Baking Day

We spent a day trying out some new recipes last week with some good and some not so good results! First up we made an old favourite - flapjack - knowing this always turns out good and we all love it.

India got quite excited!

India received a lovely recipe book from Pip over on OCE and we tried out a couple of recipes from there. We made sweet treat biscuits using cherries in the middle though you can use nuts also. These looked great and were easy for India to do too. They tasted very sweet but very nice too. Big thumbs up for them and they are going on my list for Christmas.

I made up some Honeycomb, now this melted lovely, we added the bicarb and it frothed really well - we were impressed. Tipped it into the really well greased tin (India did it, she used loads!) and it stuck in there! I ended up just bashing it into pieces to get it out of the tin so it was just a mess of broken bits and crumbs in the end. However it tasted just like cinder toffee, which is one of hubby's favourites and he ate the lot! I'm not sure on this, it definitely tasted good but how do I get it to come out of the tray better?

Peppermint Creams - now these I have also made before but not for a few years. I added some red food colouring once the dough was nearly done so the colouring was streaky rather that a solid colour - thought it may look a little more festive? This was something India could easily help with - which is why most of the creams are different shapes and sizes!!

Last of all we tried an Easy Fruit Cake from the Bero recipe book, which as most people in the UK will be aware is a bit of an institution here. It involved simmering the fruit first on the hob, which i've never done before.

It wasn't as nice as my normal fruit cake recipe and was really crumbly but it was certainly easy to do and didn't taste too bad. I don't think I will make it again.

Sweet Treats

200g Ground Almonds
100g Icing Sugar
100g Golden Caster Sugar
Grated Lemon Rind
1 Egg

1. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 160C
2. Mix all the dry ingredients
3. Add the egg and mix to form into a ball
4. Divide into about 12 small balls
5. Push a hole in the middle and place a glace cherry, a nut of choice or jam
6. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes

Christmas in the Kitchen

After receiving this cute ornament in my Christmas swap last week I have decided to think about what sort of theme I can have in my kitchen this year.

I don't have a huge amount of space for decorations but always have some. I normally use silver baubles in vases, a silver star with baubles on ribbon for the door, then some wooden ornaments that hang from the handles on the cupboards.


What I'm really wanting is items that are kitchen based for decor rather than leftover baubles and beads, which is what I use right now (if you know what I mean!).

So I have already picked up a Christmas salt and pepper pot that I think I will just use as decor rather than for actual salt and pepper.

Then i'm thinking maybe using some cookie cutters to hang from the handles - I already have some large ones but I'm sure I remember seeing all sorts of different shapes and sizes in the pound shops or bargain shops we have around here. Of course i'll have to wait for the stock to come out - which is usually after the kids are back at school in September. I should mention I can't afford to be buying lots of new ornaments so I am looking for the cheap or home made options!!

Over the pantry doorway we have a curtain that is mostly just for show (we never close it) and i'm wondering if I can get some material from ebay to make a Christmas curtain. I'm not the best sewer but I could do a curtain if I can find some nice (and cheap) material.

My next step is to browse the net for some ideas, see what I can come up with - of course if you have any suggestions they would be welcome too!

Christmas in July

Happy Rudolph Day (Christmas in July!).

We are having a great day so far. We just finished watching Christmas in Wonderland on the Movies 24 channel, we had cinnamon and sultana muffins followed by popcorn. Not the healthiest breakfast but a fun one. The film was a bit silly but still had a magical ending, which brought a tear to my eye (especially with Patrick Swayze in it), but i'm a softy!

I may be able to watch another later if I can finish my gardening (not very Christmassy but needs doing). Later on this evening I will be making some cards, all my stuff is piled up in the dining room ready. I'm looking forward to that.

I also took part in a Christmas in July swap over on Organised Christmas Elves. I had a lovely parcel to open this morning (thank you DelveD) and had some very cute Christmas things. I think my favourites are the Christmas Album, all set up scrapbook style ready for photos and a Gooseberry patch recipe book. I love Gooseberry Patch and have a few of their Christmas Cookbooks.

Sneaking up fast!

Well I can't quite believe it's almost the end of July. I don't know where this year has gone? Luckily despite it flying by I haven't done bad with keeping up with the Christmas planning though.

Thanks to a poker win my Husband had I have bought a few Christmas presents over the past month and have pretty much got India covered now apart from a Kidzoom camera that she has been asking for. I've got some pots to make pots of gold again for people who didn't get them last year as they went down so well. Again we are going with the vouchers for the boys for the local shopping centre, they have done well with the ones we got them last year and have saved them for books or games that have come out during the year and didn't just waste them on stuff straight away.

I have started stocking up on fruit to make my mincemeat, which i'll be doing towards the end of next month. I will have a look through my Christmas dessert recipes and pick out what i'll be trying this year and write a shopping list for that too so I can pick up something each time I shop.

So we have on Sunday, Rudolph Day, which for many is known as Christmas in July, even QVC and one of the movie channels has picked up on this now in the UK and we have a month of (mostly made for TV) Christmas movies. I already have plans with India to watch Christmas in Wonderland when we get up and hopefully be sat down in time to watch another in the evening!

I'll be posting again on Sunday and hopefully a bit more frequently after that as we move into the second half of the year.

May Rudolph Day

Well this poor blog is being neglected, luckily my Christmas planning isn't! My gift list is up to date and I have a lot of ideas for the people on it. I've even bought a few more stocking stuffers for my little one.

The boys are going to be the hardest to buy for as usual and I think we may just be going with vouchers for our local shopping centre again as they went down very well last year. They can be used in all the shops in there and they have spent them well. Even getting stocking stuffers for them is hard now, at 14, 16 and 20 with no hobbies as such i'm thinking very hard!

My Christmas notebook is all up to date and I would highly recommend this site Christmas Planner to help out with printables and ideas for making your own - I wouldn't be without mine! It even has a section where you can browse other peoples notebooks for inspiration.

I've even had the time to make a couple of Christmas cards too though i've cut my list down this year after checking who was sending them back and who wasn't!

Food wise I am already thinking that I may do something different this year instead of rolling out the turkey but i'm not sure how well it will go down with the rest of the family if I don't stick to the traditions! I'll be digging out my recipe books to look for starters and desserts to try out over the next few months.

I hope you all enjoy your Rudolph day (only 6 to go before the real one!).

Easter Fun

In case you hadn't noticed the abundance of chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies around the shops by now I just thought i'd let you know Easter is just days away!

I found these pretty little eggs in our local Poundland. I'm going to use them in an egg hunt for India on Sunday morning.

She always gets loads of chocolate from familyt and friends so I try to get her something she can keep. This year I found a lovely little bucket which i've filled with little eggs and small toys. She loves things she can carry - bags, baskets and hopefully buckets!

In the meantime we have these books to keep us occupied over the next couple of days!

Rudolph Day

Well i've been a little lax in my postings the past couple of months and am vowing to do better! My Christmas thinking has been non existent.

I save stamps with Morrisons every year for my Christmas food shopping and have only got £2 right now - I cannot get into the routine of asking for them at the till and staff appear to have stopped checking if you need them. I'm determined to get back into this habit as these stamps come in very handy and have in the past paid for our food over the Christmas holiday.

My folder has been buried away in the wardrobe and I've dug it out and placed it in the way in the living room so I can't avoid it. I've updated my Christmas card list and address list, they are printed off and read to put in. I also printed a new gift list for 2010 and have put on the bits and pieces I got in the sales, which doesn't amount to much.

So today I am going to be making some Mince Pie Buns to use up my leftover mincemeat and i'll be drinking my Christmas tea to get me into the spirit of things. I really need to start picking up some more gifts and try and fill out the list a bit more.

Thought i'd add this picture from Christmas last year for inspiration!

Next thing I need to do is check on my supplies for my card making, I don't think i'll have as many to make this year after redoing my list and I did pick up some embellishments in the sales, I think an ebay shop may be in order!

Lots to think about and hopefully by the next Rudy Day i'll be adding to my gift list!

Hope you all have a good Rudolph Day.