New Thrifty Gifty - Organised for Christmas and all ocassions 2010- Santas Challenges

Qaphsiel

pinkflop wrote: »

Nigellas Christmas Muffins

Makes 12

250g Plain flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp bicarb of soda
100g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
good grating fresh nutmeg (or quarter tsp ground nutmeg)
2 clementines/satsumas
approx 125ml full fat milk
75ml veg oil (or melted butter left to cool slightly)
1 egg
175g dried cranberries

For the topping:
3 teaspoons demerera sugar

Preheat oven to 200 degress celcius/ gas mark 6. Line a 12 bun muffin tin with muffin papers

Measure flour,baking powder, bicarb of soda, caster sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl; grate the zest of the clementine/satsuma over, and combine. If you are doing this in advance, leave the zesting till the morning.

Squeeze the juice of the clementines/satsumas into a measuring jug, pour in the milk till it comes up to the 200ml mark.

Add the oil (or slightly, cooled melted butter) and egg and lightly beat until just combined.

Pour this liquid mixture into the bowl of dried ingredients and stir until everything is more or less combined, remembering that a well beaten mixture makes for heavy muffins; in other words, that a lumpy batter is a good thing here.

Fold in the cranberries, then spoon into muffin cases and sprinkle the demerera sugar on top.

Bake for 20 mins, by which time the air will be thick with the promise of good things, and the good things themselves golden brown and ready to be eaten, either plain or broken up and smeared, as you go, with unsalted butter and marmalade.

Enjoy!!! :j

Oh yum they sounds gorgeous. Will def be making these myself. Thank you for posting Pinkflop :T

mary-op

Hello all :j
Just a quickie to say I'm back..........had super weekend...........Saturday at loch lomond, weather was perfect, like a spring day........had boat trip, woodland walk..........oh it was lovely.
Edinburgh.........biting cold wind.........found Poundland and forgot what I wanted from there..........lol so went on to look at all the statues and gift shops (pricey or what ??)
Came back today calling at Gretna Green.............got back about 5pm............will catch up with everything tomorrow..........off to flop on the sofa now and have some tele.............:rotfl:

piglet27

Evening all

rufus - your jewelery is great. would love to be able to do this.

mum2one - sorry to hear about how rubbish tesco have been too, hope it all sorts it self out for you.

love all the pots of gold, want to do these for my christmas table too!

Not been well for 15 days now, got to have loads of tests done hopefully get to the bottom of it soon, and to top it off wrist siezed up sat and can't move it at all! meant to be going body boarding and cycling in newquay next week, fingers crossed i'm better for that, been looking forward to it for months! Why are we always poorly just before going away, noticed it affects other people too!

mum2one

Piglet - hope u feel better soon, and excuse th expression, hope they get to the bottom of things soon.

Mary - glad you both had a good weekend, and the weather held

Pinkflop - massive thank you 4 the recipie, def going to try them, they sound lush.

Miss Hoodie asked if she could help out again with the Santas challenge - her words - its so much fun, but I will try and be nice and not do too much cleaning..
don't think there is a job she hasn't suggested!!

On a positive note, have booked a table at one of the local schools, there having a craft fair, its not till end of Nov, so finishing off the last few bits, then get some photos sorted.

So plzed my Vistaprint order came today, the calenders are fab, had the t-shirts, Miss Hoodie has decided she likes the tshirt, thou it looks like a dress on her. The pens are good, I had one done for her teacher, and one for the Head saying best headmaster and hands off its my pen!! .... think that may be a few brownie points.

Miss hoodie came home with a letter from the school, thought whats happened now, but good news, shes been put on the gifted and talented register for her achievement in reading.1st question off Miss Hoodie - does that mean I get a present!! xx

cookiedough38

RTF - I love those pots of gold well done. I am planning on making one for my OH as he loves ferreror rocher (and scratch cards) so a nice way to display them.

susan42 - They are getting her the hooden country kitchen, I have been to look at it in store and its gorgeous.

There are so many lovely ideas on here I am trying to think of people to make them for, not having mse!

rufusdog52

HI Susan42 - havent finished the placemats yet. Want to quilt them all before doing the edging but will post a pic once done. Quilted Dad's cushion panel yesterday afternoon, so can hopefully finish that off today then I can get back on with the placemats. Only three more to do.

rufusdog52

Welsome back Maryop, glad you had a nice time, supposed to get even colder over the next few days, hopefully wont be too bad down here in Kent, I hate the cold weather so much xx

mummyslittleboy

Welcome back mary op, Piglet27 hopr you are feeling better soon. xx

You are all doing really well, I made 3 small boxes and have decorated them and filled them with choccies for DD2's teachers, and managed to pick up a few more small bits yesterday for the kids I am going to finish of there sock monkeys today and start the ones for my friends 2 girls. Other than that havent really done a lot.

Mum2one re your supermarket incident maybe there head office need to be made aware of what happened to you it is totally unacceptable;)

My friend is really struggling this year financially and her girls wont be having much for christmas so I thought I would do a christmas eve hamper for them thought it would make it a bit more fun but struggling for ideas of what to put in it they are twin girls aged 4 so far I thought

PJ's
Santa Key
colouring book
bath mit
snowman soup
Christmas DVD

was thinking of getting them something else to keep them busy but I am buying them a childrens baking set for christmas so it needs to be something other than baking but christmas related any ideas gratefully received as I just can't seem to think

rufusdog52

mummyslittleboy wrote: »

Welcome back mary op, Piglet27 hopr you are feeling better soon. xx

You are all doing really well, I made 3 small boxes and have decorated them and filled them with choccies for DD2's teachers, and managed to pick up a few more small bits yesterday for the kids I am going to finish of there sock monkeys today and start the ones for my friends 2 girls. Other than that havent really done a lot.

Mum2one re your supermarket incident maybe there head office need to be made aware of what happened to you it is totally unacceptable;)

My friend is really struggling this year financially and her girls wont be having much for christmas so I thought I would do a christmas eve hamper for them thought it would make it a bit more fun but struggling for ideas of what to put in it they are twin girls aged 4 so far I thought

PJ's
Santa Key
colouring book
bath mit
snowman soup
Christmas DVD

was thinking of getting them something else to keep them busy but I am buying them a childrens baking set for christmas so it needs to be something other than baking but christmas related any ideas gratefully received as I just can't seem to think

Have they got any of those make your own crackers sets around you? we usually buy my daughter one of these adn they often sell them in 99p store or poundland xx

Also in the works and Wilkinsons they sell blank card sets, may be you could find some xmassy stickers and add some crayons and they can make some cards. Kids love doing this and putting them in the envelopes. xx

toffeeapple

Mummyslittleboy - what a lovely idea for you to make a hamper for those girls. You are very kind and it makes me feel that this is really what Christmas is all about. :xmastree:Giving.

I am making a surprise one for my 6 year old godson, his Mummy (my best friend) died this year of cancer and this Christmas is going to be so hard for them, and me!! I hope to make it a tradition for him.

Great start you've made on your hamper, here are a couple more ideas:-

Reindeer food (to sprinkle outside before bed)
The Night before Christmas book (to read before bed)
New toothbrushes
Christmas Cuddly toy (I usually get the little chilly snowmen from tesco)
Selection Box

Good luck, remember we want photos!! :beer: