Satvik Foods & a Giveaway!

A little while back, I was fortunate enough to receive this lovely bundle of products to road test by Australian company Satvik Foods.

I am usually a little sceptical when it comes to 'readymade' foods, as I worry about the ingredients and processing, but the Satvik Foods range is a little different. These packets of goodness are pretty straightforward - no nasties, no unpronouncables, no numbers.. just real ingredients. Lentils, quinoa, Ayurvedic spice blends, and salt.

On days when you are short on time and just want to get the food on the table, readymade mixes like these are a Godsend. Preparation of a healthy and delicious meal is made so simple with these mixes - there is no soaking required and they are fool proof! You can follow the packet instructions, or get a little creative and add extra ingredients.

I am in love with the dhal and spice range, in particular, 'Mystic Masala'. For this one, all you have to do is heat a little oil, add the mix, then add chopped tomato, coconut milk and water. Then a short time later you have delicious comforting dhal ready! I love the addition of nigella seeds to the spice blend, it tastes so good. I added a little extra salt, a good squeeze of lemon and fresh coriander (not pictured) and honestly, without any exaggeration, it was the best dhal I have tasted in a longgg time!

The Satvik Foods range is available in many health stores, and online through the Satvik Foods website. But, without further ado, here is the best part...

IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!

To WIN a $30 pack of Satvik Foods, all you have to do is leave a brief comment on this post saying why you would like to try this product range.

This giveaway is open only to Australian residents, and closes on Monday, December 16th at 5pm AEST. Please be sure to enter your name and email address in the comment form to submit a valid entry.

*** This competition has now closed. Congratulations to Sue! ***

Good luck! xx

Win a $50 Byron Bay Cookie Company hamper!

While in Byron Bay recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the Byron Bay Cookie Company's headquarters and retail outlet to learn more about their range of products. I also had the pleasure of sampling some of their delicious baked goods - lucky me! :)

Many of you reading this post will already know about Byron Bay Cookie Company's cookies - they are avaialble in a vast range of flavours and there are plenty of gluten-free options. They can be seen in cafes and coffee carts around Australia, as well as on airlines and in selected department stores both in Australia and the UK. Their products are now also available for purchase through http://www.cookie.com.au/ and http://www.amazon.com/.

The Byron Bay Cookie Company has been around since 1990 and is probably best known for its large, iconic cookies. Nowadays though, there are also the smaller, delicious biscuits from Luken & May, and crispbreads from Byron Bay Gourmet Foods.

My personal favourites are the white choc chunk & macadamia nut cookie, the brand new muesli cookie, as well as the Byron Bay Gourmet Food's wonderful (and Sydney Royal Show gold medal winning) rosemary & sea salt crispbread - great served on a cheese platter. I'm also a big fan of the Luken & May range - great for sharing at home, or a lovely gift when visiting family/friends.

*** GIVEAWAY ***

Thanks to the good people at the Byron Bay Cookie Company, one lucky Diary of a Ladybird reader has the chance to win this wonderful hamper of delicious Byron Bay Cookie Company products, worth $50!

To enter:

1. Simply tell me what your favourite Byron Bay Cookie Company product is by commenting on this post.
2. Then, email me a copy of your comment along with your full name and delivery address to diaryofaladybird[at]gmail[dot]com.

Entries close at midnight AEST July 26 and the giveaway is restricted to Australian residents only (sorry!). The winning entry will be selected by random.

Good luck!

Ladybird x

*** This giveaway has now closed ***

Congratulations to Erin of Gravelly Beach in Tasmania!

The Institute of Cute, Byron Bay (and a giveaway!)

I often get asked about the reasoning behind the name of my blog. People as: Why Diary of a Ladybird? My response is always pretty straightforward - I just love ladybirds.. I always have!

And so given my 'mild obsession', as I call it, it was only common sense that whilst in Byron Bay that I visited The Institute of Cute, often referred to as 'the ladybird shop' by those who have visited it previously. I had heard about this concept store and gallery from a friend last year and was very much looking forward to visiting during my recent trip.

The store and gallery opened in 2007 is the creation of Jane Davenport, a multi-award winning photographic artist and designer with a passion for ladybirds! As Chief Artomologist, Jane's mission is to "create cute and FUNctional design and artwork to make you dream". If you ask me, she is most certainly succeeding in her mission - I was simply blown away by the store!

The front of the store is filled with all sorts of ladybird and bug paraphenalia - clothing, jewellery, placemat sets, pens, toothbrush guards, you name it, it's there - and all designed by Jane herself. Without doubt, I was in ladybird heaven! I hope you can get an idea of what is what like by these pictures...

And towards the back of the store, a beautiful gallery feauturing Jane's latests works, prints and books, as well as art supplies.

So if you're ever in Byron Bay, do stop by and check out The Instiute of Cute - it's worth a visit! Until then, why not check out the website.

And without further delay, it's GIVEAWAY time!

Thanks to Jane Davenport and The Institute of Cute in Byron Bay, one lucky Diary of a Ladybird reader has the chance to win this lovely gift set from the store, including a fold away ladybird bag, ladybird monitor cleaner and signed copy of Jane's book Ladybird Ladybird.

To enter, all you had to do is leave a comment telling me why you love ladybirds (and I'm premusing you do of course!). Then, email me a copy of your comment along with your full name and postal address to: diaryofaladybird[at]gmail[dot]com.

Entries close on Sunday, July 10. This competition is restricted to Australian residents only (sorry!).

This competition has now closed. Congratulations to The InTolerant Chef!

Good luck!

Ladybird x

The Institute of Cute
58 Jonson St, Byron Bay
(02) 6880 8550
http://instituteofcute.com.au/

Pani Puri

Have you ever heard of pani puri?

Pani puri is a popular bite-sized street snack sold by vendors across India, but is also enjoyed in many Indian homes. Crispy deep-fried spheres called puris are tapped open slightly before being filled with a savoury filling and chutney, then quickly dunked in a flavoured water (pani) before being devoured in one mouthful while still crisp. Sometimes sev (a crumbled vermicelli type product) is also sprinkled over the puris before they are eaten.

There are as may variations of pani puri as there are regions of India. People go mad for pani puri in India! I myself have never had it from street vendors in India due to health precautions whilst travelling, however, I have had the pleasure of enjoying it at home with My Ladybird's family on a few occasions. I think this is how it's enjoyed best - a big group of people sitting around the table chatting and busily tapping away at the puris, filling them one by one, devouring them one after the other... I myself can only manage around 10 at the most, but others (*ahem* Mr Ladybird) can just keep going and going!

As Mr Ladybird's family hail from Gujarat, they typically enjoy pani puri in the Gujarati style. I took some pictures of a recent pani puri get together to share with you all. So this is not a recipe post as such, but more of a show and tell, if I may :)

Here are the small puri I mentioned...

And here are the key fillings. At the front - a tangy mixture of cooked potato and boiled dark chickpeas tossed through a spice mixture. To the left, the sweet chutney made from dried mango. And to the back, the wonderfully green water made with loads of fresh mint, fresh coriander and a few other secret ingredients.

Here, my mum-in-law demonstrates how you put each puri together. Here she fills the puri with the potato/chickpea mixture, followed by the chutney...

The pani is then quickly spooned over (or you can dunk it directly into the water)... and down the hatch!

Keen to check out a pani puri recipe? As a starting point, check out this link:

http://www.tarladalal.com/Pani-Puri-2806r

Finally, a quick GIVEAWAY REMINDER for you all. My latest Bakers Delight giveaway is closing this Friday, June 24 so don't forget to enter for your chance to win one of five $5 Bakers Delight vouchers. To enter, click here and follow the instructions: http://diaryofaladybird.blogspot.com/2011/06/flavoured-scones-bakers-delight.html

Stay tuned for upcoming posts on my recent trip to the beautiful Byron Bay - there will also be more giveaways to be won! Oh, how I love giveaways :)

Ladybird x

Flavoured scones - a Bakers Delight Giveaway!

Thanks to the good people at Keep Left PR and Bakers Delight, I recently received a delivery of Bakers Delight's new flavoured scones to my workplace. Just in time for our Friday team meeting, I served them up to my food-loving and willing colleagues to sample.

The 2 flavours we tried were the date scone and the apple strudel scone.

Image courtesy of Bakers Delight

There was resolute consensus in regards to which of the two was best - the date scone. Although an interesting flavour combination, there was debate as to whether or not the apple strudel scone could in fact be considered a scone in the true sense of the word due to its moist and dense texture. Oh how I love my workmate 'guinea pigs', as I call them - they are quite the connoisseurs!

Image courtesy of Bakers Delight

*** GIVEAWAY ***
Thanks to Bakers Delight, readers of Diary of a Ladybird have the opportunity to win one of five $5 Bakers Delight vouchers.

Entries close June 24. This giveaway is restricted to Australian residents only (sorry!)

It's easy to enter! Here's how:

• Simply leave a comment on this post telling me about your favourite type of scone.
• Email me your comment along with your full name and postal address to: diaryofaladybird[at]gmail[dot]com. 

This giveaway has now closed.

Congratulations to Marisol, Carina, Lil, Anne and Angie - you are all winners!

 

Good luck!

Ladybird x

Madame Flavour Giveaway

I do love a good cup of tea during the day - for me, a nice cuppa can make the world of difference when I want to relax and read a book on the weekend.. the week's stress just melts away.. Ahhhhh :)

A little while ago I received some lovely teas to sample from Madame Flavour. Madame Flavour is an Australian tea company that focuses on quality teas produced with a lot of care.

I am more of a herbal tea drinker, so I really enjoyed the Green Jasmine Pear Blend, as well as the White Rose. Both beautifully delicate and easy to drink.

Some friends and I also tried the black tea varieties with interesting combinations such as Earl Grey with Australian Lemon Myrtle. Although the black teas were not as robust as many other black teas on the market, it is great to see the inclusion of native Australian flavours.

These teas aren't your ordinary tea that come in the form of tea bags - these come in a ladylike purse, which is 100% biodegradable (as is the packaging). Madame Flavour tea is also 70% certified organic at present, and is all sourced through fair trade.

Thanks to Madame Flavour, one lucky reader has the chance to win a gift pack of Madame Flavour teas including 5 of the signature blends. All you have to do is leave comment on this post and tell me when and where you love to enjoy a nice cup of tea.

Entries close at midnight AEST on November 30.
This giveaway is restricted to Australian residents only sorry.

*** Congratulations to Shannon of Stepford Secrets ***

To find out more about Madame Flavour teas, check out her gorgeous website: http://www.madameflavour.com/

Giraffe Banquet (& a Giveaway!)

You may remember my recent Reverie Room post and how I told you about the market I visited where College of Fine Arts (COFA) students were selling their beautiful creations. Well here is another lovely label I came across at the market, and I've really been looking forward to sharing this with you all. Introducing Giraffe Banquet!

The faces behind Giraffe Banquet are Andy and Jimmy. They make beautiful food inspired jewellery, feltwork and brooches (which can also be used as pin cushions). As you can see from the pictures, not only is their work gorgeous, but much of it is food inspired!

I had the opportunity to ask Andy and Jimmy about Giraffe Banquet, and here's what they had to say:

How did Giraffe Banquet get started?

Giraffe Banquet was born in the Summer of 2009-2010, in an over-heated shipping container of a studio in semi-rural Annangrove.

Jimmy and I were two lost souls, drifting slowly into the dull whirlpool of having nothing to do, that is the four month long uni break. Our thoughts drifted to summers long ago, of playing video games, eating ice cream and chocolates without a care in the world. Nostalgic memories are oft set upon a balmy summer backdrop. So it seemed appropriate that the birth of our nostalgic wearable treats came upon us in the summertime. We started sewing, we started casting. And we've kept going.

How would you describe your collection?

Whimsical with an edge. Giraffe Banquet has all the sweetness of your first taste of ice cream, but can also come in the form of gun metal silver Barbie hands and Nintendo control pad crucifixes.

How does food inspire your work?
It tastes good.


What's your favourite piece at the moment?
Oh, too many to choose! I am lucky enough to own a silver cast ice-cream necklace made by Jimmy, but I have a very sweet tooth for the Iced Donut brooch pin cushions. I've been wearing a jeweled purple one of late.

How can people find out more about Giraffe Banquet?Giraffe Banquet currently has a blog: http://giraffebanquet.blogspot.com/, email us and we can work directly with you to satisfy your banquet cravings.


So that' s a bit about Giraffe Banquet - watch this space, I say! Those brooches are just so pretty, aren't they?! I just love the strawberries and cream brooch - good enough to eat :)

As part of this post, Giraffe Banquet is offering Diary of a Ladybird readers the chance to win a gift pack containing a few special items from Giraffe Banquet's range, including the ice cream necklace!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. This giveaway is restricted to Australian residents only sorry. Entries close October 26, 2010 at midnight AEST.

*** Congratulations to Hannah of Wayfaring Chocolate ***

Good luck!
 
Ladybird x

Reverie Room & a Giveaway!

Last month I happened to be in Kensington while UNSW Open Day was on. I heard that there were some markets on, and that there would be many College of Fine Arts (COFA) students selling their creative wares at the event. I thought I'd check it out, and I was so glad I did. On the day, however, I did not have my camera on me, but luckily the girls were able to provide me some great shots for you to peruse in this post.

Whenever I visit markets of any sort really, I often feel amazed by the amount of creativity and talent out there. I then often reflect on the fact that such people do not often get the exposure that they perhaps deserve in light of their skills and abilities. So it is in this headspace that I decided to introduce you to this little label I discovered at the market - Reverie Room.

As you will see from some of their creations, there is quite a bit of food inspiration here. Not quite edible, but beautiful nonetheless! Cards, jewellery, felt items, and more...

Berry cakes, anyone?

 

Felt-cake ring  

I asked Jacqueline and Wendy, the creators behind Reverie Room, to tell me about more about the label.

How did Reverie Room get started?


We’ve been designing & making things to sell at our campus’ annual design market throughout our years at uni. Now that we’re almost graduating, we want to get more serious in our designing+making, thus we came up with Reverie Room. It is also a pathway to get our creations exposed to more people outside. We’ve also always been working together on our assignments, so we know that we have built up a good team. The name Reverie Room came up during our tea-time, while chatting about our dreams & ambitions in life. We’re both dreamers, that’s why the name “Reverie Room” fits us well!

How would you describe your collection?

The brooch-frame-card is our first category of cards to fulfill our loves and ambition in creating products for people to share their happiness with their beloved. We also want to pass on our blessings and happiness to anyone who receives our card from their friend. Don’t you think that is a great way to spread the happiness?

The images on the cards are a combination of our snap shoot together with our hand-drawn illustrations. We love photography and we just snap away at beautiful things (especially FOOD), so we thought it wonderful to use some of our favourite photos on our cards.

 

Cards

 

More beautiful cards

Besides the cards, we also have a range of older works. It consists of needle-felted cakes & doughnuts; besides looking tasty, they can be used as brooches or rings. We will expand our needle-felted range – we are considering the possibilities of introducing a limited edition series of ‘blind box’ needle-felted items. Stay tuned for our latest news!

How does food inspire your work?

Both FOOD and DESIGN are two of our biggest loves in life – and they do relate to each other (for us anyway). We always come up with ideas, concepts, get inspired or struck by epiphanies during our dinner-outings, over dessert (our favourite!) or drinks.

What's your favourite piece at the moment?

Jacqueline: My favourite piece is the crane “Good Luck” brooch-frame-card because it has a dreamy feel to it – cranes hanging from the sky, above a cruise ship that would take you to a dreamy surreal land where everything is beautiful (and maybe full of yummy food too!)
As for the needle-felted cakes, my favourite is the blueberry-topped cake, as I like anything with blueberries in/on it!

Wendy: For the cards, “You Are Beautiful” is my choice, which is attached with a flower brooch and a creamy rainbow color tone; the whole combination is light-hearted. I would be touched without doubt regardless who the sender is.

For the felted cakes, as they are my favorites, I love them all! However if I can only choose one of them, I would love to have the one with blueberries topping; they look the most delicious among all!

Mmmm.. blueberries...

How can people find out more about Reverie Room?

We have a group on Facebook – just search “Reverie Room” and you’ll find us. We are also selling our cards on http://www.etsy.com/shop/reverieroomdesign and http://www.reverieroom.bigcartel.com/.


If you have any special requests, ie. custom-made cards, needle-felted items or anything design, feel free to email us at reverieroom.reverieroom@gmail.com

*** GIVEAWAY***

Thanks to Reverie Room, one lucky reader has the chance to win this lovely bundle of items from the label, including a card, needle-felt cake and necklace.

To enter, simply comment on this post! This giveaway is restricted to Australian residents only sorry. Entries close October 13, 2010 at midnight AEST.



This giveaway has now closed. Congratulations to JanJan!

Ladybird x

Naan & Butter Pudding with Rhubarb & Ginger Compote

I've never really liked traditional bread and butter pudding... to be honest the concept has never really appealed to me. I have always felt it is one of those stodgy puddings that has gone out of vogue for a reason. I could be wrong, but that was my impression until I came across this bread and butter pudding with an Indian twist. Here the bread is replaced with naan. I picked up an extra plain naan from our favourite Indian restaurant a couple of days ago, and it waited patiently in the fridge to be transformed into a cosy, comforting dessert.

I came across this recipe while watching an episode of Poh's Kitchen last month. You remember Poh, don't you? She was the runner up on Season 1 of the Australian Masterchef series, the girl with the infectious laugh and big smile :) At any rate, in each episode, she is joined by a guest chef. On this occasion, it was Ragini Dey from South Australian restaurant 'Dhaba'.

I have adjusted this recipe for the use of a medium size naan (about the size of a normal dinner plate). This makes 2 generous size puddings using 1 cup (250ml) capacity ramekins.

Naan & Butter Pudding
1 medium Plain Naan

3 free range eggs
1½ cups milk
½ cup sugar
½ vanilla bean (or ½ tsp vanilla bean paste)
50g butter
Icing sugar for dusting

Rhubarb & Ginger Compote
2 cups cleaned diced rhubarb
½ cup sugar
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
¼ cup water

Heat the milk with the vanilla bean (open out and scrape seeds - use both the bean and the seeds). Separately beat the eggs with sugar till well mixed. Add the butter to the hot milk and let it melt. Cut the Naan into four pieces and place in individual dishes. Strain the milk gradually into the eggs beating vigorously. Top the Naan with milk and egg mixture and let it stand for about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, start on the compote. Add all ingredients together and cook gently until the rhubarb is soft and a thick syrupy chutney is obtained. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Bake the puddings in a moderate oven (180°C) till set and golden brown on top (mine took about 30 minutes). Dust with icing sugar and serve with Rhubarb and Ginger compote. Leftover compote can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

With Spring now upon us in the southern hemisphere, the warming, comforting foods of colder weather are slowly on their way out, soon to be replaced with fresh, summery food. Although I love the flavours and foods associated with warmer weather, I think I'm going to miss dishes like this one. Oh well, there's still a bit of time to squeeze a few more soups, casseroles, bakes and puddings out of the cool weather!

What about you? Are you going to miss wintery food?

Ladybird x

*** Giveaways Announcement ***

The Bakers Delight Giveaway has been drawn! These lucky readers will be receiving their $5 vouchers shortly...
Laetitia, Meegs5, Sam, Von, Ros, Linda V, Ellie, Simon and Kristy

If you are a winner and have not yet received an email from me, please contact me at diaryofaladybird[at]gmail[dot]com providing your name and postal address. Congratulations! :)

My 100th Post & Birthday Giveaway is closing soon, have you entered? The giveaway will be drawn on September 19. Good luck!

Celebrating Diary of a Ladybird's 1st birthday & the 100th post!

It's giveaway time!

Very quietly and discretely, on August 8th, this little blog of mine turned one. Awww... To top it off, this just happens to be my 100th post!

On such an occasion, it is only appropriate that I say thank you to all of you, my wonderful readers. When I first started this little blog I thought, Who's going to read it? Is anyone interested in what I'm blogging about? Then slowly but surely, my readership grew and I started receiving more and more hits and comments. And not visits and comments from friends and family who pity me, but people whom I've never met in my life! So thank you for interest in Diary of a Ladybird; for your encouraging words; for your own blogs that bring a smile to my face; and, for the sense of community that I have found in the blogging network. You are all amazing!

To celebrate Diary of a Ladybird's first birthday and the milestone of my 100th post, I am giving away a copy of 200 Cupcakes by Joanna Farrow.

This is a great little book with loads of beautiful and inspiring cupcake recipes. This book laughs boldly in the face of anyone who dares call cupcakes boring! There are great everyday cupcake recipes, as well as cupcakes for children, adults, special occasions and savoury cupcakes too. I have been using this book a lot recently, including my recent Red Velvet Cupcakes post.

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is become a follower of my blog.
If you're unsure how to do this, click here.

It doesn't matter whether you're based in Australia, the US, Malaysia or... anywhere! You could win :) If you are already a follower, you will automatically be entered into the draw to win.

The winner will be randomly selected on Sunday, September 19 at 10pm AEST.

*** This giveaway has been drawn. Congratulations to Jen of Truffled Pink! ***

Thank you for reading my 100th post. I look forward to bringing you hundreds more to delight your senses :)

Good luck!


Ladybird x