WINNERS: Schaffen Knife Block Giveaway

Last week I shared a giveaway where you could enter to win 1 of 3 Schaffen Magnetic Knife Block Sets - and today, I get to announce the winners!

This knife block is seriously one of my favourite things in the kitchen - and it's definitely my most used. Rather than a standard wooden knife block which can become overrun with mould (because those tiny knife slots are impossible to clean - and you can't even see if they're mouldy inside 😬) - this magnetic block is not only more hygienic, it's nicer to look at too!

Before I announce the winners, Schaffen also gave me a 60% off coupon code for any readers wanting to buy their own knife block set. The code is:

SIL60

and will give you 60% off your purchase - making the full knife block set with all of the knives just $159.98 including shipping! This offer is only valid until April 21st, 2019.

But let me tell you who the winners are! >>

GIVEAWAY: Schaffen Magnetic Knife Block

Knives. They’re probably the most used kitchen item - but the least talked about.

We’ll talk about beautiful plates and must have kitchen gadgets, but knives? Not so much....

But I want to change that. You see, great knives can totally transform your cooking. A great set of knives is my top kitchen must have. It’s also my top kitchen investment - because if you buy a great set, they will last for YEARS.

I recently discovered Schaffen’s magnetic knife block and fell in love with the design - but then I used the knives and was totally smitten.

My parents have always had a wooden knife block. Inside it are the knives they received years ago as a wedding gift - but I’ve always wondered what was also lurking inside those holes... they’re impossible to clean out and impossible to see inside... so who knows what’s hiding in there.... mould... crumbs... bugs? Gross.

Founder of Schaffen, Jayden O’Connell had the same problem - and it was an accident with those knives that inspired him to change the way Australians use their kitchen knives.

“All I wanted to do was slice a couple of pieces of bread to make toast. We’d just thrown out our old knife block after mould had moved into the holes. So naturally, our knives ended up in the second drawer. I went fishing around in there, looking for a serrated knife. After a bit of a search, I found the blade, and pulling it up, caused another knife to fall out of the drawer, and land, blade tip first, into the top of my foot” said O’Connell.

“Sitting there, in surgery, getting my 12th and final stitch, I knew something had to change. We were planning on starting a family, and I was not about to let something like this happen to someone I love.”

“Living in a rental at the time, meant that permanently attaching a big ugly magnetic strip to the wall was just out of the question. We needed a better option.”

That option came with the development of the now famous Schaffen 6pc Magnetic Knife Block Set.

Not only does the knife set look great, the knives feel great in your hand and are so comfortable to use. I have a “thing” with knives where if I don’t like the feel of the handle, I simply won’t use them - so we have an entire second set of knives I just don’t touch.

These Schaffen knives, however, are seriously comfortable. They’re ergonomically designed and tested so you can chop for hours and won’t end up with sore hands or blisters.

My favourite pick of the block? The Santoku knife. I use a Santoku knife for almost everything because it’s so easy to use and so versatile. It’s a beautiful hybrid between the versatility of a Chef’s Knife and the rugged strength and speed of a Vegetable Chopper.

Plus, with the scalloped indentations on the blade, cutting friction is reduced so you can slice through faster.

But now I want to give you a set! 

It's giveaway time! >> 

Easy DIY Canvas Quote Art + A GIVEAWAY!

This post is sponsored by Canvas Champ.

I spend a lot of time in my office, so I'm always on a mission to make it as inviting and functional as possible. The reason I choose to work from home over my actual office, more often than not, is simply because I feel so much more motivated when I'm in a space that I love. 

That's why I love redecorating and filling my office with the things that make me happy. From stacks and stacks of books (my office book collection is currently sitting at 289 colour coordinated books) to cute little trinkets, lots of live plants and quotes to remind myself of throughout the day. 

But finding that perfect quote print is often hard... sure, I could go to a store and buy a cheesy art print... but do I really need to remind myself to BREATHE or is seeing the world RELAX really going to make me relax? And is reminding myself that I'm beautiful really going to decrease my stress levels when I've got deadlines looming and clients calling me incessantly? Probably not.

That's why I love creating my own art pieces - and I wanted to show you how to make the EASIEST DIY Quote Art Prints for your walls - and also host an awesome GIVEAWAY! (Because who doesn't love the chance to win something!) 

So let me get on with the show and reveal this giveaway!

Recent Things: Minions, Empty Space and a Gluten Free Giveaway!

It's Friday again! Is it just me or do you feel like you just finish reading one of these RT posts and another one pops up? I feel like I'm always writing them because the week flys by! :P

Nevertheless, I've got lots to share with you as well as a GIVEAWAY! So let's jump straight into it!

Recent Things: 7 Year-Un-iversary, Mushroom Overload and a Competition!

Hello my sweet ones! It's Friday once again and today is actually a rather special day. Today marks seven years of Jesse and I being together - isn't that crazy?!

I feel like seven years is a pretty decent chunk of time. You wouldn't call a seven year old a baby and a tree that's been growing for seven years would be a pretty okay size - but to spend seven years with someone without killing them?! Well, I think Jesse deserves some kind of medal ;) I'm super lucky that the boy I fell in love with happens to be the man I'm married to and today I'm super grateful for all that we've been through and all that we have ahead of us.

But enough yapping, let me tell you about our week! >>

Recipe: Asian Style Chicken Salad {+ A GIVEAWAY!}

It's now February and we're soaking up every last second of summer by having as many barbeques and picnics with our family and friends as possible.

For the last two weeks, we've been sharing our favourite Asian Inspired Barbeque recipes thanks to our friends at Chang's who make it easy to create authentic Asian food at home. First there was our Asian Noodle Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing, followed by these delicious Asian Inspired Chicken Burgers with Creamy Mayonnaise and Asian Slaw and today I wanted to wrap up the recipes with a giveaway and this delicious Asian Chicken Salad Recipe (with the most amazing Healthy Asian Marinated Chicken Recipe!)

The salad is the perfect mix of colours and flavours with fresh carrot, purple and white cabbage, baby spinach leaves, shallots and a deeeeeeeeelicious honey sesame dressing with a touch of orange juice for sweetness and that perfect salty sweet balance. 

The chicken marinade is one that is so easy but so impressive - with a mix of orange juice, honey, rice wine vinegar, Chang's gluten free soy and Chang's sesame oil for an incredible flavour hit and a sticky, caramelised coating.

But let me share this delicious recipe with you! {PLUS the giveaway!}

Win an Unbeatable Prize Pack from Australian Eggs valued at $140!

We're big egg fans in the SIL house - whether they're in sweet crepes, savoury crepes, omelette crepes, frittatas or just good old scrambled eggs they are eaten on a daily basis. 

Eggs are the perfect addition to a healthy balanced diet as they're rich in vitamins and minerals - in fact, eggs have the highest nutritional quality protein of all food sources and they contain 11 different vitamins and minerals. 

When our friends at Australian Eggs asked us if we'd like to give you guys the opportunity to win an unbeatable prize pack, we couldn't say no! 

You Could Win;
A eggscellent prize pack from Australian Eggs, valued at $140, containing the following; 

• Breville Omelette Creations Maker
• How to Boil an Egg Cookbook by Rose Carrarini 
• Chicken Egg Timer
• Microwave Egg Poacher
• Maxwell Williams Egg Cup 
• Star Shaped Egg Ring
• Fried Egg Spatula
• Australian Eggs Apron

How to Enter;

To enter this competition, all you have to do is;

1. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post letting us know your favourite way to make a meal eggscellent!Psssst: If you don't have a Disqus account, simply enter your name and email address (so we can contact you if you win) and hit "I'd rather post as a guest"
2. Extra Entry: Like us on FacebookAnd leave a comment by clicking "reply" below your original comment so we know it's you!
3. Extra Entry: Follow Us on TwitterAnd leave a comment by clicking "reply" below your original comment so we know it's you!
4. Extra Entry: Follow Us on InstagramAnd leave a comment by clicking "reply" below your original comment so we know it's you!

Entries open to Australian Residents until time of competition's end (11:59PM EST December 30th, 2014). The winner will be contacted by email. Should the winner not respond within 2 weeks (14 days), an alternate winner will be chosen and the process will repeat if needed until a response is received. 

WIN: A Christmas Hamper from Wanalta Hill Farm - and how YOU can support local producers this Christmas!

Christmas is fast approaching and this year, Australia post is encouraging shoppers to support local businesses. But we're not talking about the local department store chain here - Australia Post has made it easy for everyone to support hardworking farmers, artisans and community minded social enterprises by putting their money where their heart is. 

Where Your Heart Is is a brand new online marketplace that links Good Spender and Farmhouse Direct to allow us to buy directly from these local producers. The website has a huge range of produce, homewares and gifts that directly benefit Australian families and communities in need so that you can give a gift to someone you love that also gives back to others.

Where Your Heart Is makes Christmas shopping a breeze because you can order from the comfort of your own home - and even have gifts delivered straight to the lucky recipient!

And for my fellow bargainistas? Any purchases made on the website between the 18th and 19th of November will have free shipping! I don't know about you, but that's always a drawcard for me and we're already planning on making some orders for some lovely friends of ours.
But because we absolutely love this initiative - we wanted to share a Christmas Hamper with you! We have 1x Wanalta Hill Christmas Hamper to giveaway which contains homemade shortbread, fruit cake, Christmas chutney, chocolate panforte and an addictive Aussie nut mix. 
Wanalta Hill's Kathy Barlow cooks up delicious festive treats using premium Australian ingredients at her farm in Wanalta, North Central Victoria. Each and every item from Kathy's hamper was given major approval from the SIL Fam (and I was seriously wishing they were gluten free & Kristy friendly - but they do have gluten free options!!) and it really does feel like the perfect Christmas gift - made with love and no added nasties!

How to Enter:

Every person has up to four entries into the competition! For the chance to win your own Wanalta Hill Christmas Hamper, all you have to do is; 

1. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post letting me know what your favourite Christmas treat is! 
   Hint: If you don't have a Disqus account, simply enter your name and email address (so we can contact you if you win) and hit "I'd rather post as a guest"
2. Extra Entry: Like us on FacebookAnd leave a comment by clicking "reply" below your original comment so we know it's you!
3. Extra Entry: Follow Us on Twitter
   And leave a comment by clicking "reply" below your original comment so we know it's you!
4. Extra Entry: Follow Us on Instagram
   And leave a comment by clicking "reply" below your original comment so we know it's you!

Entries open to Australian Residents until time of competition's end (11:59PM EST December 10th, 2014). The winner will be contacted by email. Should the winner not respond within 2 weeks (14 days), an alternate winner will be chosen and the process will repeat if needed until a response is received. 

An Easier Way to Order Takeaway PLUS a Giveaway!

Just when you thought ordering takeaway couldn't get easier, it has. 

Forget scrambling through your junk drawer for takeaway menus, or hastily throwing your couch cushions off to search for hidden change to pay the delivery guy - EatNow has made ordering takeaway easier, stress free and still just as delicious.

When EatNow asked Jesse and I if we'd like to try out their service, we couldn't say no. We'd been seeing ads for months for different online takeaway ordering services - but we'd also been a little bit wary. 

Call me a chicken, but I usually like to hear about someone else's positive experience before trying something myself. So we decided to be the Guinea Pigs.... 

On Sunday afternoon, we were just finishing putting up our Christmas lights (post coming soon!) when Jesse asked the inevitable question; "What's for dinner?" 
Usually I cook dinner every night, however, Jesse and the family order takeaway once or twice a month as a special treat.

I had a leftover homemade GF pizza base in the fridge so I was sorted (it's impossible to find GF takeaway near us!), so it was takeaway for dinner for the SIL family after a day of super hard work. 

So whilst we finished off the lights, I opened up the EatNow App on my iPhone and scrolled through to find a restaurant. As it was a Sunday night, some local places weren't open, however, Satay Inn Asian Restaurant was - and they delivered to our area!

We ordered Dim Sim, Spring Rolls, Fried Rice (which Katrina said was the best ever), Sweet and Sour Pork, Calamari in Chilli Salt and Pepper (which the whole family loved) and Shredded Fried Beef ($50 in total) and placed the order, paying via PayPal on the app. 

5 minutes later, I received a text confirming our order and 30 minutes later the doorbell rang and the food was here (15 minutes earlier than the estimated arrival time!) and all we had to do was bring it inside as everything had already been paid. 

The SIL Family crowned Satay Inn Asian Restaurant the best Asian food (after recent disappointments with local faves) and dinner was ordered, delivered and eaten in an hour! 

But best of all? We want to buy dinner for one of you! 

We have 1x $50 EatNow Voucher to Give Away to spend on dinner at a local restaurant of your choice! 

All you have to do to enter;

1. Leave us a comment on this post telling us what your favourite takeaway dish (dishes) to order is!
   If you don't have a Disqus account, simply select "Pick a Name" and check "I'd rather post as Guest" and ensure the email you use is one we can contact you at if you win! 
2. For an extra entry: Follow us on Facebook and leave a comment letting us know by hitting "reply" under your original post.
3. For an extra entry: Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment letting us know by hitting "reply" under your original post.
4. For an extra entry: Follow us on Instagram and leave a comment letting us know by hitting "reply" under your original post.

Entries open to Australian Residents. Competition closes 12/12/14 at 11:59 EST. 

Winner will be contacted via email.

This was a sponsored post for EatNow. All opinions expressed in this post are completely our own and have not been influenced by the company in any way. If you're interested in working with Southern In-Law on a sponsored post, please contact us at southerninlaw@gmail.com for more information.

Recipe: Healthier Ham & Cheese Crepes + A GIVEAWAY!

If you've read Southern In-Law even once before, you'd know that we loveeeeeeee making healthier versions of classic recipes. I'm someone who believes that no food should be "off limits" - you either eat it in moderation, or create a healthier version of it. 

These days there are so many healthier options of classics foods on the market and sometimes all it takes is switching a single ingredient. Recently Hans launched a new healthier option onto the market - their Oliving by Hans Range. 

Oliving by Hans replaces some of the saturated fat found in deli meats (such as ham, bacon and salami) with olive oil so that you can have a healthier option without losing any of the taste. The range was inspired by the Mediterranean diet and is a first in the Australian market for smallgoods.

Inspired by Oliving by Hans' healthier ham range, we decided to share one of our favourite healthier classics - Ham and Cheese Savoury Crepes.

This is a dish we often whip up on "lazy night" for a quick and easy dinner that's still incredibly delicious - and unlike the crepes you'll find in restaurants, they're not full of fat and they're also gluten free! 

But I'm not the only one whipping up healthier dishes! Take a look at this video from Hans where you'll see a whole bunch of healthier recipes (Jesse cannot stop drooling over those Pancakes with Bacon & Maple Syrup and is wishing we had have been able to make it to the event!). You can see heaps of recipes and meal ideas under the #HansOliving Hashtag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

We also have 4x $50 Gift Certificates to WIN! So be sure to find out how to enter below!

But let me give you the recipe for these Healthier Crepes!