Cappuccino Truffles
Dec 23, 2011 Bakery House
I have always wanted to celebrate Christmas. I yearned for all things festive- glittering decorations, sparkling trees, a frosty winterland when I peek outside my window, intricately decorated cookies. In fact, one of the highlights of living in London was getting caught up in the spirit of Christmas.
The beautiful lights that lined Oxford Street, the food hall at Harrods adorned with exquisite delicacies, even the romantic adverts on TV. I was especially keen on the Marks and Spencer adverts which came out every Christmas.
However, my mum was never keen on the idea. We never celebrated Christmas as she always wanted to hold on to our culture, traditions and religion. And now that I am a mother, I understand that. However, I do want Maryam to enjoy the holiday period. The festive Christmas nursery rhymes, the magical aura of Santa. A winter wonderland full of snow, elves and reindeers.
Living in the middle of a desert means some elements need to be left to the imagination. However, we did celebrate in our own little way by attending a lovely gingerbread decorating session at Sally's house. Later that week, Maryam helped me wrap a present for a round of Secret Santa at nursery. She had a wonderful party there with lots of cookies, mince pies and learnt some new Christmas nursery rhymes which all the children sang in front of the parents. Besides devouring cookies, her favorite part of the day was sitting in Santa's lap and receiving her present.
That glow of excitement and amazement in her eyes at the sight of Santa appearing from behind the Christmas tree was priceless. I'm really glad we have found a great balance of being able to celebrate and embrace different holidays, festivals and cultures whilst still holding onto our own identity.
This is the perfect time to share these truffles with you that I made for Mowie's Christmas Issue. Perfect bite sized treats with a kick of coffee and a crunch from the pecans. I also made some pear tarts with a chocolate crumble, some hazelnuts and coffee. You can get the recipe for the pear tarts here (page 142 onwards).
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas with their loved ones with plenty of snow, laughter, cookies and presents. And of course plenty of family time.
Tags: Adverts, Christmas, Delicacies, Desert, Elements, Festive Christmas, Food Hall, Harrods, Holiday Period, Imagination, Oxford Street, Peek, Reindeers, religion, Spencer, Spirit, traditions, Trees, Winter Wonderland, Winterland
Coastal Cottages
Nov 12, 2010 Uncategorized
Coastal holidays are tremendously popular which is why every year, millions of tourists head for seaside beaches. Perhaps you like seaside holidays too. coastal vacations are fantastic, but that can be the problem too, because it usually means congestion, queuing, rubbish and noise. Have you ever thought about renting your own private coastal cottage? Many only dream about it, but it is not that complicated or expensive to organize actually.
One point to bear in mind is that, public beaches are well-known and that is why they get too busy. However, private coastal cottages are often secluded or on private beaches, which makes for a much quieter holiday. Often, local people living only miles from the cottage do not know that they are there. In spite of this, most coastal cottages do not cost a fortune to rent.
These coastal cottages are to be had in many countries around the world. They are certainly very popular in Britain, Europe and the United States. The level of privacy and the amenities available will depend on where you go. A coastal cottage in Wales will give you a very different holiday than a coastal cottage in southern France or Coney Island.
Many coastal cottages are located near a popular vacation destination. Not right in the middle of the venue, but generally a few miles or less outside, so that you can easily drive in or even walk in, if you want some livelier entertainment. Typical coastal cottage leisure activities include swimming, sailing, fishing and walking.
Of course, one of the chief considerations when renting a cottage is the rent itself. Now the funny thing is that is not nearly such a big concern as you might think it would be. The macro location is more important than the micro location. So, Wales might be cheaper than the south of France, but within Wales itself, there is not a huge variation in price, when you equate like with like. Obviously, a five-bedroomed coastal cottage will be more expensive than a three-bedroomed one.
Another situation worth looking into is the ownership of the coastal cottage. Is it owned by a private individual who lives near-by or is it owned by a large business. Is the cottage a real, original cottage or is it a new, mock cottage building? If it is old, is it connected with anyone famous or a famous event? Knowing these facts can all heighten your enjoyment.
Make sure that you are given some maps or drawings so that you can find the spot easily. Especially if you are travelling to the cottage in the evening or in the dark. Things often look far different at night than in the daylight, and if your chosen cottage is in a secluded spot, there may not be any street lighting
Finally, get hold of some pictures of inside and outside the coastal cottage you ultimately decide on and then book it early, because the best coastal cottages go earlier and earlier every year as this form of vacationing becomes ever more popular.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with the rental of Welsh coastal cottages. If you are interested in a cottage or Wales in general, please go to our website at Welsh Products Online
Tags: celtic, Coastal, cottages, Education, Government, History, Hobbies, other, Politics, religion, social issues, travel, Uncategorized, Wales, Writing
A History Of Stained Glass
Oct 24, 2010 Uncategorized
No one actually knows when stained glass was first invented because it happened before people started recording history. However, some historians think that it was first used as a luxury in the homes of affluent Romans in the first century AD. Stained glass was eventually recognized as an art form in the fourth century as Christians began to worship openly and to construct intricate churches in which to celebrate their religion.
On the other hand, some historians demonstrate that there are signs in pre-Christian ruins that suggest that pagans used stained glass in their rites. Although we will probably never really know the start of stained glass, it is fairly clear that the spread of Christianity is directly related to the spread of use of stained glass.
The Gothic Era commenced in the 12th Century and stained glass windows became an important element in the design of cathedrals. It really all started with the novel style of the St. Denis, France, where stained glass windows were used to convey light into the church itself and into the minds of its worshipers. Unfortunately, most of the stained glass in the St. Denis Cathedral was destroyed in the course of the French Revolution, but there are a few pieces left and even some entire windows on display in Europe.
Gothic style stained glass was composed of strong lines, but these increasingly went out of style as the Renaissance began. Throughout the Renaissance, artisans depicted better detail and more delicate colouring in order to add to the realism. Stained glass windows became more like paintings on glass than architectural features and some of the notable elements such as lead lines vanished. Because of the problems in showing the great detail essential to the Renaissance era, the old style, which was original stained glass almost died out.
In view of the fact that stained glass was used by and large by the Catholic Church, a great deal of the work was smashed during the reign of King Henry VIII after his break with the Pope. However, not only old stained glass windows were destroyed, but many of the glass making works were sabotaged too. However, religious strife was not the only cause of the wane of stained glass.
The fashion of the Baroque era was for more detailed murals, which meant the use of clear glass. Therefore, many of the remaining stained glass windows were allowed to fall into disrepair, and furthermore not many new stained glass windows were produced. In the late 17th century, the public mood returned to the Gothic style of architecture, which produced a renewed fascination in stained glass windows.
Artisans still tried to paint directly onto the glass at first, but later tried to imitate the old leaden frames of medieval times. However, since the earlier methods had not been used for such a long time, they had grown to be forgotten and the artisans of the period were unable to reconstruct the exact designs used in Gothic stained glass.
During the 19th century, La Farge and Tiffany created new kinds of stained glass. La Farge tended towards window designs, while Tiffany went into new areas like the Tiffany lamp shade.
These days, stained glass artists are not constricted by religious styles, although much of the work they do involves refurbishment. Modern stained glass is also used as the centre pane in front doors, especially uPVC doors, by rich and poor equally in the West.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Waterford crystal vases. If you have an interest in Irish crystal or wedding rings, please go to our website now at White Gold Claddagh Ring
Tags: britain, celtic, Crystal, Gifts, Glass, Happiness, Ireland, other, Politics, religion, spirituality, traditions, Uncategorized, Vases, waterford
