It's the middle of May in Sydney and the weather is sunny and carefree. It should be cold, but it's not. It's the type of sunshine that seeps into the bones and thaws your being from the inside out. On the kitchen counter there's freesias and poppies in scarlet reds, brilliant yellows and soft blush pinks emitting a fragrance sent from the gods. Most of the petals have fallen carelessly around the base of the vase and are too pretty to discard. Life is good and I'm feeling chilled-out. It's times like these that you feel inspired to get into the kitchen and create. 

In a vain attempt to keep the Summer rolling we thought we would make some tempura prawns (shrimp) with scallops and sit outside to capture the rays. I love tempura. The yummy crunchy bits of flavour that hang onto your taste buds. Not mixing the batter thoroughly is the trick to increasing the crunch. More batter blobs = more crispy bits. The dipping sauce has an Asian influence using soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and fresh ginger to add that extra zing

A big thank you to Trish Stack for recipe development and styling

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I don't know about you, but we're always on the hunt for our lip balm. Mysteriously, in the wee hours of the night they seem to escape from the bowels of a handbag to the floor of the car to the pocket of your favourite jacket. Stealthy lip balm. So what do we do? We lovingly make our own encased in a locket (or small containers) and chain it to our pretty necks. This way you can make enough lip balm to be at hand when you need desperate lip relief

We used two fragrances; lemon and spearmint essential oil combined with coconut oil as a base. The combination is a smell sensation. We also added a small amount of lipstick to give a slight blush to the lips

Check out our diy solid perfume lockets too!

We purchased the cosmetic grade beeswax and Shea Butter from Newtons Pharmacy in the heart of Sydney but you can buy all your ingredients on Amazon. I've decided to add a few lockets (as featured here) to my Etsy shop if you're interested or you can print them out yourself or see link at the end of the article

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We have a tendancy to purchase a charcoal roasted chicken for dinner when life is too crazy to prepare a meal and you simply run out of time. I'm sure you're the same (unless you're vegetarian!). So cooking a whole chicken isn't something that I usually do. Tonight I wanted to give it a try with a bit of added punch... adding sage and garlic and BUTTER

I'm into sage at the moment as it's the only herb that grows in abundance in my somewhat unloved herb patch. I have a few varieties in various shades of gorgeous deep olive greens to blue greens. When picked, you can gently rub the leaf to release the oils and fill your nostrils with a sublime aroma

With this recipe I've butterflied the chicken which sounds difficult but it's not, I promise. It simply means cutting out the backbone. This way the chicken lays flat when baking, cooks more evenly and faster. Here's a good video on how to do it

If you would like to print out the recipe, see the link to download the pdf for future use!

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To all you wonderful Mum's out there, have a fabulous day! Is it breakfast in bed or a lunch out at a favourite restaurant or a pair of fluffy pink slippers given with love? Whatever is on the menu, enjoy

I was in a daydream when perusing old photos of our travels through France a few years back and thought I would share an image of the flowers for sale at a local produce market in the Champagne district of Reims, 30 minutes out of Paris. It was the most magic day as we were caught up in the hub-bub of the colourful scene before us as we entered the old Roman town. The fruit vendors were busy selling their just-picked strawberries and the flowers were a sea of vibrance and fragrance

In the pursuit of smelly cheeses and foie gras, I picked the truck vendor most frequented by the locals. I figured, if they like it then it must be good. As I waited patiently in line trying to decipher the hand written descriptions into English, I started a conversation with the French lady in front of me. In near perfect English, she explained that she had attended university in Melbourne for a few years as she knowledgeably pointed out the region's best behind the glass facade. After she had been served and I mumbled my way through my order by just pointed and gesturing with my thumb and forefinger as to the portion sizes, the kind elderly owner bundled up my purchases but it was much more than what I had ordered. Apparently the lady had bought me some samples of other cheeses for us to try. How lovely! By the time I turned around to thank her, she had vanished. Let me say, we had the best lunch with crusty baguettes lathered with freshly churned butter, oozing with cheese and cornichons accompanied by a glass of bubbly. It's a day I will never forget