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A Year Between Friends | Favorite Projects

In 2017 I decided to not set any goals but made my way through the book A Year Between Friends by Maria Alexandra Vettese & Stephanie Congdon Barnes (better known as 3191MilesApart). I love books where each chapter represents each month of the year. Every month I spent some time reading one chapter. I didn't always make the projects or tried the recipes but it still was great to just read a few pages.

Each chapter starts with a few photos and a letter to each other. Then you will find recipes and/or diy projects and personal stories. On the first of the month I always took a moment to read through the chapter and decided what I wanted to try this month.

Today I want to look back and share my favorites with you.

(1) GOOD LUCK FRITATA from January
Such a good recipe. We made it several times throughout the year and it also inspired me to finally buy a cast-iron skillet a few months later.

(2) COCONUT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES from March
Oh these were SO delicious. If I had to pick my absolute favorite recipe from the book, this one would win. It was the first time chocolate chip cookies looked like the way they had to. Everytime I made them for friends I got many compliments. These cookies are perfect for freezing (before baking). Every few months I make a huge batch and freeze them. This way I have fresh cookies around the house all year long.

(3) SPOON OIL from January
I sourced some beeswax from Switzerland and made this great spoon oil. Everything that is out of wood and I use in my kitchen got a coat. They looked a lot better afterwards. It's about time to oil all my wooden supplies again.

(4) SUMMER VEGETABLE AND CHICKEN HAND PIES from July
I especially love the pie crust from this recipe. Something I never tried before. I also had more then enough so I freezed a few hand pies (before baking). Hand Pies are really easy to make and super delicious. 

(5) SCRATCH BAKING CO.'S ALMOND CAKE from April
Another delicious recipe. I made it twice this year. I really love the moist texture of this cake.

(6) STANDBY GRANOLA from September
This granola is my go-to recipe since 2014 (they shared it before on their blog). I like that it's not too sweet and that you bake it in the oven. It's also something I really love to give to others. With a cute tag and a ribbon it makes a perfect gift (you can see an example here on my Instagram account).

There are a few things I didn't try in 2017 but there are a few projects and recipes I really want to make next year:

• Quick Spiced Pickles
• Pecan Shortbread
• Summer Strawberry Pie
• Waxed Cloth Wrap
• Wintertime Bright Yellow: A Natural-Dye Project

It was a joy to work with this book in 2017 and I can highly recommend it to anyone who loves to try new recipes and diy projects. It is such an inspiring book, even if you just look through it and read a bit here and there. This book is definitely one of those books that will stay with me forever.

A Year Between Friends | October + November Projects

Today I'm sharing four projects from the book "A year between friends" I completed in October and November. I really like that this book inspires me every month to try something new. I will share an overview of my favorite projects from the book later this month. 

RECIPE // ROOT VEGETABLE AND APPLE HASH

This was such a simple recipe but still super delicious. I like that you add an apple to all those vegetables. It's a great addition. We really loved this dish.

 

CLOSET CLEAR OUT

I like to clear out my closet several times per year. It's been a few months since my last clear out so it was about time again. This time I also went through all my shoes and bags and only kept what I still wear. I like the feeling after you went through everything and have a pretty closet filled with just the stuff you love.

 

WHAT I DIDN'T TRY
Blue Spoon Bistro Burger with Warm Potato Salad

 

6X8 PAGE FOR MY PERSONAL PROJECT LIFE® ALBUM
(It's written in German but basically I wrote what you can read in my blog post, just a little less)

 

RECIPE // CRANBERRY SAUCE

It was the first time I made Cranberry Sauce. It was also the first time I saw fresh cranberries to buy in our local grocery store. It was really delicious and I will definitely make more of it. Next time I'll also preserve it properly so that I can open a small jar of it whenever I want.

 

RECIPE // SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

Oh they were delicious. Not too sweet and just perfect. Baking with sweet potatoes is great. You get such a unique tast from them. We combined the biscuits with butter and the cranberry sauce. Great combination. But you can also eat them with salty toppings. I really like that.

 

WHAT I DIDN'T TRY
Autumn Luminaries

 

6X8 PAGE FOR MY PERSONAL PROJECT LIFE® ALBUM
(It's written in German but basically I wrote what you can read in my blog post, just a little less)

 

*WHAT IS THIS PROJECT ABOUT?
Last Year I pre-ordered the book A Year Between Friends by Maria Alexandra Vettese & Stephanie Congdon Barnes (better known as 3191MilesApart) right away. It came in November and I loved it from page one. I flipped through the book and knew, it would be perfect for a year-long project in 2017 because each chapter is broken down into each month of the year.

For 2017 I didn't set any goals but I decided to work my way through that book. Each month I will do the projects, bake and cook the recipes and read the stories from that chapter. At the end of each month I will share my projects here on the blog and also make a 6x8" page for my personal Project Life® album.

READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE
January Projects // February Projects // March + April Projects // July Projects // September Projects //

A Year Between Friends | September Projects

It's a busy season around here and that means that I don't find enough time to work on my projects from the book A Year Between Friends. In September I tried two recipes and that's what I'm sharing today.

RECIPE // PEANUT-CRISPY RICE BARS

The first recipe I tried were these rice bars. Instead of syrup I used honey and I guess thats the reason why they didn't work out very well. After the rice bars dried for a few hours they were still SO wet and not really fun to eat. They were also really sweet. Combined with my morning-yoghurt (like a granola) it was okay though, just not on it's own.

RECIPE // STANDBY GRANOLA

I love love love this Granola. They shared this recipe already on their blog a few years ago and it's my go-to recipe since 2014 (I even blogged about it). I can highly recommend this recipe. I make it all the time. It also makes a great gift. Just put it into a Weck Jar, add a pretty label and you are good to go. You definitely have to give it a try when you love a good granola.

 

WHAT I DIDN'T TRY
Waxed Cloth Wrap (although I will definitely make them one day), Sugar and Spice Chai Tea, Linen Selvage Pillowcase

 

6X8 PAGE FOR MY PERSONAL PROJECT LIFE® ALBUM
(It's written in German but basically I wrote what you can read in my blog post, just a little less)

 

*WHAT IS THIS PROJECT ABOUT?
Last Year I pre-ordered the book A Year Between Friends by Maria Alexandra Vettese & Stephanie Congdon Barnes (better known as 3191MilesApart) right away. It came in November and I loved it from page one. I flipped through the book and knew, it would be perfect for a year-long project in 2017 because each chapter is broken down into each month of the year.

For 2017 I didn't set any goals but I decided to work my way through that book. Each month I will do the projects, bake and cook the recipes and read the stories from that chapter. At the end of each month I will share my projects here on the blog and also make a 6x8" page for my personal Project Life® album.

READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE
January Projects // February Projects // March + April Projects // July Projects //

A Year Between Friends | July Projects

It's been a while since I made a project from the book "A Year Between Friends"*. I took a break in May and June but got back on track in July. It was a great month and I tried some fun stuff (well, there were only recipes I tried).

RECIPE // CARROT AND ZUCCHINI BREAD

Actually, it's more like a cake and I'm not sure why it's called bread. It's sweet but not too sweet. We both really liked it. We ate half of it in two days and I freezed the other half. I cut it in thick slices and then freezed them separately before I put them together in a container. This way I can just take out one ore two slices at once.

 

RECIPE // SUNSHINE TEA

I have more than enough mint in my garden so it was clear, that I tried this drink. It was delicious but not the best I ever had. Maybe I didn't add enough honey. I don't know, but something was missing.

 

RECIPE // SUMMER VEGETABLE AND CHICKEN HAND PIES

My fave recipe from this month. They were super delicious and we loved them around here. That cream cheese pastry is so good, I'm sure I'll make it over and over again. The only thing I can't explain: I ended up with 19 instead of just 10 hand pies. I freezed the ones we didn't eat (before baking them). Truly a great recipe.

 

WHAT I DIDN'T TRY
Minimal Mobile, Grilled Corn

 

6X8 PAGE FOR MY PERSONAL PROJECT LIFE® ALBUM
(It's written in German but basically I wrote what you can read in my blog post, just a little less)

 

 

*WHAT IS THIS PROJECT ABOUT?
Last Year I pre-ordered the book A Year Between Friends by Maria Alexandra Vettese & Stephanie Congdon Barnes (better known as 3191MilesApart) right away. It came in November and I loved it from page one. I flipped through the book and knew, it would be perfect for a year-long project in 2017 because each chapter is broken down into each month of the year.

For 2017 I didn't set any goals but I decided to work my way through that book. Each month I will do the projects, bake and cook the recipes and read the stories from that chapter. At the end of each month I will share my projects here on the blog and also make a 6x8" page for my personal Project Life® album.

READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE
January Projects // February Projects // March + April Projects //

A Year Between Friends | March + April Projects

Last year I pre-ordered the book A Year Between Friends by Maria Alexandra Vettese & Stephanie Congdon Barnes (better known as 3191MilesApart) right away. It came in November and I loved it from page one. I flipped through the book and knew, it would be perfect for a year-long project in 2017 because each chapter is broken down into each month of the year.

For 2017 I didn't set any goals but I decided to work my way through that book. Each month I will do the projects, bake and cook the recipes and read the stories from that chapter. At the end of each month When I find the time, I will share my projects here on the blog and also make a 6x8" page for my personal Project Life® album. Today I share the March and April projects with you.

RECIPE // COCONUT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

These were SO good! I made them several times already and each person who tried them loved them as well. It's definitely one of my fave recipes so far. Really, if you want to try just one recipe from the book, make this one! I also made a batch for the freezer.

 

WHAT I DIDN'T TRY THIS MONTH
Coconut Macaroon Nests, Woolen Stuffed Bunnies, Geometric-Stencil Eggs

 

6X8 PAGE FOR MY PERSONAL PROJECT LIFE® ALBUM
(It's written in German but basically I wrote what you can read in my blog post)

 

RECIPE // SCRATCH BAKING CO.'S ALMOND CAKE

Another super delicious recipe. I used frozen rasperries instead of blueberries and I'm not quite sure if that was the reason why my berries ended up on the bottom of the cake instead sprinkled throughout. It was still super delicious. I also love that it's not a dry cake.

 

DIY // NATURAL-DYE PROJECT

The instruction said, you have to use black beans. I had red kidney beans on hand and tried it with them. This project was kind of a fail. The color of the finished fabric is so subtle, you almost can't see it.

I went to a natural dye workshop this month and learned a lot about how to dye with natural stuff. I also learned that it's really hard to dye cotton and that you have to prepare your fabric. To dye fabric and wool naturally is super interesting and I really want to dive deeper into this. We will see, where this will end up.

 

WHAT I DIDN'T TRY THIS MONTH
Natural Spring Cleaning, Honey Lemonad

 

6X8 PAGE FOR MY PERSONAL PROJECT LIFE® ALBUM
(It's written in German but basically I wrote what you can read in my blog post)

 

READ MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT HERE
January Projects // February Projects //