CHESTNUT PRALINES…..

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It is about all the sweet and delicious cakes, biscuits and pralines before X-mass. One of my favorites is my own creation of small pralines with chestnuts, rum, marzipan and dried plums.

Here is the recipe:

250g of chestnut puree

150g of marzipan

15 dried plums

4 spoons of rum

200 – 250g of dark chocolate glaze

Cut the dried plums in to small peaces – aprox. one plum in to 3 smaller peaces. Wrap the plum bit in marzipan and make a little ball of it. Mix chestnut puree with rum, and use as second wrapping for the marzipan ball. Melt the chocolate glaze in steam bath. Dive all small chestnut balls in to the chocolate – one after another. Let them dry on a baking paper. You may also switch dried plums with dried cherries. To make the taste more rummy – you may let the dried fruit in rum over night before preparation. Decorate the pralines before the chocolate dries……use your fantasy for the decoration.

Store in cold place, or put in to the freezer – they last for ages!!!!!

Bon apetit!!!! J

FUNKY GINGERBREAD……

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This post was supposed to by about our past years X-mass decorations and the one we are going to have this year. Well – the tree is not standing yet (daddy has been very busy all day long J!). There fore I have decided to move the decorations for tomorrow. There are plenty things to do and prepare anyway. Spending time in the grocery store in the morning, I have been in a very funky mood – no stress at all - comparing to all the people around me. Everyone just grumpy and moody – I have been asking “Why?” all the time. They must have known that they want be the only ones deciding to go for the morning grocery shopping today. Never mind – I did not let anyone ruin my day!!!! Got everything I needed and left back home. We have had a big day with my girls today – painting gingerbread cookies. We do it every year. I always decide to go for the traditional white color – but not his year. I think the happy bride colors will rule our X-mass this year…………..and not only via gingerbread cookies………….lets see the result tomorrow, when the day light comes. Happy X-mass preparation to everyone!!!   

CARP FISH IN THE BATH…..

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It may not be the tradition in every family, but in our family, we used to have a live carp fish in the bath before X-mass - till we grew up of course every year. I nearly forgot about how happy I used to be watching this big fish swimming in our bathroom. Today I got the phone call from my dear husband: “Shell we not buy a carp fish for the little ones my dear?”….. What a brilliant idea!!!!  Girls have been so surprised and happy. And the best part – the fish want end up on the X-mass table, but in our small garden lake – very satisfying!!!!