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

cdsmiler

Oooo what's the gingerbread stuffing?? Sounds yummy (and sweet?!)!

Clare x

fedupandskint

Its in Nigella'sChristmas Book

Do you want me to put the recipe up?

mcjordi

wanted to finish this weekend but it doesnt look like i will.. still have no idea what to get my dad..

got a bubble wand thingy from the £1 shop for niece even the poundshop didnt really have much to offer

elysia2003

That would be lovely if you could do the recipe Fedup.

Esmer - Please, please, please could I have the recipe/instructions to make the bath bombs? I'll love you forever! LOL. DD1 and DD2 love love love Bathbombs and especially Lush, but you know how expensive the bathbombs are in there.

Toothfairy - I'm glad you're ok, I have my fingers crossed for your results being ok.

The Festive Gift fair at the National Exhibition Centre was great. Not as good as past years, but it was OK. There wasn't much that caught my eye, I only bought my Mum and handmade doorstop (the fabric ones with a bag of sand in) it looks lovely and I want to keep it. I bought my Stepdad some bottles of Homemade ginger wine. I bought DD2 some Mini bathbombs too (see, I told you she likes them ) and that was it.

Mum took £450 pound and spent almost all of it, and sister 2 spent about £300+ so it can't have been too bad, just nothing there I wanted. Came home with a migraine (as predicted) it's a nightmare pushing wheelchair in a crowd.


Nothing done today, been shopping and bought some extra things to put away for Christmas, but that's it. Hoping to get lots done next week. Tuesday we have planned to see the Cola Lorry, (found out the times last week) it's the only stop here in the Midlands and it's where I shop normally so not too far away (about 9 miles). DD2 can't wait.

mary-op

Hello all :j

mum2one - glad the dentist went ok:T

toothfairy - fingers crossed for your results:T

sugarspun -thanks for the link to fabrics.........could loose myself for hours on that:T

fedup - glad you're feeling better:T

elysia - shame the Festive Gift Fair didn't have anything much for you but just think how much youve saved................lol:T

All I've done today is make little boxes to put my fudge kebabs in...........wasn't going to bother but saw a link on how to make boxes out of greetings cards............didn't have any but found a box I'd bought some bath stuff in from charity shop -nice cream colour..........so cut that to bits and used that..................still got three more to do........(did a couple badly wrong:eek:) They do look a bit more presentable being in a box............still wrapped up but at least it doesn't look like I've just crammed them in at the last minute (which is what it is really) Still got 3 more to do...........then I want to tranform old placemat into kitchen organiser............and there was me showing off that I'd done everything...................lol

SugarSpun

elysia2003 wrote: »

That would be lovely if you could do the recipe Fedup.

it's a nightmare pushing wheelchair in a crowd.

I'd like the recipe too please

Also, I recommend buying the owner of the wheelchair a bicycle bell. My grandmother had one and it was amazingly useful.

fedupandskint

Here we go then

Quantities serve 10-16 as part of main Christmas dinner or 8-10 if not (I'm halving all quantities and have popped approx amounts in brackets afterwards)

500g (250g) onions
2 (1) eating apples, peeled and cored
45g (20g )butter
1 tbsp (1dsp) veg oil
750g (375g) streaky bacon
zest of 2 (1) sastumas/clementines
2x400g (1x400g) gingerbread loaves eg McVities Jamaica ginger cake, loosely crumbled
2 (1) beaten eggs
1/2 tsp (1/4tsp) pepper

Finely chop onions and apples
Put butter and oil in a lg wide pan over a medium heat and fry onions and apples until soft after 10-15mins
Finely chop bacon - add to pan with onion and apples
Cook and stir frequently for 5 mins
add zest
Take pan off the heat and let it cool a while, then add ginger breadcrumbs
Mix in well

Can leave to cool completely at this point

Just before you cook the stuffing - add the beaten eggs and pepper

Put in a buttered baking dish eg loaf tin, terrine etc

Bake in a hot oven (200c or Gas 6) for the last 45mins of the turkey cooking. If the oven is not stuffed full of Christmas dinner cover with foil for first 30mins

Let it cool in the dish for a good 10mins before turning out and slicing - or just spoon straight from the dish

Make ahead tips - ease the stress!
Make up to point leave to cool before adding eggs - cover and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days
Make the stuffing, with the eggs and pepper and freeze for up to 2 weeks, thaw overnight in the fridge

c/w Nigella Christmas

I'm making this one for the first time, alongside a chestnut stuffing and a sausage meat stuffing (can you tell what I like to eat at Christmas!) I'm looking forward to the leftovers!

scattymam1

Hello all - I feel like I'm flying ahead now, I went to next after school today and got two christmas outfits in for dd. It's something I forget to do until last minute and then I never get the time to buy tights, shoes, etc; to go with. My son has stuff from a wedding we went to in the summer that he can still wear for christmas so I guess that saves me a bit of money.

Did my mr t shop this morning and I was quite surprised with some of the bargains, might be worth going back and getting some stuff in for christmas. For example 4 pack of proper diet coke was half price.

fedupandskint

On another note - can anyone recommend a reliable home baking book?

I would like to get one for my mum, who prefers a traditional style and nothing too fancy.

She already has the Be-Ro cookbook, so something a little more modern than this but not too celebrity chef style

Anglea

Hi, all just a quickie

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/red-nosed-reindeer-lollipops-804099/

Lots of really interesting recipes and craft projects, also has edible santa hats!