Merry Cherry Christmas!!

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a really fun Christmas Day and you get all you wish for! I cant believe that this time last year I was having my Christmas pizza with my travel buddies at Airlie Beach, Australia!! Seems like forever ago!

Xmas Meal at Airlie Beach, Australia!

Getting festive a few days before Xmas on Fraser Island, Australia

This year I'm back at home in the UK celebrating with the fam! Christmas would not be complete without a Panetone and Cherry Chocolate! :-)

Cherry Lane xoxo

Christmas Cherry Cookie Bars

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar 

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 jar Maraschino cherries, cut in half and stems removed

50ml  milk

1 and 1/2 teaspoons almond extract, divided

1 cup icing sugar

METHOD

1. Cream together the butter, sugar and eggs. Add 1 teaspoon of the almond extract.

2. Slowly beat in the flour and salt.

3. Spread the batter over a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle the batter with the cherries and bake at 175 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.

4. Mix together the milk, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and icing sugar. Whisk until there are no more lumps.

5. Drizzle over the cooled cookie bars.

6. Cut into 1.5 inch squares and munch away (if you haven't started already like me)!

Cherry Lane xoxo

Recipe Source: http://www.wendypaulcreations.com/2010/12/12-recipes-of-christmas-christmas.html

Its Christmas!!!

I hope you are all having fun and getting into the festive mode! Here's a little piece of my home! :-) Merry Christmas everyone!

Cherry Lane xoxo

Weekend in Rochester... Dickens Fever, Christmas Cheer, Baking and Cherry wine!

Hi everyone!! This weekend I went to Rochester to catch up with my friend Rachel who has an amazing blog called House of Pinheiro. We had such a looovely weekend!  The streets of Rochester was buzzing with Christmas spirit as people dressed up in Victorian costumes to celebrate the annual winter Dickens Festival (brochure)...streets were filled with the scent of mulled wine and cider, stalls selling lovely handmade gifts, Christmas indulgences, bratwursts from the German market (I had wild boar and apple...delish!!), laughter coming the carousels topped off a sprinkle of fake snow...all this with the beautiful Rochester Castle and Catherdral in the background...

 Rochester Cathedral

 Rochester Castle

 It's snowing!!

 We also made sugar cookies (See House of Pinheiro)

And these really delicious Ham and Mushroom Muffins (recipe to come)

Black Cherry wine! 

To finish off the day Dan kindly spent hours in the kitchen making us this absolutely yummy meal! One one the best meals I've ever had!! :-)

Cherry Lane xoxo