EGGNOG-PRALINES
125 ml Eggnog (Eierlikör)
200 g Coconut flakes
200 g white chocolate
50 g butter
Coconut flakes to cover pralines
In a water bath melt chocolate and butter. Mix in eggnog and coconut flakes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Form small balls and roll them in coconut flakes. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
You can make your own baby oil with a strong wound healing effect that has been renowned for many centuries.
CALENDULA OIL
Calendula flours
Olive oil
Fill dried calendula flowers into a twist-off glass up to the rim. Fill as much olive oil to cover the flowers. Close the glass tightly and place in a sunny place but not in direct sunlight. Let stand for 3-6 weeks and shake once in a while. Pour through a sieve into clean glass bottles. Keep in the dark.
LIFE HACK OF THE SEASON:
Don’t you also always have a hard time with these loose plastic-wrap or baking sheet rolls? I can’t stand it when I have to fight with these annoying unpractical rolls.
Here is an easy ways to stop the rolls from falling out of the box and still let the sheets come out easily:
With a knife punch a hole into the middle of each side of the box and press it downward to form a little flap into the wrapping roll.
Done!!
Jingle bells, Jingle bells…. Here is another typical Austrian Christmas cookie specialty:
KOKOSBUSSERL (Coconut-kiss cookies)
4 egg-whites
1 Tbsp vanilla-sugar
¼ Tsp salt
Ground lemon peel of ½ organic lemon
160 g confectioner’s sugar
200 g coconut flakes
1 Tbsp flour
Preheat oven to 180 °C. In a heatproof bowl beat egg whites, salt and vanilla sugar very stiff. Carefully mix in lemon peel, confectioner’s sugar and coconut flakes. Set bowl over a bowl of boiling water and heat the mixture until very warm. Add flour. On a baking sheet make little heaps of about 1 Tsp mixture, set about 1 inch apart. Bake until brown peaks form.
I just love Christmas time. Sitting in a cozy spot, cookies, hot punch and a good book….heaven!! This is a typical Austrian specialty.
LINZER AUGEN COOKIES
100 g confectioner’s sugar
200 g butter, cold
300 g flour
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla sugar
Ground peel of ½ organic lemon
Apricot jam
Confectioner’s sugar to sprinkle
Knead together all ingredients. Cool for 30 minutes. Roll out between two baking paper sheets. With a cookie cutter cut out disks. Cut out a smaller disk out of half of the disks (makes the top layer). Bake for 10 minutes. Spread jam on the still hot full disks and top with upper layer disks. Let cool and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.
The cherry on the top of every cheese platter! The best friend for your favorite steak…
CHILI-TEQUILA JAM
1 kg large, red chilies (as hot as you like)
1 kg geling sugar (1:1)
50 ml Tequila (optional)
! Use plastic gloves or your hands will burn for days! Believe me, I made the experience!
Cut chilies into pieces. Mix with geling sugar in a large pot. With a hand blender puree the mixture. Cook bubbling for 8 minutes. Ann Tequila. Fill into sterile jam glasses and close. Place up side down for 5 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
I have been looking for a non-toxic, inexpensive eye makeup remover that really works. I have never been satisfied with the commercially available products. Either they were full of toxic detergents or they didn’t work. Of course as a DIY junkie I started to try different recipes. I bought expensive ingredients and mixed and did experiments…well, again I wasn’t satisfied. One day where I had almost given up I really found it! It is ridiculously easy…but, believe me, it even works with water proof makeup and leaves your skin so soft!!!
ALMOND OIL MAKEUP REMOVER
Almond oil (you can also use jojoba oil)
Makeup remover pad or cotton, or whatever
Wet the pad with warm (winter)/ cold (summer) water and drip on a few drops of almond oil. Hold it to your closed eye lid for a few seconds and wipe downwards.
Please try it and tell me how it worked for you!
Rubby scrubby…this peeling makes you feel as clean and soft as a new born baby!!
NICI’S SUGAR-OAT PEELING
Makes 5
100 g cocoa butter
50 g bees wax
60 g olive oil
200 g sugar
100 g oat meal
30 drops 100 % essential oil (I like Tonka-bean extract)
Melt cocoa butter, wax and oil in a water bath. Mix with sugar, oat meal and essential oils and fill into silicon muffin molds (or whatever form you want them to have). Chill or let stand at room temperature until they have hardened.
Done! You can also add food coloring if you like.
Use under the shower and scrub and rub your skin with it. Wash with soap and feel how soft your skin is!!
