Grand Final Fever!!



So it's official, a Hawthorn and Sydney grand final! Thank goodness Collingwood isn't in there again this year! Now I know who I will be barracking for......go the mighty Hawks!! Now for all of you who are hosting Grand Final parties next Saturday and who are slightly under prepared, I've put together some easy tips and links for putting together a memorable footy party. 

Image courtesy of Party Printables

Now a party isn't a party without a themed party printable! I found these great ones over at Party Printables. For only $14.95 each you could get a Hawks package and a Swans package and mix them up. There are banners included for decorating your party, some drink wraps that are great for wrapping water bottles (or even beer bottles!) and some all important food tags. Which leads me to the menu! No footy party is complete without the traditional footy franks, pies and hot chips. But why not try and gourmet it up a little and try some of these great ideas over at Taste.com.au. Why not try some basil and feta hot dogs, some vegetarian nachos or homemade sausage rolls!

 

Image courtesty of Taste.com.au

 

But no party is complete without something sweet. Now if you don't have time to whip up your own cupcakes using the cupcake toppers in your printables package, why not pop an order in over at Ferguson Plarre for their footy cupcakes! For only $3 a piece, they will be a party favourite.

 

Image courtesy of Ferguson Plarre

Lastly, no footy party is complete without some AFL footy novelties and balloons! Lombard's always have a great range and the great thing is you can buy them all online here.

 

Image courtesy of Lombard's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you all enjoy your Grand Final day......and go the mighty Hawks!!!



Would you like Parmesan with that??

 

With a lot of hype around our Spaghetti Bolognese cake on our Facebook page of late, we thought we would share with you the pictures from the night of night's last week......the Spaghetti Blogonese Grand Finale!

 

It was such an exciting night with Rococco in St Kilda announced as having the best Spaghetti Bolognese in Melbourne. Sarah Pinch, Miss Spaghetti Bolognese herself, put on a fabulous spread at YGAP in St Kilda with all things Italian themed and inspired, where she finally got to announce the winner of her year long search to find the best Spag Bol in town. But following the long awaited announcement, the lime light soon shifted to Meko to reveal the centrepiece of the night, the cake! It was a big hit with all the guests enjoying a yummy slice.
When we were asked earlier in the year if we could create a cake that looked like a bowl of Spaghetti Bolognese we were a little taken back to say the least! Thoughts rushed through our minds of how we would create the pasta, the sauce, the mince and even the Parmesan cheese! One thing was clear though, the bowl would have to sit upon a red and white checked tablecloth that would be the slab of cake. So to work we went creating spaghetti with fondant and a pasta maker and making bolognese sauce out of coco pops and red chocolate!

We must say, it really was a fun cake to make and we were pretty chuffed with the result. Needless to say, not only did it look great, but tasted fabulous too!

Sarah is now to embark on a new blog, Hungry Chica, where she will follow the new craze of Mexican restaurants across Melbourne. Now what sort of cake would be in store for that I wonder?.....perhaps a Taco cake?!! We're up for the challenge!

A big thanks to Sarah for giving us the opportunity to take part in this special event. And lastly a huge thank you to Dani from Spit & Giggle for snapping and sharing these beautiful images......love your work Dani!

A guilt free indulgence!

A long time between blogs I know and I apologise! But rest assure I have been indulging in a little relaxation time this past week, enjoying seven days at a health retreat up north and boy oh boy do I feel better for it!

I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself in to at first, up at 5.30am each morning practising Tai Chi, bush walking, followed by breakfast and full day of activities, healthy living seminars and exercise! Not a holiday for all I can tell you, except those who need it.....like me! But as a 'sweet' little business owner, I was in for a rude shock when day two arrived where I was doubled over with migraines when my detox really set in........we were strictly on a no caffeine, no alcohol, no preservatives, no fat, no meat and of course NO SUGAR diet!  For most the headaches subsided by the third day, but alas for me it was day five! Lucky I was there for seven days however to feel the full benefit. And let me tell you, I feel fantastic and highly recommend this type of holiday to anyone. 

Taking many ideas away from the week I've decided to reserve sugar for 'special occasions' and of course 'quality control testing' in our business only :) So back to reality today I thought I would whip up a batch of low fat and very low sugar muffins. Definitely one to try out, you would be surprised how sweet and good they are.......a really guilt free pleasure. And yes there are a few carbs in them but as I learnt, we do need carbs for our brains! So enjoy :)

Meko's Guilt Free Banana, Date and Apple Muffins

makes 12 

3 small apples, peeled and finely chopped

2 ripe bananas, chopped

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 tbsp walnuts, chopped

2 1/2 cups spelt flour

1 tsp bi carb soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups water

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients with the exception of the water until well combined. Add the water gradually and fold together. If the mixture is too wet add a little more flour. Lightly spray a 12 hole muffin pan with olive oil spray and spoon the mixture into each hole. Bake for 25-35 mins depending on your oven.