Every New Year I make a list of things I want to achieve.  Goals, wishes, ambitions- cool lists of cool things, basically.  I try and do as many as I can but never beat myself up if they stay on the list.

MULLED WINE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bottle red wine
• 60g brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• grated nutmeg
• 1 orange, halved
• 60ml Cointreau 

METHOD

1. Heat everything except the Cointreau gently until the sugar has dissolved. Taste to see if you want the wine sweeter, and add more sugar to taste.
2. Off the heat, stir in the Cointreau.
3. Strain into heatproof glasses and enjoy immediately!  

 The best gingerbread houses, ever,
 Entertaining friends,
 Making new things- festive French Canadian Tourtiere


Its also good jam on croissants, bucks fizz in the morning, wearing your PJ's all day, wrapping paper frenzies, turkey wellington and Australian Ice Cream Pudding with hot chocolate sauce, watching Christmas movies and chatting to family on Skype.  It's Christmas and I love it!

So tell me, what is your Christmas?

I have been a little blog tardy of late and honestly I could go down the apology route but I feel its best just to say that I have been very much enjoying the food and drink of the festive season and that is never a bad thing!
The festive season can be a joy and a kitchen shattering nightmare all at the same time.  You invite way more people than you would normally, you make things you would never normally make and you do it all whilst sipping way too much wine.  While I am not about to start giving you tips on how to be the perfect host and prepare the perfect food I instead offer you some cheats that may make your life easier.

TOP CHRISTMAS CHEATS & TIPS FROM LIFE WITHOUT LEMONS

1. Who has time to peel potatoes on Christmas Day??  Peel them the day before and cover them with cold water and leave them somewhere cool till you need them.  
2. Stick a sliver spoon into the neck of a champagne bottle to stop the contents going flat.  It will stay fizzy for about a day.
3. The colder the champagne bottle the less likely it is to explode when you take out the cork.
4. Store fresh ginger in vodka.  It will improve the flavour of the vodka and the ginger!
5. Lemons and oranges give more juice if soaked in hot water first.
6. When buying a fresh tree, give it a shake.  If lots of needle drop its an old tree!  
7. Extended your table and don't have a tablecloth big enough?  Just use a clean, ironed bed sheet. 
8. You can prolong the burning life of a candle by putting it into the fridge the day before.
9. Wine cools down quicker with the cork removed.
10.  Buy good quality paper plates to save on washing up.
11. Use GLAD Odour Guard bags in your kitchen- no matter what you stick in them, your kitchen will smell fresh and parties have a habit of creating lots of smelly waste  Nobody wants a smelly kitchen, get some of these- they really are fab and work a treat!

Ready and prepared to handle even your smelliest kitchen garbage, this bag helps neutralize the worst trash odours. And with the Easy-Tie®closure you just tie, grab, toss, and you’re done.

GLAD® Easy-Tie® bags have four flaps designed for easy closing, making even the fullest bags simple to lift and carry.




So party happy this Christmas with a few cheats and don't forget that a happy host should probably have a gin and tonic never too far away from them!