A Christmas Tradition

Photo Credit: www.doltonehouse.com.au

   

 In this ‘instant’ society of North America, we tend to want everything now and do not like to wait.  Some things though can only truly be savoured if we only taste them once a year.

‘Impossible” you say, “why wait?  Bake them now”!  But that is the secret to ‘Italian Crostoli’ they taste best when eaten only at Christmas.

My great grandparents brought their Crostoli recipe from Italy.  Europe seems to have many versions of Crostoli pastries, each with a different name.  In the U.S. they are called ‘Angel Wings’. My great aunts called them ‘Nothings’ because they melted in your mouth and you had to have another one.

My grandmother used to bake them just before Christmas and I could hardly wait. I would sit on the kitchen chair quietly watching for the stage where she dropped them in hot oil and I knew she would give me the first one as soon as she sprinkled them with icing sugar.

In our household our baking of Cristoli takes on the air of a t.v. show starting with all the ingredients laid out ready to assemble.  It is a team effort with one person measuring, the other getting the oil hot for frying and another sifting the icing sugar.

Of course ‘Rosemary Clooney’ singing “Hey Mambo, Mambo Italiano” in the background is a must, after all this is Italian pastry.  Follow along, get out your favorite Italian song, tie on your apron and join the once a year Crostoli bake.

Ingredients (makes 2 dozen)

• 2 cups of flour (all purpose, sifted)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoons  vanilla
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Beat eggs and sugar and vanilla with electric beater until light and fluffy.  Gradually add dry ingredients with lemon zest into the mixture by hand until dough becomes a ball.  Turn dough out on board and knead adding extra flour as needed until it is no longer sticky.  Let rest in plastic zip lock bag for one hour.

Separate dough into four sections. Roll out on wooden floured board with a rolling pin until 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into 5 inch x 1/8 inch strip with pizza wheel.  Make a lengthwise slit about 1 inch long in center of each strip.  Pull one end twistedthrough the slit.  Keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap.

Drop 3 or 4 at a time into hot  vegetable oil in large saucepan a depth of 4 inches. Turn once until just starting to brown.  They will continue to brown slightly after removal from oil.  Drain on paper towels and gently sprinkle with icing sugar.  Keep in air tight container.    Hide them somewhere until Christmas.

What is your favourite Christmas recipe?

See us on the flip side here.

Caron is one of the blooms of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is the dreamer, production manager, self taught chef and the social media wannabe. Caron is married to the word adventure and she will never stop dreaming.

I'm All About That Butter, Bout That Butter

I’m All About that Butter, Bout That Butter

All images taken from Google Images.

Ghanaian women have used the wild Shea Butter fruit for years. They use it to protect themselves from the intense heat and hot dry winds coming from the Sahara. Their skin looks fantastic so it’s no wonder this fruit has gotten such a good reputation.  The shea butter we use is completely unrefined and wild crafted by the Wali women in Ghana.

Shea Butter is used for it’s emollient and moisturizing benefits. It’s rich in vitamins and penetrates deeply into the skin leaving a smooth, satiny finish.  The natural version has a slightly nutty smoky odour and is usually a golden yellow colour with darker spots in it.

Did you know that shea butter has been used for years to help heal scars, sores, burns, psoriasis, dandruff and stretch marks.  It contains cinnamic acid, a substance that helps protect against UV rays. It is high in Vitamin A which can help with blemishes and wrinkles.

While some people don’t like the smell of the natural unrefined shea butter I quite like the nutty smoky aroma. The type we use has a smoky scent as it’s heated over the fires in Ghana. With essential oils added you are left with a beautiful subtle scent.

Here are my top reasons to use Shea Butter:
1.     Works wonders on dry skin.
2.     Helps soothe rashes.
3.     Can be used on sunburns to soothe sun damaged skin
4.     Many use it on stretch marks
5.     Helps itchy skin
6.     Protect skin against sun and wind which is how the women in Ghana use it.
7.     It’s ultra moisturizing
8.     Helps dry dull lifeless hair

Here is a recipe I found: Use a small amount like a teaspoon and apply evenly all over your hair.  Wrap hair in warm towel and leave on for 20-30 minutes. Shampoo as usual and apply Shea Butter again if your hair is really dry or damaged.

I make no medical claims about Shea Butter. This information is based on my research.

Looking for shea butter products? May I suggest:

Our Organic Lotions:  Organic Bliss, Calm Coast, or Lemon Grove

P.S. I've made it easier to add comments for those having problems trying to post.

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Hi, I'm Michelle the artist, visionary, creator and designer of Two Blooms Design Studio. I moved from a big city to Vancouver Island and fell in love with the west coast. My world is surrounded by beautiful scents, on trend design and endless possibilities.

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What do you do when you are stretched for time? You have so much to pack into a week and so little time?

This past week I was involved with Maker Cities (a new Etsy prototype) and their first one was launched in Victoria. It was a week of free workshops for the community to learn about Etsy. Workshops such as: “How To List on Etsy,” “Building Your Brand,” “Listings, Tags, How To Get Found on Etsy,” “Sea Glass Jewelry Workshop,” “Beginner & Advanced Photography,” were some of the many offerings. They also had a lovely launch party on Thursday night in the Fort Commons.

Caron and I were out every night this week, I continued to blog during the craziness and to top if all off we had the Moss Street Paint-In yesterday where we were selling our line of Organic Apothecary.

I was learning so much this week and dying to implement new ideas but I had to keep growing, learning and being present (see my post about being present here). It was one foot in front of the other and the knowing that eventually and end would be in sight.

Today I’m teaching the “Photography for Beginners” and looking forward to sharing my knowledge with others.  It’s also been wonderful to meet so many new people who live in my city and have a passion for creating unique handcrafted items.

Catch up on all our bloom worthy news.

About Michelle
Michelle is one of the blooms and founder of Two Blooms Design Studio Est. 2002. She is in charge of production, designing all of our labels in house, photography, customer service, alchemist behind all of our scent blends, designer, creator and pretty much whatever else needs to be done.