Thrify Gifty Santas Challenge 2012

cdsmiler

rufus - when I've ordered them from Vistaprint before, they've been great. Fold in half and really good quality.

Got a plan with my Christmas cake. Instead of buying brandy I'm going to use Quantro to feed it, seeing as we have some of that in the house already!

Bro's first christmas pressie has arrived, and just put in a mahoosive lakeland order to arrive tomorrow - some bits for other people to give others, so the postage (or free postage seeing as it came to so much) is shared and I'll get money back from people!

All going good!

Clare x

mum2one

rufusdog52 wrote: »

Mum2one, the Xmas cards you ordered, were they proper cards that fold in half? I ask because I ordered some free ones with my last order just to see what they were like and they are just like post cards, no fold in them so dont think I will use them after all

I got the fold in half ones - although did need to search through as the 1st set they offer are the flat ones (there cheaper to produce).

The ones you got can you cut them down into tags? xx

mum2one

TylersMummy wrote: »

Thanks so much for that info mum2. Always handy to be able to get stamps cheaper!

I have never made Christmas cake - sounds lovely and fun to do. Quite looking forward to the days where DS will be old enough to help and get excited about Christmas!

I'm with you on OU - got my first tma prep phone call tomorrow and 9 activities behind so gotta knuckle down today!

def agree with the stamps, its awful how much they put them up by!

Good luck with your OU call, your soon catch up, its just getting into the got to do it mode!! apologies if asked b4 what course are you doing? xx

mum2one

If anyone is stuck for xmas cake recipie - this is the one we use - the recipie says it makes 1 cake but we get 2 or 3 out depending on size of tin we use xx


500g mixed fruit
500g sultanas
500g currants
250g glace cherries
200ml rum,brandy or sherry
290g plain flour
2 tsp ground mixed spice
225g butter
225g soft brown sugar
5 large eggs
100g mixed peel
150g ground almonds.

Utensils etc
Large mixing bowl
string
baking paper
deep 23 cm cake tin / square or round depending on shape.

Method.

1. Put all the dried fruit (bar cherries), in a large mixing bowl, addliquor, (you can use orange juice instead).

2. Cover with clingfilm, leave for 24 hrs stirring ocassionally.

3. Line the tin with 3 layers of baking paper, wrap outsides with doublelayer, of brown paper. Preheat over to Gas 2, 150C or 130C if fan oven.

4. Rinse the cherries in warm water, pat dry with kitchen paper. Cuteach one in half,

5. Sift the flour and mixed spice together, (use seperate bowl),

6. Cream butter and sugar together, beat in the eggs one at a time,beating well after each addition and adding a tablespoon of flour mix with eachone.

7. Finely grate the zest of the orange + lemon, stir into the creamedmixture.

8. Stir in the rest of the flour mix, ground almonds, cherries and thedried fruit + alcohol mix. Mix well.

9. Put mixture into desired tin, pat top with damp fingertips.

10. Bake for 1 hour, reduce oven temperature to 140C / 120C (fan oven),gas 1 and bake for a further 3 hours or until a skewer in centre comes outclean.

Can cover tops with foil if browning too quickly.

11. Remove cake from cake tins, and cool completely on a rack, (leave baking paper on)

12. wrap in foil and store in a tin,

cdsmiler

WOw that's a lot of fruit!!!!!! No wonder it makes 2 or 3!! lol

This is the recipe I used. My dad has been using it for the past few years and it's lovely!

http://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/classic-christmas-cake.html

Although I cooked mine for 1 1/2 hours and it was done. I was using a slightly shallower square tin so the whole cake was thinner.

Clare x

queenb1981

Hello everyone, i am back. Has been a tough few months but feel ready to face Christmas. Got my boys all in one pjs today so thats two items to tick off. Looking for a 1 player nerf dart tag for my nephews now

Hope everyone is well

mum2one

cdsmiler wrote: »

WOw that's a lot of fruit!!!!!! No wonder it makes 2 or 3!! lol

This is the recipe I used. My dad has been using it for the past few years and it's lovely!

http://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/classic-christmas-cake.html

Although I cooked mine for 1 1/2 hours and it was done. I was using a slightly shallower square tin so the whole cake was thinner.

Clare x

Its looks lovely, - copied it cheers xx

mum2one

queenb1981 wrote: »

Hello everyone, i am back. Has been a tough few months but feel ready to face Christmas. Got my boys all in one pjs today so thats two items to tick off. Looking for a 1 player nerf dart tag for my nephews now

Hope everyone is well

Hi, ur a strong lady and glad youve got through everything ok, have you tried argos to see if they have a nerf dart tag, (u can tell I'm not use to getting boys presents!)

Sounds like your getting organised for xmas xx

queenb1981

mum2one wrote: »

Hi, ur a strong lady and glad youve got through everything ok, have you tried argos to see if they have a nerf dart tag, (u can tell I'm not use to getting boys presents!)

Sounds like your getting organised for xmas xx

Still got a way to go with the stress side of things, until its all over i wont be free of it. But hey ho its nearly Christmas. Will take a look at argos thank you.

mum2one

queenb1981 wrote: »

Still got a way to go with the stress side of things, until its all over i wont be free of it. But hey ho its nearly Christmas. Will take a look at argos thank you.

I can fully say ditto to that - were on the roller coaster ride again, I feel like saying stop so we can get off, but we just have to take the ups and downs.

xx