You know I love people that make me laugh and this hilarious chick is NO exception. She has caused me to clean many a keyboard because I have snorted coffee all over it.
There is nothing I don't adore about this gorgeous blogger.... except maybe the fact that she cooks way better than me.
For anyone who has not yet had the pleasure, let me formally introduce to Danielle from Keeping Up With The Holsbys. Over to you chick!
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Can you believe I got dumped two years in a row at Christmas time?
Not by the same dude.
Two different dudes.
Perhaps they got cold feet because they
were unsure what to get me for Christmas, or maybe they just thought I was a
freak.
My mama was worried that I would start to
dread Christmas but it never actually dampened my spirits. I’m a massive fan of
Christmas.
I like getting together with my friends and
family and eating great food and drinking booze, and of course, I’m a big fan
of presents.
Some people like to receive big expensive
presents, and others like to receive small expensive presents and whilst I’m a
huge fan of all kinds of presents there is something to be said for the home made
present.
I’ve made some crackers over time. Partly
due to being broke, partly due to being a tight-arse, but largely due to being
creative and actually enjoying the art of making a gift.
I once carved my mother a dolphin out of
black coral. He got the nickname ‘Concord’ because he was rather beaky and
lacked pectoral fins. I slaved for weeks whilst whiling away time on my Dad’s
boat somewhere on the North East Coast of the US.
That was actually one of my better efforts
to be honest. She still has it.
He still looks like an aeroplane.
I find it hard to decide what to give
people. I’m not an awesome present picker. Some people have the knack but I
don’t. Often when it comes to Christmas presents I’ll often put food hampers
together.
It doesn’t have to be hard, and people
simply love it, or at least they pretend they do and I’m ok with that.
I’ve popped together a few of my favorite
easy hamper ideas for inspiration.
Toasted
Muesli
Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup puffed corn (health section of
supermarket)
1 cup puffed brown rice (health section of
supermarket)
¼ cup of apple or apple and blackcurrant
juice
1 cup chopped mixed dried fruit (I used
cranberries, apricots, sultanas and dates)
1 cup chopped raw nuts (I used hazelnuts,
pistachios and almonds)
½ cup mixed seeds (pepitas, sunflowers and
linseeds)
½ cup shredded coconut, lightly toasted in
dry fry pan
Throw the juice over your oats and mix to
combine and then lightly toast them either in a dry pan or under the grill, ensuring
you turn regularly. Do not burn.
Toss them into a large bowl.
Next lightly toast your nuts in the pan,
and then your shredded coconut. I don’t do it all together as they toast at
slightly different speeds.
Toss everything together, combine it well
and you can either put it into jars or clear cellophane bags fastened with
festive stickers.
My World
Famous (in Small Circles) Rocky Road
Ingredients
320g milk or dark chocolate (I prefer dark
for my palate, but as a gift I make milk)
1 cup almonds, lightly toasted in dry fry
pan
1 cup jelly raspberries
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup shredded coconut, lightly toasted in
dry fry pan
200g pink and white marshmallows
Line a 30x30cm tray with baking paper.
Melt your chocolate in a bowl sitting on a
saucepan of boiling water. Toss all of your other ingredients into a big bowl
and pour your melted chocolate over.
Stir well to combine and chuck it into your
lined tray and spread out evenly. Cover and place in the fridge. Cut when hard.
Marinated
Fetta
There are two ways you can do this. If you
have more time and inclination you can infuse your oil.
You do this by popping 500 ml good quality
olive oil onto the stove on a medium heat. Into that you add 10 peppercorns, 4
cloves garlic, a 3cm piece of lemon peel and a few sprigs of thyme.
You gently bring it up so that it’s getting
some movement, and then you switch it off and leave to cool. For best affect
you do this twice.
Remove lemon zest before bottling.
Everything else can stay.
If you can’t be bothered, you can just add
the peppercorns, garlic and thyme to your oil, but then you really need to
leave it for a good week or so.
Place layers of cubed feta, and olives into
your jars and fill with the oil.
You will need to sterilise your jars.
To sterilise your jars you put your oven on
about 80C.
Place your clean jars into a large pot of
boiling water and boil them for 5 minutes. Then carefully empty them and place
them on a tray that you put in the oven until they’re dry.
Voila!
Here's some other ideas for some home made with love gifts.
I am launching my new book on the 28th November.
The countdown is on!
Cook Once, Feed All is about making your life
easier whilst preparing nutritious and quick food for your family. This book is
a collection of family friendly recipes, all accompanied by Danielle’s often
funny and charming story telling.
Hailed by Mouths of Mums as the ‘must have
recipe book for all families’
For your chance to win Cook Once, Feed All today
pop over and like the Keeping Up With The Holsbys Facebook page, and leave me a message about your most loved
family meal. Winners will be announced tonight and will receive the ebook
before it is launched.
If you subscribe now to the Keeping Up With The
Holsbys mailing
list now
you will automatically receive my new mini-eBook ‘A Bit On The Side’ -
A collection of fabulous summer salads and side dishes.
To pre-order your hardcopy of Cook Once, Feed
All head to the Holsby Shop right now and you will be the first to receive the
hard copy book after it launches on the 28th.
You will also receive the Cook Once Feed
All eBook (worth $15), plus the new eBook ‘A Bit on the Side’ (worth
$5) as a bonus gift in your inbox today.
