Preparing for Christmas
Preparing for ChristmasI have noticed that lots of magazines have their Christmas ones out already which has made me wonder if it is time to start preparing. Only just over 70 days.
When and what do you make beforehand? I usually make the cake and mincemeat, so must start to gather in the ingredients. I also have to make the obligatory mince pies, sausage rolls and whatever OH see in the books that take his fancy. Not this year!! I have decided that as there is only the two of us and have visits from family beforehand, I am going to do less this year than the normal amount which I do out of habit. The large cake which I share with a few people who live alone near me, will this year be made into small cakes and given as gifts with a few mince pies and a small bottle of damson gin. Other than that I will see what the shops have to offer. The freezer will be uncluttered and I will be more relaxed. I am now a widow and live with my memories.
Re: Preparing for ChristmasAlthough I made mincemeat last year I am not sure I can get the ingredients this year and I have used all the fruit I brought out with me. I will make some, but it won't be 'as we know it'. Christmas was delightfully low key. We made Christmas biscuits for all our Bulgarian neighbours, and a hand made card with Bulgarian words. In return we recieved decorations and wine and rakia, as well as a share of any seasonal bakes like bread. We are always included, but in a low key way. Lovely....and so cheap!
Because my memory is not brilliant......http://debrazzaman.blogspot.com/
Re: Preparing for ChristmasHope you can stick to your plan, June.
I used to spend three days in the kitchen before Christmas Day, making stuffings, sauces, mince pies, icing the cake, etc, which my three sons, husband, Father and Uncle soon devoured. Nowadays we try to make the cake before the end of November, OH makes the pastry for the mince pies, and then we trot off to my middle sons for Christmas Day clutching a large trifle. This year I have started buying in the fruit for the cake, bought two saving stamps from Mo...... sons each week, and we are having our first Christmas on our own. We hope. We have in the past made our own mincemeat, but it was disappointing, so we buy it in. I try and buy a nice fresh cream sponge, which makes a change from the rich fruit cake, and we order a pork pie from the local farm shop, which we start to eat on Boxing Day. Since we lost Nation in March from peritonitis, brought on by eating either a hazelnut or a small horsechestnut, I shall not buy the usual bag of mixed nuts. We'll probably have a small turkey crown with cranberry sauce, the usual selection of veg, roast and mashed potatoes, a bought Christmas pudding, with brandy sauce followed by a very small tea! We attend several Christmas related functions, which all require a couple of dozen mince pies, so I really ought to start buying mincemeat.
Re: Preparing for ChristmasThat sounds like a plan June. This year its going to probably be just me and Natalie and my son if he is not working. We are going to try and carry on a bit of a tradition that hubby had been doing for years and that is boning and stuffing a turkey with ham, sausage meat and stuffing for the family to have cold. He was a master chef in the army and so was easy peasy for him to do, with me and Natalie doing it could be a different story. I am the only one who likes Christmas cake so think I will cheat and buy one, ditto with mince pies and Christmas pud.
All the shops seems pretty geared up to Christmas already and it does seem to get earlier and earlier each year that they start. Re: Preparing for ChristmasThe 'cheat and buy one' route is only any use if the shops sell one that you like.
So I make cakes (my Dad's recipe, he was a hospital chef, after he was demobbed from the catering corps - and made wedding cakes as a sideline) and a King George's pudding from OH's grandma's recipe.Shop pudds are too claggy, I'd never liked them before. But my pastry is very 'everyday' so buy mince pies for Christmas, though I make the one at any time of year, if I have a scrap of dough left when making fruit pies. Usually leave it till the week before. Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire Re: Preparing for ChristmasI hardly do anything to prepare beforehand - none of the family like dried fruit so mince pies and Christmas cake are pointless. I buy a few extras like pigs in blankets and keep them in the freezer.
The way I look at it is that we don't really eat loads more (other than all the chocolate that we receive) so why do I need to buy trolley loads more? Last year I had 12 here for lunch so bought bigger amounts of stuff for dinner, but only normal stuff. This year there'll probably only be 6 of us so only a normal size roast dinner. I try to get nice nibbles for the evening though, we are always too stuffed for tea but a few special treats like prawns etc. are nice Oh a we try and work in a trip to the pork pie shop near Scarborough - the best ones I've ever eaten
Re: Preparing for ChristmasI've already made my mincemeat - no suet, home grown apples but I think the secret is the amount of brandy and rum I slosh in I never really liked mince pies but since I've been making my own (pastry half marg half lard) I love them!
I used to make christmas cakes and a pudding but had a few problems with them. This year my mum's asked me to make bunloaves, which are an old fruit cake recipe from my nan so I'll do that. Hubby loves them iced so that will be our christmas cake, I must start getting more raisins and sultanas in as I keep giving them to the chickens. I also love making sausage rolls for snacks and visitors. I usually do gifts too so this year I'm thinking florentines, biscotti and gingerbread biscuits. Also am getting the chutneys ready and will bottle up my liqueurs (sloe gin, raspberry gin, blackberry gin, plum vodka, plum brandy, limoncello) and will make up some jams as well. If I find any more interesting recipes I might give them a go - I quite fancy trying turkish delight. I made some brilliant toffee last year, but my fudge was a disaster. I love christmas. Karen
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