Merry Christmas!

It's quite late here and I realized at some point this afternoon that I had not posted at all the past two days, but I really have been incredibly busy. I am sorry, and a little disappointed that the finish was like this, but I missed less posts that I thought I would. I hope you have had fun reading and enjoyed this, maybe I will do it better next year. 

I have my brother visiting me so we have be out and about a whole lot and I had plenty to finish up before the Christmas holidays. Not to mention all the people that we see during this time. 

Any way, I wanted to wish all of you a merry Christmas! I hope you have wonderful holidays with your families and loved ones and can enjoy the seasons joys as well as relax a little bit. 

Cinnamon Stars

These have always been my favorite Christmas cookie! They are really not al that hard to make except that the dough is quite sticky and the meringue is annoying if you don't have a proper mixer to beat the egg whites, but the result is a sweet nutty slightly chewy cookie. They are also gluten and lactose free since they do not contain any flour or dairy products. 

So starting out with 

250 grams of ground nuts 

traditionally you would use almonds but this year I mixed in 50 grams of hazelnuts with 200 grams almonds and it was slightly different, but still delicious. Then add 

125 grams of sifted powder sugar 

and a solid teaspoon of cinnamon. 

Is a separate bowl whisk 

one egg white and

A tablespoon of amaretto (almond liquor).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and if you are using a machine you may have to intervene to scrape down the sticky mass from the sides. This also seems like very little liquid for the amount of dry ingredients but the sugar melts almost instantly and it does all come together. 

Then on a surface dusted with powdered sugar roll out the dough and it out your stars. I only had this shooting start available, but technically the shape doesn't really matter. Set the cookies on a lined baking tray and make the meringue by beating 

One egg white

Gradually adding 1 tbsp powdered sugar 

Continue beating until stiff. Then adding a little bit of this mixture to the top of every cookie. Now they just need to bake! This takes about 10-15 minutes in a 150 degree Celsius oven. The tops should still be white bit just starting to turn golden, mine here were obviously in just a little too long and turned fully golden. 

Let them cool a little before consuming. Enjoy! 

Schools Out!

I am so happy that the stress from school and tests has gone to have a vacation with the unicorns and leprechauns! We actually had a really chill day at school today because everyone was fully aware of the fact that we were already in break mode. On top of that I slept really well last night because I was able to shut everything off and take a hot bath and go straight to be at 10:30.  

After school I went into town to buy a zipper and some thread for my sewing project and then I met up with a friend of mine because she is going home for the holidays soon so it was lovely to see her again and catch up. And walking through to Christmas markets in our town center was also wonderful despite the slight stormy drizzle that was never gone for very long. The hot apple- sea buckthorn juice most certainly made for a truly lovely finish before our bike ride home. 

As much as I love spending time with her for her, there was a certain free and truly deeply relaxed feeling over the two of us because we were clearly going into a very relaxed period of the year. these next two weeks will probably be busy for me, but still fun to no end. and afterwards I will have my next internship; this time for 6 weeks followed by the next vacation week. 

My mental state seems to have spun right around from rather high stress and tight time management to freedom! For whatever reason, I feel the difference far more this year. It's almost like the feeling before summer break ads a kid, except that I have the joy and anticipation of seeing so many relatives soon on top of that free feeling. Life really is good. And today was a wonderful reminder of that. Also I think my methods yesterday have proven that I need to take half an hour before bed just for me more often. Especially when my roommate is not home and I can turn my phone on silent and just enjoy the tranquility of that moment. 

And thank you for reading, especially if you have stuck with me throughout my advent blogging despite two missed posts and everything. 

The Quest for Unique Fashion

So many of us want to be on trend and so called fashionable but still have unique style. This seems a little contradictory since trends are what most people are wearing, but somehow this is the ideal that the fashion industry and fashion and beauty bloggers instill in us. The simplest solution would of course be to sew our own clothes! This is most certainly not what commercial clothing stores are trying to sell us on, but it would make for clothes that are exactly our own style, unique and if you do it right, they always fit. 

I learned how to sew from my mother. It really isn't all too hard, and it seems to be a skill that was very much forgotten but looks to be coming back with the young people. It may be more work than going shopping and require some creative foresight to imagine the finished product you are aiming for. Using patterns available and a simple sewing machine it really isn't all too difficult. 

I thought I might write this little bit as food for thought as I took my last test before Christmas break and am currently working on a top I plan on wearing to some of my Christmas parties this season. Pictures will be up once I finish sewing this piece. It occurred to me that not only is this not that hard, sometimes you can find really cool fabric for great prices, but I don't have the time in one pice to do both the creative bit and actually make the piece I imagine. And it is sad becuase I have a lot of fun sewing and also wearing my own clothes knowing that no one else is wearing the same thing. 

I suppose I have my first new years resolution too. I want to sew more and I have a few ideas that I have seethed or noted in my notebook so that I can look back to those when I need some inspiration. As always, thanks for reading, and I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic. 

Birthday Dinner Outfit

Birthday Dinner Outfit by alovelylittlethought-1 featuring black skinny jeans

I'm off to a Birthday in the family and this is roughly what I am wearing.  I love the simple and timeless elegance of black jeans with a clean cut black top, soft brown eyeshadow and a bold red lip.

Study Break!

Oh my, oh my! It is most certainly Monday. And I have already put off studying with some grocery shopping and a trip into the drugstore for bits and bobs that I needed, although if I am totally honest it could have waited until tomorrow or the day after. But I have a Monster test coming up and because I know exactly how much I have to study and how much of it I really only need to refresh and all of this to Wednesday. I have a terrible case of the Mondays.
Tomorrow won't look much better in terms of things I have to do outside of school stuff. And lets face it once I have survived that and then the second test of the week on Thursday it is all smooth sailing! Christmas breakfast in school on Friday and then I'm off! I have lots of Christmas presents to finish and wrap and then my brother will be joining me in Dresden for the two weeks. There is so much to enjoy and look forward to. Unfortunately, there are a few hurtles that are not too small standing in my way. So it is hard to get into this week and start getting through this week.
This was my study break, so I will now go hit the books. I have definitely vented enough for one day. I hope your day has been better than mine and Thank you for bearing with me and getting this far.

Baked Apples Recipe

Bakes apples are a wonderful winter treat! Absolutely delicious and mindbogglingly simple and also a great way to use apples that have been sitting just a little too long to have a pleasant texture raw. 

I fill mine with a combination of vanilla sugar and coconut oil that have been creamed to an even paste and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Then I add some chopped nuts today a mixture of almonds and walnuts in about equal parts. I eyeball all of this based on what I have in the house and am feeling. Many people like raisins or other dried fruits in the fulling, but I am not a huge fan of raisins and I like the simplicity of apple and nuts without any other sweetness added to the mix. If you like it, you go right ahead and add it in. 

The apples need to be washed and cored, but not peeled, they fall apart if peeled and the filling can easily be scooped out with a spoon if you don't like the peel. The stuffed apples go into the over at about 180°C for half an hour or so. When they fill the apartment with a delicious scent and look slightly golden they are ready. I like mine with some Greek yogurt or quark but ice cream is also quite tasty and they are of course delicious just as they are. 

Thank you for reading. and happy 3rd Advent!