yoghurt (40g)        
• 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise (40g)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly spray 20 holes of a 24 hole mini muffin tin with oil. Cut each full piece of mountain bread into 9 even squares. Cut the 1/3 bread into 3 squares. Press into prepared holes, to form a shell. Spray lightly with oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
2. Meanwhile, combine chicken, celery, chives, parsley, lemon zest, yoghurt and mayonnaise in a medium size bowl. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
3. To serve, spoon 1 tablespoon of chicken filling into each tart shell (you will have one extra shell).

Michelle Bridges 12WBT rare roast beef, white bean and red pesto crostini

• 1 baguette sourdough (80g), cut into 20 slices
• 1g Olive oil spray
• 2 teaspoons Olive oil (10g)
• 1 cloves Garlic (3g), crushed
• 1 cups drained cannellini beans (173g), drained and rinsed        
• 2 teaspoons Lemon juice (10g)        
• 1 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves (3g), chopped        
• 2 tablespoons Chives (6g), chopped        
• 150g Lean beef fillets        
• 5 teaspoons Sundried tomato pesto (25g)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place baguette slices on tray and spray lightly with oil. Bake for 10 minutes, turning once during cooking, until golden and crisp. Set aside to cool.
2. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add beans and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds more. Add lemon juice, parsley and half the chives.Transfer to a food processor and process to a rough puree. Add 1-2 tablespoons hot water if too thick. Set aside to cool.
3. Spray a small frying pan with oil and heat over high heat. Cook steak for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Cut into 20 thin slices.
4. To serve, spread some white bean puree over each crostini. Top with a slice of beef and a small dollop of pesto. Serve immediately, scattered with remaining chives.