Oh Yule tree!

Our tree is up! yay!!!

Its got candy canes and chocolate coins. Red, Purple and Silver Ball balls too. we've got alot of red in our living room any way so those items add warmth to the space. I love it already and i really can't wait for Yule/Christmas. Me and the Mr our doing our festive food shop tomorrow, which actually I'm really excited about. Looking at our list, i think we'll have quite the feast!

The Yankee scents that are filling my home this wintertime,  

Jack Frost (i believe this is going into retirement), soft mellow notes of mint and white chocolate.
Cinnamon:  Warm, Rich and perfect for this time of year
Christmad Cupcake: Quite Sweet, but aromatic. 

I've seen a recipe that i HAVE to make! hopefully I'll be able to pick up the ingredients tomorrow!!
a little hint. its involves ginger!,I love ginger!!! especially gingerbread!... which reminds me, i bought gingerbread syrup! its used for coffees but i have another use in mind for it! tehehehehe

Nigellas Chocolate Cookies

These Cookies are just so moreish and so easy to make, also a lovely idea for a gift, homemade has a lovely touch to it something that someone has made gifted you if very thoughtful, I'm tempted to get a few gift boxes and give them to friends. I will defo be making these again, the mixture is pretty big and as theres only two of us i didn't want to throw it away, so i wrapped the dough and popped it in the freezer ready for my next chocolate cookie fix.
So if you'd like to give these a go heres the recipe.

ingredients

• 2 1/4 sticks (18 Tbsp.) soft butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup boiling water , from a kettle
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Christmas sprinkles

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and, when you have a light, soft whipped mixture, beat in the 1/3 cup cocoa powder (sifting if it is lumpy) and, when that's mixed in, beat in the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Or just put everything in the processor and blitz, if you prefer.

This mixture is very soft and sticky and I find it easiest to form the cookies wearing my disposable vinyl gloves, so pinch off pieces about 1 tablespoon in size, roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you place them, well spaced, on your cookies sheet. You should get about 12 on at a time.

Bake each batch for 15 minutes; even though the cookies won't feel as if they've had enough time, they will continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top, and it's this cozy, homespun look I love.

Move the cookie sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it (to catch drips while topping them).

To make the topping, put the cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla extract into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything is smoothly combined. Take off the heat for 10 minutes.

When the cookies are cool, drizzle each one with a tablespoonful of chocolate glaze—it will help "glue" the sprinkles on in a minute. Use the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbled look is part of their charm. After you've iced 6 cookies, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles and continue until all the cookies are topped. If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa "glue" has dried and the sprinkles won't stick on.

I hope you love these just as much as i do!!!!

xXx

So December heres!

Hello!!!! i hope you're all well,
So were finally in December! Can't believe that this time last year, most of the UK had come to a complete stand and here i am walking to work, without my gloves or raising my coat so i bury my head away from the chill. Nope its been pretty mild, not that I'm complaing but i do like the sparkly white stuff, it just makes everything look so much prettier. So as its December i can finally start listing and doing things that are festive. Friday i ordered some ball balls and candy canes from John Lewis for our tree. I'm going for Reds this year, never normally been a fan of red but my thoughts have changed.

 

Also as the yuletide season really sets in, i decided to listen to my new Christmas album, by Micheal Buble. Oh i do like his voice, have been a fan of him since i was 16, so tonight while listing to him sing his version of the "Christmas Song" i made some cookies,  Not just any old cookies but chocolate cookies from Nigella Lawsons "Christmas" i love this lady maybe more thans normal. but hey she likes her food and she makes it with gusto.

Will type up the recipe for you all tomorrow.

xXx

Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge

Fudge! such a perfect sweet delight! I finally got round to making some. Its quite tricky and you need the right kit... mainly a preserving thermometer. But fear not for the fudge i made is really easy and simple.

Its taken from Lorriane Pascales "Home Cooking Made Easy"

Ingredients

• vegetable oil, for greasing
• 70g/2½oz butter
• 300g/10½oz soft light brown sugar
• 125g/4½oz evaporated milk
• 225g/8oz marshmallows
• 300g/10½oz milk chocolate, chopped
• 75g/3oz dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa solids), chopped

Preparation method

1. Grease a 20cm/8in square cake tin with vegetable oil, then line with greaseproof paper.
   
2. Put the butter, sugar and milk in a pan over a low heat and melt gently. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the marshmallows and turn up the heat. Boil the fudge for 5-6 minutes.
   
3. Take the pan off the heat and add the grated chocolate. Leave for one minute, then stir the mixture together until everything is melted.
   
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and leave to set for a couple of hours. Once set, remove from the tin and cut into 25 squares.
   

and heres mine! its does what i expect fudge to do.Its very tasty and i love that it was hassle free.

Its beginning to look alot like.....

Hello my lovelys!
I hope you are all well.This weekend has been a pretty festive affair, i did a spot of yuletide present buying on Saturday , I left the Mr at home, shopping is my time. I love Ryde as it has quite a few quirky shops these days, One of my favourite being Flowers By Nic, this isn't just a florists but somewhere that's full of inspiration, i love looking at her window displays as these are always changing, from a Strawberry picnic to cutesy summertime wedding its a full around year celebrations. and at the moment the window is full of pine cones, red ribbons, toadstools and bright glossy berries! perfect for Yule.

Here's a few of my favourites bits of the shop. i just had to buy  the Gingerbread and Deer so sweet!, I'm wanting to do this style for my home, never before has wanting to bring nature into my home been this strong!, i want the bright berries, the pine cones and ribbons a plenty, which i  also bought, more for decorating pres ants then the tree, i also got some chocolate coins which I'm going to hang on the tree,

On Sundays i always go to my Mums, Lee works for couple of hrs so it gives me a chance to spend some time with her, Mum had told me about the faery decorations section at Busy Bee (our local garden centre), they always go all out for Christmas and its become something that's quite the crowd pleaser. It was pretty busy when we arrived so we headed straight to the enchanted Christmas part. 

How sweet, Old Man Winter in his very sparkly domain, and here a cute little fairy who wings were fluttering away.

Really can't wait for the full on festiveness now!

The festive spirit is starting.....

Hello Lovelys, i hope i find you all well,
Once again i've been rubbish at keeping my blog up to date. but if i'm honest i've not been up to anything speical.so you've not missed out on anything. But i'm back Yay! the weekend saw me making stuff, i baked a gingerbread cake one of my favorite wintery treats and a bottle of LemonChello and i whipped up a candy cane hot chocolate.. will share soon , i know its still Autumn but theres a different sort of chill to the mornings now and i've been told by a few fairies that they've spotted a few of  Jack frost's pretty patterens on car windows and normal windows alike. Yep theres a cripsness to, that only comes about when Old Man Winter is seeing over the latter part of the year. I don't mind as it means celebrations a plenty are on there way. Yule/Winter solsitce, Christmas (i'm pagan but this time of year is all about family and friends, whats in a name) Boxing day and finally New year.

 The feeling of festivness is starting to make its self know to me now, and i've seen a few things that i really really like from the Berry Red for Christmas range. i just love the Father Christmas candle, although i'd awful for lighting it.

xXx

Wow November already!

Hello!!! I can't quite believe that November is already gracing us with its presence, October feels like it came and went in a hurry of warm days filled with flying golden leaves.
I didn't manage to get on here for Halloween, but i hope that what ever you got up to that it was fun filled and magical. As mentioned i decided to go as something.... or should that be "someone darker" than my normal self.I dressed up as Mrs Lovett from Sweeny Todd. I had a lot of fun and i got very much into character.

And on the actual day my new "Hocus Pocus" Top arrived and i had to show it off, doing the self photo felt like the old days of myspace teheheh.

Heres to November.... hoping to actally make the list from October with a few added delights