Ohai!
and thanks for following the blogg! It’s been fun – and I’ll be doing it all over again in ten months time!
Hope to see you back here then, for new recipes, crazy ideas and more or less disastrous results, faithfully documented by yours truly!!
Have a happy and peaceful 2012!
Hugs and schmoos
Anne-Renée
So it comes at last – the big night – Christmas eve!
In Norway, we celebrate christmas on christmas eve, with a big family dinner. This year, it was to be at my house! First time ever!
We’ve hosted christmas day-dinner, but that is not such a big deal and I wrecked our traditions ten years ago anyway, by serving dinner instead of a traditional christmas smörgåsbord!
Dad came along to help, and together we made roast porc, roast porc ribs, brussel sprouts, red cabbage, steamed veggies, lots of gravy and almond potatoes (they’re called that for their shape, not their taste…). For pudding we had creme caramel and fruit salad with whipped cream, with an almond hidden inside and a prize for the one that found it! Samuel did and he got the chocolate orange! I do suspect my cousin for helping him though… 
So – here are the last photos from this year’s christmas! And I’ll see you all back here next december, for more cooking, crafts and general christmas fun!
The christmas table with the illicit crackers sent us from Newcastle!
Presents for all!!
Finally… The tree is decorated!!
Let me tell you about the tree… It’s from our big old spruce. It’s actually just a big branch, and the way it grows, makes it look a bit odd from certain angles… That’s why I’m only showing you photos from it’s good side!
8)
My better half – or him, whom I am better half to, evicted me tonight!
It was to be an evening with the guys, tying flies, drinking whisky and watching fly-fishing films…
So, I set up shop at work, where we have a nice, big and well equipped kitchen.
On the menu tonight was coconut macaroons, one of the staple goodies for christmas in Norway. My mum makes the best ones ever, so I haven’t attempted them, until now…
Needless to say that they are nothing like my mum’s… 
But at least, they taste nice, even though they don’t really look like the picture in the recipe… and appearances isn’t everything, right? Right??
These little white fluffs of coconut are really easy to make!
First, you beat the bejeezuz out of 4 eggwhites, fold 250 grs of dessicated unsweetened coconut, 180 grs of confectionary sugar and tbsp of vanilla sugar (or put a tsp on vanilla extract in the eggwhites) into the eggwhites.
Use a tablespoon and put little white coconut fluffs on a baking sheet lined with baking parchement.
Bake at 180 celcius for about 12 minutes, until they are little golden coconut fluffs!
NOM!!
On BBC good food, I stumbled over this recipe, for ginger biscuits with a stained glass center. I had a whole packet of gingerbread biscuit dough in the fridge, so I thought I’d give the idea a go!
Shopping list
1 packet of gingerbread dough
2 packets of raspberry boiled sweets – hard candy that will melt in the oven
Roll out the dough, make your favourite shape and cut out another shape in the center of the biscuit. Place a piece of candy in the center and cook in the oven at 180 celcius for 12-15 minutes.
You need to bake the biscuits on well oiled tin foil. If you use anything else, they will stick and break!
I know I promised to share the failures as well…
Here you go!
In our garden, we have two large, fairly old spruces. Now, large fairly old spruces really shouldn’t be in a city garden. It drains the soil of nutrients and water, puts half the garden in permanent shade – which, seeing … Continue reading
Or nativity scene or Julekrybbe…
My dad sent out photos of the crèche de noël he just finished arranging.
The figurines are provencal santons, traditional terracotta-figurines, used to make scenes from everyday life or as here, a nativity scene.
Dad made the diorama and the santons were bought on my parents’ last visit to Provence, two years ago.
I don’t think Dad will mind me sharing his lovely crèche!
True to tradition, I had invited friends and family to an evening of crafty fun!
My mum and my friend Gunhild came along, and we had a productive and lovely evening. Mum made 10 christmas cards and Gunhild continued knitting a really nice hat! I might have to lure the pattern out of her…
I had decided to decorate (assemble) a lovely kit I had bought, to make an ornament to hang on our front door, to replace the reef of red berries that had fallen of so many times over the years, and turned quite a few of the red berries into dust…
Turns out that glitter paint dries sloooooooooooooooowly, so all I could do tonight was to decorate the small plaster ornaments.
There were birds…
and trees.
There where stars…
and hearts.
Lovely presents…
and of course… mushrooms…
now – who decided that mushrooms had anything to do with christmas?
It’s a lovely mosaic of different shapes and sizes:
Anyway… It’s all put out to dry – and tomorrow or saturday, I’ll get my pliers out and assemble all the ornaments on the heartshaped metal frame…
.
I’ve been writing (and talking…) about these felted hearts for weeks!!
and now… They’re all done!!
I’ve amassed a pretty pile of hearts…
Some white ones with red buttons,
and some red ones with withe buttons!
All that’s left, is to put on a ribbon – I can’t decide weather to use christmassy twine or pretty red and white ribbons…
*Sigh*
There are so many decisions to make!! The life of a crafter is hard…
Quiet and peaceful and filled with lovely choir song…
The candles are lit...
Buster is pondering ponderous thoughts...
warm, soft, sweet and fragrant lussekatter..
