Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Eating and Drinking => Kitchen Natter => Topic started by: New shoot on November 21, 2015, 11:16
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I've had my head in the clouds pretending its still autumn, but todays weather has woken me up and made me realise how little time there is now to go :ohmy: and I've done nothing except start some fruits soaking in alcohol to make drinks for pressies ::)
This is where you all make me feel bad, because you are all organised and have done loads of cooking :lol:
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Yep, dead right. ::) ::)
Chocolate and orange cake done, 14 dozen mince pies, cheese and mustard oatcakes, black pepper and walnut oatcakes, mustard oatcakes to go with the cheeseboard, baguettes, sourdough bread, cheese biscotti all made and in the freezers. Well matured Christmas puddings in the overflow fridge.
Coffee and walnut, mixed spice and dried fruit and white chocolate chip, hazelnut and cardamom biscotti mad to the first stage and frozen.
3 dozen mini mince pies and 2 dozen macaroon mince pies in the freezer.
Chutneys made: red onion and red wine, peach and orange and carrot.
Stuffing loaf, pigs in blankets, stuffing balls. Toulouse sausage and pancetta stuffing, apple and chestnut stuffing prepared and frozen.
Liqueurs stepping and waiting to be filtered and bottled: crème do cacoa, quince, blackberry, raspberry, cassis, spiced rum, marmalade gin, arancello.
Quilled table place cards and goodie baskets are being finished tonight.
New crimson table cloth ordered to go on the new 12 seater dining table along with table protectors.
Crackers with the racing elves and snowmen in the cupboard. The pot grown tree that we bought last year is in its pot in the garden ready to be brought in on the 16th.
And the whip is out for Mr Bee to finish painting the hall doors so I can have my dining room back and put the decorations up on the 30th.
Hampers finished and made up, presents bought, wrapped and stashed away along with a silly Christmas board game.
Turkey is ordered; we get a free one this year for being loyal customers.
Still to do: choose the beef to be hung, make the stolen, and Dutch Christmas rings and order the cheese from Devon for the cheeseboard, make a gingerbread house. 8)
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Mrs Bee, what day was it you invited me to arrive, will it be alright if my mum comes too,she doesn't eat much 😄
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Mrs Bee, what day was it you invited me to arrive, will it be alright if my mum comes too,she doesn't eat much
The table sits 12 and so far we only have 9/10 people coming. :D
Will be doing the usual prep all veg and par cook the day before and reheat in individual roasting bags in a really hot oven, one bag for each person.
Still need to make some chocolate truffles to go with the coffee.
Might make a chocolate log although there are not that many people to eat it as we have 2 diabetic and 2 slimming world guests. So will make a sugar free slimming world trifle.
I have got a lovely chocolate log mould that I want to use to make a black forest chocolate log, but if there aren't that many people to eat it I may be tempted, so the jury is out on that one. May do that for the birthday bash.
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I've got a Sainers pudding from 3 years ago and half a pot of mincemeat. :D
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WOW! Mrs. Bee. I am very impressed. I am intrigued about your roasting bags for each individual. Would you tell me what you do. It sounds as though that could be very helpful to me. There are 15 of us for dinner as usual and I have struggled in the past with the serving of veggies.
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I have to get ahead with it all or I would be dead on my feet by the day. I find it is all in the preparation and organisation.
My friends ask for mince pies for gifts and I have some for customers.
It is a chef's trick that I picked up years ago and adapted using small roasting bags. I get mine from Lakeland.
You cook your veg until it is only just cooked with a little bite to it. Plunge it into a bowl of cold water with ice cubes in to stop the cooking and drain. Then portion all the veg into small roasting bags with a small knob of butter and seal the bags with the ties that come with the bags.
Put the bags on a baking tray in the fridge until the following day.
You cook your turkey and leave to rest while you cook your roasties. When all is ready turn the oven up very high and put the tray with the veg bags into a very hot oven for about 10 minutes until very hot.
Then you can either give each person a bag of veg to open and put onto their plate or as I do dish up the turkey and trimmings, then cut off the top of the bag and pop the veg onto each plate. That way it all gets to the table hot, hot, hot. If you are doing frozen peas as one of the veg, defrost the peas and put them raw into the bags and they will be perfectly cooked after their time in the oven.
I cook my sprouts separately the day before and microwave and add to the pan. I use a recipe in which I cook sprouts until only just cooked and mix them with a sauce made from the cooking liquid, cream, lemon and mustard with bacon cubes. It reheats beautifully.
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I've got a Sainers pudding from 3 years ago and half a pot of mincemeat. :D
I knew someone would be in the same boat as me :lol: We shall be preparing using the age old tradition of 'winging it' and some speedy cooking slotted in round work, plot and other distractions ;)
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Am making a slightly panicky list while OH speeds us down the M5. Eeeep!
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I am afraid I really hate last minute.com. It just means I get to be exhausted by the day, and I don't see any fun in that.
When I was teaching I received a deal of good natured teasing and in some quarters a little envy about my forward planning. At one staff meeting about Christmas organisation someone piped up, 'don't be daft Di is organised already and is doing her Easter preparations now.' A slight exaggeration but only slight.
And to be fair the parties we had in year 4 were legend. Every child made and decorated a Christmas cake, they made all the food for their party, in the shape of Christmas items; we had proper table cloths, candle centre pieces that they made and we lit. We made our own crackers.
We discussed good manners and that we should make sure our friends had what they needed before they thought about themselves and offered the plate to their friends, and how to have polite conversations and eat nicely.
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It's stir up Sunday today, so should have made my cakes by now - let alone the pudding.
Oh well ::) Guess that, as I decided to do mini loaf cakes, for a change - they don't need doing as early. As long as I leave time, so that I'm not icing them on the Eve again :lol:
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I've made my puddings but that's about it! There is no point making lots of sweet stuff as there aren't enough people who will eat it all.
I have been looking for a good stuffing recipe though as I will need to adapt into make it gluten free - I tried one this wkend that was labelled as gluten free and it was genuinely disgusting and the whole house stank of liquified microwaved onions.... Where do you get your apple and chestnut one from Mrs Bee?
Your class parties sound like great fun! Mostly teaching y1 or 2 ours weren't quite as extravagant (but we did make our own gingerbread and ice it and one year made a couple of gingerbread houses (never again with that many children!) they also made this town placemats and hats. Will feel a bit sad not having a class party now I no longer have my own class :(
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I have to admit to feeling a sense of loss at Christmas because I no longer have children to make all the festive baking and crafts. Looking forward to doing it with Louisa when she is old enough. But I will have to be patient.
The apple and chestnut recipe was in this years Good Housekeeping Christmas book, but in all honesty I wouldn't use it again it was rather a nothing recipe and I had to fiddle with it to make it taste a lot more zippy. And it had breadcrumbs.
If I were you and needed a gluten free recipe I would invent one. I would start with a couple of pound of my butchers gluten free bratwurst or Toulouse, and then add a large onion, chopped and fried and cooled. A large bramley apple, chopped fairly small and tossed in lemon juice to prevent discolouring. Then use anything between 8oz to 1lb of frozen chestnuts which you simmer in chicken stock until cooked, then chop roughly. Or use the merchant gourmet ready cooked, vacuum packed ones. And then add a goodly amount of chopped fresh sage and parsley.
Season and then fry a tiny amount and taste to check your seasoning. Then freeze.
I always try a couple of new stuffing recipes every year and usually find that the ones I invent myself are favourites.
I use a wild boar and fruit sausage as a base and add onion, sage and cranberries which is popular.
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I know that we have a pudding....my son in law always makes it on stir up Sunday!
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The children and I made the Christmas pudding yesterday although none of us actually eat it. My mum, dad and brother in law take care of that for us. I love to do some of the really traditional activities with the children. We've also made one of the Christmas cakes (another one to make for a friend) and the mincemeat is in the fridge. We'll make mince pies together on Christmas Eve. Some will be for Santa Claus and some for my dad.
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I'm with Surbie! I got a jar of mincemeat too. Mine has port in it. Wahay, party on down😊
I am keeping it low key and planning on going to the away match on boxing day 8 8)
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I have to admit to feeling a sense of loss at Winterval because I no longer have children to make all the festive baking and crafts. Looking forward to doing it with Louisa when she is old enough. But I will have to be patient.
The apple and chestnut recipe was in this years Good Housekeeping Winterval book, but in all honesty I wouldn't use it again it was rather a nothing recipe and I had to fiddle with it to make it taste a lot more zippy. And it had breadcrumbs.
If I were you and needed a gluten free recipe I would invent one. I would start with a couple of pound of my butchers gluten free bratwurst or Toulouse, and then add a large onion, chopped and fried and cooled. A large bramley apple, chopped fairly small and tossed in lemon juice to prevent discolouring. Then use anything between 8oz to 1lb of frozen chestnuts which you simmer in chicken stock until cooked, then chop roughly. Or use the merchant gourmet ready cooked, vacuum packed ones. And then add a goodly amount of chopped fresh sage and parsley.
Season and then fry a tiny amount and taste to check your seasoning. Then freeze.
I always try a couple of new stuffing recipes every year and usually find that the ones I invent myself are favourites.
I use a wild boar and fruit sausage as a base and add onion, sage and cranberries which is popular.
Thank you so much for this Mrs Bee - I wouldn't have even known where to start with making up my own stuffing recipe (we were brought up on Paxo, just add hot water stuffing)
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We love it here, really low key and non-commercial, but everyone genuinely wishing others well. I made mincemeat as the neighbours can't get enough of mince pies, they all have a mini cake and I've made one for us and any visitors and one for my sister and BIL who have just bought a house here. No pressies, just cards for the family and neighbours to make. Might join forces with my sister to make a meal but only if she promises not to go mad (not looking hopeful at the moment!) and will be mostly home grown apart from the meat (though there are threats towards one of the fowl)
Cheesecake for the men and trifle for the girls. Made the day before. Home grown fruit and cheese
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Sounds fantastic Tosca :)
I've calmed down a bit and decided I'm not going to make a chore of it all either. As neither of us eat a lot of sweet stuff, there won't be a lot of baking going on, but OH has requested a pork pie. Easy enough to do, but time consuming ::) I may make the filling and stock for the jelly in advance and freeze them, ready for assembly nearer the time :)
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Not being an add alcohol person I can get away with making the pudding a couple of weeks before the day and the cake likewise. If invited to the local kids I make a vegan chocolate torte for them as don't like dried fruit in any shape or form. That's done the day before. But with vegetarians and vegans in the family there's none of the panic with large joints. So much less of a hassle than farmhouse days as a kid when mother seemed to start at the start of November and end up after Hogmanay (step family Scots). It's never that much fun if it's labour intensive. Well not in my book as I'm no cook if I can help it.
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Havent done much myself except my mincemeat, crimbo cake today delias Caribbean cake , some smoked paprika and tomatoe chutney , gooseberry chutney .
well done mrs bee
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Christmas cake and puddings done. Starting on the house cleaning tomorrow.
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Got most of the 'nuts and nibbles' and a couple of starters that I always buy in August as the price shoots up at this time of the year, also got some of the dry ingredients that I may need, if not will use during the year.
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Son in law made Christmas pudding on Sunday and I managed to make the cake today. I have usually done it by the end of October....but life overtook me! Suddenly realised I haven't got my advent wreath ready for Sunday! :ohmy:
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I make mine then as well but i did a different cake and its quite a moist one so i left it to this week instead .
chrissie b
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Most of the decorations up apart from the tree and the greenery and candles decorations for the tables and they aren't done until the weekend of the 15th.
I am also reeling from the shock!!!!!! Mr Bee put all the garlands and the fibre optic tree up without getting cross and shouting at me. :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:
Mind you, I hadn't cooked his tea when he was putting them up. Suppose I had better get on with it now. :lol:
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Hoping for a quiet one here we like to relax after the dished is done jim jams , fluffy slippers bit of telly i. Happy ive actually got myself a bottle of advoccat to make my snowball , i havent had one in years the way my aunty would make them , advoccat, lemonade and a big dollop of ice cream its so good she would make them for me when i was a kid wish i had some lemonade .chrissie b
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That sounds like my Boxing day, Chrissie. Always my favourite day. Every thing is done and dusted plenty of food for everyone to help themselves and I get to relax. Often stay in my nightie all day.
Don't do the Advocat though. Mine is an Irish coffee done with Amaretto.
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Made the braised red cabbage today using a fabulous red cabbage from the plot yesterday, along with my home grown onions, garlic and cooking apples :tongue2: kitchen smelled fab
My Dec's don't go up til the 24th Dec :D
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Mine on the 20th....
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Can you guys tell me about these puddings and cakes you make weeks before you are going to serve them? I've never heard of such a thing and am quite curious...are these desserts or some kind of cured meat based foods?
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They are desserts.
Christmas puddings are made from butter, sugar, dried fruits, flour with beer. You mix it all up and put in a pudding cloth or basin and boil or steam for several hours. the longer you steam it the darker and richer it becomes.
You can do this up to a year ahead and leave it to mature, or make it a month or two before Christmas. They keep well in a cool place for a long time. My pudding for this year was made a year ago. I will re boil the pudding in the basin, tip it on to a plate, pour warm brandy or rum over it, set the alcohol alight and take it to the table to be eaten as the dessert course. Served with a rum sauce or cream. Some people serve it with brandy butter, but I find that far too rich.
Christmas cakes are very rich fruit cakes that you can make up to a year in advance, keep in a tin and feed them. Feed them with a rum or brandy to make them rich and alcoholic. You then cover them in marzipan and icing with Christmassy decorations which you can make with icing or buy ready made ones, and have it for tea after your cold meat and pickles on Christmas day or boxing day.
Do you know about Chocolate logs and trifle?
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I sure don't! Tell me about those?
Thanks for the explanation....it's hard to imagine and I'm thinking one would have to see and taste such things to understand the texture, taste and why they are made so far in advance. The only thing we have that may be similar would be fruit cakes, but I don't know of anyone who likes them...very dense, cloyingly sweet and with weird cherries that no longer resemble cherries on them and they don't seem to have an expiration date on them. They used to be a popular holiday item to gift to others but I haven't seen one since I was young.
Over here a pudding is usually a custard type dessert made with milk and must be kept in refrigeration or it will spoil. Best if eaten cool and fresh. Our cakes are also a dessert and usually best if eaten fresh baked, as they get dry and crumbly if left too long.
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Christmas cakes and puddings are mostly dried fruit, nuts, spice and alcohol Beekissed. The flour and eggs part of the batter is just there to hold the rest together. They are very rich and dark, but not overly sweet.
We have custard based desserts as well. Trifle is a layered dessert in a bowl. It has sponge cake in the base, soaked in alcohol and with jam, fruit or jelly. Then comes a layer of custard and finally whipped cream, topped with flaked almonds or sprinkles or more fruit. There are any number of variations on a theme for it, but it is a Christmas classic over here.
Chocolate log is a chocolate flavoured rolled sponge cake, cut and shaped and decorated to look like a wood log. It is a reference to the old tradition over here of bringing a yule log into the house to burn in the hearth over the Christmas period.
What do you have over there as traditional Christmas desserts ?
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There is nothing lovelier than a trifle although I would say that trifle with jelly is, IMHO, a travesty not a true trifle. ::)
And the custard should be an egg based custard, not the powder variety.
And after eating a real trifle you really should get a cab home.
Do you have mince pies where you are?
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I agree Mrs Bee....absolutely no jelly and proper vanilla egg custard. I also like it on day two when everything melds....if there's any left of course. :lol:
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Am really looking forward to making trifle with my own raspberries this year.
As to the jelly/no jelly debate - have what you fancy. I personally prefer no jelly and plenty of booze.
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I agree Mrs Bee....absolutely no jelly and proper vanilla egg custard. I also like it on day two when everything melds....if there's any left of course. :lol:
Left over trifle in my house. Errr that is an interesting concept. Not one I am familiar with however. :closedeyes:
I only make trifle when there are enough people to eat it in one sitting. Trifle is my very great weakness along with Amaretto coffee, or Tia Maria coffee or indeed any coffee with some alcohol and cream floating on the top. :lol:
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Christmas cakes and puddings are mostly dried fruit, nuts, spice and alcohol Beekissed. The flour and eggs part of the batter is just there to hold the rest together. They are very rich and dark, but not overly sweet.
We have custard based desserts as well. Trifle is a layered dessert in a bowl. It has sponge cake in the base, soaked in alcohol and with jam, fruit or jelly. Then comes a layer of custard and finally whipped cream, topped with flaked almonds or sprinkles or more fruit. There are any number of variations on a theme for it, but it is a Christmas classic over here.
Chocolate log is a chocolate flavoured rolled sponge cake, cut and shaped and decorated to look like a wood log. It is a reference to the old tradition over here of bringing a yule log into the house to burn in the hearth over the Christmas period.
What do you have over there as traditional Christmas desserts ?
You folks really like your alcohol! :lol: I don't really know of any one dessert that is most likely served for Christmas, to be honest. But then, I'm probably not one to ask...we've never been traditional, nor followed the usual traditions for holidays.
I've seen other people's Christmas dinners over the years and can't really say I saw anything specific turn up over and over at the various, different Christmas meals as a particular "Christmas dessert". Usually it has very much to do with the individual family, region or culture in which they were raised and America is the melting pot, so it has a lot of variety in that regard.
I watched a YT vid last night of what Irish people thought about American Thanksgiving food and I have never eaten a single dish they served on that vid....and most of the people commenting from the US hadn't either. Don't know who put that vid together but that's not typical Thanksgiving fare, for sure.
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Although a proper Christmas cake does have at least a teensy smidgin of alcohol, in my estimation what it absolutely must have to be the genuine article is a wedge of Wensleydale cheese alongside it, the crumbly texture and milky colour of the cheese acting as the perfect foil to the rich heavy darkness of the cake. (To really push the boat out, better than Wensleydale is Coverdale but rather hard to find the real thing. To get the idea of Coverdale, think spirit of buttercups as cheese eaten on a hill in green dales country....)
Oh, and an open fire and a belt with lots of spare notches.....
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Oh if only I could get Wensleydale! I will have to make do with Cheshire from the freezer (far too crumbly but needs must) Like it with mince pies....and apple pies too. Can't get cream here.
Might try our own goats cheese though.
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When I used to make a Christmas cake I only put extra brandy on as it cooled,then it was wrapped up when cold to wait to be decorated with fruit & nuts on Christmas Eve. I don't like icing,I don't make one now as there's only me that eats it & I don't need the calories😒
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We don't like icing either so I make a collar of marzipan, which we do like, and top with glace fruit and nuts.
Although I am going to do something different this year as I got a really cute Santa and sleigh and snowman to go on the cake so I am going to cover the cake in marzipan, roll out a really thin circle of icing for the snow for the top and then use a cake frill for the outside.
I am doing a lot of things differently this year, since the arrival of Louisa. We used to have the white, sparkly theme with Christmas but small children love bright colours so we are going back to crimson, green and gold and cute decorations on the Christmas cake.
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I had a flurry of activity last night and was in the kitchen until about 10pm.
Gooseberry gin and quince brandy were strained and bottled. The fermented raspberry wine concentrate was mixed with vodka for the raspberry vodka. I made some marron glace and am halfway through making candied orange peels.
The quince brandy just needed a little sweetening and the leftover syrup from the marron glace was perfect. Just a couple of spoonful's per bottle and it was transformed. The quince flavour seems stronger somehow and the drink is far more rounded. I also have a small bottle of vanilla and chestnut flavoured syrup for other uses. It is too good to throw away. In addition, I have a small bag of gin soaked gooseberries in the freezer which are dynamite. Not sure what to do with them but again, way too good to waste. The quince was less appetising and was ditched as it had gone a bit sludgy coloured.
We may not have any actual real food in yet, but I am getting there with the pressies :)
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Can I come and stop with you New Shoot? All those lovely gourmet treats and I wouldn't need to set foot in my kitchen. :D
I seem to have been at it not stop.
I have done the white chocolate, raspberry and brandied cherry truffles, the hazelnut truffles, sundried tomato and cheese biscotti, baguettes, seeded rye bread cut into trees, stars and holly leaves to go with the home smoked salmon and tuna and the hot smoked duck for DIL who doesn't like fish. Oh and the almond Christmas stars to go in the hampers with the biscotti.
I have white chocolate snowball bombes for my nephew, have trialled and come up with an acceptable trifle substitute for the slimmer's world and diabetic bods, a slimmer's world chocolate log with banana ice cream and one with cherry ice cream.
We have raisin and rosemary bread, walnut bread and baguettes to turn in to crostini with the cheese, wholemeal cheese bread and the sour dough starters for Casalingua, and German rye bread.
I am just having a break before parcelling up my brown quince from the quince vodka, will add that to apple tarts and crumbles, bottling the quince vodka, finishing the Arancello and straining the crème de cacoa, spiced rum, cassis and coffee vodka.
Cheese is ordered as is the beef and the turkey and the gammon has been soaked and is in the smoker for an extra smoke before being shoved in the freezer. Have some olives and pickled garlic in the smoker too.
The to do list is getting smaller, just the stolen, Dutch apple ring, and Mr Bee's vanilla ice cream and the Christmas cake to decorate and then I think I can sit down for a bit. ::) And finish the tree decoration for Louisa's first Christmas.
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if it all gets a bit too much, pop down to this German supermarket to cheer yourselves up!
beep beep beep (http://tinyurl.com/lptgzqv)
well. it cheered me up!
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well. it cheered me up!
Me too :D Really clever.
I've added the filling for homemade pork pie to my prep list and am planning a lightening raid into town to buy a few pressies one morning next week. I'm aiming to be in there as the shops open with a list and a plan of action and back out again as quickly as possible.
The rest - well I am working a fair bit up to and over Christmas, so I'll get some nice food in to last us the main couple of days and then wing it from there. I want a relaxed time on the days off I do have :)
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I think food traditions are good and need to be kept , all the Christmas cake and puddings were designed to keep for ages and i for onewill keep making them even if i have to eat them all myself , .
So lads and lasses keep on creating your own Christmas your way .
Beekissed i have an old american cook book full of cream pie recipes with all types of crusts and an other one with bbq and party
type food
Chrissie b
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Awww, lovely.
Am counting down to starting the Norwegian Christmas biscuits. I think I am going for 7 or 8 kinds this year, so that means 2 solid days of baking. And probably burned fingertips! :)
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The last batch of mincepies is cooling now, then on to marzipanning the cake ;)
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Dried out the biscotti, iced the cake, finished the remaining liqueurs, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry ice cream terrines Slimming world style and about to cover the raspberry truffles with dark chocolate and knock up a couple of Swiss rolls for trifle.
Dutch Christmas rings, and stollen to do tomorrow.
Nearly there. :D
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Dried out the biscotti, iced the cake, finished the remaining liqueurs, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry ice cream terrines Slimming world style and about to cover the raspberry truffles with dark chocolate and knock up a couple of Swiss rolls for trifle.
Dutch Christmas rings, and stollen to do tomorrow.
Nearly there. :D
Who eats it all Mrs Bee?
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There will be at least 10 of us. A lot of it is in the freezer so we can take it out over the holiday as special treats and I will not have to cook for a while, so I can do Christmas craft work and watch lots of telly without having to stop and cook.
It doesn't all get eaten in one sitting. Treats are in the freezer to be brought out when the doorbell rings and Mr Bees ex colleague visit. It means I don't have to rush round cooking for everyone all the time. It keeps the legend of Mrs Bee being super woman, going. :D
The Dutch Christmas ring is our breakfast with a good strong cup of coffee. A tradition.
Some of the mince pies are orders, some are presents.
Some of the biscotti are for the neighbours instead of Christmas cards. Don't do Christmas cards, apart from making and selling them.
Biscotti go in the hampers for friends and some go in the little Christmas baskets on the Christmas dinner table with some of the truffles to have with coffee. All the oat biscuits are in the freezer so can be taken out as and when to go with the cheeseboard and the membrillo.
Mr Bee loves cheese and biscuits. He eats like a ruddy horse, never puts on weight and despite all the dairy and cheese he eats he does not have high cholesterol. >:( >:( >:(
I have the diabetic/slimmer's world trifle for BIL, Dad, DIL and son. Christmas pud for mother and OH and individual white chocolate mousse for nephew.
I have done a lot less this year because of the weight watchers etc. I usually make a luscious cherry and chocolate log but there is no point this year.
Vanilla ice cream for Mr Bee to have with his mince pies over the holiday as it is his absolute favourite.
And the swiss rolls for trifle are for me. :D I can cut off a small slice to make a diddy trifle when the slimmers have gone home so I don't tempt them.
I prefer Boxing day, in all honesty, when everything has been cooked and there are left overs and I can put my feet up. My bête noir, is Amaretto coffee. You can keep the food just give me the coffee.
The liqueurs are for cooking and making desserts for the rest of the year.
I have 2 spaces left at the Christmas table. :D
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I have 2 spaces left at the Christmas table. :D
* Cough * Cough * Cough *
I've not done anything yet, I figure things will be quiet after Monday and I might find time to get in the kitchen.
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Thanks Mrs Bee, feel very inadequate now😄. We're up to six now so I better start planning & cooking 🤔
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Thanks Mrs Bee, feel very inadequate now. We're up to six now so I better start planning & cooking
Don't feel inadequate Snowy. I just can't help myself. I always go over the top. And I am retired now, if you don't count the Christmas fairs I have done, so I have more time.
I am laughing this year as I only have one Christmas to do. Last year I had to do a full Christmas dinner at the aged parents a week before Christmas and another one on Christmas Day for us and sent dinner round to the aged parents.
But after the aggro I got last year I have put me feets down and if dinner is wanted they have to come to me for it.
The worm turned and she isn't going to be taken for a mug this year. :D
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Got the marzipan on my Christmas Cakes last night. Hopefully I'll get them iced this evening. Desserts for Christmas day are planned (my part of the meal) and I'm writing my shopping list for Saturday.
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I've made a shopping list for Mr Snoop. Does that count? :)
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I've just made the first mince pies, 6 are cooked & a doz are in the freezer. Only trouble is I can't get the cooked ones out of the tin grr
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I've iced the Christmas Cake that I was asked to bake by a colleague and taken that in to work today. I still have mine to do and will hopefully get that done tonight. I now know what desserts I am making and I've written my shopping list for the morning. The children and I are going to make cookies tomorrow if the weather is bad.
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I've just made the first mince pies, 6 are cooked & a doz are in the freezer. Only trouble is I can't get the cooked ones out of the tin grr
Did you get them out whole?
I broke my pastry brush. Am using the (clean) brush I use to apply hair dye, don't tell anyone! :D
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I've just made the first mince pies, 6 are cooked & a doz are in the freezer. Only trouble is I can't get the cooked ones out of the tin grr
You might like to invest in some silicone tart trays from John Lewis. Best buy ever. Nothing ever sticks!!!!! :D
And I usually make 12 dozen mince pies every year.
A hair dye brush Surbie. LOL Necessity is the mother of invention. :D
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Or remember to take them out of the tray while still hot as any sugar which spills out with caramelise and glue itself on while cooling.
Not doing a great deal but everything is home made and most is home produced which is very satisfying. Made marzipan and covered the largest cake, made stuffing balls (sage and onion and fruit) and nut roast for me. Will have a day for mince pies next week...large ones with almond sponge topping for friends, ( a request after I stupidly made one for them last week...had to make more mincemeat) small for the neighbours, postie, goatherders etc. Hopefully doing the cakes tomorrow, but I don't think I'll need all six.
Hamper to sort out for family. I'm sure I'll find plenty to put in it!
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Or remember to take them out of the tray while still hot as any sugar which spills out with caramelise and glue itself on while cooling.
Had to put mine back in the oven for 5 mins to unstick them last night. I made 10. OH ate 7...
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Haha, hope you enjoyed them. The price of making nice full pies. :)
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I've just made the first mince pies, 6 are cooked & a doz are in the freezer. Only trouble is I can't get the cooked ones out of the tin grr
Did you get them out whole?
I broke my pastry brush. Am using the (clean) brush I use to apply hair dye, don't tell anyone! :D
Most of them came out whole, its nice to say my pastry was so short that's why they wouldn't come out 😄. I don't normally use a food processor & egg but it worked fine. Need a better tin though. I had new ones & they're too deep. Last year John Lewis had mince pie tins like my mum used to have, round bottoms with a pattern on. But I'll look out for the silicone ones too Mrs Bee😘
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Silicone moulds are so good for mince pies Snowy. Takes all the hassle away. I used to have to make extra mince pies for my orders to account for loosing some with stickage. Don't need to do that now.
Surbie.......your other half ate 7 mince pies. Heavens that beats my OH.
Although I only put out a couple at a time. :lol: :lol:
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Managed to stretch the marzipan and icing to all six cakes, but they are looking a bit lumpy....snowdrifts :lol: Still don't know who they are all for, but the little ones will be handy for emergency gifts. Made three dozen mince pies and sent a dozen straight from the oven next door where they, with the help of OH, are butchering their steer.
Made sausage rolls, some meat, some veggie. And my first attempt at blinis was a success, didn't realise they were so easy, Made another spiced pumpkin cake to have by.
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Now I am off work I can finally start thinking about this as the only thing I have done is make the puddings in October! Tomorrow I am going to make sausage rolls, start the gravlax and make the stuffing from Mrs Bee's recipe so it is gluten free! I also need to make the ice -cream and possibly the custard although I do find that you can't really beat Waitrose's fresh custard so I might be lazy there...
If I get round to it I may also make some gluten free savoury treats for Boxing Day as I am going to my parents and I know that the evangelical buffet will be very gluten heavy (scotch eggs, pork pies, quiche etc) and I will probably end up with a lump of cheese and some pickled onions otherwise! Haha
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Now I am off work I can finally start thinking about this as the only thing I have done is make the puddings in October! Tomorrow I am going to make sausage rolls, start the gravlax and make the stuffing from Mrs Bee's recipe so it is gluten free! I also need to make the ice -cream and possibly the custard although I do find that you can't really beat Waitrose's fresh custard so I might be lazy there...
If I get round to it I may also make some gluten free savoury treats for Boxing Day as I am going to my parents and I know that the evangelical buffet will be very gluten heavy (scotch eggs, pork pies, quiche etc) and I will probably end up with a lump of cheese and some pickled onions otherwise! Haha
I have a lovely Chocolate Brazil nut cake recipe which is flourless, so gluten free if you want it.
I finished the stollen, Dutch Christmas rings, although I made them as small logs to give as gifts as well as for breakfast, a batch of cranberry, white chocolate and pecan nut biscotti and started the fig log for the cheeseboard.
I did all this as well as baby sitting the granddaughter, while parents went out shopping, then did lunch for them all and then warmed up mince pies for a friend who popped in after they had all gone home. And prepared Sunday lunch for everyone tomorrow. Think I may sneak off for an early night in a few minutes.
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My Christmas puddings are just steaming. I dunno why I decided to do them this late but hey ho, better late than never. I was confined to barracks waiting in for deliveries etc so it was either make something or start hoovering. No contest ;)
I love trifle ! I think I'm with Surbie on the jelly booze question. No jelly but plenty of sherry or whatever you fancy. I use Madeira cake in the bottom and soak it generously before adding some fruit. Whipped double cream, some decoration on the top. Not sure what yet but it will invariably involve dark chocolate or Flake (or both :tongue2:)
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I've been wrapping prezzies today, and in between I've blind baked some quiche crusts and put the snowflake decorations on the cake.
Gkids will be here tomorrow and we'll be making gingerbread houses ::) I have a cupboard full of sweets - smarties, choc buttons, brown and white and boiled sweets for windows .... the full works.
They'll be masterpieces by the time they go home 8)
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Sounds like a lovely sticky session of decorating round at yours then :D
I have got the pork pie filling out of the freezer to defrost and yesterday I made a jellied stock from a pork hock, veg, parsley and bay leaves from the garden and peppercorns. Final assembly will be tomorrow as I am working later :)
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I've been wrapping prezzies today, and in between I've blind baked some quiche crusts and put the snowflake decorations on the cake.
Gkids will be here tomorrow and we'll be making gingerbread houses ::) I have a cupboard full of sweets - smarties, choc buttons, brown and white and boiled sweets for windows .... the full works.
They'll be masterpieces by the time they go home 8)
Sounds great fun. DD & I made some today.
(http://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/t371/snowdrops3/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-03/F364CCDA-5CCC-49BE-B0DD-B700EE6FE1BC_zpsmteiigdx.jpg) (http://s1056.photobucket.com/user/snowdrops3/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-03/F364CCDA-5CCC-49BE-B0DD-B700EE6FE1BC_zpsmteiigdx.jpg.html)
(http://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/t371/snowdrops3/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-03/CB901B5C-EE8C-485D-90FC-05799E84D128_zpsbgdu1dno.jpg) (http://s1056.photobucket.com/user/snowdrops3/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-03/CB901B5C-EE8C-485D-90FC-05799E84D128_zpsbgdu1dno.jpg.html)
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Wow, they're lovely Snowdrops, very effective. :)
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Are those jelly beans on top, Snowdrops? If so, I'll be working on my Santa sleigh tonight. Hope you've got some spare, just in case I make it over and they disappear in the night! Haven't had jelly beans in donkey's years.
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Thankyou Tosca & Snoop.
All DDs idea,she saw similar online,she wanted them individual so that when you eat some it doesn't wreck the whole house if it was a big one. I made the gingerbread,she designed & cutout the pieces,I baked, she decorated 6 & she encouraged me to do one after I refused as I thought mine wouldn't be as good as hers😄.
Yes they are jelly beans on top, there were some left but DD took them home as they are her favourites, so probably none left this morning😄
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OK. Well I won't snaffle the jelly beans but maybe a wall or two seeing as it's home-made and the buildings won't collapse (not many houses you can say that about!).
They really do look lovely by the way.
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Snowy, they are gorgeous. :) :)
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Thank you Snoop & Mrs Bee, we've got meringue trees now as well.
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Done the cheese straws this after noon to save me from boredom. We are not having our Christmas until Sunday as I am on duty tomorrow from 2 to 10 and on Saturday from 7am to 2pm.
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All ready, just the sprouts to pick last minute. Cakes given out, embarrassing amount of stuff given back.
Looking forward to the new year, much sadness in the village this year.