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25Jan

Maize thumbprint biscuits [GF]

You may say that these biscuits look Christmassy but they are actually a childhood favourite of mine. I did come across the original recipe whilst on Christmas break at my parents house and I was so happy I did.  In Brazil they are often sold as little balls that melt in your mouth, I remember like it was yesterday eating them at my grandma’s house.  The original recipe belongs to my aunt, but I modified it as it asked for margarine and I never, ever buy margarine. So I tested it 3 times and settled on this recipe. Easy, quick, inexpensive and gluten free. It’s best served with a cup of milky coffee. Maize thumbprint biscuits (makes 36 biscuits) 150g coconut oil 1 egg 200g condensed milk 350g cornflour Seedless raspberry jam Icing sugar to dust 1. Preheat the oven to 170C (fan). With an electric whisk beat together the coconut oil, egg and condensed milk until all ingredients are well incorporated. 2. Slowly add the cornflour, folding with a spoon between additions. 3. Make little balls with the dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. At this point do your thumb print right in
2 mins read
741 Views
22Jan

The last days in pictures

1. After so many months collecting corks -and getting a little help from our friends and family – we finally started a DIY project to decorate our apartment. 2. The old city center of the small village where we will be moving soon. Excited! 3. I´m so addicted to my handmade copper pan from Brazil. 4. Currently testing a paleo cookie recipe. This batch was delicious, but I still have to work on it. 5. Me and my husband joined a great project called food sharing here in Germany. Last weekend we “rescued” 5,5kg of organic bananas! YEY! Have a nice weekend!
1 min read
558 Views
17Jan

Butternut squash soup with crispy seeds

Growing up I was a very fussy eater. I never forget being told by one of my aunts that all the food I wasted throughout my life would be waiting for me to eat it when I die. Grim, right? And a little mean. But recently I have been thinking a lot about food waste. Food is a powerful thing and at the moment it’s being used by rebels in Syria to keep civilians under control. It hurts to hear that children are eating grass in order to not feel hungry. I know people differ greatly in their views on war but I felt so frustrated that I am not able to fly over there and help. But there are other ways to bring awareness to this issue. In Europe we wasted 89 million tons of food in 2013 and the UK is the worst offender. You are now thinking that it’s the big supermarkets fault, right? Wrong. Household waste is the biggest contributor to these numbers. It’s hard to hear that when so many are starving we’re taking food for granted. So it starts at home, maybe many of us can’t physically go there and help them but we
3 mins read
749 Views
11Jan

Metallic silver garland + giveaway

It’s a new year and it’s also the week of our second birthday! And in the party spirit we wanted to share with you a DIY garland that is made from simple polystyrene balls covered with items that you most certainly can find around your house.  The idea behind it is that simple items such as string and even dried leaves can add wonderful texture to a garland, so you can make a really unusual but beautiful backdrop to any party! Materials: Polystyrene balls (I used 6cm, 4cm and 2cm) Mod Podge Small brush Materials that can add texture (I used leaves, string, scrap paper squares and sequins) Silver metallic spray paint Fishing line Blue tack (adhesive putty) Bamboo skewers Cardboard box 1. Pop the polystyrene balls through the skewers and brush them with mod podge. Carefully stick your chosen materials on the balls 2. Pierce the cardboard box with the skewers and let the balls dry for 4-5 hours 3. Leaving the skewers fixed on the cardboard box, use the metallic spray to coat them, rotating as necessary. You’ll need at least two coatings depending on the material. The string took the paint really well but the sequins needed 3
3 mins read
877 Views
19Dec

DIY rubber stamps and christmas wrapping

Originality is rare and when found it comes with a high price tag.  I sometimes have “eureka” moments when thinking about future craft and food projects, but then i deflate a little when I come to the realisation that someone else has most probably already thought about it, done it, photographed and pinned it. This post feels a little like this. I have been making my own stamps for a while now, I have mainly used it for cards and scrapbooking, and I have been reluctant to post any projects associated with it as it feels a little…overdone. Just type it on the search box on Pinterest and tell me I’m wrong. Making my own stamps is one of my favourite things to do, I guess it is because it means I can personalise whatever I want, from fabrics to paper, and I decided to apply this to my christmas gift giving. To me gift wrapping is just as important as the gift, it portrays love and that you have put some thought into it.  It felt a little counter-productive in the sense that this time of the year wrapping paper is as cheap as chips. But I wanted to
3 mins read
1375 Views
09Dec

Black grape and walnut mince pies

I have fallen in love with black grapes recently. It happened by accident, I decided to buy them after being tired of the same apples/bananas/satsumas routine we have here every weekend. They are not only a great snack for sweet-tooths like me but I have also been adding them to a lot of different foods, from crumbles to granola. So why not add them to my most detested christmas treat? Yes I hate mince pies.  And it is tough being a mince pie hater here as it is a huge part of English christmas. They are literally everywhere, people are giving it to you as gifts, bringing them to work as a tea time snack…And you can get the really basic ones to the really fancy ones from high end shops, but it’s just never gone down well with me. It’s always just tasted like raisins, covered in sugar, wrapped in pastry. But this year I decided to tackle them my way. My recipe holds back on the dried fruits and sugar and, most importantly, there is no suet in sight! It takes a little patience to get the the mincemeat and the pastry ready, but you can start preparing
4 mins read
1193 Views