This award was just the motivation boost that I needed.  AND it allows me to boost the motivation of a few other new blogger colleagues.  This award was created for bloggers from bloggers.  Blogs don’t get the million readers they are aiming for from day one.  It takes time and effort, I don’t have to tell you that!  The Liebster Award helps new bloggers to grow there readership.

What are the Liebster Award Rules?

By accepting this award I am committing to the following:

• Answer 11 questions from my nominator
• Pick 11 nominees of my own
• Create 11 questions for my nominees
• Inform my nominees that they have been nominated

Here goes…

My Answers to Angela’s questions

What does your blog name mean to you?

• • Since my daughter was born, 9 years ago already, it has become very important to me to create a real home.  A place where our little family is save, can relax, find their roots and come down to earth in times of stress.  A place where life is comfy, where cosiness lifts all the clouds and where our family is living.

• What is your most comforting comfort food?
  • In times of stress or worries or just on a bad day, I mostly wish for, what I call, “mummy-food”.  Things my mother made when I was a child.  Not at all very easy as mummy dearest is about 700km away.  And whatever I try, I can make these recipes myself but they keep on lacking the mothers touch.
  • On the other I can find much comfort in a good peace of chocolate.  I’m still Belgian at heart, what would expect?!?!?
• What is the worst part of your day?
  • The two minutes before my alarm clock goes off and the 3 minutes after it.  If I survive those, I have lift off.
• What positive thought do you use when you are feeling down?
  • When I am really really down, I just have to cuddle my daughter or see her laugh and my world is right as rain again.
• What is your favourite food made with chocolate?
  • Chocolate sauce – Goes with everything
• Who is your favourite blogger and why?
  • My favourite blogger colleague is Tina from Tina’s Tausendschön.  Her German blog has mouth-watering recipes, breath taking pictures and a very relaxed writing style.
• When was your happiest moment?
  • In life??  Saying yes to my husband and slipping the wedding ring on his finger, whilst I was holding our new born daughter in my arms.
• Where have you gone that felt the most like paradise?
  • The first apartment that I rented and furnished with my first salary
• Why do you blog?
  • To improve my writing, in the hope to inspire others and with the never diminishing wish to be inspired by my readers.
• How much time do you spend doing the things you love?
  • When I’d say 24 hours, it would sound a bit cliché, right?  But 20 hours is not far off!
• What is one thing you want more than anything?
  • To keep husband and daughter save and sound at all times.  Although winning the lottery wouldn’t come amiss  (If only I would play!!)

My Nominees for the Liebster Award are

Homegirllondon

Lifevoyagers

Maleknitting

Life could be a dream

The seasoned homemaker

Tina’s Tausendschön

Simply fabulous chic

Mein Lykkelig

Choose happy

Tastesherrif

Nadelwahn

My Questions

–  Which country could imagine yourself living in?

–  What was/is the biggest project you’ve ever worked on?

–  How do you prefer to celebrate your birthday?

–  What recipe never works in your kitchen?

–  How does your dream garden look like?

–  You win 1 Million €/$.  What is your first decision?

–  What is your favourite piece of furniture?

–  Who would you love to see in concert?

–  What question would you like to ask your head of state?

–  Your husband brings home a present without reason.  What’s in it?

–  What makes your day perfect?

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You know what?  It worked like a treat

He didn’t only help me speed up my website.  He also spent quite some time explaining me some basics that I couldn’t get into my head by myself.  THANKS A MILLION, MARTIN!!!  Hey, what do you think of my blog?  Leave a comment, I’d love to read your opinion.

Saturday (24 hours to deadline), I took the time to test two burger bun recipes.  I had tried a recipe once before last summer, but they turned out bricks.    This time, I hit the jackpot!  The first buns were a bit too sweet for our taste.  Not really suitable for burgers, but perfect for a sweet breakfast or to serve with a traditional English high tea, as an alternative to scones.  The second recipe was just the bun I was looking for!!  I know, I could have gone and bought me a few.  Would have saved me plenty of time.  But I am just too curious sometimes, to see if I can step up to the mark and say NO to convenience food.  So, with a good tune in the background, all ingredients in the basket and the oven on full throttle, I started preparing the burger feast.  This is my selected recipe for the buns:

Burger Bun Ingredients:

3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water  –  2 tablespoons butter  –  1 large egg  –  3 1/2 cups plain flour  –  1/4 cup sugar                  1 1/4 teaspoons salt  –  1 tablespoon instant yeast

How the burger buns are made:

Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients to make a soft dough.   Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until the mass has nearly doubled.

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3″ across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.

Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter.

Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. This will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust.  Cool the buns on a rack.

The burgers are always self-made.  It’s way too easy and the difference in taste and quality is definitely worth the effort.  I generally take 1/3 pork and 2/3 beef.  Just season with pepper and salt.  Other spices, I find are mostly overturned by the rest of the burger toppings.  Speaking of toppings; here you can let your creation go wild.  Here are our favourites:

Caramelized onions – bacon – eggs sunny side-up – tomatoes – cucumber

Rocket salad

Do you have any crazy topping ideas? Well, this is our result:

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Welcome to my new Blog!

I wish everyone the best health, the strength to make your dreams come true and the tiny bit of luck we all need once in a while to enjoy the unexpected!

I celebrate the beginning of 2015 with a new blog!

Welcome to:

Comfy, Cosy, … Living

Let’s create Paradise!

Last year I started my first blogging experience.  I thought I was quite the expert when it came down to cooking.  And I must admit, it’s true … I am a pretty good kitchen queen … as long as I have recipes and cook books.  When it comes down to being creative, I have learned that there are lots of blogger colleagues who are far more creative then I am.  But I love blogging and meeting new likeminded people among the blogging community.  That’s why I had to rethink my Blog adventure.

From my previous blog “Essenzfertig”, I learned three important facts:

-  I miss reading and writing in English.  Born and raised in Belgium, I was taught that languages are a struggle to learn, but once captured they’re an absolute treasure.  I want to submerge in foreign languages and cultures.  I was raised by anglophile parents.  So from early on in my life, English was my second language.  Ever since I came to Germany, the English language became almost, I’m afraid to say, redundant.  And I miss it!  Not to speak or hear English almost makes me feel homesick.  So the new blog had to be in English!!

-  Although my creativity in the kitchen has room for development, creativity is a sanity saving pillar in my life.  My daytime job (Insurance, believe it or not!) is very strict and compliance driven.  I need to be creative in my spare time, to balance this out.  My daughter, Charlotte, is the best excuse to experiment with knitting needles, a sewing machine and seasonal decorations.  My husband Peter, on the other hand, is my creativity engine for kitchen and garden.

-  Blogging is not just reading and writing.  I discovered a whole new world: Social Media became more transparent, IT and Web design are no longer a foreign language (although I still need to learn much much more) and my private life has a whole new perspective:  I will be learning and developing myself for the rest of my life!

These facts combined lead to my new blog:  A home and self-made paradise, where we as a family are comfy and cosy.  We are LIVING!

So let’s kick of 2015 with a toast.

In December we received the invitation to celebrate old & new with our neighbour friends.  They’re always good for a theme party.  This year’s Theme: Black & White with a twist.  The twist being cocktails.  If that isn’t an invitation!! Each couple should prepare one cocktail for the party crew.  I have to admit, I was afraid for major headaches. Mixing various sorts of cocktails.

When it comes to cocktails, there is one that is my absolute favourite.  It’s very traditional and a classic, but with a very personal story.  And the story goes: My husband and I met drinking Mojito’s.  End of 2015 we celebrate our 10th anniversary.  And in these 10 years we never drank a Mojito by ourselves.  We only drink Mojito’s in each other’s company.  That’s romance for you!  And to give the story an extra happy ending: He proposed in the same bar where we first kissed, over a virgin Mojito.  Our daughter was the reason for the “virgin” Mojito.

So you see, 2015 will be a party year.  That’s why I raise my glass and post this recipe:

Ingredients

• 1½ limes, cut into wedges
• 20 fresh mint leaves
• 2½ tsp granulated sugar
• handful ice
• 65ml/2½fl oz white rum
• sparkling water
• fresh mint sprig, to garnish

Preparation method

1. Put the limes, mint and sugar into a highball glass and mash with the end of a clean rolling pin, to bruise the mint and release the lime juice.
2. Add the ice and pour over the rum.
3. Add the sparkling water and stir well.
4. Finish of with mint sprig and serve.

A toast to the love of my life, the biggest reason for my happiness; to Peter and our Mojito’s.

A toast to my new blog: Comfy, Cosy, … Living!  I hope to enspire you, be enspired by your comments and I hope we’ll have lots of fun together!

A toast to all, I wish a Happy New Year!!

How did you spend New Year’s Eve?

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