Unique Gifts and Homeware

1. Fur and Flowers dog doormat - US$25

Often it is hard to find that perfect gift or special item for the home that is not mass produced, so when I discovered an on-line store with unique gifts that ship many of their products world wide, I had to share the love.

Chocolate Coconut Velvet Truffles - Gluten Free

Valentines is around the corner and I have been looking for some gluten free delights to share. Since becoming strictly gluten free I have been trying out some recipes and replacing the ordinary flour with a gluten free mix. This recipe was originally for red velvet truffles but something went a little astray when I tried replacing the red food colouring with natural beetroot juice, they most definitely were more chocolate coloured, than 'red'. It is possible that replacing the flour may also have had an effect. Nevertheless the outcome was still delicious, albeit not red inside. A coconut, crunchy outer and a chocolaty, velvet centre. I have left out the colouring for the recipe and adapted it as gluten free. If you want it to be 'red velvet', and you are not GF, then replace the gluten free flour mix with ordinary self raising flour and add 2 tablespoons of red food colouring. The original recipe was from a Donna Hay magazine.

Image: Lee Caroline

Chocolate Coconut Velvet Truffles

Ingredients:

• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (165g) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 and a quarter cups (185g) of gluten free (pre mix), flour from the supermarket (if you are not gluten free use ordinary self raising flour)
• 1/4 cup (25g) cocoa
• 1/2 cup (125ml) buttermilk
• 1/4 cup (20g) desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut-flavoured liqueur (or a replacement such as rum or cointreau)
• 300 (10.5 oz) grams white chocolate, finely chopped (I used white chocolate baking buttons)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups (150g, 5.2 oz) shredded coconut

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 160 Celsius (325 Fahrenheit). 
• Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat for 8-10 minutes or until pale and creamy.
• Add eggs one at a time beating after each one.
• Add flour, cocoa, buttermilk and food colouring and beat on low until just combined.
• line a 20 x 30cm pan with baking paper, lightly grease.
• Spoon mixture into the baking tin and lightly smooth the top with a knife.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cooked (test with a skewer).
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tray, then turn out and further cool 10-15 minutes on a cake rack
• Break the cake up and place in a food processor with the desiccated coconut and liqueur and process until combined.
• Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls in your hands and chill in the refrigerator for around 30 minutes until firm.
• Place the chocolate (broken) or chocolate baking buttons and oil into a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, see here for easy step by step instructions on melting chocolate.
• Stir until smooth and melted, then using a spoon or dipping wand coat your truffles and immediately dip into the shredded coconut, rolling them around to cover the truffle fully.
• Refrigerate for approximately 1 hour until set (makes approximately 26 truffles).

If you are looking for more Valentines inspiration, you may enjoy this post with recipes and a free printable....or...

Valentine pavlova

Valentine heart shaped chocolates and sugar cookies

Bon Appetite

Lee oxo

I will be sharing this post with the following blogs:

I should be Mopping the Floor
The Dedicated House
DIY Showoff
The Blissful Bee

Savvy Southern Style
Not Just A Housewife

No Minimalist Here
The Real Housewives of Riverton

My Romantic Home

The 36th Avenue

Valentines Inspiration - Recipes, Printables & More

January's flown by and we're into February already, I can hardly believe it. I realised this week I only have a couple of weeks to share some Valentines day inspiration with you so I've been busy dashing around the blogasphere looking for creative ideas. I think I've discovered a few special thing to inspire you to create that perfect Valentine moment.

Valentines should start with something sweet, and they say "a way to a mans heart is through his stomach". Therefore, I'm starting with some yummy but simple Valentine recipes...

Two of my favourite foods, chocolate and cream,  delicious  Lemon Raspberry Chocolate cupcakes from Bakers Royale - Read recipe 

Easy decorated individual flourless chocolate cakes from Tartelette. Wait till you see whats behind the chocolate wrapper- Instructions here

 Neapolitan Bon Bon Cupcakes from Sprinkle Bake - See recipe 

Selection of free Valentine cards from Sweet Muffin Suite - Download here

Print this free valentines day card - Instructions here

Create a word cloud from words taken from your website. Visit Tagxedo, type in your blog/website address, choose your heart shape or another shape. You can then play around with your design, select your font colour, style etc to create the look you want. You can even turn your creation into a gift of a T shirt or a mug....Visit Tagxedo for instructions. Check out their gallery for more inspiration.

My Style Me Pretty Boards for some Valentines Inspiration...

We hope you enjoyed today's inspiration.

If you missed last week's inspiration post which included a lovely DIY lampshade from paint colour chips, a mouth watering recipe for salted caramel stuffed chocolate crinkle cookies & more, you can catch up here.

Quick links:

Lemon Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes
Flourless Chocolate Cakes
Neapolitan Bon Bon Cup Cakes
Selection of Valentine Cards
Valentine tree card
Create something special with words - Tagxedo

Sharing with this weeks link parties:

Make it Pretty Monday at the Dedicated House

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
A to Zebra Celebrations

I should be mopping the floor

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Time Travel Thursday at the Brambleberry Cottage

Show and tell Friday at My Romantic Home

At The Picket Fence

Sassy Little Lady

Happy Valentines To My Readers

♥  Wishing everyone a wonderful Valentines day, whether sharing it with the love of your life, your family or your best friend  ♥

 If you need a last minute gift to make for the one you love,

click "here" for my strawberry and raspberry tiramisu in a mason jar, my most popular valentine post 

Lee oxo

&

Poppy 

♥

Image credit: Via pinterest (unfortunately I could not find the original source. If you know the source or own this image please let me know and I will credit accordingly.)

Valentines & Other Ideas With Doilies

While looking for valentines ideas I came across this little slide show, via Houzz. Susan Duane has put together some great ideas using paper doilies, I especially love the stencilled bags but was thinking you could actually stencil onto cushions/pillows too which would look just as good.  Susan also has a blog, "Hometown Girl" where you can find more of her ideas and a link to her lovely fabric store, "Paperhill Fabrics" where Susan is selling authentic fabrics from the 50's,60's and 70's.

Please visit Susan's blog "Hometown Girl" for more ideas.


And did you know you could hand dye doilies....

For instructions to make these pretty, hand dyed doilies using food colouring, please see "Charlotte's Fancy".


If your looking for some yummy valentines deserts before you leave you may want to check out my fail proof pavlova recipe also my Strawberry & Raspberry Tiramisu, made in a mason jar.

Hope your having a great week

Lee oxo

&

Poppy

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