12/21/2010

Lebkuchen, Amaryllis and Publications

Happy whatever! I am not sure what day of the week it is :) It is some days before Christmas, it is a day where my little angel is struggling with fever and lying in my bed sleeping, it is a day where the weather doesn't want to decide between rain and snow. It is the day I sent off some last Christmas mail and the day I have no idea what to cook for Christmas Eve yet. Except for dessert, but that's easy. And it is the day I share an exceptional yummy Lebkuchen recipe with you. I don't know if you are familiar with this "German Elisenlebkuchen". My hometown is famous for these and I love them. I saw that you have to pay a fortune for imported ones in the States, so maybe you'd like to try and make them yourself. First, my little helper (a few days ago when she was feeling well):



Then this amazing little thingy (I have no idea what it is called!), made from wood to form perfect Lebkuchen:


It is fab. You put the dough into the hollow, then a wafer on top, turn it around and spin the winder and your Lebkuchen land perfectly on your baking sheet.


But you can make your Lebkuchen without it, too! Just spread the dough onto the wafers and they'll be perfect. Here is how mine look like:


You'll need:

5 eggs
150 g sugar
150 g honey
ground lemon zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon lemonjuice
100g candied lemon peel (chopped)
100g candied orange peel (chopped)
3 teaspoons Lebkuchen-spice
(or mix your own one, using cinnamon, cardamom, clove, ginger, nutmeg)
500g ground almonds or hazelnuts (or mixed)
about 28 round wafers
about 150 g dark chocolate



Beat eggs with sugar, honey, spice, lemonjuice/zest until fluffy. Stir in almonds/hazelnuts (I like to roast them in a dry pan before using them) and candied peel. Spread dough onto wafers (about 1cm high), let dry for about 1 hour. Bake for about 25 min at 150°C. After they cooled down, melt chocolate and cover your Lebkuchen. Enjoy!

Now to one of my favorite flowers, the amaryllis. Here I got a white one with four blossoms blooming at once:



And for those looking for cards, here are the cards that were published in the Scrapbook Trends Special Issue Create: Christmas Cards:








































I hope you are having a fabulous time! Christmas is near, I hope to be back before it is over!

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful day!

Hugs,
Vanessa

16 comments:

Nancy said...

Hope your little one is feeling better soon, Vanessa, and wow do those Lebkuchen look yummy! Great tempting photos! I love your Christmas cards too. Hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas!

Ulina / Apricot Bubbles said...

Hallo Vanessa!
Danke für das Rezept!
Ich hoffe, deine Kleine wird bald wieder gesund!!!
Alles Liebe,
Ulina
PS: Die weiße Amaryllis ist wunderschön! Bei mir setzen gerade 3 Orchideen neue Blüten an *freu*

Barb said...

Fun post, Vanessa! Hope your daughter feels better soon! Love that gorgeous amaryllis and your cards are wonderful! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

CinnamonSally said...

Hi Vanessa, hope your baby is feeling better soon, your Lebkuchen looks fabulous and congratulations on being published again. Hope you have a fantastic Christmas.
Hugs
Sally

Tiffany Ervin said...

Beautiful cards - congrats on the pub and I hope your darling gets well soon so you can all enjoy the holiday!!

Virginia L. said...

I muss die Lebkuchen versuchen!! Danke zehr! I hoffe, deine kleine fraulein besser bald wird! Amaryllis ist auch meine liebest blume! Wunderscheon post, Vanessa! Merry Christmas!

Ashley M said...

Thanks for sharing your cards and recipe! I would love to try to make those sometime.
Hope your little girl is feeling better soon.
Merry Christmas!

Agata said...

Thanks for the recipe! I know a kind of those as in Poland they are very popular on Christmas but love trying new recipes! Hopefully your little helper is doing better! And those cards are great! Congrats on your publication!

Virginia L. said...

Sorry, I meant "Maedchen"...not Fraulein! Congrats on the pub! All the best in the New Year,too!

Anonymous said...

Such a fun post Vanessa! That recipe looks so yummy! Congrats on the pub - your cards are all beautiful! I hope your little girl feels better soon :)

farmhouse-story said...

darling little helper! hope she feels better soon! thanks so much for the recipe! and congrats on the lovely publications! happy holidays, vanessa!

Alice said...

mmmm..... your lebkuchen looks soooooo yummy! =) big congrats on your pubs! fabulous holiday cards as always. i got the happy mail from you and am in love! big thanks, my friend. the packages from me are on the way to you. hope they can arrive in time. have a warm and cozy holiday season, my friend. hope your little girl gets better before Santa arrives! =)

Elise said...

Congratulations on all of your great pubs and DYNAMITE creation! {YUMMMM!} Sorry to hear that the wee-girl is under the weather, but hopefully much better by now! Your wintery, cultural posts always thrill me! What a great share, my dear!

Laura.K said...

I hope your little princes is much better. We had also a very difficult December. But now this horrible flu looks to go away. Thank God!

Congratulation for your new gorgeous stamp, and for your lovely cards.

Merry Christmas.

donna mikasa said...

Sorry to hear that your little one wasn't feeling well. But they say fever is our friend, and hopefully, she's feeling much better. I'm seeing your work EVERYWHERE, and I'm so proud of you! You totally rock, always!

donna mikasa said...

Oh, and the Lebkuchen look soooo delicious! What a fantastic little gizmo to make them...thank you for sharing the recipe!