My newest travel column is over on Classic Play! today. This time I wrote about making traveling as a family as affordable as possible. Believe me, it is possible. I list all my top tips on how to save money on transportation, accommodation and entertainment. I also included my top way of saving spending money in the months leading up to a trip. Pop over and take a look and I’d love to hear if you have any tips of your own.
I’m feeling super proud of myself at the moment. For the second time this week I got myself out of the house by 7:45am in the dark and freezing cold to my pilates class. From when I got up at 6:45am until I left it was an on-going mental battle for me. One little voice was telling me to just stay home in my warm house and the other little voice was trying to motivate me out of the house. Luckily the latter won.
Today I have a secret family recipe to share with you. I had wanted to post it before the holidays but didn’t manage. So I’ll sell them as the perfect Valentine’s Day cookie instead of Christmas cookie.
These little balls made with only 4 ingredients are one of my favourite treats from childhood. My grandmother used to make these for my brother and I and we would be able to scoff down more than a few. I was 23 when my grandmother actually told me the ingredient list because she knows that I would’ve been horrified if I knew there were dates in them. I was tricked for 23 years of my life.
Usually I’m not a huge fan of cookies that involve breakfast cereal but in this case the rice crispies add crunch that compliments the chewy dates. I know they sound weird and slightly kitschy but trust me on this one…they’re incredibly tasty. And as a bonus they are no-bake which means it takes minutes to whip up a batch of these.
Gramma’s BoBo Balls
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups pitted and chopped dates
3 1/2 cups Rice Crispies cereal
1. Melt butter in pot, add brown sugar and dates.
2. Bring to a boil, lower heat, stir and cook until smooth (8-10 min).
3. Add rice crispies.
4. With buttered hands form into uniform sized balls (approx. 2-bite sized). Roll in white sugar.
5. Store in air-tight container to keep crispy. Enjoy!
I hope someone out there gives these cookies a chance and tries them out. And if you do, please let me know what you think. I have three kids who all love them (one being Miss Fussy) and I have followed my grandmother’s tradition of not letting them in on the secret of the dates in them.
{Note from Jillian: Oh how I’ve missed this space and all the creative doings behind a post. But slowly I’m coming back and I have lots of ideas swirling in my head that I’ll get busy with once I’m a fully functioning two- handed person. One of the most important parts of blogging for me is really the community behind it. Over the last years I’ve made some wonderful like-minded blogger friends. They encourage and cheer me on. They inspire me to no end. And as I have seen during these last few weeks of having only one working hand, they reach out and help me when I need it. So a big warm thank you to you all. Today Judith from the lovely blog JOELIX has once again graciously written up a fantastic post to share with you all. This little shop she came across in Paris seems like heaven to me. I would move a little bed into the back of the store and move in if I could. So bright and happy and full of such beautiful things (especially for this girl who loves anything Japanese!). Thanks Judith for introducing us to the most lovely of shops Adeline Klam. Now that trip to Paris can’t come soon enough!
Coucou, it’s me again: Judith from JOELIX.com. Did you check One Bunting Away’s post about the pretty Petit Pan shops in Paris? Well, here is another reason for Jillian to come to Paris soon: the beautiful Adeline Klam boutique.
Only a few weeks ago I came here for the first time and met the lovely Emlie from Griottes and Eléonore from Deer and Doe. I was completely charmed by the cute & welcoming atmosphere. At Adeline Klam you’ll find lots of Japanese paper goods, stationery, pillows, photo albums, Japanese fabrics, DIY books, wooden toys and so much more.
What I liked most about the boutique, is that it’s very spacious & bright. In the back there’s room for creative workshops for both kids and adults, which are organized a few times a week. This month you can learn how to make ballotins or a garland of paper cranes. I think Jillian’s kids will love this because they’re completely into origami!
Adeline Klam /// 54, Boulevard Richard Lenoir /// 75011 Paris /// metro Richard Lenoir /// +33 (0)1 48 07 20 88
Open every monday through saturday: 11AM – 7PM.
I can’t believe 366 days have passed since I was sitting in my mother’s living room in Canada on New Year’s Eve 2011 holding my new and sweet little nephew. Is it just me or does time fly by when you’re a grown up? I mean, this past year my daughters’s celebrated their first decade of life and my grandmother her 9th decade of life! That’s crazy and wonderful at the same time.
2012 had some amazing moments (our Japan trip topping the list of course) and some sad moments. We lost someone special this year but gained many new friends as well. My kids learned about grief but also about happiness and joy. We are a lucky family.
And now it’s the last day of 2012 and we’re getting ready to celebrate the amazing year that has passed and to welcome the new one that is right around the corner. I have high high hopes for 2013. I think we all should. I’ll dedicate this year to making myself, my family, my friends and those in need HAPPIER. Easy as that.
Thanks to you all for your visits and comments to this little blog. It really does mean the world to me. And once I get this broken hand of mine healed I’ll be back here more regularly.
So enjoy your New Year’s Eve and all the best in 2013! Lots of love from Italy to you all, Jillian xxx
{Note from Jillian: So here I am in the land of incessant rain and square pillows. We arrived in Belgium yesterday evening and have already been stuffed with Chocolates and french fries. The kids are in heaven and haven’t left their grandparents side since we arrived. The Christmas table is set for this evening (17 adults and 9 kids) and the turkey has been picked up from the butcher’s. Soon various family members will arrive with cousins of every age (and we’ll meet our latest niece for the first time!). Christmas is indeed a wonderful time of year.
Today I have my latest guest post from fellow blogger Giova from One Bunting Away. Giova graciously wrote this lovely post about some little shops she found in Paris that are full of everything a crafter could ever hope for from one of my favourite brands Petit Pan. I think a trip to Paris is in order so I can go spend some time (and money) in these little boutiques. Pop over to One Bunting Away for some wonderful images and stories from two sisters who live on opposite sides of the ocean but have a shared passion for art and anything creative!}
I’m so happy that Jillian invited me to her colorful blog (I hope you are feeling better). And since we share a love of fabric, especially Petit Pan, I thought of nothing better than to show you this very colorful shop in Paris which is filled with great things that we need to have (even if in reality we really don’t!).
Petit Pan has a wide range of prices, so I think there is something for every budget, and even if you don’t buy anything you’ll be inspired for sure.
Today I’m over on Classic Play! with my last Traveling With Kids column of the year. This time I write about our visit to the Mount Fuji/Five Lake District in Japan. It’s a gorgeous region that is full of nature, culture and history. And the views of that gorgeous mountain are unbelievable! It’s really something that we’ll never forget. Pop on over to Classic Play! to read all about it.
{Note from Jillian: Today I have our first guest post on the blog. Many thanks to the uber-talented Judith from JOELIX for whipping up this amazing Christmas recipe. I seriously can’t wait until my arm is well enough to make these. They involve two of my favorite things…mincemeat and cheesecake! Make sure to check out her blog JOELIX and be prepared to be inspired. She’s one talented lady. }
Bonjour Jillian In Italy readers, I’m Judith from JOELIX.com. Jillian asked me to share something festive with you, while she is recovering from surgery. I hope she’s doing fine, because not being allowed to use your right hand for 6 weeks must be really tough! Especially with 3 kids… Big hugs Jill!
You all know that Jillian is a talented cook, so I decided to share my favorite christmas recipe with you today. I never cook myself (although I do enjoy baking & making desserts!), but I’m blessed to be surrounded by some amazing chefs. My all time favorite christmas treats are my mom’s mini cheesecakes with mincemeat. They taste very christmassy & sweet and look super cute. Plus they are not too big, which is perfect after a rich christmas meal.
So here is my mom’s recipe:
What you need:
200g digestive biscuits
120g melted unsalted butter
250g firm cream cheese
200ml crème fraîche
75g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
100ml whipped cream
100g dried candied cranberries
2 tbs brandy
400g mincemeat
What you do:
Line a 12-hole muffin pan with cling film. Mix the crumbled biscuits with the butter in a blender until combined. Press biscuit mixture into the base and sides of the muffin holes. Press firmly with a spoon. Place the muffin pan in the freezer while you make the filling.
Combine the cream cheese, crème fraîche, sugar and vanilla extract in your blender and beat until smooth. Mix with whipped cream using a spoon.
Fill the muffin pan with spoonfuls of the cream filling. Freeze for another 30 minutes.
Gently heat the cranberries and brandy in a saucepan over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Then add mincemeat and warm through for another 3 minutes. Remove from the stove.
To serve, carefully remove the cakes from the muffin pan and serve with mincemeat topping. Bon appétit!
You can buy ready-made mincemeat at this time of the year, but my mom suggested it tastes much better when you prepare the mincemeat yourself. She wrote down her recipe and I made an easy downloadable recipe of it!
If you are going to try making these mini cheesecakes, let me know how you liked them! And of course: may your days be merry & bright! Gros bisous from France!
So here I am typing this blog post with my left pointer finger. It’s slow and torturous to say the least. Just capitalizing letters makes me sweat at the moment. Yesterday I had surgery on my right hand due to an apparent unknown fracture from my snowboarding days years ago. The operation went surprisingly smoothly and I was even able to watch it on a monitor while they were doing it. Fascinating and slightly repulsive at the same time. They even gave me a copy of the operation which I made my entire family watch yesterday evening. As you can imagine they were all extremely thrilled and enthusiastic.
Now I’m supposed to not use my right hand/arm for a minimum of six weeks. We’ll see how that goes. Being a mom of three very active kids who do tons of activities will make it a huge challenge. And don’t get me started on not being able to cook, bake, sew, paint etc for that long! Wish me luck.
I have a few blog posts prepared for the coming days but I also asked some of my favorite bloggers to help me out with some posts to keep things interesting on this blog in the coming weeks. Stay tuned because there are some great ones.
Today I wanted to share some of my favorite kid gift ideas. I’ve bought all these products as gifts for various people this holiday season and some have already been opened and loved (remember that our kids receive their presents on December 6th for Sinterklaas).
In our family we like to keep the whole gift side of the holidays quite low-key and simple. We try and buy gifts that are unique and usable and we try and support small businesses/designers whenever we can.
So far we’ve made some lovely purchases. Here are a few:
I bought my daughters these dainty little Louisa Misha bracelets. They are made with a gold chain and embellished with ceramic beads and cotton tassels. They come with a chain fastening that can fit the tiniest of wrists and up to when they are teenagers. I bought them from a great online website called Mini-Mei that has a vast selection of Scandinavian clothing and accessories for kids up to 6 years old.
For my daughter who is learning to play the classical guitar I bought this guitar case from French designer Lale. It’s so pretty with the yellow stripes and turquoise edging. I ordered it online from smallable.
Another great gift for the little kids in the family are these Ellie Bellie Kids robots. These absolutely adorable and soft little robots come in boy and girl versions and in seven colours (and are delivered in a funky carrying case). An added bonus is that they are made with renewable plant based materials and are constructed ethically with a minimal carbon footprint. What more could you want in a gift?
Since my children were wee little ones I’ve been dressing them in the Danish kid’s clothing line Mala. Mala clothing is always so unique, colourful and such good quality. My kids look forward to their new Mala Christmas clothing every year. It’s a bit on the pricey side but well worth it!
For my son we couldn’t get away from buying him Lego. Lego is his life. He spends hours in his little “Lego corner” in our living room and is so ecstatic when he receives a new box. We decided that we’d buy him his Lego but from a local family-owned store and not from one of those online mega-stores (even if it was cheaper!). We bought him this Volkswagen Camper Van for Sinterklaas and he was over the moon about it. He spent days building it and was so proud when he had finally finished (especially since the age on the box was 16+).
Have you made any unique gift purchases this holiday season? Do you support small, local businesses and designers as well?
It’s that time of year to start making little gifts to give your teachers, postman, hairdresser and kid’s bus driver. The last few days I’ve been busy roasting nuts, melting chocolate and writing out thank you notes. Here are a few of the home-made gifts on my list this year. They’re easy, delicious and perfect to show someone your gratitude for all they’ve done the past year.
We have a few people on our list that aren’t super keen on sweets so I thought I’d make some spiced nuts for them. I found this recipe in an old Martha Stewart magazine from eons ago and they’re absolutely tasty. A little sweet, a little spicy and a little salty. Perfection.
Here’s how to make them:
Spicy Almonds
1 tsp course salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp white vinegar
2 cups whole blanched almonds, toasted
-First of all toast the almonds in a 350 (180) degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
-In a large bowl combine salt, sugar and spices.
-In a large skillet over medium heat bring butter, molasses and vinegar to a boil. Add toasted almonds and stir to evenly coat.
-Add nut mixture to spice mixture, toss to coat.
-Transfer to a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake but mixture for 4 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
-Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Next we made some orangettes which are chocolate covered candied orange peel. My daughter made them for her papa’s birthday last week and I realised how easy it is to make them. Perfect to take as a hostess gift or give anyone who loves the orange/chocolate combo.
There are only four ingredients to make these professional looking sweets. Here’s how to make them:
Orangettes
100 g Chocolate (good quality, preferably Belgian of course)
2 oranges
300 g sugar
3 ml water
-Cut the oranges in quarters and cut away everything to leave only the peel.
-Slice into skinny slivers (like above). Wash under cold water.
-Put sugar and water in pot and bring to a boil. Add orange peels and cook for approximately 60-80 minutes (or until you see they have become candied).
-Let candied peels cool on parchment paper.
-Melt chocolate and dip candied peels in to completely cover.
-Put peels in fridge so that chocolate hardens. Store peels in container for up to 2 weeks.
And last but not least I decided to make yet another edible gift that involves chocolate. I found some lovely little chocolate liners so I decided to try my hand at chocolate/truffle making.
I put some chopped chocolate in a double boiler and melted it. I then added some heavy cream and a few drops of mint extract. I did a bit of guessing at the measurements but at the end I had a thick smooth and pour-able mixture. I then filled the little chocolate wrappers and sprinkled crushed candy cane on top. From what the family says they are quite rich but very delicious.
You can also check out my Belgian Chocolate Spread which I made for everyone last year. It was a huge hit and quick to make with only 3 ingredients.
Do you have any favorite recipes or homemade goods that you give away at Christmas?
Bag Lady…that’s me. I have a thing for purses, sacks, bags and wallets of any kind and apparently I was born this way. My mother tells me that when I was a little girl I had a mountain of purses that were filled with bags that were filled with wallets. And I can honestly tell you that it is still the case and that I have one daughter who seems to have inherited the same fixation (better than booze or drugs, no?).
Last week I finished up sewing my first messenger bag. It involved a pattern of approximately 30 different pieces in three different materials (not including the interfacing). It took me over three hours to just cut it all out! The bag is completely reversible and has 8 pockets. I used a polka dotted linen that I bought in Japan last spring for one side and a striped canvas from Max Mara for the other side. It’s gorgeous. 
Considering I put 6 hours into making this messenger bag I’m not sure how many I’ll be sewing up in the future. Here is a great tutorial for a simpler version of a similar messenger bag (without pockets).
Now off to wrap it up for my fellow bag-loving daughter. I think she’ll be able to fit at least 6 more bags inside this one.
ps…I’m over on the wonderful Tasmanian blog The Brothers Trimm talking about Christmas traditions…go take a peek!
About
Jillian in Italy Interview by Classic Play!
Jillian In Italy interview on Pret A Voyager
Embroidery With Kids
Father's Day Origami Garland
Miniature Bulletin Boards
Surprise Activity Garland
Italian Crostata Recipe
Snail Mail Booklets
Doily Fairy Lights
Jan Fabre Exhibit With Kids
Japanese Handicrafts
Miniature Waffle Cookies
Jillian In Italy 