Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

Pixiehouse - I don't make my own marzipan either. I think I could honestly eat my own bodyweight in marzipan, so I think making my own is not a route I should go down anytime soon!

Savingmore - Yes, am with you on hard copy diaries. I love mine. I enjoy choosing it, writing it up ready for the year ahead (already done!) & use it daily for planning, etc. No need to worry if you are in a meeting room or venue with dodgy wifi, you have it all in front of you at your finger tips with a proper diary.
F x

foxgloves

Evening m'dears,
Well, apart from baking two loaves, doing meal plans for next week & writing the grocery shopping list, I've stuck to my plan only to do Christmassy tasks today & I've thoroughly enjoyed it.....actually, I have included Mr F's birthday in with that, as it is at a festive time of year. So, I've made my annual Christmas red cabbage - I loathe sprouts, but don't like to feel left out, so this is perfect because I love it. I always use Delia's recipe - it has apples (have used some stored ones from our tree), onions, garlic & festive spices. I love grating nutmeg, I could honestly have pulled a cracker with almost anyone after that, it smelled so heart warmingly festive! For the vinegar which you sprinkle on once you've layered it up (before the butter is dotted on top), I use half cider vinegar & half my homemade blackberry vinegar. Anyway, it made 5 containers & I've put our Christmas Day portion in a foil container so it can just be popped in the oven & won't need a pan. 
Other things: Finished Mr F's birthday socks, sewed in the ends & wrapped. They look just right for a festival - next year, she said, hopefully? Though probably not, it's very humid in those marquees & I doubt we'll all have been jabbed by then. Also wrapped all his Christmas presents & wrote his card. Mr F likes surprises & unlike me, is not one to be tempted to 'go looking' for his gifts, but when he is in the house, he is a bit of a Mr 'Miss Now't' - I can't get anything past him, so always do gift-wrapping when he's out! 
We don't put our tree up until mid-month, but I like to get the other festive stuff out gradually. Today I've put out my wooden bowl filled with knitted Christmas baubles my sister made for me. They are very Scandi-looking - Norwegian designers I think - & look very nice & wintery. I've been dithering over whether to buy some cranberries to make cranberry jelly, but they are expensive to buy in quantity. I like home made cranberry sauce but Mr F says it is too tart for him. I LOVE sour things. (I occasionally give him one of those really sour sweets just to see his face turn inside out) but there will just be the two of us & it does make rather a lot for one, so I have decided to use my frozen blackberry stash & some of our stored apples to make bramble & apple jelly. The jelly- wuss will eat that & I think it will go well with turkey, so blackberry-based activities tomorrow for sure & another bonus will be a bit more space in the freezer.
Piano practice next - & sticking with my day of festive activities, I am going to play some carols! And hopefully catch up with that festive 'Bake-Off ' programme later. Not much cooking effort required tonight as Mr F used up half a butternut & some of our home grown celeriac to make macaroni cheese last night & he made enough for tonight as well, so a big yay to that!
My minimalist-style posts didn't last long, did they?!! 
Hope you are all staying well (or continuing to get well, in the case of OBL, of course!)
F x

DawnW

foxgloves said:

Pixiehouse - I don't make my own marzipan either. I think I could honestly eat my own bodyweight in marzipan, so I think making my own is not a route I should go down anytime soon!
F x

I think that is very wise - I don't bother making it any more, but I used to (it isn't hard, but I don't bother with a Xmas cake hardly ever these days, as not many of the remaining family like it). I'm not fussed on the bought stuff, but home made is gorgeous, and I could honestly eat it by the handful   It isn't cheaper to make at home though!

foxgloves

DawnW - Oh dear, I really had better stay away from making my own then, because I reckon I could even eat shop-bought by the block! I know what you mean about Christmas Cake. I love it, & I have to say I think I would still make a smaller one even just for myself, but Mr F who for the first few years of our relationship refused even to try any ("too dark, too bitter...", etc, etc) suddenly discovered that he loves this one particular recipe which I now bake every year. It's from a WI Christmas cook book & it's a jewel cake. It is packed with fruit, like any other Christmas cake but nothing darker than sultanas. It uses golden caster sugar rather than the dark muscovado, does not contain treacle, brandy, prunes, guinness, raisins or anything bitter. The fruits are soaked in white rum overnight & the actual cake mixture is just like making a big almond sponge, so it doesn't have that dark richness of a traditional Christmas cake, but looks beautifully festive when you cut it because of all the colours (also contains crystallised ginger, pineapple, apricots, tricolor glace cherries & chopped whole peel). I marzipan & ice it as normal & actually, if I ever announced I wasn't going to make one, I think the confirmed Fruitcake Hater would stage a mutiny! It's lovely with morning coffee & we both genuinely miss it once we've eaten the last slice & washed up the tin!
I bought my sis some posh marzipan for Christmas & had to wrap it straight away so that there was less chance of me scoffing it!
Another good reason to have posted all their presents early!
F x

Sayschezza

Lidl sell chocolate covered marzipan logs at this time of the year which never last until Christmas in this house. And stollen. And I wonder why I am fat. Duh.

Baileys_Babe

I love traditional Christmas cake. I am happy not to have icing, but i do like marzipan so that is used to decorate the cake.
It is always a sad day when the Christmas cake is finished.

The cake you described sounds delicious @foxgloves i am going to look out for the book you mentioned.

foxgloves

Yes, Bailey'sBabe, I did just a marzipanned cake one year. I used the white marzipan with a red ribbon & red decorations & it did look very festive, though my Mum couldn't believe there was no icing! I reminded her she shouldn't have been eating sugar anyway, because of her diabetes!

Sayschezza - Marzipan logs sound nice. I only know the posh brand, so I'm going to look for the ones you mention next time I visit that store. Nomnom in anticipation! 
F x

DawnW

I love the Lidl stollens - the little ones are best - I could eat a whole packet, so just as well I don't have any!

foxgloves

Oh, I want a Lidl stollen now. It's cycle track most of the way to our nearest branch, but still quite a way..... & I have a very squishy back tyre. Saved from myself again!
F 

Pixiehouse55

Thank you for liking my crafty makes everyone. It will be shop brought cards for close family this year and a few handmade cards to neighbours and 3 of my crafting friends.
Sticky toffee pudding made today and a apple crumble. Both are lush and I will gain a few more pounds!!!  Our man John started having problems eating today... he has done so well for 2 weeks..... not a lot else happened today... Ironing day tomorrow. Our 2 people go in respite Friday afternoon till Monday afternoon. Keep safe everyone. Off to read for a bit Xx