the scent of a holiday.

i like xmas mostly because it is the only precious time of year when my dispersed family spends time together under the same roof, but also because it is an excuse for having the scent of glorious spices around the house all the time. i am fond of warm spicy scents and the holiday season is my time to stock up on shower gels and body lotions for the rest of the year (and if i run out, there's always kiehl's and their coriander body wash).

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start preparing for the season with some coffee flavored gingerbread to enjoy with an afternoon latte, and the basic, but always delicious carrot cake.

latte gingerbread

1,5 dl syrup
1,5 dl milk
2 tbsp instant espresso
2,5 dl sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp baking soda
100g butter
7,75 dl all purpose flour

1 egg white
around 2,5 dl icing sugar

1. briefly boil syrup, milk, coffee, cinnamon and sugar, remove from stove. add baking soda and butter in cubes.
2. let cool slightly and add flour.
3. let the dough cool for a few hours or overnight.
4. roll out the dough thinly and cut into shapes. bake at 200° until brown. let cool.
5. blend egg white and icing sugar until smooth and decorate.


carrot cake

5 dl all purpose flour
4 dl sugar
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1 dl ground nuts
4 eggs
1,25 dl oil (sunflower)
6 dl finely grated carrots

100 g cream cheese
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla essence (or 1 tbsp lemon juice)
around 200g icing sugar

1. mix all the dry ingredients
2. break eggs, add oil and carrots. mix well.
3. add the dry ingredients into the carrot mix.
4. pour into a greased and crumbed tin, bake at 180° for about an hour. let cool completely.
5. mix cream cheese and butter until smooth, add flavoring.
6. mix with icing sugar until thick and smooth, pile on top of cake. decorate with nuts.

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i don't do holiday decorations at home, but i do want a tree. i'd prefer a live one for the amazing scent, but being away for a fortnight to visit relatives does not a happy tree make. this year i also hauled my tree decorations to my parents' so that we could have a new look there without buying an extra set of ornaments.

therefore, we just got a teeny tiny (and slightly tacky) little tree and some new decorative balls: small black ones from ikea, beautiful muted colored ones from habitat and the outrageous goldfish with a feather tail from skanno.