I guess it mightn’t be a big news but it is really cold in the last two weeks here in Hungary. By now it really feels like it never wants to end. I love snow and cold especially around the winter holidays it gives the season that extra kick that we never had back in Dublin.But that being over now by months all I crave is colors and warm weather (Don’t we all?) I try to make the best of the season with my little bulbs on the windowsills and everywhere else I can place them in the flat.I also try more colorful craft projects to delight the days. Especially weekdays as I work long hours and go and arrive home in the dark (that is why I am not posting any pictures lately). In this cold weather I crave richer sweets. FirstIi was doing fondants but by now I turned back to my old favorite Ladurée macaros. Unfortunately you cannot get them over here but having a catalogue /from the shop itself/ enables me to try and create them at home. I don’t own the Ladurée  cookbooks but have some recipes from it thanks to a dear friend.I also went online and got some lovely ideas over on the Mélanger blog /you find the link on the sidebar/. I love the colors and the endless experimenting with the colors and flavors which brightens my days. I have to be careful though as I have nut allergy although almonds are kinda fine but I like to use a substitute for them.

 

{Ladureé books}

{Ladurée Sucre cookbook}

{Ladureé gifts}

{Ladureé gifts}

 

{Original Ladureé Macarons}

This macron recipe also from the Mélanger blog is my husbands favorite.To make them you will need good kitchen appliances and baking supplies and aids. These I got all from IKEA they have lovely kitchen supplies but go for the better quality ones. I especially like their silicone mats and spoons and metal mixing balls.You will also have to  be a bit experimental with your oven to find out which is the best temperature for the baking this is also suggested by the recipe.

{Hazelnut and chocolate macarons} adapted from Ladurée Sucre cookbook

The recipe mentioned that the shell may crack on top.  This happened to my first two batches.  So I experimented with the oven temperature, and found my perfect point was 120C (not the 150C recommended in the recipe).  You may need to adjust your temperature accordingly.  But rest assured, any cracked macarons will taste just as delicious!!!

*  Ingredients *
70g ground almonds
70g ground hazelnuts
125g icing sugar
3 egg whites + 1/2 egg white
105g caster sugar
Ganache
100g dark chocolate
100g cream
25g butter

* Directions *
Combine the ground almonds, hazelnuts and icing sugar in a food processor.  Separately, whisk the egg whites to a foam.  Add a third of the sugar and whip until dissolved.  Add another third and whip for another minute.  Add the remaining sugar and whip until you reach soft peaks.  Delicately fold the mixture of ground almonds, hazelnuts and icing sugar into the egg whites.  In a separate bowl, beat the 1/2 egg white until frothy.  Then add to the final mixture, folding only to slightly loosen the batter.  Transfer mixture to a piping bag and pipe rounds onto prepared baking sheets with non-stick parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 120C.  Allow the macarons to sit uncovered for 10 minutes.  Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes depending on your size.  Allow the shells to cool, and prepare the filling.  To make the ganache break up the chocolate and place into a bowl.  Heat the cream until it just reaches boiling point.  Pour over the chocolate to melt and combine.  Finally, add the butter.  Allow to cool and slightly set.  Once it has reached a good consistency, transfer to a piping bag and pipe ganache on one macaron shell, topping with another macaron shell.

Makes about 25 filled macarons

 

I happen to be really lucky as I got a violet tea and hot chocolate powder form the Ladurée in Dublin which is situated in brown Thomas on Grafton street.It is an additional treat to make these and have them with the baked macaroons especially the violet tea (although it mightn’t sound really convincing).

{ I love the themed lamps and the colorful surroundings.}

 

{Scented candles and bags are also available in the shop.}

 

 

 

If you are interested in more details about Ladurée visit their chic website for color and inspiration and luscious sweets all around the year.I like to visit for inspiration for time to time.

 

{All pictures are form the Ladurée website}

Back after a long break feeling positive despite all our plans fell through.I was completely devastated after deciding not to go ahead with the purchase but that was best decision for us to make in the circumstances.So as Angie would say with that whimsy smile on her face back to no house, no car, no kid.I laugh at it myself but it really put me down in the last some weeks.Never mind have to stay positive something good must happen now really….Will see.

 

{Deviantart}

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am happy to present our first plan for the new kitchen.I hope this will not bring bad luck as we are still in the procedure of buying our home, but I just needed something to look forward to. (We aren’t much in the procedure but the red tape is killing me and cannot seem to see the end.) I am still working on the details and deciding on the accessories but got the first core plan.I want to have a northern country feel to the kitchen when it is finished. Tiles and wall color is also to be chosen.

Anyway it a small something to look forward to.

Two years back  got a beautiful book from my hubby. The book has a nice section about growing and keeping spring bulbs. I read it a few times and thought it will be easy-peasy to grow my own beauties in no time. According to the instructions I got some bulbs in October planted them and put them in a cold environment. As we live in a flat on the 3th floor that  meant the fridge :O)).I packed the pots  safely in plastics and put them in the bottom compartment. I took my babies out 1,5 week before Christmas hoping for the best, keeping all the timing right which was suggested. I actually wanted my bulbs in bloom for Christmas!!!Unfortunately all they did was grow leaves by then, a lot of leaves.No flowers at all. Later I found out that one part of the flowers I bought  are too young to be in bloom.:O((( I hope they will be blooming next year. The other bulbs are starting to have blooms this week.The first was a hyacinth in bluish-purple.I cannot stop adoring it.Although I am keeping my little garden in the garden I had to bring it in to the bedroom to enjoy the fragrance.I am overwhelmed that these came up so well.

The before years I gave the bulbs away to my parents and grannies to plant them in their garden, but this year hopefully all going right I will plant them in my own garden.The other lot I will keep in pots and hope that next year I will have them blooming at Christmas:O). I will keep you posted

{White button heart}

I have received some really beautiful vintage buttons some time earlier from my granny Magdalene. She has been collecting them now for years.When I visited her I brought some of the buttons back (as she had so much with her that I was unable to take all). There were a lot of white buttons. Some of the new or newish some of them a bit worn.I don’t really mind that time gives a lot of character to things. I had  been thinking for a while what to do with them but had the best idea form my favorite magazine  Country Homes and Interiors. A wireframe button heart.So I set to make it on Sunday.I put out all the buttons I want to use in a heart shape. I got a simple gardening wire and formed a heart out of it leaving a small hook on the top.Than I attached the buttons one by one using a thin wire. This looked quite neat but I wanted it to look like as it was sewn on so I got a needle and some white thread and sewn through the button holes all the way around, this gave some extra firmness to the buttons as well. Although I was a bit afraid that it wont work well the whole thing came up really well at the end. I love it an cannot stop looking at it!!

 

{White button heart}

{White button heart}

For me Christmas can only be a real celebration if it is white.I was a bit down up to now as there was none but it is all be covered in white soon.

Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.

Of winter's lifeless world each tree

Now seems a perfect part;

Yet each one holds summer's secret

Deep down within its heart.

~Charles G. Stater

Here are the results of our hard work. I hope you will like them.

The Christmas tradition I love the most is making gifts to people we know together.This is my mum and my brother who are getting very busy with a paintable nativity scene we got in a hobby shop. We also made cards and tree decorations. We roasted chestnuts and my dad played Christmas music on the PC.We had such a wonderful time. I hope by now everyone got their pressies, cards  and are very happy with them.This might be a bit off but I actually like the preparing and waiting the most in this season. Although I plan to do lot of things every year I don't get to finish them all. Some times i think that if I had started a year advanced still I wouldn't be able to finish in time. I always put things I cannot finish aside and get them ready the next year I think this is the best way not to make the season too stressful for me. I had a lot of orders through my shop and was bogged down with those a lot, which did not allow me to do a lot in the days. I know you might have heard this a thousand times before but anything handmade is the best you can give and I am happy that my family is not globalized in this way and we might encourage others to startthes tradition of a Handcrafted Christmas.