Old style Preparations for Christmas 2011!!

katkins78

ifonlyitwaseasier wrote: »

food wise
Lidl have started with the yummies, mini stollens are back plus the choccies

Wonderful, I just love Lidls christmas food especially those chocolate covered gingerbread hearts. OH has to wrestle the bag off me- for my own good of course:D

Bought my first Christmas presents today, both for my niece. Had budgeted £20 but spent £10 on a 'glamour set' and £4 on a large fairy jigsaw puzzle so saved £6. I know I could have just bought one or the other but little girls are so much fun to buy for aren't they? Unlike Dads, Brothers and Husbands!

ifonlyitwaseasier

katkins78 wrote: »

Wonderful, I just love Lidls christmas food especially those chocolate covered gingerbread hearts. OH has to wrestle the bag off me- for my own good of course

Bought my first Christmas presents today, both for my niece. Had budgeted £20 but spent £10 on a 'glamour set' and £4 on a large fairy jigsaw puzzle so saved £6. I know I could have just bought one or the other but little girls are so much fun to buy for aren't they? Unlike Dads, Brothers and Husbands!

i have that same problem with the dark choc coated marzipan.....

Draagonfly

:rudolf:Well my Xmas pudd is in the slow cooker as I type (no kitchen full of steam or having to top the water up that way)...m-i-l's family recipe with 1 or 2 personal mini-tweeks that seem to go down well with the consumers (don't really like it myself).

I made it for the 1st time 2 years ago when I spent my 1st Xmas "doing" Xmas day for hubby's family & was convinced that there was WAY too much mixture for the pudding basin & that it was far too pale in colour to ever be a dark rich pudd...but I was wrong on both counts! :snow_grin

I am determined to be more pre-organised this year to make the big day doing for 6 less stressful. I know that some of you will be doing for many more & think 6 is a doddle lol but hubby's family have very high expectations & HUGE appetites. :xmassmile

Christina_F

I would love the recipe for the Xmas pudidng in the slow cooker - could you possibly post it pls?

katkins78

I make Christmas pudding and cover with greaseproof the usual way and then just put the pudding bowl plus an inch or so of water in the slow cooker and leave it for 5hrs on low? Is that what you do draagonfly?

Rainy-Days

All the Christmas cards and wrapping paper was bought in the post Christmas sales and put away in the loft for bringing down this year.

I only really have food to buy for. Last year we had the Aldi three bird roast and it was wonderful there was no mess, no waste and no faffing about with a great big bird and carcass afterwards. So we are going to do the same again this year.

As for the other food I shall get these bits as I go along then all I need to do at the last point is get the dairy and fresh fruit and veggies in and we are done.

MIL said this afternoon that the tins of sweets are going plastic

Draagonfly

I'll try & post the recipe tomorrow for those of you who are interested.

But cooking wise, pack it into the pudding basin, circle of grease-proof on top, foil over that (with a small pleat to allow for expansion), tie up with string remembering to make a handle to fish it out with. Pop it into the slow cooker fill with freshly boiled water fromthe kettle upto between half & 2/3 of the way up the basin. The recipe is for a v. big pudding (biggest basin I could get packed tight to the top) so on high for approx 8 hours. Allow to cool & then replace the paper & foil. Pop in the airing cupboard to "dry" & mature for a few weeks & then move to a cool dark place & store until the big day.

On the day bung it back in the slow cooker in the morning start it off on high for the 1st couple of hours then turn back to low & leave it to do it's thing until you are ready to serve.

Draagonfly

Here's the recipe as promised.

The original was for traditional stove top steaming (& could still be done like that) but I adapted to the slow cooker method after consulting one of my SC recipe books. It worked a treat & I have no complaints from Hubbys family

½lb raisins
4oz chopped almonds
½lb currants
½tsp mixed spice
½lb sultanas
1 grated apple
6oz candied peel
1 grated carrot
2oz dried cranberries
Grated rind & juice of 1 lemon
½lb sugar
Grated rind & juice of 1 orange
½lb breadcrumbs
3 eggs
4oz flour
1 wine glass of brandy
½tsp salt
Milk to mix
½lb suet

Clean & prepare fruit.

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl.

Yes it really is that simple! :T

Then follow my instructions in my previous post.

This gives a seriously rich & very moist pudd...almost like you've packed the basin with mince meat! I hope that you enjoy it if you decide to try it

kippers

Just wondering if anyone has a good tasting recipe for mincemeat to go in mince pies...the one i made last year wasn't nice at all.

I've sat and worked out what presents i still have to buy and it's only a couple of things for our family and friends so i'm really pleased, though i do have to get my dh something. I have my xmas cards and my wrapping paper too. I need to get a few things for my dd's advent calender (my dd2 has developed a diary intolerance so i'm giving a little gift each day instead of chocolate ie pens, rubbers etc etc).

I still need to finish their xmas eve box, so far i have a xmas dvd and a xmas wii game. i need to buy them p.j's and a few more bits and bobs as i find them.

Food wise i just have to make a xmas cake for us and 2 little ones for my mum and dad (they have both remarried) and finish my sisters hampers by finding something to put my homemade preserves in...i think i'll have to make this out of boxes somehow.

I have 2 turkey crowns in my freezer from last year and i have a xmas pud from the January sales and i found 12 xmas crackers in my loft.

So i'm nearly there i think

katkins78

Loosely based on a delia recipe, I just sling all the odd bits left over from the christmas pud making,e.g. raisins and sultanas, dates, chopped up nuts, sugar, chopped apple, fruit rinds and suet/butter into a pan and cook. When the mix is cold I add whichever alcohol I am using.
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/mincemeat/home-made-christmas-mincemeat.html