birthday dessert ideas: December 2010

Sweet 2011

Queridos amigos, amigas, leitores, curiosos, visitantes passageiros, quero deixar-vos uma mensagem de Ano Novo: que o vosso 2011 seja doce em todos os sentidos! Com alegria, saúde, amor, ao lado da família e dos amigos, sabendo que vai haver bons e maus momentos, mas sempre a pensar que este desafio que é a vida é mesmo isso: é tudo menos monótona! Obrigada pela vossa amizade e atenção, as vossa palavras significaram muito para mim e são mesmo importantes, acreditem.

Desejo-vos as maiores felicidades e enormes sorrisos. E deixo-vos com uma imagem de uns chocolates que eu adoro! Vemo-nos em 2011!

Dear friends, readers, curious people that visit my blog, I want to leave you a New Year's message: have a sweet 2011 in all ways possible! I wish you happiness, love, friendship, health, together with your family and friends, knowing that some days will be better than others, but hey, that's the way life is! Thank you all for your friendship and kind words, they really mean a lot to me.

I wish you joy and huge smiles. And I leave you with an image of one of my favorite chocolates!

See you in 2011!

Our Trip to Sydney

Even though I grew up it Sydney it has been lovely to spend time there as a tourist over the past couple of weeks. Every time I visit I gain a new appreciation for the exquisite beauty of the harbourside city, but also for the terrible traffic and the overwhelming number of people who live there.

Our trip began with my little brother's wedding. The ceremony was held in a park on the harbour and the reception at the restaurant next door. The sky was overcast when we arrived but this quickly changed to glorious Sydney sunshine.

What a wonderful night we had! It was an absolute joy to welcome my new sister-in-law into the family, and to see my extended family again. Having only lived in Adelaide for two years, it was marvellous to be able to talk with people I have known longer than that, people who know my history and who love my family and me unconditionally.

The view from the park. In the distance you can just see Centrepoint tower, a Sydney landmark.

The beautiful bride with her father...

Signing the register.

Later in the week we rode the River Cat into the city to show the kids the sights. We were escorted by my husband's sister and her three kids. After a picnic in the Royal Botanical Gardens we walked to Darling Harbour where we visited the Aquarium.

The Opera House

Brolgas dancing at Darling Harbour

Oh my! A chocolate sundae from the Lindt Cafe.

For us out-of-towners it was wonderful to have a Christmas where we could spend time with both sides of the family. These biscuits were a gift from my husband's niece, who baked and decorated them.

After our week in Sydney we drove to Canberra for a few days' break. A highlight was a visit to the Australian War Memorial. This is not just a monument but a fabulous and poignant museum, the best museum in Australia, I think. I could easily spend days in there.

Simpson and his Donkey

The War Memorial

Looking from the War Memorial across to Parliament House

We're back home now and I'm happily getting dirt under my fingernails in the garden again. Today I picked the first zucchinis and made a cheesy zucchini slice for tea. I added in some diced ham and it was delicious!

Thank you for sharing 2010 with me. May you all have a magnificent year in 2011!

Back from the Wedding and Christmas Road Trip

Well, we're finally home from our two week road trip to Sydney and Canberra. We experienced flood detours, my dear youngest brother's wedding, and a fabulous family Christmas. We went to the beach, picnicked by Sydney Harbour, and spent much-needed time with family and friends.

And there was lots and lots of driving - the round trip ended up being over 3,000 kilometres.

We arrived home this afternoon to much browner South Australian countryside than that we left. The garden is looking sad and bedraggled from today's intense heat. I'm hoping to get up early tomorrow before it gets too hot and work out what has survived and what, unfortunately, is headed for the compost bin.

I'm looking forward to sharing some of the hundreds of photos with you over the next few days. However now I need to clean the kitchen, have a shower, and drag this poor, tired body off to bed.

New Year is coming

Queridos amigos, espero que tenham tido um bom Natal! Eu por cá estou cheia de dores nas costas, acho que foi de conduzir muitas horas e de apanhar muito frio!! Hoje passo por aqui muito rapidamente, para vos deixar umas imagens da mesa de doces que fiz, já a pensar no Ano Novo - um grande plano dos cupcakes de maçã com especiarias e decorados com enfeites natalícios. Assim que tiver as restantes fotos, vocês serão os primeiros a saber!

Já têm planos para a passagem de ano? E quais são as vossas promessas para 2011? :-)

Cupcakes: Cupcake

Hello, my lovely friends! I hope you've had a very happy Christmas! I am with a severe back ache, I guess it's because I drove so much and because of the cold weather as well. I'm coming here in a hurry just to show you a sneak peek of the dessert table that I created - these are apple and spices cupcakes decorated with ornaments. As soon as I have the remaining photos, you'll be the first ones to know!

And what about your plans for New Year's Eve? Have you already made promisses for the year to come? :-)

Christmas feeling

Olá a todos! Depois de tantos posts acerca do Natal, faltava mesmo um com a inevitável árvore. E, acreditem, bem procurei por imagens que me inspirassem... Não postei fotografias da minha árvore pois ainda está incompleta, não tenho tido tempo!! Então pedi autorização à fantástica Yvonne Eijkenduijn, do não menos fantástico blog The Yvestown Blog (sim, eu sei, é maravilhoso!) e mostro-vos as fotos da árvore de Natal que decorou e que eu adorei. Inspira-me, adoro as decorações da Yvonne, adoro aquele blog e aconselho-vos a perderem-se naquelas imagens... o cor-de-rosa nas paredes, os papéis de embrulho da Cath Kidston, é tudo uma perdição...

E tenham um Natal muito feliz. Espero que o passem com muita felicidade e amor!

Credits: The Yvestown Blog

Hi everyone! After so many Christmas posts, this blog was still missing a post with a Christmas tree... and believe me, I've been searching for inspiring images for a long time! I'm not showing pictures of my Christmas tree, as it is incomplete, I haven't had the time to finish it. So I asked the amazing Yvonne Eijkenduijn of the equally amazing blog The Yvestown Blog permission to post the pictures of her Christmas tree. I loved it, I love that blog and the decorations Yvonne does, so please visit this lovely place and dream along... look at the pink walls, the Cath Kidston wrapping papers, everything is delightful...

And have a wonderful Christmas. With lots of love and joy.

Beautiful packaging

A uma semana do Natal e o espírito festivo continua!... Como estão a correr os vossos preparativos? Tudo pronto? Eu ainda nem tratei dos presentes...

Boxes: Art as Life

A week to go to Christmas and I still haven't everything ready! Do you have everything set? I don't even have the presents, so you can guess how the next few days are going to be...

Away

For the next week or two we will be travelling, first to an interstate wedding, then for Christmas with family in Sydney.

I am not clear how much, if any, computer access I shall have in that time, so I may not be able to write on my blog. I promise to take lots of photos to share when I get back.

Until then, I hope you all enjoy a wonderful festive season with your family and friends.

And Merry Christmas to you all!

Glorious Christmas

Chegada a casa. As meninas para deitar. A cabeça a andar à roda - quero começar a montar a mesa de Natal para assentar ideias, que isto do cansaço não ajuda em nada e eu gosto de tanta coisa que nem sei o que fazer!!

Por favor, olhem-me para esta mesa deliciosa!! E vão ver o blog Glorioustreats, eu adoro - já publiquei aqui uma foto deste sítio. Para mim, a Glory Albin é a raínha dos cookies. E o blog inspira-me!

Credits: Glorioustreats

Back home, at last. I still have to take the kids to bed and my head is dizzy! I need to start setting the table - I like too many things for such a small place!

But please, take a look at this Christmas table and this wonderful blog, Glorioustreats! I love this blog and had already shown some images from this site. To me, Glory Albin is the queen of cookies. Her blog and her work are really inspiring!...

The Correct Way to Wash Dishes

My dishwasher (electric, not husband!) is out of action, which means that I have been washing lots of dishes by hand lately. Hence this post.

From America's Housekeeping Book, 1941.

How to Wash Dishes

1.Prepare hot soapsuds

2.Wash in any preferred order. The usual order is:
       a) Glassware
       b) Silver
       c) Dishes
       d) Cooking utensils

3. Change the suds frequently. Dirty water won't make the dishes clean.

4. Stack the dishes in the dish drainer as they are washed.

5. Rinse immediately with hot, not scalding, water so that soapy water won't dry on the dishes. A spray attachment for the faucet (tap) makes easy work of this.

6. Dry glassware and silver with clean, lintless towels. If dishes are rinsed with hot water they will dry by themselves and can be put away at your convenience.

Kate's tip: Scrape all your dishes first with a cake scraper or spatula, then hopefully you will only need one sinkful of soapy water to wash all your dishes. Very environmentally friendly!

Unintentional Peas

A fine crop of peas has sprung up from the pea straw that I am using to mulch one of my vegetable beds. As is so often the case, these unintentional peas are growing much more strongly than the peas I planted and nurtured early in the spring.

Unsupported by a trellis, the pea plants are rising up from the soil supported only by each other. I love the determined way those delicate tendrils wind and curl and twist around each other.

Christmas gift boxes

Olá, queridos amigos! Na senda natalícia deste blog, que já se arrasta há mais de um mês, venho hoje partilhar convosco mais uma das belezas desta vida - no caso, embalagens para presentes de Natal! Da incontornável tia Martha (a Stewart, pois claro), deixo-vos algumas imagens destas caixinhas (faltam as fitas vermelhas que rematam o embrulho) e peço a vossa sempre preciosa ajuda: com o que é que encheriam estas caixas para darem de presente neste Natal? Gosto tanto de ouvir as vossas sugestões, vá, dêem-me ideias!... :-)

Hello, my dear friends! Still Christmas saga at Citrusandorange (it's been like this for over a month, now), so today I'm showing you some gift boxes - Martha Stewart ones, she never fails to amaze me! These boxes come with red ribbons as well, but they aren't shown in the photos. So what I'd like to know is what kind of presents would you fill these boxes with? I'd love to hear your ideas, please tell me!...

Chocolate Eclairs

Some leftover sweetened, chocolate-flavoured cream from my daughter's birthday cake meant that I just had to make chocolate eclairs to use it up.

I had forgotten how good home-made choux pastry tastes - especially when cream-filled and covered in chocolate icing.

Winter in wonderland

Baseei-me numa ideia da Creature Comforts para esta decoração de Natal e nada melhor do que a conjugar com um cupcake bem branquinho e invernoso. Por coincidência, foi publicado hoje naquele blog um cupcake kit igual a este que usei para decorar os meus! :-) Adoro bambies e veados, ando à procura de um em cerâmica há tanto tempo!...

E lá vou eu para mais um Domingo infantil, levar a Carlota e as minhas sobrinhas a um espectáculo de Natal!

This decoration idea is based on a Creature Comforts one and I added the wintery cupcake to the whole set. By coincidence, it was published today in that blog precisely the same cupcake kit that I used to decorate mine! :-) I love bambies and deers and I have been looking for a ceramic one for ages!...

Well, and now off to a Christmas show with Carlota and my two nieces. Have a nice Sunday!

Sweet citrus

Mini-tartes de limão. Eu nem sou muito de sabores ácidos, mas adorei estas!! Eu e a Carlota, a minha parceira na cozinha, lambuzamo-nos com o recheio! Muito boas acompanhadas com chá.

Enjoy!

Mini lemon tartlets. So yummy!! I'm not an acid flavors tipe of girl, but I really like these ones! Carlota helped me again and she also loved them. So good with Earl Grey tea.

Enjoy!

Heart-Shaped Chocolate Ice Cream Cake - With a Smile

We're having a birthday party-free year here at our red house, but that does not mean for a moment that we are not celebrating birthdays.

Yesterday my daughter turned 14 and today she celebrated by inviting a friend over for dinner, some DVDs and a sleepover. As usual for my summer baby, the cake was a home-made ice cream cake (recipe here). Miss 14 made the filling and I decorated with sweetened chocolate-flavoured whipped cream. She asked for a smiley face to decorate and it suited her bright personality perfectly.

Happy birthday beautiful girl!

Chocolate peppermint cookies

Já vos tinha dito que, este ano, esta crise não está para brincadeiras. Então decidi apostar em presentes mais baratos e, se possível, feitos em casa. Tudo o que forem delícias são sempre bem recebidos, daí andar em treinos culinários para ver o que é que daqui sai... Hoje trago uma ideia de umas bolachinhas com cobertura de chocolate e rebuçado de menta, baseadas numa receita do Sweet Paul. Que presente de Natal delicioso!! Fáceis e rápidas.

E vocês? Que presentes de Natal caseiros estão a planear fazer?

I had already told you that this year we are planning to sped less money in Christmas presents and make homemade gifts whenever possible. Today I bring you another of my cooking experiments: chocolate peppermint cookies covered with melted chocolate and candy canes. An easy and quick Christmas present, based on a Sweet Paul idea. They are delicious!

And what about you? What kind of homemade Christmas gifts are you planning to do?

Child-Made Christmas

Over the years we have acquired quite a collection of Christmas decorations and pictures made by our children at kindergarten or school. They come out every year to go proudly on display. The kids can always remember who made what and which year.

The glass bead picture above arrived home in Master 7's schoolbag a week or two ago and now graces our sitting room windowsill.

I am constantly amazed by, and thankful for, the creativity of the teachers of young children.

Christmas favorites

Olá, queridos amigos! Já tinha anunciado no Facebook que ía mostrar umas fotos de algumas das peças decorativas que vou usar neste Natal, pelo que aqui está uma pequena amostra, com destaque para as etiquetas, que acho maravilhosas, e que farão a festa nos presentes onde as vou usar. Adoro especialmente as etiquetas com as bandeirolas douradas, não as acham uma delícia?

Mas hoje queria pedir-vos uma coisa: alguém me sabe dizer onde é que se encontram destas pequenas caixas em papel kratf? Não só estas pillow boxes, mas também caixinhas quadradas e rectangulares, de diferentes tamanhos. Ando à procura há imenso tempo e não consigo encontrar nada por cá...Se souberem onde se vendem online ou distribuidores, melhor ainda. Obrigada!

É verdade! E a nevezinha a cair? Gostam? :-)

Hello, my dear friends! I had already announced at Facebook that I was going to show you some of the things that I'm using for my Christmas decorations - especially the gift tags, which I find gorgeous and that will make a difference in the presents in which I'll use them. I particularly like the ones with the little golden flags, they're so cute, aren't they?

But today I'd like to ask you something: does anyone knows where can I find these kraft paper gift boxes here in Portugal? I've been looking for them for so long, but it seems that I just can't find them anywhere! If you know something, please share it with us.

By the way, do you like the snow falling here in the blog? :-)

Cosmos

The cosmos plants in my front yard are just starting to come into flower. Having never grown cosmos before, I am amazed at how fast they grow from seed.

I have read that if you let them cosmos will take over your whole garden. Could that possibly be a bad thing?