Well the time has finally arrived for us to disconnect for a few days. To visit family, to drink fine wine and to eat an abundance of what I am sure will be great food. 
So until we resurface, probably a little heavier but hopefully a lot more relaxed, I wish you and your families all the very best for Christmas and this Festive Season. 
Enjoy xxx
Christmas in July
Happy Monday lovely people! 
What a weekend we have just had. Sadly not because of any grand adventures….quite the opposite really. For finally my immune system decided that ‘enough is enough’ and yielded to the cold / flu bug that has been lurking around our house for the last month or so. So, while I was well enough to prepare our special Xmas in July dinner on Saturday night, sadly I was not all that enthused when it came to actually eating said dinner. 
But here is a glimpse into the night’s dishes nonetheless. 
On the menu… 
Ham shoulder, glazed with marmalade, whiskey and dijon mustard. 
Turkey stuffed with apple and cranberry (unpictured?!) On the side – duck fat roast potatoes, cranberry and pistachio “stuffing” and a pumpkin, red onion and feta salad. 
All together now! 
But it was dessert that had me most excited… 
Sticky date pudding, served with butterscotch sauce, double cream and almond biscotti. 
I only wish my tastebuds has been co-operating! Details of the dishes to follow… What about you? Did you celebrate Christmas in July this year?
Christmas 2012
There is something rather wonderful about this time of year. Having family all together to catch up and celebrate, and reminisce on the year just past. 
Our Christmas, this year, was just that. A celebration of the wonderful 2012 we have had – particularly with the newest addition to our family… 
And I went a little crazy with the camera, so be prepared for photo overload! I could really break this post up into 2 or 3 posts, but I’m going to jam it all into one. Our Christmas, as I mentioned, was delightful indeed. I was lucky to have my mum and brother travel to Canberra to join us and Mr BBB’s family for Christmas lunch, which we hosted at our house. The day started before 6am, as Mum and I finished the final touches on the table, the food and the desserts. Charlotte woke at 7am, and had fun checking our her ‘Santa’ gifts. 
And by 11am, Mr BBB’s family had arrived, and our library was transformed into quite the present explosion! 
We broke out the cocktails and nibbles, and passed around the presents. 
And I can well and truly say this little Miss was SPOILT rotten by her grandparents, aunty, uncle and cousins (and friends, and neighbours….). Oh and her parents too! 
And I didn’t fare too badly either, with a new ICECREAM maker, purse, magazine subscription, recipe books, movie voucher and a massage voucher! 
By 1pm the presents had been opened, cocktails had been consumed and our tummies were rumbling. So it was time to move into the living room for lunch. 
On the menu, we had prawn cocktails to start, and Christmas meats and a selection of vegetable sides for the main course. Washed down with some fine bubbles. 
My plate: 
It was lovely that Miss C is now old enough to join us for lunch, and she impressed us all by gobbling up a full plate of Christmas food! 
She was not a fan, however, of her Christmas hat 
The afternoon was spent toying with our new Christmas presents, playing a few games of Pictionary and waiting for our lunch to digest! 
We were actually so full from lunch that we didn’t even make a start on dessert until day turned into night! 
But slowly as the clock ticked by, our appetites returned, and we headed to the dessert table for dinner! 
Featuring a rocky road Christmas tree, meringue trees, rum balls and a summer berry trifle. 
And it was was with some caution we sliced up the rocky road tree for all to enjoy. 
It really was a memorable Christmas, and I felt so blessed to be celebrating the occasion with most of my nearest and dearest. Charlotte loved the attention, but was certainly exhausted by the end of the day (as was I!). A fine start to this Summer of fun! What about you? What did you get up to this Christmas?
Merry Christmas
What a wonderful wonderful Christmas we had. Our house was filled with family, love, baby laughter and food – and we went to sleep last night feeling very blessed and content. 
I will be back soon with a full recap of our celebration, but for now I just want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. And say ‘thankyou’ for your support of this little blog over the last year!
Of Christmases past….
I was taking a little look back at my previous Christmas blog posts, and it struck me that this will be my FOURTH Christmas since I started BBB. And boy has life and this little blog changed in those four years. Four years ago my photos were terrible, we were living in our old house, I was newly married and no bambinos were in sight. Now, we are in our new place, (I think) my photography skills have improved and we are blessed to have our adorable baby girl in our lives. 
You can find links to our previous Christmas celebrations (and cringe at my terrible photography) here….
I am so very excited to be hosting Christmas lunch this year. I have quite a few ‘fun’ things planned – that I will be sure to share with you over the coming weeks. 
But for now – let’s take a look back at Christmases past – with a little link up to a few of my previous Christmas planning tips and recipe ideas…. Planning and decorating ideas…
Holiday baking…
- Apricot and coconut biscuits
- Gingerbread donuts
- Salted caramel fudge
- Chocolate bark
- Spiced apple and coconut cake
- Apple butter
Stay tuned for the full details of our 2012 celebrations! What about you? Are you planning on doing some Christmas baking this year?
Christmas 2011
Merry Christmas to all! 
Mr BBB and I have just returned from a wonderful few days spent with family in Melbourne. And, although the time never seems to be long enough, with many kilometres travelled (and many toilet breaks taken along the way!) we managed to spend at least a little time with each of our nearest and dearest. 
Our celebrations began on Christmas Eve, continued all day Christmas Day… 
Well into Boxing Day… 
And beyond also… 
There was food… 
So much food… 
There were laughs… 
There were presents… 
(even for those of us that can’t yet unwrap them!) 
There was a family Boxing Day cricket match, played on a pitch with a farm view… 
Spectators… 
And baby BBB’s first cricket game being played…. 
poorly 
There were many walks taken to balance out the abundance of good food. In suburbia… 
The country… 
Past the cows… 
And through the bush! 
And there were picnics amongst the trees. 
Overall, our 2011 Christmas celebrations were just as I had hoped. Fun and family filled – but also relaxed and carefree! It’s hard to believe that this time next year we will have a 9 month old daughter along for the ride! What about you? What did you get up to over Christmas?
Homemade holiday treats – Apricot & coconut biscuits
Happy Christmas Eve Eve 
I hope that you have all made it to the end of the working year safely. I for one, was most happy when the clock struck 1pm (yay for half work days), and it was time to head home and finish packing for our trip to Melbourne. Which included packing up the final treat in my homemade holiday treats series… 
On the menu today… 
Apricot and coconut biscuits (cookies)! aka. a break from chocolate overload that was occasioned by yesterday’s chocolate bark. 
Oats, spelt, brown sugar coconut, apricots and nuts. 
Mixed with eggs, vanilla and butter to form a sticky biscuit mix. 
Rolled into balls, flattened… 
And baked for 15 minutes until golden. 
These biscuits turned out nice and light, but also rather chewy… 
Quite reminding me of ANZAC biscuits actually. 
And, once they had cooled sufficiently, I wasted no time in filling a Christmas tin and leaving half of the batch on my neighbour’s front door step by way of a little Christmas gift. 
The rest, however, will be coming with us as we make our way down South for the Christmas holiday. 
Delish! 
Apricot & Coconut Biscuits (makes 16-18 large biscuits) (adapted from here)
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1cup desiccated coconut
- 3/4 cup diced dried apricots
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- Preheat oven to 180°C, and line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
- Sift the flour and sugar into a large bowl. Add the oats, coconut, apricot and almonds and stir until well combined. Make a well in the centre.
- Whisk together the melted butter, eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
- Use your hands to roll heaped tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Place balls onto the prepared trays (leaving room to spread) and flatten slightly.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and set aside to cool completely
I hope that you have enjoyed this 5 days of Homemade Holiday treats. You can find links to all the treats below… 
Day 1 – Gingerbread doughnuts 
Day 2 – Salted caramel fudge 
Day 3 – Chilli lime nut mix 
Day 4 – Chocolate bark 
Day 5 – Apricot and coconut biscuits But enough ‘sweet talk, its time to get this BBB show on the road! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas Eve Eve, safe travels if you are travelling and happy eating if you are eating! What about you? What are your plans for the festive season?
Homemade holiday treats – chilli lime nut mix
It is day 3 of my homemade holiday treats series and I am pleased to report that we are still going strong. 
And, although I am loving all the sweet treats that are slowly filling my fridge, I couldn’t resist throwing in a ‘savoury’ treat which happens to also be one of my favourite ‘nibbles’. Spiced nuts. Or in particular… 
A chilli lime nut mix! 
Which really are just nuts… 
Tamari, honey, lime zest and chilli… 
Roasted… 
And voila! 
Simple to make, but guaranteed to be gobbled up in no time at all. 
My version ended up a little sticky, so I will hold off providing a specific recipe at this stage. It still needs some more tweaking, but I am sure to have one for you in the not too distant future. 
The flavours, however, were rather tasty with the freshness of the lime zest and the hint of spice from the chilli. 
I think they will make a nice alternative for those who are feeling a little sugar overloaded over the festive season (although these do have an element of sweetness in them owing to the honey!). What about you? Ever made your own nut mix?
Homemade holiday treats – salted caramel fudge
Happy Tuesday lovely people! With Christmas well and truly on its way, it is time for day 2 of my 5 days of Homemade Holiday treats. 
And today’s treat is a good one. Even if I do say so myself. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that caramel is involved. And caramel is my favourite flavour. 
I wanted to create a treat that could be made in advance, would survive a car trip to Melbourne and that would keep for a couple of weeks. Hence caramel fudge seemed like the perfect option! Fudge is one of those sweet treats that I love to indulge in, although when I make it from scratch I realise why one should only indulge in a little piece. 
For this treat is really nothing more than sugar. And butter. With a side of sugar. And chocolate. 
But boy it is delicious! 
Particularly when sprinkled with sea salt. 
The only shame with this fudge is that it turned out a little soft (I think I took it off the stove too early). 
But all is not lost, I just plan on keeping it in the fridge until serving time. 
The flavour, however, was spot on – rich in caramel with just a hint of sea salt. 
Delish! 
Salted Caramel Fudge (recipe here)
- 395g can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tbs glucose syrup
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup golden syrup
- 125g butter, chopped
- 180g white chocolate, chopped
- 1tsp sea salt flakes
-
Grease 20 x 20cm square cake pan, and line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides.
-
Heat condensed milk, sugar, glucose syrup, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, without boiling, for 10 minutes or until mixture is glossy and sugar has dissolved.
-
Increase heat to medium-low. Bring to a simmer, stirring. Cook, stirring constantly, for 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture thickens and comes away from side of pan. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until combined and melted. Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth top. Sprinkle with salt, pressing in with the back of a spoon to secure.
- Set aside for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 6 hours or until firm. Cut into pieces and serve.
And then, because I just couldn’t stop … 
I also made a batch of Jessica’s mocha coconut fudge. Sprinkled with a little coloured coconut in honour of the festive season. And, which, unlike my caramel version, had a perfect fudge texture. 
But you will have to head over to her blog for that recipe! What about you? Are you a fan of fudge?? What is your favourite flavour?
Homemade holiday treats – Gingerbread doughnuts
I think it will come as no surprise, that hosting events and parties for family and friends is one of my favourite hobbies. Be it Christmas, a birthday or some other party, I really do enjoy all the planning, decorating and cooking that is required (much to Mr BBB’s frustration lol). 
Last year, Mr BBB and I hosted our first Christmas in our new family home, with a flurry of decorating and baking taking place before the big day. You can find all of my 2010 Christmas Countdown posts below:
- How to plan the perfect Christmas menu
- How to be a stress-free host
- It’s a wrap
- Getting crafty (homemade bonbons)
- Oh Christmas Tree
- Feeling Saucy: Cherry Port Sauce
- Room at the Inn
- Truffle time
- To market she did go
This year, we are spending Christmas with my family in Melbourne. Christmas Eve will be with family and friends in Melbourne, Christmas Day with my Mum and little brother, and Boxing Day with my Dad in rural Victoria. And, although we are planning on keeping it pretty low key, I wanted to put together a basket of homemade sweet treats and other nibbles to take down with me – to share amongst our guests at the various parties and mealtimes. I also have a few functions this week that call for a plate of treats to be provided. And so my 5 days of Homemade Holiday Treats begins! 
That’s right – 5 days of nothing but sugar and sweetness on BBB! I think I should probably give my dentist a call now 
Starting with…. 
Gingerbread doughnuts! aka. a tasty little treat to take to a work morning tea. Just whisk the dry. 
Add the wet. 
Stir to a batter. 
Pipe… 
Bake… 
And glaze. 
And serve. 
I am loving the baked variety of this normally-fried treat. 
These took only 10 minutes in the oven, a few minutes to glaze, making them a morning tea that you can throw together quite easily. 
They will keep overnight in an airtight container, but they really are best eaten on the day they are made. 
Delish! Gingerbread doughnuts (makes 12 large) (adapted from Pinch of Yum)
- 2 cups spelt (use GF plain flour to make these GF)
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1tbs ground ginger
- 1tbs ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 3 tbs maple syrup
- 50ml milk
- 50g melted butter
Glaze
- 30g butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 40ml milk
- 1 cup icing sugar
- Preheat oven to 180C. Grease 2 x 6 hole large doughnut pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the Centre.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour into the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined.
- Spoon into a piping bag, and pipe into doughnut tins (to about 3/4 full).
- Bake for 10 –12 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack.
- To make the glaze – melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the milk, and heat (stirring) for 1 minute. Add the icing sugar, and whisk to combine until smooth and glossy.
- While warm, pour the glaze over the doughnuts.
What about you? Are you more of party planner or a party goer?