WE'RE IN AT NUMBER 59! OUR EASTER GOOD FRIDAY....MEET BRIAN, THE NEW MAN IN CATHS LIFE....CHOCOLATE SELF-SAUCING PUDDINGS PLUS CHOCOLATE BUNNIES TO WASH IT DOWN WITH!!...THIS IS A CROQUEMBOUCHE-FREE ZONE!

WELCOME TO NUMBER 59 DOGGETT ST!

Happy Good Friday everyone!  We hope you are having a relaxing start to the 5 day break.

  As I type this, I am sitting at my new desk in our beautiful new showroom at number 59 Doggett St, Fortitude Valley!  Surrounded by boxes and furniture in no real semblance of order yet, but give us a few days and we will have this place looking absolutely gorgeous!

Artwork arrived today thanks to Michael Graham (thats Michael peeking over one of the paintings above) from Gallery 2120 and Steven Dix helping (see below: who is an artist in his own right). We will be showcasing some of his work along with others...very exciting...stay tuned.

The building has been repainted, and signage mounted, gates are up and we have started filling the space out the front with some of our outdoor pots, urns, statues...etc...gosh we even have an Antique Asian trough...every home needs one right?

Here's the inside of the new showroom....pretty chockers...but give the girls a few days and its going to look amazing!

...THE NEW FELLA IN CATHS LIFE...

Yesterday, we welcomed into our lives the lovely Brian.  Cath had been looking to get a dog for some time now and being a fan of the Boxer breed, saw a pic of him on the Pet Rescue website.  After heading to the country to meet him, it was love at first sight.  Brian was an abandoned dog.  He is the most placid, affectionate dog with markings that look like a Tigers.  We are thrilled to welcome him into the Venardos/Charcoal Interiors family!

 The Life of 'Brian'..what a handsome young man he is!

....and this is how we are spending our Good Friday

In between work, we had a feast of Oysters, Prawns, fresh bread and butter...how yummy it was too!  Just because we are at work, doesn't mean we're not having fun, and as usual....eating well.  

CHOCOLATE PUDDING IN A CUP!...AND ITS SO EASY.

Warning!...this is a 'Croquembouche Free Zone

For those who have been following the blog, you will know that we are all about no muss, no fuss and super easy cooking.  Being the busy girls that we are, we just dont have time for recipes that take forever...the Croquembouche looks so very impressive, but thats one dessert we will most likely never tackle.  

However, the Chocolate liqueur self-saucing pudding has our name on it!  My daughter Brooke (who turns 19 tomorrow...Happy Birthday sweetheart...ah a shameless plug) and I have gotten right into making this delicious self saucing pudding and so I just had to share it with you.  We make ours in a coffee cup and microwave for a couple of minutes.  If you opt for the microwave cooking option, just be sure to make a little extra so you can do a test as each cup size varies.

A delicious Easter recipe....enjoy!

Chocolate liqueur self-saucing puddings
Serves 8

1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
1 1/2 cups (240g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (50g) good-quality cocoa powder
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
40g butter, melted
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 3/4 cups (435ml) boiling water
1/2 cup (125ml) chocolate liqueur
Vanilla ice-cream or thin cream, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush eight x 3/4-cup (185ml) capacity ovenproof dishes with butter to lightly grease. Place on an oven tray.
2. Combine the flour, half the sugar and half the cocoa in a medium bowl. Add the milk, butter and egg and stir until just combined. Spoon evenly among the prepared dishes.
3. Sift the remaining sugar and cocoa together in a bowl. Sprinkle evenly over each dish. Pour the boiling water and chocolate liqueur evenly among each dish.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a cake top forms on the surface. Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Serve immediately with vanilla ice-cream or cream, if desired.

 THE CHOCOLATE BUNNY COCKTAIL....AS IF WE NEED MORE CHOCOLATE??...SURE!

BECAUSE THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH CHOCOLATE AT EASTER TIME 

This is the law according to the Charcoal Interiors Team.  You can never be too rich, too slim or eat too much Chocolate at Easter time.  During a visit to one of the restaurants on Oxford St, Bulimba recently, we discovered this little piece of heaven....The Chocolate Bunny!  It goes down just so easily that expect to be feeling just so warm and fuzzy after a couple.  We recommend lots of water in between bunnies!

Chocolate Easter Bunny
1 oz. Godiva Chocolate Liquor
1 oz. Kahlua Mocha
2 oz. Half and Half
Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a martini glass with a chocolate swirl in the glass. Top up with chocolate shavings.

The Chocolate Bunny is to be imbibed with hideously comfortable and completely non-stylish fluffy slippers, whilst drifting off with the Cool Tunes of Buddha Bar....or similar. Doesnt really matter does it, because its holidays involving chocolate and relaxing.  Enjoy!

And as we bid adieu to another week..one that has been absolutely huge, we wish you all a Happy and safe Easter.  Drive carefully, drink your bunnies responsibly and we look forward to unveiling our new showroom setup next Friday.

Until then....The Charcoal Team...Colette, Cathie, Jen...and Brian xxxx