So Its Over!

For another year!
I'm sad as Christmas seems to go quicker and quicker each year. Gone are the days of shops shutting on Christmas Eve and nothing opening till 27th December. Family time seems to be fading away as we move away from our homes towns in search of work.
I come from a close knit family, with my dad being a seafarer, mum was left to raise me and my sister for long periods of time (9 - 13 months) alone. Her mum and dad lived a 40 minute drive away , her brother about 10 mins, but mum had a good circle of friends, who would step in and help at a moments notice.
My nana and grandpa took it in turns to stay with either us or my Uncle at Christmas time. We always had Christmas morning and dinner in our own homes then Christmas Day evening we went to my uncles, I loved this, yet I found out this year that my sister found it boring!
Boxing Day was our day, we always had a 'drinks and nibbles' party at lunch time, mum would invite all her good friends and neighbours and of course the family as well and this usually started at 12ish by about 3pm all the friends and neighbours would have gone but family stayed till the evening, again I loved this.
Now it gets harder and harder as we are scattered across England at 3 extreme points, East Sussex, Wiltshire and Cheshire. I never see my cousins who are in Spain and North Wales.
So although the time together is short, I realise that time marches on and it gets harder to get us all together, I cherish the time we manage to do it.
Seeing my Great Neice again always brings a smile to my face







Just look at those curls, she is the spitting image of her mother when she was our bridesmaid and just as cheeky too!

Christmas Eve

The final piece in my Advent Calender

I may not have time to post over the next few days so I wish you all
A very Merry Christmas

I will raise my glass to absent friends at 12.00 GMT on 25th December 2008 so please join me.

Christmas Eve, Eve!

Only one more person to add to my advent calender!



The ham is in soak after a bit of a disaster.



It slipped out of my hand as I was putting in the pan so I ended up with a tidal wave of water all over the kitchen! At least I didn't drop the ham!!!

Christmas Tree

Decorate the tree with lots of baubles
Falalalalaa la la la laa

Next we add the Christmas lights
Falalalalaa la la la laa

Then we turn of all the other lights
Falalalalaa la la la laa

Then we try and take a picture
Falalalaa la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa



Now we go and have a sherry, Falalala la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

More Christmas Baking!!

Little chocolate cakes, a slab cake to cut up



2 dozen mince pies and another dozen in the oven!

A Chocolate cake.



I haven't quite worked out how we will fit it in the car along with us, a large ham, presents, clothes, booze and the first Christmas cake etc etc????????

Christmas Cake No 2

Finished



One more to go!

Christmas Cards

are finished! Phew!
Made the last posting day by the skin of my teeth.

I can't give too much away as some of the recipients read my blog!!!
It involves a bit of this



some of these



and some of these



and even though I say so myself, I think they look pretty good!

I have even thought about what I could do for next year, which involves wire, knitting needles and small beads. A work in progress but you get my drift!

Advent Calender

I would just like to share with you the best ever advent calender I have had. I love advent calenders, infact I love Christmas and everything to do with it!

This was bought for me by my daughters when we went to the Worcester Victorian Christmas Fayre.



Its a stained glass advent card. You have to open a door each side and let the light shine through!

I Love It!!!

Finished Cake

I thought I would get on and finish one of the cakes. I had seen something which I quite liked so decided to go along with a Rustic look!
Yesterday I dried some oranges in the Rayburn having sprinkled them with icing sugar first.I then assembled all the ingredients........



I can assure you the Vodka was not for drinking, it is what you use to spread over the marzipan to sterilize and stick the fondant icing. If you use water it eats away at the icing.



I have rolled out the icing and put the vodka on the marzipan.



Smoothed out the icing ready for decoration.



I frosted some Rosemary with egg white and caster sugar



Then finished it off with the dried Orange slices and some sticks of cinnamon. All I need now are 3 slim gold coloured candles about 4 inches high to finish it, sadly I haven't found any locally.



I am pleased with the result!

Christmas Spirit?

As you get older I wonder, do you lose your Christmas Spirit?



We as a family, me and mine and my sister and hers are all putting ourselves to alot of trouble this year, so we can spend Christmas with my mum. It is costing us alot more than it usually would, as we have long travelling costs to include. I am buying more presents as we have extra people to buy for etc etc.

Sadly for me I will not be cooking the Christmas dinner, something I thoroughly enjoy. I plan for months, buying magazines trying out new recipies, just so we can have the bestest Christmas ever. This year we will be going out for our Christmas dinner, as no one apart from me has room to seat 15.



So my sister and I get together (more expense) to write up a list for food we will eat whilst staying up north. I send this list along with the money to my mum, who phones me this morning, screaming down the phone, about I don't know where I am to put all this food, how can I empty my freezer, do you really need all this etc. etc. etc. she goes on so much about it, that although I was reluctant to do this, I had been coming round to the idea, but now I'm thinking I might get flu!

Living the High Life!

I love living where I live, I only wish I could share with you the view of the sky at night. Being out in the country we have no light polution and some nights there are so many stars in the sky, you just stare in wonder. Tonight is one of those nights and its chilly!!

As usually I have not been sat around on my butt! Hubby went to work and T went on her Passplus lesson and had her first drive on the motorway and into Bristol on a busy Christmas Saturday, she loved it. Anyway whilst she was out I went to Devizes for fireproof rope for my multifuel stove in the front room, it had worn away so needed replacing which involves scraping and wire brushing and cutting and glueing!



I apologise for the pic, I am taking some terrible photos at the moment, probably because I am using a different camera as my old one is being held together with elasticbands!! I miss it!! As you can see the new rope is in place. I thought to try and save our coal I would saw up some old pallets I had been using to edge beds with. Huh! easier said than done, boy was it hard, but at least I have one box full



which will be enough if we need it. Sometimes our front room being north facing can get a bit chilly in the evening and you need a burst of fire to help warm it up abit! We have found where the giraffe (draft to everyone else) is coming from and we may have to remove the ceiling in the porch to find out! That is one job I don't mind supervising but won't do as I'm not keen on spiders!!

Then I topped up one of the cakes with some brandy



ate a couple of mincepies, mmmmmmmmmm they are so lovely. But I have frozen 4 dozen now. Still have some mincemeat left to make some more.

Note to self: 2009 make more mincemeat than you did this year!!!!

Now I am here, typing and catching up!

Mincepies

This is all that remains of the mincepies I made yesterday!



Fortunately they weren't all eaten, I managed to freeze 2 dozen!!

And made some more!!



the tray on the right I will freeze! Well I will if I can cool them quickly enough as hubby is home and already tucking in!!!

Wish me luck!!! lol!

Best Kept Secret

Now this is my best kept secret ever, don't tell everyone, you must promise, I'm sharing it with you and you alone, OK?

I know most people can make their own mincepies, but do you know the real secret to getting the beautiful pastry you get in some of the more expensive shop bought ones?

Pate a Sucre, to you and me Sugar Pastry. I learnt this when I went to Catering College, one or two years ago!!! It is the business.

Now I have doubled up my ingredients as I know I will use it, but I suggest if your going to try it for the first time to use the following recipe.

Just 5 Ingredients



200g flour (soft) 8oz
50g sugar 2oz
pinch of salt
125g butter 5oz
1 egg

Sieve the flour and salt (by the way I use plain flour)
Lightly rub in the butter to a sandy texture.




Mix the sugar and egg until dissolved.



Add the sugar and beaten egg.



Gradually incorporate the flour and butter and lightly mix to a smooth paste.



Now this is a little bit sticky so you would need to add a little(I mean a little) bit of flour!





Allow to rest in a cool place before using.
I pop it in the fridge, wrapped in clingfilm and leave for about 45 mins, or until you are ready to use it.
This is a very delicate (short) pastry so will not take heavy handling. Don't let it get too warm otheriwse it will break. Take your time!






First batch ready for the oven!

Now cooked



another 2 dozen cooking



If I don't get these in the freezer quickly they will be eaten!!!!!!

Power Struggle!

Jake has been throwing his weight around again, by picking on Sassy, but sadly Tango was involved and fortunately for us did not retaliate, he did the next best thing



and is now sleeping in Jake's favourite spot!! lol!! Jake is wandering round like a lost soul, keeps popping in and out the cat flap as he has nowhere else to sleep! If he carries on at this rate he is going to wear the battery out!

But look where he is down the garden, I have marked the pics and he's just below the mark,



you can just spot his back legs in this pic.



Off to the greenhouse here! He has never been this far from the house before!!

Sassy is ensconced as usual on our bed!



Meanwhile there is the most beautiful aroma of Christmas Cake around, it has been in the oven since yesterday, as the warming oven had cooled so much overnight I moved it up to the main oven which is also still quite cool.

Right it has stopped pouring with rain so I'm off out into the garden for awhile, whilst the sunshines!!

In the Kitchen.......... again!!

I picked up a bag of pickling onions from Asda the other day so as I had got up so early and had nothing else to do, I peeled them and had them in vinegar before breakfast, but not before my cup of tea!



Here is one with the spiced vinegar and one with it still to be added!

Then after breakfast, still having loads of the day ahead, I decided to make another Christmas Cake. Well it was a matter of having too really as there is now only one left from the two I made before!




I forgot to take one of it in the cake tin. But its in the bottom oven where it will stay for probably over 24 hours!

Meanwhile my friend Tango was observing from the other side of the kitchen.



I don't approve of them being on the work surfaces, but hubby lays an old towel out for them here in the winter as it is warmed from below by the freezer. You can tell how cold it is as to whether they use it or not. This is not where any food preperation occurs!