Sewing. Motherhood. Domestic Engineering.

  Guest Blog by CartBox   CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs. I remember not too many years ago trying a rum ball for the first time, and wow, I hated it... Now this is a little disappointing as for many people in Australia, rum balls are a must at Christmas, so I always feel a little left out. I have always enjoyed making the rum balls with my mum nearly every Christmas, but of course never eat them myself. A couple of years ago I discovered chocolate balls, they are for all of you out there who don't like the taste of rum balls. However... I went to the bakery last week to sadly discover that they hadn't made them this Christmas. So what did I do? I found an even better tasting recipe! I make no exaggeration that I could eat these everyday and die happy. Not to mention, it's super simple! I did however tweak it to my liking ...

Guest Blog by CartBox   CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs.      I have recently been baking quite a lot of  patty cakes and a lot of my  friends have been asking me for a tutorial to show them how I decorate using icing.  The piping bag I use is a Standard Loyal 2-34 with a size 7 Loyal nozzle, it is the best piping bag I've used so far, it also appears to be the most available  piping bag in my area. The video will give a better example of the technique i use to decorate my patty cakes a nd also has my patty cake and icing recipe.  

Guest Blog by CartBox  CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs. Ever wondered what Christmas cheer smells like? Well wonder no more, for just $1 at any Coles in Australia you can buy Christmas cheer bubble bath! Christmas cheer bubble bath comes in two different smells/colours. The red, which I bought, smells really nice and has cute gingerbread men in a snow globe on the front. The blue smells really gross and has little penguins, and because blue is not a real Christmas colour I refuse to buy it. So everyone, get festive in the tub this year with the smell of Christmas cheer!

Guest Blog by CartBox  CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs. I know this is a pretty common thing to have but surprisingly not that many people  actually know how to make egg and lettuce sandwiches. So because I've been eating these like egg's going out of fashion I thought I'd show everyone how to make them,  because to be honest they're simple to make but pretty damn good. Now this will be a recipe for one full sandwich. I use one egg per sandwich, so if you want more sandwiches, use more eggs. I just make it for myself so one is spot on. Firstly, boil water in a small pot and once boiled, use a spoon to lower the egg into the pot to avoid cracking it. Cook it for 10 minutes. Tip the hot water out of the pot and fill it with cold water. Then after 2 minutes tip that water out and fill it again  with cold water. continue this every couple of minutes unti...

Guest Blog by CartBox   CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs. I recently bought a plant for my bedroom. It's called Baby Panda or  Pogonatherum paniceum. It's a perfect indoor plant and adapts to low light in a bathroom or high light on a window sill. So it seems perfect for my bedroom, but I do take it outside for a daily dose of sunshine because I don't really get any in my bedroom. Baby Panda likes a lot of water, so it likes to sit in a saucer of water. No need to worry about over watering. And t he pot I chose is perfect because you poor the water into a small hole at the back and it feeds back up to the plant.

Guest Blog by CartBox   CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs. Recently found a fantastic brownie tray when I was out shopping and because it was on special I just had to get it! At first I thought the frame in the center was used to cut even slices of brownie, but it's actually used during the cooking process to get the perfect piece of brownie, because the edge piece is always the best! The instructions recommend that you place the brownie tray in another tray because there is a small hole in the base (that gets covered by the edge of the tray) that a runny batter may seep out of, but I didn't have a problem with this because my batter was so thick. I probably didn't choose the best recipe to try the tray out with, but it turned out fine. It was just a bit thick and required some spreading around the pan. There were a few uneven pie...

Guest Blog by CartBox   CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs.   Went shopping at Trade Secret this afternoon and found the cutest ice block molds ever!! They were only $12.95 so I decided now that the weather is getting warmer I definitely need them. They're shaped like the cutest little bugs! It comes with three stands holding two molds each. I filled them up with cordial for my first try and I can't wait for them to be ready. They're well supported and the cutest things ever! I filled them up with cordial for my first try and I can't wait for them to be ready. Instructions 1 - Fill molds to top 2 - Gently lower stick into each mold 3 - Freese molds for 4-6 hours 4 - Run each mold under warm tap water 5 - Gently pull the ice block out of mold 6 - Enjoy!

Guest Blog by CartBox   CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs. So recently I've run out of my favourite  perfume - Glow by JLO a nd unfortunately I haven't been able to find it anywhere. So I had to start looking for a new perfume and with some research I came across one I really liked -  Beyoncé  Heat. So all that was left to do now was to wait for it to come on special. While my sister was in town for a visit, we went to check out what sales were on. I found  Beyoncé Heat on a fantastic special and also found another great smelling perfume that was even cheaper - I ntimately Beckham. So I bought both. I'd have to say Intimately Beckham is my favourite, the smell is more suited to a younger generation, but I still love  Beyoncé  Heat, but tend to save it for special occasions.

Guest Blog by CartBox   CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs. Everyone would be used to the typical Maggi 2 minute Noodles...or maybe the Fantastic 2 Minute Noodles...after a while they all start tasting the same...Not too long ago my friend introduced me to the best instant noodles ever. Hot and Spicy - Shin Ramyun (Korean noodles). You can buy these noodles at any coles or Woolworths and they are super cheap! I can't remember exactly how much but about $1.50. However, if you want the full flavour experience, the Korean way, I suggest that you watch this video -  How to make Korean Ramen.   I'm subscribed to this couple on Youtube, their videos about Korea are fantastic! Generally because of lack of ingredients, I stick to an egg cooked into it (like in the video) and a slice of Coon Cheese on top, which when melted makes the noodles absolutely delici...

Guest Blog by CartBox   CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs. Ever heard of Melon Pan? No, it's not something used or made from a melon. In fact...melon has nothing to do with it so I'm not entirely sure why it's called melon pan. Pan however is Japanese for bread, so it really means melon bread. I guess it's melon bread because it looks a bit like a melon. Anyway, melon pan is basically a sweet bread roll with a biscuit dough crust and covered in sugar. It is absolutely delicious! Unfortunately there aren't any shops where I live that sell melon pan, so I have to make my own. I'm subscribed to the Youtube account Cooking With Dog , a cooking videos by a Japanese lady known as "chef" and she cooks next to a cute dog named Francis who is the host of the show and does the voice over in English, with a French accent. Most of the reci...

Guest Blog by CartBox     CartBox specialises in cooking, baking and all things Asian :) Click the CartBox link to the right to see all of her other guest blogs. I was sifting through some of my favourite Youtuber's videos the other day and a video on how to make chocolate bowls popped up in the related videos list. Thought it sounded pretty interesting so I decided to give it a go. It's rather basic, simply blow up a small water balloon to your desired size and dip them in melted chocolate. (Don't forget to wash and dry the balloons before dipping them in the chocolate). Sit them on a baking tray covered in baking paper (or wax paper), with the knot on top. Doing this will also create a flat base. Leave it in the fridge for about 5 minutes (or until hard) then repeat the process, the double dip will help create a thicker bowl so it wont break. When they're finished simply poke a hole into the thicker part of the...