Getting Boozy with it

It's that most wonderful time of the year - which unfortunately, often comes with the side effect of a hangover.

A couple of weekends ago I may have gotten a little carried away - attending not one, but two themed parties and ending the night stumbling out of a club on Oxford St at the wee hours of the morning. I awoke later that day to find that I had one of the worst hangovers of my life - maybe, yes ... I can admit it ... I'm getting older. But maybe getting boozy with it, isn't always about the quantity of what you drink, but also about the quality and actually what you're mixing it with.

I posted last month a great post about Pimms - a perfect summer time punch which isn't crazy alcoholic. Crazy alcoholic may have been the punch from last weekends hens which contained a bottle of champagne, a bottle of vodka, a bottle of Malibu, a bottle of tropical juice and a tin of mixed fruit. Needless to say, the hen didn't make it out that night.

So here are some of my Christmas Booze tips and tricks followed by another great festive punch:

• Keep it clear and you're in the clear - try and stick to clear spirits if you're drinking spirits
• If you start drinking something stick to it - don't mix 4 beers, 2 red wines and 6 vodkas and 3 cowboy shots, because you're night/morning isn't going to end well. If you start on something, stay consistent and you may end up with less of a hangover.
• Try and avoid fruit juice or lemonade/coke as a mixer - if you're drinking vodka and pineapple juice or bourbon and coke all of the extra sugar in those mixers are going to make your hangover worse.
• Try having a water or a mineral water in between each alcoholic beverage.
• Try only adding 1 form of alcohol to your punch and adding lots of fresh fruit and lots of mixers.
• And if you've really had a big one try to have a big glass of water and two panadols before you go to bed (as well as removing any makeup and washing your face with a cool wash cloth ... you will feel better when you wake up in the scorching heat of a summer morning).

GETTING BOOSY WITH IT

1 teabag
1 cup (250ml) boiling water
120g raspberries
150g blueberries
125g strawberries, halved
¼ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
750ml chilled sparkling apple cider
2½ cups (625ml) chilled lemonade

Lots of crushed ice

Place teabag in mug, cover with the boiling water; stand 10 minutes. Squeeze teabag over mug, discard teabag; cool tea 10 minutes.

Using fork, crush raspberries in punch bowl; add blueberries, strawberries, mint and tea. Stir to combine, cover; refrigerate 1 hour. Add ice, and then stir cider and lemonade into punch just before serving; sprinkle with extra mint leaves, if desired.

http://verygoodrecipes.com/white-christmas-challenge

RECIPE SWAP: TOLL HOUSE COOKIES

I’m so excited to be cooking from a new cookbook in this new year of the recipe swap – and I am also super excited that the first recipe has been created by a ‘Wakefield’ (seeing as this is also my last name). How did I know this? Well I googled ‘Toll House Cookies’ - as I google every recipe swap dish when I begin my planning/preparation, and this is what I found:

According to Nestlé, the Toll House recipe originated with Ruth Wakefield who, along with her husband, operated a lodge in New England called the Toll House Inn. Sometime in the early 1930's, Ruth was preparing cookies for her guests when she chopped up a bar of Nestlé Semi-Sweet chocolate and added it to the dough. The result became the most popular chocolate chip cookie recipe in the world. By 1939, Nestlé began producing the Toll House Morsels to make it easy for everyone to make this recipe.

Ok – so, I’m going to make a biscuit (cause that’s what we call them in Australia) and it is going to have chocolate and nuts in it. I also think that I want to add in a little more Wakefield – so one of my favourite (and my Dad’s favourite) combinations is choc-orange or more commonly know as jaffa!!

I’m thinking a little out of the box and a little ‘gluten free’ – seeing as I started a new job and I now sit next to the author of http://edibleissues.com – so my nut component is going to be Almond Meal.


Italian Jaffa Biscuits
1 cup almond meal
¼ cup crushed roasted almond
¼ cup dark chocolate pieces
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp orange rind
2 large egg whites
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

Mix together almond meal, roasted almonds, dark chocolate, sugar and orange rind.

Beat the egg whites, vanilla and salt until it forms soft peaks. Fold in the almond meal mix and then drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a lined baking tray.

Check the biscuits at 20 minutes (if they are turning brown remove), although depending on your oven you may need to cook them for 30 minutes.

Enjoy with a short black and a good looking man (that’s my fiancé)

Christmas Presents

It's most wonderful time of the year - when I get to hit the shops to find things that will bring joy to the people I love on Christmas day (or the days surrounding Christmas day, seeing as we having family in two states!). If you are running out of time or ideas, here are a few for you (and some you can even purchase from that seat that you're sitting in right now!).

Gold and White Icon Christmas Crackers ($39.95 for a box of six)
Bespoke bobons filled with surprises to delight foodies. If you want some you'll need to either call 02 9817 5217 or email crackers@southerncrosscrackers.com

Typhoon Apple Heart Oven Glove ($9.95)
One of my personal favourites, this retro-meets-country mitt is a perfect little stocking stuffer and I hope that Phillip is reading this and gets me one. Phillip - you'll need to call 1800 651 146 or jump online www.mcpher.com.au ... sad faces will be made if it isn't under the tree :(

Joseph Joseph Snack & Store ($39.95)
Here's a neat serving dish for drinks and nibblies enthusiasts. Its saucer nests into a lipped bowl, so guests can slip olive pits or pistachio shells into the discreet compartment below. Sound like the perfect gift for you sister or best friend? Call 1300 374 671 or head to www.hsw.com.au

Regency Cake Stand ($96.80)
For Teatime, a tier of charmingly mismatched plates (35cm high x 25cm wide base plate) ... for an even cuter gift fill the plates with Christmas cheer - some Christmas snow, or rum balls, or Christmas cake and share with love and laughter. This cake stand can be found at www.remogeneralstore.com.au

Mad Millie DYI Cheese Making Kit ($38.40)
Out of this box, you can magically produce 15 batches of fresh Italian cheeses - mozzarella, ricotta, ricotta salata and mascarpone. This kit makes 15 batches (a total of about 7.5kgs of cheese). If you know a cheese lover then call 07 3319 1554 or head to www.madmillie.com

Summer Food by Serge Dansereau ($39.99 from ABC Bookshops)
There is so much summer eating to look forward to in this book of 100 recipes by French Canadian Dansereau, who runs The Bathers Pavilion restaurant and cafe in Sydney. Many of the simply good dishes are impressive enough for a casual party, especially perfect for lazy weekends. This book also covers of Christmas, with a chapter of traditional recipes.

Trivoli Audio iPAL ($329)
I love Christmas carols ... I can't put up my Christmas tree without listening to Maria Carey and I'm happy cooking to music all throughout the year. So if you know someone who loves music and the kitchen, why not give them a Trivoli Audio iPAL in high-gloss green and silver for Christmas this year. You can track one down by calling 03 9882 0372 or heading to www.trivoliaaudio.com.au

I'll be tweeting more great foodie Christmas gifts - so if you don't already, follow me @GoodFoodWeek.

Merry Christmas Bloggers and Blog Readers :)