Lavinia at Home

It’s the start of the holiday season, and here we are at home, making our lists for family and friends.
What would be more delightful for that special loved one, than an elegant present from Lavinia Lingerie or Lavinia’s very selective and stylish Activewear. They would make an excellent holiday present or stocking stuffer. And as my list grows, I remember that I have to clean the brass and silverware before I have company over. On that note, I would like to share with you a helpful tip I received from an old friend many years ago. She told me to clean my brass with lemon juice. After, wash it with hot soapy water and polish with a chamois cloth. Believe me, it works beautifully. Your brass will twinkle right through the holidays, Don’t forget the silverware, baking soda works like magic.

For that special evening you’re planning, I thought I would share with you my favorite holiday Yule Log recipe.

Serves 6 to 8
6 ounces ( 175 g ) dark chocolate
3-4 tablespoons water or strong black coffee
5 large eggs, separated
8 ounces ( 225 g ) granulated sugar
11 fluid ounces (300 ml) heavy cream

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Line a 10 x 12 inch baking tray with baking parchment paper. Break chocolate into a bowl. Add water or coffee and melt over simmering water, then cool. Beat egg yolks with sugar until thick, then mix with the chocolate. Beat egg whites until stiff, then fold through the chocolate mixture. Pour into the baking tray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until firm to touch. Remove it from the oven and cover with a damp towel; this will make it easier to roll. Let stand for several hours or overnight, then place a sheet of baking parchment paper on your work area and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Remove towel and place the thin chocolate cake (cake side face down) on top of the sugar, then remove your lining paper very carefully. Whip the cream and flavour it to your taste by adding vanilla, Tia Maria or Kahlua. Spread over chocolate cake and roll it up carefully so that it resembles a log. Slip it onto your favorite serving dish and dust with confectioner sugar.

In the event you have any problems with your cream, here are a few tips.

A quick way to whip cream is to add a pinch of salt to the cream before whipping; it strengthens the fat cells and makes them more elastic. This helps the cream stiffen much more quickly. If your cream will not thicken, chill the cream and bowl. That is, set your bowl of cream into a bowl of ice water while you are ready to begin whipping it. Add the white of an egg, chill and then whip. If the cream still does not stiffen, gradually whip in 3 or 4 drops of lemon juice. Cream whipped ahead of time will not separate if you add a touch of unflavoured gelatin (1/4 teaspoon per cup of cream). To eliminate a lot of mess when whipping cream with an electric beater, try this: cut 2 holes in the middle of a piece of wax paper then slip the stems of the beaters through the holes and attach the beaters to the machine. Simply place paper and beaters over the bowl and whip.

Until next time, have a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends.

Don’t forget to visit my website at www.LaviniaLingerie.com

November is here and the fall colors are magnificent. It’s my favorite season. Thanksgiving will soon be here and as you stroll through the department stores, you’ll notice Christmas items are everywhere already. The excitement begins. And when the weather starts to change, I think of all the wonderful meals that can warm you up. So, I’ll leave you with this delicious recipe for stuffed cabbage.

This year though, as we sit down to our Thanksgiving dinner, we have to be thankful that we have a place to sit and those we love are around us. It has been such a devastating year across the country and the world and so many have lost so much.

Stuffed cabbage in tomatoe sauce.
1 large head of cabbage ½ c. rice (raw)
1 ½ lb. ground beef or lamb ½ c. parsley, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped fine salt and pepper
1 clove garlic chopped fine 2 to four Tbsp. butter

Core the cabbage and parboil, removing outer leaves as they become tender. Set aside to cool. Mix meat, onions, garlic, rice, parsley, salt and pepper and about 1/3 to ½ cup of water. Remove the heavy part of the vein from each leaf. Place 1 full tablespoon of the meat mixture on the end of the leaf. Fold each side of the leaf over the meat and roll it. Place cabbage rolls in a large pot close together in layers.

If using tomato sauce, pour 1 (8 ounce) can of sauce over cabbage and add enough water to cover the tops of the cabbage rolls. Top with dabs of butter. Place an inverted small plate on top, cover pot and simmer for about ¾ hour. Serves 6 to 8.

I hope you enjoy the stuffed cabbage and the holiday season too! Don’t forget to check out our new sexy lingerie line at www.LaviniaLingerie.com. The colors are energizing.

Enjoy!