Dutch Irises...

The colour of this Dutch Iris is AMAZING!

Every year it pops up in Mia Bella Passions Garden with its incredible purple colour and a bold yellow stripe!

The History Of The Dutch Iris.

Dutch irises, asIris hollandica, are celebrated for their striking colours and elegant shape. Despite their name, Dutch irises do not actually originate from Holland itself. The journey of Dutch irises begins in the Mediterranean.  From the 17th century, plant breeders in the Netherlands began to enhance the beauty and robustness of irises. By the 20th century, these hybrids were being exported worldwide, with the 'Dutch Iris' label as a nod to the Netherlands breeding skill.

They are easy to grow but need a rich, well-drained soil. 

Average plant height: 60 cm

Planting depth to base of bulb: 15 cm

Spacing between bulbs: 10cm

Light requirement: full sun

Landscape uses: beds, borders and pots. 

They are easy to grow but need a rich, well-drained soil. 

Dutch Iris is a fabulous cut flower for the vase.

Purple Varieties

The rich hues of purple in Dutch Irises symbolise royalty and elegance, making them a popular choice for many occasions. Here are some notable purple varieties:

· Iris x hollandica 'Blue Magic': This variety flaunts deep blue-purple flowers with a striking yellow throat, creating a beautiful contrast that catches the eye.

· Iris x hollandica 'Purple Prince': True to its name, Purple Prince offers large flowers with a majestic royal purple colour, ideal for adding a touch of luxury to any garden.

· Iris x hollandica 'Hollandica': A classic choice, this variety features elegant violet blooms that exude charm and sophistication, making them perfect for both contemporary and traditional gardens.

White Varieties

If you're looking to add a touch of purity and simplicity to your floral displays, consider these gorgeous white varieties:

· Iris x hollandica 'White Excelsior': This variety is renowned for its pure white petals and striking yellow markings, bringing a sense of grace to any floral arrangement.

· Iris x hollandica 'Alba': Alba offers pristine white blooms with a slight hint of cream, making it a versatile choice for weddings and other elegant occasions.

· Iris x hollandica 'Snow Queen': True to its name, this variety stands out with its dazzling white flowers, perfect for brightening up any space in the garden or home.

Whether you prefer the regal shades of purple or the elegance of white, Dutch Irises are sure to mesmerise you with their beauty.

They are a favourite in Mia Bella Passions Gardens!

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Homemade Coconut 'Bounty' Bars

When I have failures, they seem to happen in twos or threes.

Thankfully, by some miracle, 
I seem to be able to save the project at hand!
Remember the 'almost failure' with the French Look DIY pot?

http://miabellapassion.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/mod-podge-creation-reveal.html

Well, folks, here is another 'almost' EPIC FAIL
 I thought I would share it with you.
I added the word EPIC as I was pretty sure 
Whilst making these Bounty Bars, they were definitely not savable!

I found a delicious recipe for homemade bounty bars
with SIMPLE picture instructions at 'Not Enough Cinnamon',

http://notenoughcinnamon.com/2012/11/30/easy-homemade-bounty-aka-mounds/

Homemade bounty bars aresometimes known as mounds.

I thought, "Oh, YUM, let the confectionery-making begin!"

It all started off so well.

I gathered my ingredients: sweetened condensed milk, coconut, and melting chocolate.

And into my bowl went:

one cup of condensed milk and three cups of coconut.

It was mixed together as instructed.

So far so good!

But then mistake number one occurred,

I added a bit more coconut as I thought the mixture was too wet!

 Mental note to self for the future...

'Do not overthink things!'

Then I 'squeezed' the coconut mixture - using clean, wet hands into mounds.

Which of course was harder to do, 

because my mixture was now drier than it should have been.

Second note to self:

'Do not adjust quantities - stick to recipe!'

The wee mounds were popped onto a tray lined with baking paper and into the freezer for 20 minutes they went.

Near the end of chilling time, I melted the milk chocolate.

This is where things went horribly, horribly wrong!

The first mound was dipped, and the coldness of it made the chocolate set FAST!

It looked OK, quite smooth, but a little thick, 

so thinking the chocolate needed to be thinner.

Mistake number two occurred.

 I added a little bit of cream to it.

BIG MISTAKE!

IT WENT THICKER!!!

Needless to say, I was grateful a chocolate cake was in the oven, 

and my chocolate concoction was now the ganache to ice it with!

Then melted dipping chocolate attempt number two began.

Dark chocolate this time.

Nicely melted, 

but I still struggled to dip my mounds nicely.

They did not look smoothly coated.

In fact, mine most certainly resembled hedgehogs!

And worst still, one got completely stuck to the fork.

(But that was a terrific excuse to EAT it!)

It's clear I need a few lessons on how to dip confectionery into melted chocolate.

(I think I did not have my melted chocolate hot enough!)

But the good thing is,

they may not look like the perfect chocolate mounds 

created by 'not enough cinnamon' on their Blog,

BUT THEY DO TASTE DELICIOUS.

My homemade coconut bounty bar mounds have a new name:

 'Coconut hedgehogs'!

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Cupcake making for kids!

It was with much fun that we had the pleasure of 'testing' a cupcake kit for kids

for our local Whitcoulls bookstore!
First, we make a batch of vanilla cupcakes
and let them cool before icing them.

You can use your favourite vanilla cupcake recipe or a bought box mix.

 The kit had the smallest rolling pin you've ever seen in it...

cute little cutters, and fondant in pink, yellow, white and blue.

This kit is quite educational, too.
With fondant in primary colours mixed to make new colours,

Yellow + blue = green...
So that's a bit of colour science, isn't it?

 The fondant passed the taste test.

Kids would love the different flavours...

 Pink strawberry was the best!

 The little cupcake stand was a trick to get the cupcakes on...

But this was the end result.

Cupcake making with fondant icing.

Now there's an idea to keep the children entertained 
during the weekend,
or holidays!

Use dyes and flavours with plain fondant on your homemade cupcakes, if you can't find a kit.

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