Mondays can be a drag at the best of times, but just one week out from Christmas, it can take super human strength to stay on track and stay motivated. So I’ve created something especially seasonal to give you a bit of a boost in your breeches.

SKM’s Christmas Coffee Heart Starter!

You will need:

A French Press / aka Coffee Plunger

A jug of boiled water

Fresh ground coffee

Ground Cinnamon

Spiced Rum

A Candy Cane

Whipped cream if you’re so inclined

Sweetened condensed milk

To Make:

* Boil your water and let it sit for one minute.Add the required amount of coffee grinds to the french press for as many cups as you intend to make.  For 3 measures of coffee, add a half teaspoon of cinnamon. Add these dry to the French press.

* Fill the French press with the (just off) boiling water, stir the coffee grinds and cinnamon into the water and allow to brew for 5 minutes.

* Measure 30ml of spiced rum per mug and add to mug.

* Plunge and pour coffee into the mug.

* Instead of milk we use sweetened condensed milk to whiten and flavour; add now to desired colour.

* Stir with Candy Cane and allow hook of the candy cane to adorn the edge of the mug.

* If your calorie content is not yet met (hey you might be trying to rival Santa), top with whipped cream and a very light sprinkle of extra cinnamon.

* Delight!

Enjoy your Monday!

December is proving to be far more busy and fun than I thought it would be this year. It’s always a busy time, what with the shopping, the school plays, the extra juggle of children on holidays and what not. But this December, although it has only just started, is shaping up to be the most fun and fancy time I’ve had in a while.

This month I’m helping Matchbox and Kitchen Aid with a really cool new contest they are running, in which you can win allkinds of cool prize including your favourite retro coloured Kitchen Aids! All you have to do is dress up in your retro best and take a photo with a Kitchen Aid to enter. I’m having real trouble picking my favourite with the glossy cherry red and hot pink vying for the lead.

Knowing that not everyone is as vintage obsessed with me, they’ve enlisted my help to teach the secrets to getting a vintage look and help you with your entries.  I spent last Sunday down at Chadstone to launch the contest, and will be appearing again in store at Westfield Doncaster between 11-2pm to do another demonstration and answer your questions.  If you have a free afternoon or would like to come down and play Kitchen Aid pretty up with me, make sure to head on down early as it gets very busy! You can find out more about the Kitchen Aid contest details here. (If you happen to be in Queensland, Mistress Chrissy of The Lindy Charm School for Girls will be at Westfield Chermside from 11-2pm this Sunday for you too!)

Listening closely!

The lovely Charlotte from Matchbox in KitchenAid pink!

With everyone’s thoughts suddenly turning to what to buy for Christmas, Some Fancy Ladies™ have been flat out doing store appearances for our 2012 pinup art calendar.  It’s proving to be a hit with young and old, both men and women.  Some of the delightful old dears we’ve run into have told us all kinds of stories from their youth, their wardrobes and even some secret saucy moments. I’m always honoured when we get to meet people and write personal messages on their calendars for them. We’ve had messages of birthday love, Sweet 16′s, Christmas stocking surprises and even something to give grandpa an extra “get well”! Friday night Bonnie Rose and I were in at Flowers of Canterbury on Mailing Road in amongst some of the most gorgeous flowers to meet and greet. Aren’t they just stunning?!

I can be a bit of a ham..

Our swanky calendars and cards

I just adore the colours in here!

If you haven’t ordered your copy of the calendar yet and want to see it in the flesh, you’ll find it locally now in store at Flowers of Canterbury, and Anton’s Clothing in Melbourne Central! Now, time for a bit of a sit down I think!

*This post is a Nuffnang Sponsored post*

It just wouldn’t be the proper introduction to a weekend without a Friday night cocktail hour here. Even if you’re someone (like me) who works on the weekend, there is something very important about mixing it up and giving your days some punctuation.

The whole idea of coming home and mindlessly cracking open whatever happens to be lurking in the fridge is totally unacceptable to my mind; I mean, where is the glamour in that! No, instead I like to take a moment to weigh up my mood with what delights happen to be in my bar that evening and set about creating a cocktail menu for the evening.

Now you could get quite organized about the whole process, plan out your menu and go on a spending spree to stock up the cabinet; but most of us have a standard selection of our favorite liquors and those that have been hiding out for a while.  Once I have all of these lining the bench top I like to do a bit of a Cocktail Creation moment.

Like being the kind of chef that stands in the kitchen and begins with one key ingredient, adding each new one as you imagine the flavor combinations; that’s how I create my cocktails. And while I’m not much chop when it comes to creating the next big thing for the plate, I may possibly be a cocktail savant.

 With the warmer days here, my afternoons are always tinged with that wish to be somewhere tropical, and with that thought in mind this is the cocktail I created especially to cater for your holiday state of mind. (Yes, this is a Candice DeVille original cocktail, created at 3am as most great inventions are)

I’ve named this drink for my favorite designer of classic 1950’s Hawaiian poolside chic.

“The Shaheen Dream”

Blender 1/3 filed with ice (approx. 3 cups of ice cubes)

250 ml of Pearl Royal Coconut water (without a doubt the best and most pure tasting coconut water in my opinion).

Half a fresh mango

4 jiggers of Peach Schnapps

4 jiggers Cointreau

½ cup Caster sugar

Half a lemon slice

Lychees and maraschino cherries for garnish

1.         Using your lemon slice, rub around the rim of the glass until it is coated in juice, the place rim down into the caster sugar to give it a nice even coating.

2.         Place ice, coconut water, mango, peach schnapps and Cointreau in the blender. Blend on high until all ingredients are just combined and the ice has become slushy. Don’t over blend.

3.         Pour into each sugar rimmed glass, garnish the rim with a split lychee and maraschino cherry on toothpick.

4.         Drink with friends while wearing your best Hawaiian print sarong dress.

* A jigger measure is 1 ½ ounces*

While you’re in this laid back and tropical mood, it always pays to have another delight on offer to surprise you senses and keep your guests smiling at your exceptional hostess skills.

The perfect compliment to my “Shaheen Dream” is this sizzling, sun-drenched taste.

“Hot as Haiti”

Two seeded 1-inch lime wedges

Two seeded 1-tangerine or orange wedges

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups of crushed ice

1 ounce of killer dark rum – I personally prefer Sailor Jerry Rum

3-4 ounces of Schweppes ginger ale

1. Place the lime, tangerine and sugar in the bottom of a heavy bottomed 8 ounce glass.
2. Muddle the mixture until the juice is extracted and the sugar dissolved.
3. Add enough ice to fill the glass, add the rum and top up with the Schweppes ginger ale.

Fancy that drink now? I’ll bet you do!  To help you find your muse, Schweppes has created the ‘Cocktail Revolution’. Because enjoying a drink is a sensory experience. It is a moment that should entice your eyes, set your taste buds alive and put a smile on your face.

I know not everyone has my gift for finding a fabulous flavor (you’re probably that amazing  chef I envy so much), Schweppes has created a virtual cocktail mixing experience where you can come and mix it up. Located at Southern Cross Station from now until November 4^th, from 7am-7pm each day, you can come and create your own cocktail sensation.

In a virtual reality experience, you get to pick a Schweppes product and a selection of fruit, that the very clever virtual bartender will then mix up your own personalized recipe for you to take away and impress your friends with. But that’s not all..

While you’re getting your mix on, the Schweppes virtual cocktail bar will take your photo that can be uploaded to Facebook and tagged, giving you the chance to win all kinds of great Schweppes cocktail prizes – including the major prize of hosting your own Schweppes mixing party!!

So come on down to Southern Cross Station and join the Cocktail Revolution, where you can take home a goodie bag of your own Schweppes mixers and recipes.  I’ll be there on Thursday 20^th October in my vintage cocktail finery to mix it up with you. Who knows – you might even inspire my next cocktail creation!

I’ve had some amazing curries, some delicious laksas and some fabulous seafood on this Malaysian Kitchen taste journey. But what I hadn’t found was some of the simple snacks that I always eat when I’m famished from a day of shopping on the streets of Malaysia. A good Kaya Toast and a Rose Milk drink.  They aren’t the most well known Malaysian food choices over here, but these are the quiet hero foods that to my mind, are a brilliant ice breaker for those who’ve never ventured into this cuisine.

I knew I wasn’t going to find these specialties at your local Malaysian restaurant, so instead I took myself on a lunch date to Old Town Kopitiam in the QV centre in Melbourne’s CBD. Straight from the get go I knew I’d found the place to indulge in my rose milk drink passion. Right behind the bar was a wall wide display of cans containing all the key ingredients for a good Malaysian cafe drink. Milo, Horlicks, evaporated milk.. and loads of grass jelly.

My rule for ordering drinks in any Asian eating establishment is to try the version with as many things in the description that I’ve never heard of and can’t pronounce. It’s like playing roulette with your palette. It doesn’t always work out but when it does… oh boy! And that’s how I met the Rose Milk drink with Grass Jelly and the simple and yummy, Kaya Toast.  These are two perfect snack partners, and with Old Town being located right above all the QV shopping boutiques, it is the perfect mid afternoon solution for me.

Given that I can’t live on bread alone, I also ordered a couple of main dishes for lunch to perk me up. A chicken with “red sauce” and fried chicken with jasmine rice and a papadum on the side. Notice the Indian influence? I sure did when I tasted the red sauce! The serving size was quite generous for the $9.00 price tag, but like all food that is served within one minute of you ordering it, isn’t really the freshest. The chicken with red sauce was quite delicious, a nice mango and chilli tang on whole pieces of chicken on the bone. I’ll admit I’m not sure I really got the full experience of that dish as eating chicken off the bone with chopsticks is a little beyond my skill level and eating with my hands is a total no with my nails!

The fried chicken, I’m sorry to say, was a sad disappointment. I hadn’t realised at the time of ordering that these dishes were pre-cooked, and hence quite dried out and unappetising. Compared to the Ayam Kapitam fried chicken I’d had during a previous dining experience, this just didn’t make the grade and I left most of it untouched.

Even though my main meal was somewhat disappointing, those two treats that had drawn me to Old Town, the Kaya Toast and Rose Milk drink, were exactly what I needed.  Combined with the decor, certainly the best I’ve encountered on my Malaysian Kitchen experience, I could see myself heading back to try out the rest of the drinks menu.  I’d like to try their cook to order menu and compare that to the quality of the ready serve, but I’m only going to do that if I happen to be at QV on foot. Why? Because the parking at QV is $20 for an hour! So if you’re looking for a yummy way to round off an afternoon’s shopping, I’d suggest grabbing a bite of Kaya toast and playing drinks roulette at Old Town Kopitiam.

Restaurant – Old Town Kopitiam Mamak, Level 2, Shop 11, QV Square

Ambience – Great, modern decoration with authentic touches including the wall display of milo and horlicks tins! Clientele of shoppers and students on breaks.

Average price for mains – $11.00

Value for money – Okay. Given that the quality of the ready serve was on the not so flash side of things, that may balance out with the cook to order. For entree, drink and main serving for one it came to $17.00. More than I’d like to pay for a simple work day lunch, but that does include a $4.00 serving of Kaya Toast.

Pros – Fantastic drinks menu and great classic snack and breakfast foods like half boiled eggs and toast.  Really nicely decorated, spacious and good service.

Cons- Remember some of the menu selections are ready cooked, so if you are eating later in the day between main meal times as I did, it may not be the best.  Parking at QV is $20 per hour, so this is one place best visited on foot.

Being a Malaysian Kitchen Insider has been a fantastic way to discover lots about Malaysian cuisine, but also to explore the city around me.  On Saturday, we finally visited the aptly named ‘Malaysian Kitchen’ restaurant in Doncaster.  I’d driven past this one so many times and wondered what it was like, because from the street, it has a fantastic appeal.  It has a look about it that reminds me of being in Singapore, dining out at night on those warm tropical evenings.  With a big bull nosed verandah, great lighting and a warm vibe, there is something about this place that makes you want to bring all your buddies and sit there eating and drinking till midnight on a warm Spring evening.

(Thanks to Miss 7 for her photo skills in this portrait.)

The one overriding thing about this particular restaurant was the level of service – exceptional!  The staff were so friendly and attentive, paying attention to everything and anticipating your needs. It is a slightly odd, but good combination of one step above a cafe vibe, but not full on restaurant; yet the wait staff’s level of service would have been quite suited to a good restaurant. Certainly better than I have encountered in some of the more expensive Melbourne restaurants for sure.

The choices and selections of food were ample, with a more true Malay and also Indian influence rather than the often seen Chinese. But the measure of a good Malaysian restaurant is it’s laksa.

Mmmmm… good! Really fresh ingredients, nothing watery or frozen; moderately spicy and with a perfect combination of seafood that wasn’t all filler.  The only thing I felt was missing was the ginger flower I’d been spoilt with at Laksa Me at the beginning of this taste journey.  This Laksa was rich and full bodied, but was missing that vibrant lift that the ginger flower gives.  But at the end of the day, each dish ordered was tasty, well presented and quick to arrive. Combine that with the affordable price point, $60 for four people, the great service; and I think I may have found a new local favourite!

It was the little things about Malaysian Kitchen that really impressed me. The waiter that brought new chopsticks before they’d even hit the ground, the tea was refilled before any indication was given, the staff smiled and were genuinely happy; and then to top it off.. they were playing music by Bobby Darin!

Restaurant – Malaysian Kitchen, 920 Doncaster rd, Doncaster

Ambience – Warm, friendly, relaxed; like a great street cafe you’d find on holidays in Malaysia. Excellent staff!

Average price for mains – $17

Value for money – Tops! A really great dinner for four for only $60. Fast, friendly service and even good music. It has a bar and serves good coffee. One of those great places to go with friends after a movie and hang out till all hours.