Charlie’s Advent Calendar: Day 7 – What I Love About Christmas

I start counting the days to Christmas in February. It’s a long wait…

My love towards Christmas is probably not normal, but I do not care.

It’s the one time of the year I get to be Charlie and not the toned down version.

I love to bake, cook, make decorations, flower arrangements, centerpieces and look into the small details.

360 days of the year I have to tone things down, hide it to some level.

Christmas lets me be me…

I can do all those things I love to do without being looked at weirdly, judged or called a 1950’s housewife in a deeming way.

Christmas in the end is about family, love and generosity (not money – thoughts). Everyone comes together to build happiness for ones loved ones.

hohoho 

Charlie xx

Charlie’s Advent calendar: Day 6 – DIY Christmas Stockings

Making your own Christmas stockings is a craft and art that isn’t especially hard, but gives you satisfactions when you actually have sewn one. I prefer to keep my stockings simple with only a letter but you can add whatever you wish, polar bears, penguins, santa claus, snowballs, igloos – the opportunities are endless my darlings!

This is going to be a rough guide, not an exact one with measurements  and all those annoyances. Probably because I have never fully followed instructions or a recipe for that. I make things I see them put, the only people you need to listen to are policemen, because they can actually arrest you.

 

STEP 1 :

Start by on a felt or (other material) draw the outlines of a stocking, of a size you see fit, and cut it out, keep the texture double and you only need to cut once.

 

STEP 2 :

Add your decorations, either you can glue them on with texture glue or sew them on (like meee, tone down the charlieness).

Put front towards the back. ergo both outer fronts towards oneanother, you will have the inner sides facing you.

 

STEP 3: 

Sew it all together, either bbybhand or by machine. Then last by not least add a ribbon or string of some sort (this is very essential, how would you ever hang it up otherwise?!)

 

STEP 4: 

AND YOU ARE DONE! NOW FILL IT WITH PRESENTS, CANDY AND LOOOOOVE!

hohoho

Charlie xx

Charlie’s Advent calendar: Day 5 – A Christmas Story From Middle School

i’m going to share a story i wrote for my english class when i was about 12 years old so please be gentle with me. This is embarrassing to publish and share with the internet but a bit of shame never hurt anyone , did it?

 Now this gal, is about to seek a good hiding place and come back tomorrow. 

Rudolph and Elfie saves the Christmas

Once upon a time there was a man named Nicholas, he lived on the North Pole with his wife and their 10 children. Nicholas was a very happy, fat old man, with a long white beard. He is also a very nice old man, every Christmas he gave all the children worldwide a present if they had been good.

On the other side of earth, in Korea, lived a horrible woman, Ching Li, she was a small, thin and black-haired woman, no one liked her and her dictatorship, she had decided banish Christmas this year.

Nicholas was busy in his super-secret workshop (therefore there is no description of it) making Christmas presents for all children in the world. He had just finished making a very soft and cuddly teddy bear to Maximilian 5 years in Austria when his oldest son Elfie made his entrance in his workshop. Elfie was a very short man, he also have a long beard not as long as Nicholas.

“Hello father” said Elfie as he made his entrance.

“Good day son! Have you taken care of the reindeers yet? Asked Nicholas and started hammering up a big doll house.

“Yes I have. Yesterday evening when I was on the pub together with some mates, someone whispered in my ear that ch…..” Nicholas interrupted his son and said.

“Now son, I don’t believe on some town rumor”

“But father I really think this is important” Elfie carried on.

“There´s a time and place for everything and this is not a good time, I have to finish all these presents that I will give away on Christmas Eve.” Said Nicholas

“Sure but dad, I think this is true and it’s important so I think we ought to talk to night” Elfie said when he left the workshop.

As Elfie left the workshop, as he left, the green rug at the entrance was stuck so the door didn’t lock, which Father Christmas workshop always has to be. With the door unlocked it made it possible for an intruder to access his workshop which is one of the most serious crimes you can do On the North Pole. As the door was unlocked a smart ninja named Henri walked into the workshop without making any noise. Henri climbed on the walls towards his target Santa Claus!!! What on earth just happened, who would like to do something to Santa?!

The ninja gave him a shot of some sort of poison, that made him forget who he is and followed the ninja out to his  jet black helicopter. When Mrs. Christmas heard the propellers starting, she and Elfie rushed out and saw him go into the helicopter without any struggle.

“NNOOOOOOOOOO!!” Mrs. Christmas screamed

“Take it easy mommy” said Elfie.

“Why doesn’t he practice as he preaches? He always says that you can’t trust a ninja!” Mrs. Claus said.

“Take it easy mommy, I’ll know where he is, don’t ask, it’s a long story and a helicopter goes must faster that Rudolph. Said Elfie

Elfie walked towards the stable, when Rudolph came running towards him, he knew that something was wrong with Nicholas and he had to save him. He stopped besides Elfie and Elfie stoke his red nose and said “you are always ready to go the extra mile Rudolph, aren’t you?” Rudolph answered with horse like sound.

Elfie jumped up on Rudolph’s back and of they were, and on their way to Korea and rescue Santa Claus. When they were outside Ching Li´s house Elfie and Rudolph say a lot of ninjas guarding the house. So they had to come up with a plan how to save Father Christmas. Which was not an easy thing to do, but after a few hours of thinking, they realized that Rudolph could fly on the balcony on the house with Elfie on his back and sneak into the house and save Nicholas.

So that’s what they did, and so they were in the house and now the search for Santa Claus begun. They search for him for hours until they finally found him, guarded by a dragon. So how would Elfie and Rudolph save Father Christmas now? Elfie remembered that he had a can of pepper spray in his pocket, so he walked toward the dragon, sprayed his eyes, the dragon screamed of pain and fainted. Then he ran to his father and untied the ropes around his father’s ankles, they ran to Rudolph jumped up on his back but then the dragon had woken up from its 5 minutes long coma and as Rudolph took his jump the dragon blew fire from his mouth which unfortunately, started a fire on Rudolph’s tail. As they flew away Santa Claus shouted “Oh there we got away just by the sweat of his brow”. Rudolph didn’t care that he was on fire; he just wanted to go home to his stable, which they soon were. When they got home Rudolph’s tail was treated, and that Christmas when Santa Claus travelled around the world giving away presents he told how he was saved by Rudolph who was home, with an aching tail and his son Elfie .

 

hohoho 

Charlie xx

 

 

Charlie’s Advent Calendar day 4: a picture from a distant christmas

A picture of my beloved grandparents and myself , two people i hold dear and sacred in my heart. they were the best grandparents a girl could wish for. in this photo i believe i’m approximately 4 years old and probably bragging about a new toy or something, maybe a book.

hohoho

Charlie xx

 

Charlie’s Advent Calendar Day 3: The history of the Christmas tree

Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.

 

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.

Most 19th-century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania, although trees had been a tradition in many German homes much earlier. The Pennsylvania German settlements had community trees as early as 1747. But, as late as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.

It is not surprising that, like many other festive Christmas customs, the tree was adopted so late in America. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims’s second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out “pagan mockery” of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against “the heathen traditions” of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated “that sacred event.” In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.

In 1846, the popular royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. Unlike the previous royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became fashionable—not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The Christmas tree had arrived.

By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.

The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became a tradition observed worldwide.

 

hohoho

Charlie xx

Apple pie Cake

Ingredients

 1,5 sticks /180 grams butter

2 cups / 4.7 dl Flour

1 cup / 2.3 dl brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

0,5 tsp. nutmeg

1 tbsp. honey

2tbsp brown sugar

8 apples

2 tbsp. lemon juice

 

directions

 

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and 1 tbsp. of cinnamon. Add butter until it becomes a dough. Put in the fridge for about an hour to rest.
2. Press 2/3 of the mixture out to the bottom and 1 inch (2, 5 cm) up the side of a spring forms.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175° C.
4. Peel the apples, cut them into thin slices and place in a bowl. Toss them with nutmeg, cinnamon, honey and brown sugar.
5. Put in the prepared pan, pressing down gently as you place them.
6. Sprinkle the remaining dough on top.
7. Place the pan on an aluminum lined baking sheet, and bake for 1h and 15 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Let it cool in the pan to set. Serve room temperature.

 

 

 

Love

Charlie xx

Charlie’s Advent Calender day 2: A picture from last christmas

Last Christmas was spent at home with my beloved pup, Mr. F and my family. it wasn’t a white Christmas but it was cold and happy. I confess I cant can’t wait for Christmas eve!

 

CHARLIE’S ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 1: DIY ADVENT CALENDAR

1^st of December today and first day of charlie’s advent calendar.

Today we’ll starting by making out own chocolate calendar.

Its not hard and it doesn’t take much time, its really easy and it makes a great gift to celebrate 1^st OF DECEMBER!

What you need

Chocolate

Carton

8 toilet rolls

Gift paper

Tape

glue

felt tip marker pen

 

Step one:

Lie out your carton on the floor and with a pen, draw the out lines of a house and cut it.

Wrap the pieces with gift paper. Glue the pieces together so that it shapes a house.

Step two:

cut each toilet roll into 3 parts. Cut a piece of wrapping paper and put the toilet roll in the middle. Place a piece of chocolate in the middle and make a small package out of it. glue the packages into the house and write the numbers on the packages.

And you are done!

Super easy yet such an appreciative gesture.

 

HOHOHO 

Charlie xx

 

Butternut squash soup

 

Hello all my little Buttercups!

Today’s recipe contains iPhone photos and a recipe written on the go, because of the intensive schedule I’m on these couple of days, so bare with me.

Butter squash soup is filling, healthy, rather fast and extremely tasty. I’m craving soup non-stop these days probably due to the very cold and frightful weather outside.

1 small butternut squash, diced

2 medium potatoes, diced

1 leek, sliced

2 tbsp. butter.Vegetable stock

1. Melt the butter in large pot, and cook the leek, potatoes and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of vegetable stock to cover vegetables.
   Bring to a boil. Let cook for 10- 20 minutes
2. Transfer into a blender and mix until soup is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Love

Charlie xx

weekly food inspiration

Hello Monday,

Christmas is upon us and i’m starting to feel the stress. i have a million of things to conclude before Christmas and just about so much time. oh well what I am able to do I will manage but it will all figure itself out somehow, I  might have to reduce my sleep but it will all worth it in the end.

Monday’s are the days where inspiration for cooking seem to disappear so I thought I would share some good recipes here on my happy place and inspire you to get back into the kitchen.

MEATLOAF 

Meatloaf  is a really great food, its filling and a good dinner. depending on how many one are, this might be dinner for more than one day in the week – i just love leftovers. they often taste even better. And lets face it – one can never go wrong with meatloaf.

Grav salmon 

Grav Salmon  is a delicacy it has got an amazing taste to it. and its not hard to do  yourself, you just leave it in the fridge for a few days. one must plan ahead but other than that this recipe is easy peasy.

Swiss Rösti

swiss rösti is one of those plates that get me faint, especially with beluga. its so scrumptious that i almost falls off my chair. its fairly easy to make.This is the perfect friday dinner, with some great wines.

 

Red lentil and sweet potato soup

red lentil and sweet potato soup is a fast, filling and warm winter serving for those cold winter days that finally has hit.

chèvre chaud with strawberry salsa 

This chèvre chaud is a bit different from the ones, we usually get when we order food from our local french café. it has a spicy and sweet strawberry salsa, which makes it so much more interesting. in the recipe link this is made from a baguette but i often change the baguette to a Pain de campagne, french country style bread, and make a couple of oven baked sandwiches, its perfect for those days when one are beat and just want some cheesy comfort food – this is comfort food alright but french style.

Love 

Charlie xx