Oh for the love of.....

...freecycle!! Boy how I love the whole concept, you dont want something...someone else does. You didnt even know you needed something, you can betcha someone else is giving it away and you REALLY need it now - like, before anyone else sends an email asking for it. Then you panic press refresh incase you werent first to ask, you wait for the email confiming and then do a little dance that you got something you realise you couldnt live without anymore!

Yes I only went and got another dresser!! OK, so I know I redid the kitchen and got rid of my old one but ever since it went ive missed it -honest! (and yes that is the wall that use to have the bunting etc - I papered the whole right hand side of the kitchen and painted the rest white).

Isnt it pretty! Not sure on painting it yet but even if i did i would leave the worktop wooden and paint the rest in my signature shabby off white style! lol Hmmm, maybe a job to contemplate AFTER Christmas!

Whats the best thing youve gotten from Freecycle/Freegle - whatever the heck yours is called?? lol

Week 50 - Amaretto Syllabub via Nigella ;)

This recipe is so simple and I made it simpler -it is actually a Nigella Lawson recipe but i skipped 2 ingredients(lemon and sugar) ok so I had no lemons, but it still works just as well and tastes absolutely delicious (as long as youre a lover of almonds or marzipan!) lol

All you need is a pack of soft Amaretti Morbidi Biscuits, a couple of drops (ahem) of Amaretto liqueur, half a carton of double cream and something to sprinkle on top.Crumble a few of the biscuits into the bottom of your glass. Pour (to your taste) the Amaretto into the double cream and whisk until soft peaks. Spoon the cream mix onto the crushed biscuits. Make another layer of the biscuit and again top with the cream. Sprinkle with chocolate or sprinkles of your preference and voila - an extra easy, rustle up at the last minute yet still look effective, dessert! :)

I want to say a huge thank you to a lovely lady I met through my blog. Chrissie is an absolute star and such a kind person, she made this gorgeous baby blanket for Evie, who incidentally wont leave it alone! lol
Thank you so much honey your kindness is very much appreciated.

Merry Christmas xxx

You bought me a what for Christmas??

Im not youre normal girl, ask me what I want for Christmas and Im happy with something for the house....heck I get excited when I need to buy a new toaster!! (which is around now!)

Last year my mum in law bought me the most fabulous baking tin (the castle - remember??) and when we visited she also gave me some beautiful cream curtains she bought for her living room but hadnt even taken out of the packet!! I was in heaven! LOL

Well, Christmas came for me around a week ago when CSN delivered my new scales and kettle...yep that is what I chose to review.

My old kettle was pink polka dot so I thought it was about time I upgraded to a more grown up one! The one I ordered is from Sabichi and is off white with silver detail. The fact it has a thermometer on the front swung it for me - ok im a gadget freak when it comes to the kitchen and i love the look of it! Yes I really did order a kettle because I liked how it looked and not because of performance reviews - it is rather vintage chic isnt it! lol

I LOVE IT!

The temperature guage tells you as it gets warmer so we know that once it cools back down to a certain point then the water is perfect for Evangelines bottles! No more squirting icy or hot water onto our wrists. The button on the handle flips open the lid for easy fill. Highly recommended and well used already ;)

My old scales were black with a teeny bowl that Ive had for around 10 years so when I saw these Kitchen Craft ones I fell in love! They are so pretty, shabby chic looking and the bowl is approx 4 times the size of my old one!! They weigh up to 2kg which is less than some scales out there but more than enough for home baking. The stainless steel bowl removes completely and has a flat base which is ideal if you have measured all the ingredients into the scales to then mix. The needle does need repositioning each time before you weigh but I have always had to do that with previous scales so thats not a problem. They are bold and large enough to draw attention and have even been called beautiful by other kitchen addicts who have visited! :) Highly recommended for the home baker :)

Erm....

Where did Friday, Saturday and Sunday go?? I seem to have lost 3 days in the blog ether somewhere....one minute im planning my posts and the next its half a week later and I havent updated! lol

Tomorrow is Ethans 6th birthday, I really cant believe my baby boy is 6!! It doesnt seem like 5 minutes since he was born and here we are again.....stay small little one, youre growing too fast! Love you son! xxx

Presents to wrap and a cake to finish baking - well I had to wait for the 100 greatest toys programme to finish. My Little Pony, Carebears, Cabbage Patch Kids, Girls World to name a few .....sigh! :)

Week 49 - Chocolate dipped, marzipan coated alcoholic fruit!

And if that isnt a title to wet the taste buds then wait until you see week 50!! ;)

I made these sweets in the same way as last years Christmas treats so thought it would be nice to have them on the list for this years recipes.

All you need are the fruits you soaked in the raspberry liqueur earlier this week, 200g plain chocolate, 50g white chocolate, 1 tube of ready rolled marzipan.

Melt both lots of chocolate in seperate bowls and leave to cool slightly. Wrap the alcohol soaked apricots and prunes in a little marzipan, make sure you secure all the edges etc so that none of the 'juice' escapes! Using two forks, dip the marzipan into your bowl of chocolate and coat completely. Transfer from fork to fork until most of the excess chocolate has dripped away. Place them carefully onto baking paper.
Drizzle with the white chocolate...add as much or as little as you like :)Box up, make pretty and enjoy xxx

One way to use up an left over melted chocolate - pour some popcorn into the bowl with the chocolate and mix gently. Turn out onto baking paper and drizzle with any left over white chocolate. Leave to harden then break into pieces and jar. A lovely little Christmas movie snack! :)
Hows the Christmas prep going?? Is anyone finished yet? I still havent made my list but I caught Santa looking at KitchenAid mixers the other day - Im wondering if ive been THAT good this year!! lol

Wreath & Winner!!

This is the last wreath I have made this year - it was a complete labour of love and took 4 days to complete!! I darent count how many flowers there are but I do know I was a little more than half way through and had to buy another more 400 pins.....eek!! It is made using lots of the 3d flowers cut from a Sizzix die - I have checked everywhere to give you a link to someone with it in stock but I cant find anyone! If you have a store with these in stock give me a yell and I will pop up a link :) The little birds are permanently borrowed from the Christmas tree! lol

Huge Congratulations to Anna - you have won the bling wreath kit :)

Please can you email me your address to debbie(at)countryheartandhome.com :)

Week 46, 47 and 48 - Christmas Goodies!!

Last year you may remember I made some sweets which were well received so I thought this year I would make another batch for the teachers Christmas presents. The boys loved going in to school this morning with the little ribbon wrapped jars and boxes and I hope the teachers like their handmade chocolate treats :)

Recipe 46 is Raspberry Liqueur soaked fruit.

All you need for this simple preserve is a jar of dried fruit and a bottle of Raspberry Liqueur (any alcohol will do as long as it has a strong taste) Layer the fruit in the jar so that you have a good selection with every spoonful you take out.When the fruit is at the top of the jar pour over the alcohol until the fruit is fully submerged.I bought the raspberry from Lidl and was only £5.99 a bottle, the fruit was £2.29 and if you use jars you already have at home you could have up to 4 handmade beautiful present for less than £10! Leave to soak for at least 3 days before using in the recipe below.Ideal to serve over icecream, in cakes or as a little nibble now and again! I have more pictures to show as I have used some in the marzipan wrapped fruit (see last years pic above).

Recipe 47 is Chocolate Pretzels.

You will need 20 pretzels per jar, 100g of chocolate and some sprinkles. (I made 2 jars) Melt the chocolate and half dip the pretzels, leave to cool slightly on greaseproof paper. Sprinkle with your decorations and leave to cool completely before transfering to your jars. Tie with ribbons and personalise with a tag :)Recipe 48 is Grown up Chocolates!

You will need 2oz of the raspberry soaked apricots, 2oz pecan nuts, 2oz cherries, 100g dark chocolate and 100g of milk chocolate with caramel crunch. Chop up the apricots, pecans and cherries. Melt the chocolate and add the fruit and nuts, mix well. Plate up 24 tiny sweet cases/muffin cases and gently spoon the mixture in until level with the top. Leave to harden overnight, box and decorate :)Enjoy xxx

AND my cutest little sweetie of the day.......watching tv with her daddy :)