Embrace!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

Last night, for me, was spent down at Sydney harbour, watching the spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks...

In the meantime, several hours of time had to pass... waiting for the main event to take place... as you need to set up camp pretty early to get a good vantage point...

Thousands of people were setting up little tents and had chairs and eskys full of food and drinks and so forth...

I went for a walk along the esplanade, away from the crowd and where it was a lot quieter and got a great view of the harbour... and some really cool nights pics of boats aglow as they sailed the calm waters, also passing the time...

Then I looked up and saw a once in a life time opportunity... and would have gained an even greater snap if I had thought about it a bit sooner... instead of just admiring... :-)

The yellow moon, framed between the red glow of sails and rope... just touching the one to the right of it...  on its ascent into the starry night... a brief window of time to get this pic before the boat and the moon continued on their separate paths...

I caught one more snap, within seconds of the first, making it apparent that the opportunity was quickly slipping by...

After capturing the image, I realized that the writing on the side of the boat, also aglow in red, reads:

                                                                   "Embrace"

Then I got to thinking... that's a great motto for the coming year! Embrace... the opportunities that come and make the most of those moments... as sometimes they will only come once in a life time, or maybe fleeting... 

Time is a precious gift from God, and no one knows how long we each have... many predicted the end of the world (again) at the end of last year... but here we are... having crossed over again into a New Year... with new opportunities and new horizons to explore...

So, my wish and prayer for you, is that you will go forward with hope and embrace this year and experience the fulness of God's best for you!!

Happy 2013!!

Easy Tirimasu - yummo!

the last thing I decided to make for Christmas lunch, was a Tirimasu :) yum!

I got this idea from a friend, who has a degree in hospitality... and is a fab cook! But this recipe is VERY SIMPLE!

ingredients:

Italian sponge finger biscuits - one large packet
600 mls thickened cream (not light cream - it won't whip)
drinking chocolate powder for sprinkling
teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of icing sugar or natural sugar replacement
one cup of cold strong black coffee
1/2 cup coffee liquor (I ended up using one that was a vanilla/chocolate cream liquor)

you will need a rectangular dish (I copied my friend and used a 2 litre plastic storage container with a snap lock lid)

1) In a flat dish or container, place the cold coffee & liquor
2) In another bowl, whip the cream, vanilla and icing sugar/sugar replacement until the cream is nice and thick - (but not too long or it will turn into butter!)
3) place biscuits on a tray ready to be dipped into the liquid...
4) get ready a small tea strainer or sieve to dust drinking chocolate powder
5) you are now ready to assemble your dessert!
6) soak each biscuit and roll around for about 5 seconds each in the coffee liquor mix... but not too long or the biscuits with fall apart!
7) place the soaked biscuits in rows until you have formed a layer, along the bottom of the container you are using for the dessert
8) place a layer of the whipped cream over the biscuit layer, then dust with the drinking chocolate powder
9) Continue to layer the biscuits, cream and choc powder until you fill the container... finishing with the dusted choc powder.
10) place in the fridge for 24 hours, and serve! Enjoy :)

Here's mine in the 2 litre container...

and served ready to eat, with some delicious strawberries and blueberries!

I also made this one, using cold drinking chocolate (with no coffee or liquor) and made it is similar fashion to the other one in the recipe above :)

Merry Christmas!! :)

Merry Christmas to all!! :)

Merry Christmas to all!!

It's at this time of year, that many like to have Christmas light displays, with some going all out - taking many months of the year to create something truly spectacular for others to enjoy and share in the Christmas spirit!

This pic is only a SMALL part of an incredible display - one of the best we found - with decorations, lights, nativity settings, raffles, lucky dips, and a donation collection etc - supporting a children's hospital (with their endorsement for her fundraising on their behalf)

It was quite a large property, with decorations and lights covering every part of it! Several people stopped to get out of their cars and walk into the place and check out the decorations, leave donations, buy raffle tickets and take photos...

What a wonderful way to share and care for others at this time of year! No doubt a bit of generosity and love goes a long way towards making the world a better place to live :)

It is easy to give to our loved ones - friends and family - and maybe even extend the Christmas cheer to a co-worker, perhaps even a boss, friendly neighbours etc... but to total strangers? Not a lot go to that extent...


Yet, the greatest love of all can never be surpassed... before we even cared to know of Him...

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16

May you know the greatest love of all this Christmas season!

Blessings xox

almost Christmas :)

hello again!

I've added some finishing touches to my table decorations for Christmas tomorrow... some neat stuff I found at an op-shop... with that old world charm!

The table runner - cost $5 and looks like it was lovingly hand made... the reverse side is a mottled purple design... very cool...

the angel candle holders spell out:    J   O   Y  and candles are a lovely addition to any table fare... especially at Christmas! I've used different coloured candles that match the rest of the decorations, but are also a bit funky rather than all the same colour :)



The other candle holders are solid brass and they were given to me by someone who no longer wanted them!


and the little ornaments with the seed pods with flowers and ribbon I made myself :)


Merry Christmas everyone!! I pray you will know the love of God in greater measure... which is His desire for you!

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace goodwill toward men!" Luke 2:14

Pavlova :-)

Hello again!

Having family visit for Christmas over the last few days, has had me making some special things for us to enjoy... and some of these you may have seen in my previous posts :)

          - ginger-shortbread - caramel fudge - homemade Christmas cards and decorations - etc...

Now, I'm not a huge fan of tradition... but I do like SOME of the traditional things just the same... but I also enjoy doing something different and NEW and FRESH... and creatively bringing old and new together!


Instead of Christmas cake, I've decided to have pavlova... always a favorite hit!! I made this one myself... that way I avoid the artificial ingredients I don't want in my food and I actually used a natural sugar replacement for this so it was much healthier!

[It's amazing when you watch scientific documentaries on the way refined sugars (and especially high fructose corn syrup) are dealt with by our digestive system... and since sugar is one of the main ingredients in this dessert... I had to use a natural sugar replacement that would mimic caster sugar... now I wasn't hugely happy with the overall result... but it looks pretty impressive and was palatable enough just the same! But a bit more experimentation before I post a recipe I'm happy with...]

And I've taken a close up of one of my little table decorations I made the other day....

Time for a Rhyme... :-)

Well, I've been playing a game on google+ with some other song writers... a rhyming game... which someone started with a suggested topic, then a short poem... then leaves a topic for the next to follow with a poem and so on... so here's my little poem, to the topic of: good vs evil...

One has peace, love, joy and hope believing for a better day
Yet one is so sad filled with anger, hatred, rage, and malice
They grew up side by side and yet, worlds apart in heart

One gentle, kind, forgiving and understanding
Yet one is so mean, unbending, unyielding
The same blood pulses through their veins - yet relationship is strained

One was cherished, wanted and adored
Yet one was rejected, forsaken, forlorn
Character molded in formative years, eternity of hope or drowned in fears

As trauma leaves its indelible mark
Twists in time and turns in fate
Hearts are broken and choices to make

Forgiveness and love or bitter and hate
Whilst breath fills your being it isn't too late
Settle the struggle once and for all and be at peace in your soul

Ginger-shortbread...

Well, at previous Christmas times... I've tried making a decorated fruit cake or a gingerbread house..
but this year I've decided to make some ginger- shortbread!

So, I've come up with this recipe:

250 grams butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar (was going to try all honey, but had some brown sugar to use up... I think golden syrup or treacle would be nice as an alternative also...)
1 tablespoon ginger powder
1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger pieces
2 cups self raising gluten free flour
1 cup plain organic wholemeal spelt flour

1) Melt butter, honey, sugar and add ginger in a saucepan over low heat
2) Remove from heat and place to the side
3) place wholemeal and gluten free flours into a bowl and mix dry ingredients together until blended.
4) Pour over the butter mixture and mix together with a wooden spoon.
5) Roll small balls of mixture (gently) and place onto baking trays - spacing a little apart, and flatten gently with a fork to create a pattern on top. Cook in 170 degrees Celsius oven for about 12 minutes.
6) Drizzle with white chocolate if you wish... my food critique who tasted the shortbread ate my white chocolate before it got to the biscuits unfortunately! Hmm... another thing to remember when I go shopping later! LOL

here's the finished product of my ginger-shortbread biscuits... (minus the chocolate...) The biscuits are very "short" and the ginger pieces add a nice bit of extra "kick" to them!

I purchased this cute little ceramic gingerbread house (filled with gingerbread stars) a few days ago, for just $10 and the Christmas card in this picture is one that I made myself.