- CLOSED - The winner of my giveaway is Lesley Walsh - Merry Christmas and congratulations.
As an Australian, one of the biggest challenges I face in the festive season is the heat.
I know my Northern hemisphere readers have their own challenges but they don't have to cook a turkey in a heatwave, they don't have to panic because they can't fit everything in the fridge and they certainly don't have to worry about the roof of their gingerbread house sliding off because the icing has melted.
One the other hand they don't eat cherries and mangoes for breakfast, they probably don't wake to the sound of cicadas singing and their Christmas morning probably doesn't involve a trip to the beach to test drive new flippers, or a surfboard. Our Christmas traditions are no less important but they are well less known.
If an American came to Australia they'd likely have a fish out of water Christmas My novella - Snowbound is the story of an Australian girl Zara who finds herself stranded in Colorado for Christmas and she throws herself into all the activities a White Christmas would entail. It's a really fun read and I'm giving a copy of Snowbound and the Romancing the Holidays 2 Box Set to a lukcy reader randomly chosen...just comment below and tell me your favourite cocktail.
My own family has a lot of traditions. We put our Christmas tree up the weekend before Christmas because someone (yes-that's me) insists on having a real tree and if we get it too early t would die before Christmas. We always drive to the local Scout Hall and but our tree from the Scouts. (Two years ago I had the cutest Girl Guide sell me my tree and before she did so she leaned in close to the tree, listened to it's trunk and said "This tree chooses you!" I feel like that child and I should have been life-long friends.)
Another thing my family does a lot at Christmas is entertain. We love having people over. We have a huge party the weekend before Christmas for fifty to sixty of our closest friends. I think we're up to maybe out thirteenth one now. Think lots of kids, an outdoor movie, water pistols and ridiculous amounts of food.(I'm famous for my over catering). I do a baked ham and the classic Australian sausage sizzle, we do spaghetti and meatballs for the kids, my husband makes paella and there's a make your own ice-cream sundae bar for the kids. It's big crazy, chaotic fun and we love it.
Every year I make a signature cocktail. I've done a few over the years and the best on yet was a champagne comsopolitan...how could that not be amazing? Champagne and a cosmo in one cup, has to be awesome!
Here's my recipe:
Champagne Cosmopolitan
Don't forget to enter to win the Grand Prize of on the Coastal Christmas Blog Hop and enter my giveaway for a copy of Snowbound and Romancing the Holidays 2 by telling me your fave cocktail!
As an Australian, one of the biggest challenges I face in the festive season is the heat.
I know my Northern hemisphere readers have their own challenges but they don't have to cook a turkey in a heatwave, they don't have to panic because they can't fit everything in the fridge and they certainly don't have to worry about the roof of their gingerbread house sliding off because the icing has melted.
One the other hand they don't eat cherries and mangoes for breakfast, they probably don't wake to the sound of cicadas singing and their Christmas morning probably doesn't involve a trip to the beach to test drive new flippers, or a surfboard. Our Christmas traditions are no less important but they are well less known.
If an American came to Australia they'd likely have a fish out of water Christmas My novella - Snowbound is the story of an Australian girl Zara who finds herself stranded in Colorado for Christmas and she throws herself into all the activities a White Christmas would entail. It's a really fun read and I'm giving a copy of Snowbound and the Romancing the Holidays 2 Box Set to a lukcy reader randomly chosen...just comment below and tell me your favourite cocktail.
My own family has a lot of traditions. We put our Christmas tree up the weekend before Christmas because someone (yes-that's me) insists on having a real tree and if we get it too early t would die before Christmas. We always drive to the local Scout Hall and but our tree from the Scouts. (Two years ago I had the cutest Girl Guide sell me my tree and before she did so she leaned in close to the tree, listened to it's trunk and said "This tree chooses you!" I feel like that child and I should have been life-long friends.)
Another thing my family does a lot at Christmas is entertain. We love having people over. We have a huge party the weekend before Christmas for fifty to sixty of our closest friends. I think we're up to maybe out thirteenth one now. Think lots of kids, an outdoor movie, water pistols and ridiculous amounts of food.(I'm famous for my over catering). I do a baked ham and the classic Australian sausage sizzle, we do spaghetti and meatballs for the kids, my husband makes paella and there's a make your own ice-cream sundae bar for the kids. It's big crazy, chaotic fun and we love it.
Every year I make a signature cocktail. I've done a few over the years and the best on yet was a champagne comsopolitan...how could that not be amazing? Champagne and a cosmo in one cup, has to be awesome!
Here's my recipe:
Champagne Cosmopolitan
- 250ml (1 cup) cranberry juice
- 2 tablespoons Cointreau liqueur
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 6 sugar cubes
- 750ml pink Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled
- Frozen cranberries to decorate (optional)
- Step 1
- Step 2
Combine the cranberry juice, Cointreau and lime juice in a small jug. Place a sugar cube in each serving glass. Pour the cranberry mixture over the sugar. Top with Champagne or sparkling wine and serve immediately. Throw a couple of frozen cranberries in each glass to decorate (also helps keep it cool).
Don't forget to enter to win the Grand Prize of on the Coastal Christmas Blog Hop and enter my giveaway for a copy of Snowbound and Romancing the Holidays 2 by telling me your fave cocktail!
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