Category: Home made goodness

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Inspired living

inspired wife

I stood at the fridge today, one that is pretty full thinking,’maybe we should just get take away tonight.’

A regular thought that runs through my pregnant mind of late. Hot ovens on a 44 degree summer day, no one’s got time for that.

The problem is I am trying to eat well this year and am determined to see this pregnancy through well.

I have realised that sometimes I can be inspired in my writing and my creativity, but very uninspired at the same time in my wife/ mum/ house duties.

It is so much easier to sit down and write a blog post, than to take the same time to plan well for my families food and well being.

I want my inspiration in 2014 (#inspire14) to encompass every part of my world: every part of my families life.

It doesn’t mean I will always feel like it, because its sacrificial. It takes effort, it takes time and sometimes even the fact that I got dressed and brushed my teeth is a major achievement in this Mumma’s world.

I decided today that I would add to my 2014 thoughts, to cook through one of my cook books, to keep my meals fresh for team V. The book I have decided to cook through for 2014 is called ‘Falling Cloudberries’ by Tessa Kiros, it has recipes from all over the world. Recipes that are fresh and healthy and diverse.

inspired wife 2

I really do believe an inspired life should equal an inspired wife. Our creativity and inspiration needs to be holistic. We can’t compartmentalise the things we love doing and ignore the other things that should be priorities in our lives.

We are whole humans, not part creatives.

Are you giving too much time to some things and not enough to others?

Don’t let guilt take over, just find something that inspires you in that realm as well.

Follow our journey and #inspire14 as well, if you want some accountability for the things you are endeavouring to change this new year. I have been doing a visual journal every day, I am not a great artist, but it is helping me think differently and find inspiration in new ways.inspired life 4

Inspired living is what I am aiming for.

Capturing life in its fullest.

Amanda

 

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new traditions

Stollen 2

Every year I try to find a new tradition at Christmas. Its something I have done for a long time. This year I came acrross a recipe in a magazine for a Christmas Bread called Stollen. I have researched it a little and found the most delightful story and today I have tried to make my first batch of Stollen. If it works out well, I will do some more and give to my neighbours as a little thank you/ hello/ i like you present this year. It is a surprisingly easy recipe and aside from the dried fruit quite low in sugar but rich in Christmassy vibes.

Long before the Romans occupied parts of Germany, special breads were prepared for the winter solstice that were rich in dried or preserved fruit. Historians have traced Christollen, Christ’s stollen, back to about the year 1400 in Dresden, Germany.

The first stollen consisted of only flour, oats and water, as required by church doctrine, but without butter and milk, it was quite tasteless. Ernst of Saxony and his brother Albrecht requested of the Pope that the ban on butter and milk during the Advent season be lifted. His Eminence replied in what is known as the famous “butter letter,” that milk and butter could be used to bake stollen with a clear conscience and God’s blessing for a small fee.

Originally stollen was called Striezel or Struzel, which referred to a braided shape (a large oval folded in half with tapered ends) representing Baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothing.

Around 1560 it became custom that the bakers of Dresden give their king, Stollen a Christmas gift.

stollen

In 1730 Augustus the Strong, the electoral prince of Saxony and the King of Poland, asked the Baker’s Guild of Dresden to bake a giant stollen for the farewell dinner of the Zeithain “campement.” The 1.8-ton stollen was a true showpiece and fed over 24,000 guests. To commemorate this event, a Stollenfest is held each December in Dresden.

The bread for the present-day Stollenfest weighs 2 tons and measures approximately 4 yards long. Each year the stollen is paraded through the market square, then sliced and sold to the public, with the proceeds supporting local charities. Although there is a basic recipe for making the original Dresden Christollen, each master baker, each village and each home has its own secret recipe passed down from one generation to the next. There are probably as many recipes for stollen as there are home bakers.

New Traditions

Here is the one I have tried out this year; Available to download for free stollen recipe

I hope you have enjoyed reading and researching my new Christmas Tradition as much as I have.

To celebrate 48 hours till Christmas Eve a little special on my Christmas book ‘Capture: 30 merry days’

Happy Days.

 

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Clean Caramel Popcorn

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Every Christmas I love to make homemade gifts but every year it is getting a little tougher to bake for people with their food allergies.

I have one particular dear friend, who is obsessed with mince pies who is gluten, sugar and wheat free this Christmas.

It takes the fun out of the Christmas naughtiness.

So I went experimenting and exploring and found a recipe just for her. (And your friend who has the same problems)

Clean Caramel Popcorn

No sugar
No wheat
No gluten

The recipe is in my latest ebook called ‘Capture: 30 merry days’ a creative guide to Christmas kindness.

Buy from here today.

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capture: 30 merry days e-book

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Downloadable E-book available here for purchase: Capture: 30 merry days

logo 30 merry days

Ever since I started to walk, I have been a Christmas junkie. Each year, begging my nearest and dearest to put up the tree just a little earlier, so ‘that most wonderful time of the year’ can linger longer. I am addicted to collecting Christmas traditions. Like ornaments from every part of the world and also adding constantly to my Christmas Golden Book collection. Also finding Christmas records from op shops, so throughout December I can dig out my record player and reminisce.

When I was ten years old I hid behind the curtain in our living room on Christmas Eve, longing to discover Father Christmas. I found something that I wasn’t expecting; my Mum and Dad laughing and presenting, I snuck back to my room deciding I really didn’t want to know truth anyway!

Each year as I grow older, I try to pretend that Father Christmas still hides. The reality is though, my list and stresses grow just a little longer and the gloss of Christmas fades. I love this season but have a growing hatred of its consumerism. That is where the idea for this little e-book began. ‘Capture: 30 merry days’. It is a creative guide to Christmas kindness, encouraging home made- ness instead of crazy consumption.

Want to join the journey? All you need is some courage and a huge amount of crazy joy. If your projects fail, don’t worry it’s all a part of the fun. You can see my projects aren’t perfect but my family and friends adored them last year. I think a little bit of effort goes a huge way.

It is available on the 14th of December for 24 hours at a special price of $4.95 and then it goes to $9.95 from now till Christmas.

Here is a teaser of the book:

capture 30 days teaser

The best way to enjoy this publication is on an Ipad or tablet. What you need to do, is add this item to your shopping cart when it is available. Then you will receive an email and a receipt from me. On that email is a link that enables you to download this e-book. Once downloaded here is the best way to enjoy it.

1) Open the publication on your iPad in Ibooks. Or on your android in your ebook reader.

2) Watch out for all the underlined yellow sections. Every section that is underlined is a hyperlink to another website or recipe.

3) The menu page has an easy bookmark function, every recipe/ instruction can go straight from the menu page through to that page. Click on the day number and it will flick you straight through to the page/ recipe you are looking for.

Lastly, do this Christmas junkie one favour.

Post a photo on Facebook or Instagram of what you have made from the book and tag me or email me a photo.

This would make me so happy.

Enjoy and Merry 30 days of creating

All my Christmas love

Amanda

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coconut weakness

coconut weakness

This recipe has 3 ingredients and a pinch of salt!

3 simple little items, that you probably have in your cupboard.

When they are put together, with a simple recipe, you can make this brilliant christmas gift.

I have called this truffle, ‘coconut weakness’

These little balls of goodness packaged together in a little box, with a ribbon, such a great Christmas present.

The recipe for these are found on day 17 of my new e-book due for release in two days.

30 merry days

Capture: 30 merry days ‘a creative guide to christmas kindness’.

On thursday 14 of November as it clicks past midnight and into the new day here in Perth, for 24 hours all my e-books will be on sale for $4.95 and my original printed capture book will be on sale for $9.95 also plus postage. If you are in Perth I can do local pick up.