DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   This recipe comes from www.larecetadelafelicidad.com .  I frozen or chilled dessert beside ice cream.  Enjoy! Chocolate vanilla frozen cake   Chocolate Vanilla Frozen cake Prep time: 20 min Cooking time: 40 min Yield: 12-16 Ingredients Moist chocolate cake: 200 g flour (1 and3/4 cups) 300 g sugar (1 and 1/3 cups) 90 g unsweetened cocoa powder (3/4 cups) 1 tsp baking powder 1 pinch of salt 2 eggs 200 ml buttermilk (4/5 cup) 125 g butter, melted (1 stick) 200 ml freshly brewed hot coffee (4/5 cup) Ice cream filling: 1 l vanilla icecream (33 fl oz) Chocolate frosting: 200 ml heavy cream (4/5 cup) 50 g butter (1/2 stick) 250 g dark chocolate (9 oz) chopped almonds to decorate Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (or use baking spray) two 9-inch baking pansand set aside Stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract and beat until smooth Add hot coffee, and m

   This great idea was found at www.thepaintedhive.blogspot.com .  There are many, many uses for this.  Think big and good luck! MAGIC Decal Transfer Tutorial with Free Printables! As I'm sure some of you may remember, a little while back I posted a tutorial for DIY waterslide decals . Amongst other things, I mentioned how wonderful they are for creating custom embellishments without the need for any fancy pants equipment. Yep, waterslide decal paper is a truly fab product, though as great as it is, there is one major drawback - it is not particularly durable. So, whilst it's perfect for ornamental purposes, it's not ideal for more practical applications....until now that is! Magic decal coating paper is a complimentary product designed to be used in conjunction with standard decal paper to make the finished transfers durable - yes, even dishwasher resistant! If you're already familiar with magic decal coating paper then please excuse my tardy exc

    Moon Festival, Mooncake Festival , or the August Moon Festival - they are the different names of the same festival, which is popularly also known as the Mid Autumn Festival . It is a celebration of abundance and togetherness. The Chinese believe in praying to the moon god for protection, family unity, and good fortune. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the solar calendar.On this day the moon is unusually bright, clear and round. Historical accounts are silent about the exact origin of this festival, but as far as the assumption of the scholars are concerned , it is related to the two customs in China. The first customs concern the Chinese farmers. China is an agricultural country and farming in China is intricately associated with the seasons. In the ancient times, the farmers used to worship Earth God and prayed for a good harvest when they sowed the seeds during spring. Once again during a

   This recipe comes form www.studiodiy.com .  These looked very nice and festive! Ingredients 200g almond flour 200g powdered sugar 80g egg whites 80g egg whites 200g regular sugar 80 ml water 1 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped out 2-3 drops of peppermint extract Red food coloring (optional) Crushed Candy Canes (optional, for finishing) Directions Heat oven to 355F Separate egg whites ensuring there is absolutely no egg yolk. You may set the egg whites aside for 2-3 days in a refrigerator to “age”. Measure out egg whites into two small containers with 80g in each. Measure out almond flour and powdered sugar; add to food processer or spice grinder and pulse. Once the sugar and almond flour is a fine texture, sift 2 times; add the vanilla seed scrapings, peppermint extract, and 80g of egg white, set aside. Cook sugar with water in a pot over medium heat with candy thermometer. Gently swirl the water and sugar a few times so it cooks evenly

   This was found at www.craftzine.com .  This would make a nice centerpiece at your next party or get together. How-To: Chocolate Bowl

Killorglin     For communities like Killorglin to survive against the often overpowering commercial pressures imposed by their larger, urbanised neighbours it takes an inherent, deep seated tenacity. To say that the industrial and economic success of the town came about as a result of being ably represented politically, at the right time - is true - but only part of the overall picture. This train of thought displays an ignorance of how these market towns, strategically set down at cross-roads, not only survive against fierce odds but indeed thrive. A cursory glance at the history of any such town will reveal the growing pains and battle scars endured by generations to get us to where we are today.     Rivers played a huge role in the establishment of trade centres and in Killorglin's case the Laune with its link and proximity to the well sheltered Castlemaine Harbour must have presented a very attractive location to the first travellers - commercial or otherwise. Politi

   This recipe comes from www.changingmydestiny.wordpress.com .  I know many of you have asked me for an apple butter recipe, and here is a truely, tastey one.  Good luck and don't go overboard on the butta! I used this easy recipe from Cake Student because I had everything on hand and it worked out beautifully. I used a little more water than the recipe called for, and I did add slightly more brown sugar and spices. By slightly more, I mean rounded teaspoons instead of being specific with my measurements. I mean can a few extra pinches of brown sugar really hurt? Crock Pot Apple Butter (Makes a little more than 1 pint) 1 dozen apples, peeled, cored, cubed 1/2 Cup Water 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon All Spice Step 1: Peel, Core, and Chop a dozen apples. I used apples from our trip to the Apple Orchard . I’m no apple expert, but these apples were more dense than the apples I typically buy in the grocery store. The flavor was great, b