Christmas Baking: Chocolate and Cinnamon Swirl Pavlova

I just couldn't resist posting just one more Christmas baking recipe. Mainly because this one is a doosy! It's got everything, cinnamon spice, chocolate and what's an Aussie Christmas without cherries and a good pav. I made these as individual meringues for easy of serving. You could also bake these and give them as gifts wrapped in cellophane, especially if everyone is too stuffed after Christmas lunch to eat them!

Surving the silly season the fourth

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Christmas is stressful. No doubt about it. There's parties to attend, menus to plan, gifts to buy, outfits to be put together. So how do you stop yourself from tearing out you hair? Simple.
Chapter 4: Mind

Celebrate

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Today I'm spending the day being this glamorous.

Chirstmas Baking: Shortbread

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What's Christmas with out shortbread? This is my gluten free version I adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe. It's super buttery and super crumbly, make it once and you'll realise why its called the best shortbread in the world.

The best (gluten free) shortbread in the world
250g best (pref. organic) unsalted butter
3x(125g) of gluten free flour (I use one part rice flour, one part gluten free plain flour and one part corn flour to make up 375g of flour)
100g organic golden caster sugar
optional flavours: zest of one lemon, 2 crumpled dried lavender flowers, vanilla essence

Cream together butter and sugar then add flavouring if using. Add in flour and mix together with a spoon till well combined. Press dough into a baking tray and prick all over with a fork. Bake at 170C until golden on top (about an hour). Cut into fingers while still warm.

Surviving the silly season the third

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Over indulging is what Christmas is all about right? It's a time where all healthy eating goes out the window and come new year we're full of silly season remorse, swearing never again. Well this year there are a few things you can do to minimise your holiday hangover. We've already talked about food and drink now comes
Chapter 3: Suppliments

Surviving the silly season the second

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So we've covered food, the next natural progression is
Chapter 2: Drink

Christmas Greens

A few nice green ideas for your holiday table.

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Surviving the silly season the first

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Being one of my favourite things, of course I'm going to start with:
Chapter one: Food

1. Skip the deep fried finger food and stick to the fresher options such as sushi and cold rolls
2. Avoid the carby potatoes and such with your turkey and ham and save those up for pudding and cake! (Christmas is also a great time to try out gluten free baking as many recipes lend themselves to substituting flour for almond meal)

A "How to" for the silly season

Oh Christmas, what mixed emotions you bring. On one hand I love the food, the getting together of friends and family, the decorations, the sales and on the other hand, I hate the crowds, pretending to like people you haven't spoken to all year, untangling the fairy lights, bad cocktail party food and cheap alcohol. So here's my guide to stop you ending up a fat cranky scrooge this holiday season.
Chapter 1: Food
Chapter 2: Drink
Chapter 3: Suppliments
Chapter 4: Mind

Christmas Baking: Panaforte (Siena Cake)

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This is more a toffee than a cake. It's chewy, chocolatey and packed with dried fruit and nuts. With no flour in it, it makes an excellent gluten free treat. Because it's so dense it packs and travels well and so makes and excellent gift. I've used a few recipes (including one from my mother-in-law) to put this one together. It got rave reviews last Christmas. It takes a bit of time, but you have to try it, totally worth it, a labour of love.

'Tis the season

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Ah it's that time again and hasn't it come round quick! I love December. Warm nights, holidays, parties, my birthday and (of course) CHRISTMAS! With all this going on, its pretty easy to loose your head, so this month I'll be sharing a few tips and treats on the silly season. Hold on to you hats kids!