Buying Awesome Gifts for Men

A friend phoned me last week as she pulled into the shopping centre car park to ask my advice for a gift for her man. This is not the first time it’s happened to me. It’s true, I love gifts; giving and receiving.

My Mum owned a beautiful gift store where I worked for many years, so perhaps my love of gifting was learned from her, or it may be that I know my guy so well that I feel I have a tiny insight into what blokes dig.

The budget is sometimes lean, sometimes flush but the key is to be prepared. If you are organized well ahead of time you have time to save, order online or have something customized. You need not spend a fortune, it’s often the very inexpensive or free things that are most treasured. If you plan well, though, you might be able to splash out. Tucking away a measly $5 each week is enough to surprise him with something really lovely once his birthday spins around for another year.

We all have so much ‘stuff’ these days, and let’s face it, if your Mister needs a new shirt he just goes and buys it so gifting can get tricky. And you know he’s never going to throw that crusty, old wallet away so don’t bother.

I’m just going to come right out and say it. Blokes love ‘kit’. They love a bit of gear. If he has a hobby, the hard work is done for you. You just have to listen (I know it’s sometimes easy to switch off) because they are dropping hints all the time without even knowing.

Whether he's your brother, lover or friend, here are my top ten awesome gift ideas for men to inspire you.

 1. Cool cameras

There are some seriously cool cameras for Mr Adventure.

Contour Roam2

Go Pro $199.99

It takes 5MP stills and HD video. Features built-in WiFi for use with their app on your smart phone. Mounting accessories available. Widely available in Australia both online and in stores like Rebel Sports.

Contour Roam2

NEW! Waterproof video and still camera. It’s small and there are loads of accessories available to clip them to handlebars, helmets and boards.

2. Super Dooper Pen

Meisterstuck Classique Ball Point $540

"zzz...zzzzz" I hear you snore. Quality makes a real impact gifting for businessy blokes. A Mont Blanc pen poking out of his business shirt oozes sophistication and a Mont Blanc pen is an enduring piece he will treasure forever. Perfect for a very special gift occasion. 

Large Shell kit-holder $84.95

3. Man bags and cases

Dudes need cool bags for everything from their lap tops and tablets to luggage for travel and the gym.

Moleskine have a range of ‘shells’ to house most anything. They call their Large Shell “The kit-holder for the contemporary nomad”. Indeed. A very cool and handy case for keeping all his cords and adapters in one location for travel.

And try Crumpler bags for backpacks, messenger bags, luggage and camera bags. They are funky, sturdy and come with a lifetime warranty (yep!). An Australian company, great range, superior quality, design and workmanship.

4. Noise Cancelling Headphones

QuietComfort® 3
Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones
RRP $449

For the traveler or commuter, noise cancelling headphones are a life changer. A flick of a switch either dulls noise around you so you can rest in silence or play your music with no interfering noise. They now also come with an Apple devices cord with a remote and microphone so you can take phone calls and control your music. These are no ordinary headphones and will be particularly appreciated by frequent flyers.

5. Cufflinks

Polli Cuff Links $49.95

For special occasions, if not every other day at the office, he will wear a French cuff and needs to own at least one set of cufflinks. From inexpensive to customized, find them at menswear stores, department stores, etsy and online. I love this wooden set from Polli.

Leatherman Squirt $79.95

6. Knives

Blokes love pocket knives. Some pocket knives are hobby specific – mountain bikes, hunting, etc. I hear you say “He’s already got one”. Yes, he wants more.  Leatherman tools are top quality and there is an amazing range. Readily available online and in outdoor stores like Anaconda and BCF.

7. Commuting Beverage Kit

Joco Glass Coffee Cups $24.95

Whether he rides, drives, walks or flies to work, eco friendly beverage gear will be appreciated. Stainless steel water bottles (SIGG Traveller $31.90) are a fantastic, take-anywhere gift. 

For the supreme coffee snob, may I suggest glass commuter mugs with silicone, splash proof lid and thermal sleeve. Get one for yourself too, they’re really lovely to drink from and the glass does not alter the taste of the coffee…ok…I’m a coffee snob.

Geneva Sound System $299

8. Travel Speakers

Portable bluetooth speakers are everywhere right now. My hot tip is the Geneva Sound System Model XS. I’m not going to get technical on you. All you need to know is that it’s small, is in it's own protective case, has a good battery life and crystal clear sound. Super for the travelling man as it has a clock display. He can use it in the shed, in a hotel room and camping, connecting with his smart phone, tablet or other bluetooth enabled device to access his own music or the radio. Super cool. 

9. Torches 

Maglite from $29.95

Not just for the outdoors type, though there are many torches and lanterns for those dudes. A decent head lamp is essential for getting splinters out of your kids' feet (this happened in our house tonight...true). I am also a huge fan of the whopping Maglite under the bed for times when Mr Sensible is away should there be a power outage or to investigate when our labrador decides it's appropriate to bark at possums at 2am and scare the b'jinkers out of me.  Readily available at outdoor, department and hardware stores and online. 

10. Get creative! 

Do something sentimental – picture, special drawing, poem.  “I can’t draw”, I hear you say. Waa waa. That may be true but can you write? Sing? Cook? Gifts needn’t always cost money. A slideshow of pictures of you together for the last year with a song he loves, a picnic at a location he doesn’t have to select nor prepare for with a few of his favourite treats, time….give him some 100% self indulgent free time. Young Dads will particularly appreciate the gift of time.

Have you got any great gift ideas? I'd love to hear from you. 

Happy gifting!

Brownies - I've got a secret

The Best Brownies

"You could sell these!"


I have heard it so many times about the recipe I am about to share. 


Do you suffer from brownies that don't quite look like the pictures?  A bit gooey with a crispy top? That's not why you baked! You wanted fudgy, beautifully presented, gorgeous little squares of calorie laden goodness, right? ('Right!')


I've got a secret and one word for you....


Refrigerator. 


Get those damn brownies out of the oven, don't even think about touching them. Let them cool for an hour and bung them in the fridge for at least 4 hours. 


Yep. That's it. The secret is out. 


Leave those babies to cool overnight and the next morning they will slice beautifully into neat squares and taste....sing it with me.....d i v i n e !!!  ('la la laaaaa!')


You also need a decent recipe. There's no point putting all that effort and time into it if they aren't going to taste sensashe, right? ('Right!')


I've been making this recipe and variations for well over a year and having tried many - yes, including Nigella's - this one is the best. I originally got the recipe from a lovely lady I met through Twitter who is a truly amazing cook, Jacqui. Her website is www.everydaycook.com.au. I switch it up every now and again with different flavours which I've also suggested below. Just make it and please tell me what you think. 


I know you've heard it all before, but these are only going to turn out as good as the butter and chocolate you buy, so splash out and get the gear you'd happily eat, not 'cooking chocolate'.

THE BEST BROWNIES

250 grams Milk Chocolate

250 grams Dark Chocolate

250 grams of unsalted butter

4 eggs

1 ½ cups of castor sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

1 cup of plain flour (or almond meal if you're gluten free)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan forced). 

Prepare a slice tin with baking paper. 

Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave or over double boiler until runny. Stir in vanilla essence and set aside to cool a little. 

Beat eggs and sugar until thick and stir in the chocolate mixture. Add the flour and stir to combine well. 

Spread the batter into the baking tin and bake for 35 mins. 

When ready, the surface should look flakey. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature for an hour or so. Place in fridge to cool completely - at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Cut and serve when cooled. 

Keep refrigerated. They freeze really well for when guests drop in. 20 mins out of the freezer and they thaw easily. 

Some nice variations to try:

• Add a cup of lightly toasted nuts at the same stage you add the flour - chopped walnuts or macadamias are beautiful. 
• Add orange zest when you add the vanilla - just a hint of jaffa in the end product. 
• Add raisins at the flour stage - just adds nice, sweet texture. 

Truly, the options are endless once you have this base recipe. 

Knock yourself out. 

Enjoy :)

Raw Brownie

Hello! This is a super quick post as I'm feeling a bit busy to be blogging, but want to share this ripper of a recipe.

In a quest to satisfy my chocolate requirements while trying to eat a paleo diet I have finally landed on a recipe that, while it's not quite chocolate, does go one step closer than my last post, I Can't Believe it's not Chocolate. Here's that one.... http://sensiblespice.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/i-cant-believe-its-not-chocolate.html

The crux of this recipe was taken from another recipe blog by a Twitter pal, Rhubarb Wine, although altered it slightly as I prefer no 'bits' in my brownie/fake chocolate, thank you very much. You can follow Rhuie on Twitter here https://twitter.com/#!/rhubarbwhine 

This recipe is sugar free and it's dairy free. Win!

I found organic medjool dates at a major supermarket. Win!

Raw Brownie

2 cups medjool dates (ie. fresh, smooshy dates, not from a packet)

1 cup raw cacoa

2 cups walnuts

Deseed dates. 

Blitz walnuts in food processor as finely as you can. (I have a Thermomix and milled them for 20 seconds on speed 10)

Add cacao to walnuts and blitz to mix. 

With the motor running (speed 5 or 6 on your Thermo) add a date at a time. When they're all in, give it a good whizz up to combine. 

It should look crumbly but hold together when pressed. 

Press into a square 20cm cake tin lined with baking paper and chill for a few hours. 

Cut when very cold and store in the fridge. 

Enjoy with reckless abandon! 

Mixed and crumbly, going in to the slice tin.
This tin was too big. I suggest you use a 20cm square. 

Pressing the mix with my favourite Tupperware scraper thing. 

Enjoying the treat with a coffee.
Ok, I rushed the milk pouring.
It should have been a heart but ended up looking a bit like a bum :)

I Can't Believe it's not Chocolate

Dairy free, sugar free chocolate – yes, it can be done!

I’m trying to eat Paleo. It’s hard. I love sugar, I love food, I love bread, but it doesn’t love me. You can go and Google about the Paleolithic lifestyle, but for the purpose of introducing this recipe, I’ll just let you know the very basic ‘rules’ – nothing refined and no grains. That's right, no rice, no wheat, no sugar. It’s not so much a diet to lose kilos (although that can be a pleasant side effect), but about health and digestion and giving your body what it was designed to metabolise. I’ve only been trying it for 4 weeks about 80% of the time as I just can’t seem to give up my 5pm G&T nor glass of vino with dinner, but I certainly feel lighter, though I don’t own scales. It’s made my skin clearer, given me loads more energy and helped me sleep better.

The meals are the easy part. I love meat and salad/veges – no complaints. My difficulty is my sweet tooth, love of chocolate and snacks. Reaching for the container of dried apricots or raw nuts just doesn’t cut it for me day-in-day-out.

Someone my husband works with had some of this ‘chocolate’ and I believe she subscribes to the Paleo lifestyle so I thought I’d give it a go when she was kind enough to share the recipe. I needed it sweeter than her original guide so tweaked it a little.

If you are a normal, chocolate eating person, you will hate this, but if, like me, you have deprived yourself of chocolate, this is a DELICIOUS treat. Some of the ingredients might sound weird, but honestly you can get everything at the health food store.

Paleo Friendly Chocolate

200g raw cacao

80g goji berries

150g raw mixed nuts

120g sultanas

50ml Manuka honey

80ml coconut oil

1tbsp boiling water

Process dry ingredients as finely as you can.

Add honey, oil and water.

Process to combine and pour into a 20cm, lined, cake tin.

Refrigerate 4 hours to set and cut into bite sized pieces.

Keep in refrigerator. 

Toddler Chow Mein

As I wiped down half my dining room and kitchen tonight after our toddler threw what was left of his dinner around the room in two faster-than-lightening arm swoops, I shook my head at ever thinking he would sit quietly at the table and yum down whatever my husband and I were eating for dinner. This is very much NOT the case.  Not only have I got a fussy eater but I have a very, very messy one.

I worry he doesn’t get enough iron as he dislikes meat so I have made it a personal quest to hide red meat in his food.

There are two recipes I have been able to do this with – Chicken Chow Mein (now Veal Chow Mein) and Tuna Bake (now Veal Bake – I know….gag-a-rama but he loves it).

The original Chow Mein recipe came from his day care centre. Every time they serve it for lunch, apparently he eats several bowls. So I asked the Cook for her recipe and she obliged. I set about customising it to make it more iron rich and here it is, Mamas and Papas. Of course, you can use chicken mince and in fact it is much tastier that way, but this is all about increasing my kid’s iron.

I am very fortunate to have a Thermomix to do all my chopping/grating/crushing, but this recipe makes a bucket load so is well worth all the chopping board work. I tend to make a batch (sometimes double) and freeze in containers filled with around 4 meals worth, then dish it out and microwave it.

Toddler Chow Mein

Toddler Chow Mein

2 tbsp oil (rice bran, sunflower, peanut, vege – not olive)

500g minced veal (or chicken or pork or a combo)

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, finely diced

2 carrots, grated or peeled into ribbons

1/8 cabbage, shredded

1 celery stalk, finely diced

1 zucchini, grated

1/8 cup soy sauce

½ teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon corn flour

2 cups water

Chinese noodles

Cook noodles to packet directions, rinse in cold tap water and set aside.

Heat oil in a large saucepan or stockpot and cook onions until soft.

Increase heat. Add curry powder and fry for 30 seconds before adding meat to brown.

In a jug, mix water with cornflower and soy sauce. Add to browned meat.  Stir, then add veges.

Pop a lid ajar onto saucepan, reduce heat to minimum setting and allow to cook until veges are tender (around 15 mins).

Taste, I sometimes add ½ teaspoon of sugar and/or salt.

Add cooked noodles, mix through and serve.

I make carrot ribbons with my grater but you might have one of those fancy twisty vege cutter things :)

 I use these Pandaroo noodles but any would be ok. 

I'd love to know what you think if you try it and if you have any tips from personal experience with your own fussy eater. 

Weet Bix Slice

My toddler has a sweet tooth and loves biscuits, slices and all things fruity, except for most actual fruit! I am always on a quest to make healthier sweets than those bought in the supermarket and this one is a hit. 

I developed this recipe after a google search for Weet Bix Slice only revealed very chocolatey, sugary slices containing very few Weet Bix. 

It's not just for kids, of course. It's a lovely treat for morning or afternoon teas or with a cuppa after dinner. 

Healthier Than Most Weet Bix Slice

8 Weet Bix, well crushed
1 cup wholemeal SR flour (you could use white SR flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tablespoons Akta-Vite, Milo or cocoa

1 cup sultanas

125g butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (use essence if you must)

Preheat fan-forced oven to 170c.
Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a separate jug, combine butter, eggs, milk and vanilla.
Add wet into dry ingredients and mix well. Spread into a slice tin lined with baking paper.

Cook for 25 minutes.

Keep it in the fridge for up to a week, if it lasts that long! 

Please try it and let me know what you think.

combined dry ingredients 

mixed and ready for the slice tin

straight from the oven

yum! enjoy

Kiddie Sushi

I know the thought of making sushi is daunting to many and you may ask “why make it when you can buy it?”. As always, the answer for me is purity. If you make it at home you know how fresh it is and what it contains.  It is really not much more complex than making a sandwich once you know how. Lots of the components can be made over a matter of days, if you wish.  Sushi does not have to mean raw ingredients. I never use sashimi although my fishmonger stocks it.

I used to buy avocado rolls for my son to chomp on while we did our shopping but after I had a nasty bout of sushi induced food poisoning I am now very cautious.

Here are some great benefits of feeding sushi to your little people:

Nori (the dried seaweed sheet) is rich in iodine, iron, protein and vitamin A. It is also a good source of vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and riboflavin (B2). It is a true 'super food'.

Fillings can be whatever you like and are as nutritious as you make them. Toddlers may prefer softer fillings like:

• canned salmon or tuna mixed with a little cream cheese (add spanish onion for the parents!)
• avocado with a dash of lemon juice
• cooked sweet potato wedge (either roasted the night before or steamed in the microwave)
• mashed egg with mayo

They make a nice change for lunches for parents too filled with cooked chicken, avocado, cucumber, lettuce or anything you like. An added bonus is that nori is virtually calorie free.

We love sushi and all things Japanese, so these sushi rolls are often in our cooler bag when we head out of the house. Let me know if you try them.

Here’s how you do it...

1 cup medium grain rice (washed in a colander until the water runs clear)

1 ½ cups tap water

1 pkt nori sheets

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

(the last two ingredients can be substituted with “sushi seasoning” which you will find in a glass bottle in the supermarket – I like making it from scratch as it’s easy)

Fillings of your choice

some of the things you'll need

Combine rice and water and cook using whatever method you’re comfortable – in the microwave, on the stove or in your rice cooker – it doesn’t matter. I cook it in the microwave on 80% for 8 minutes with a lid ajar.

To prepare sushi seasoning, add vinegar and sugar to saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool slightly. This can be done ahead of time and kept in the fridge for weeks.

Trasfer rice to a shallow glass dish (I use a large pyrex baking dish) and spread out to start cooling. Splash over sushi seasoning, either homemade or from a bottle. How much you use depends on your personal taste but for this amount of rice I would use around 40ml or a couple of decent splashes.

Fan the rice to cool it quickly. This is important. It’s stops the rice cooking and becoming gluggy and give it a lovely sheen. Allow it to cool for 10-15 mins. Yes, you can stop fanning it after a few minutes!

Get a bowl of water close by as you’ll be constantly wetting your hands to handle the rice.

Place a nori sheet, rough side up, on a bamboo mat.

With wet hands smooth two good handfuls of rice onto the nori leaving an inch at the top free.

thin layer of rice leaving the top edge free

Add your filling and roll by taking the edge closest to you and forcing it around with your mat. Before you roll it up wet the free edge with your dampened finger.  Continue rolling and use the mat to roll it on your board to make a nice round shape. Wrap in cling film and add to fridge. Proceed until your rice is used.

filled with canned salmon and a strip of cucumber, ready to roll (so to speak!)

roll the closest edge away from you, squeezing the ingredients around slightly as you roll

looks like something you'd see on Border Security! 

Allow to set in the fridge for at least 20 mins (this softens the nori). Either cut into pieces or in half if your toddler prefers to hang on and chomp.

Snack time!