All Wrapped Up

 

I've only just gone and done it! After spending a half hour locked away in my bedroom, all the presents  are finally wrapped. Now I can rest easy knowing the hardest part is over with. With a little one in the house, keeping the magic alive for as long as possible isn't always easy, but it will be worth it to see Lily's eyes light up on Christmas morning.

I woke earlier than usual this morning. Something disturbed my sleep shortly after 4am and then my mind started to wander to what I needed from the supermarket, what else needs to be done before Saturday, and what do I need to remember to take out of the freezer. There was nothing else for it, other than to get out of bed and write myself a list. Fortunately, an early start also meant I could get to the supermarket before the rush, and so I was back home with everything on my list by nine o'clock. What a relief, I really don't enjoy shopping, even less so when it is busy. And better still, I managed to fit everything I needed into the fridge freezer. It took a bit of rearranging, but I should now have enough in there to last me until next week.

After my second coffee of the morning, I set about clearing the huge pile of ironing, before topping up the bird feeder and cleaning our walking boots, which was quite a job in itself - somehow they had gotten filthy with mud yesterday. 

This afternoon I baked some mince pies. This is a sure sign we are getting closer to the big day. Mincemeat shortbread is my preferred choice and it is so much easier for taking with us when we go walking, but on Christmas Eve only a proper mince pie will do. 

And of course, I had to try one, just to make sure they tasted delicious. 

J. X

Mince Pies and Music

What better way to spend a damp grey morning on the run up to Christmas, than in the cosy warmth of the kitchen, making mince pies. Yes, this morning I finally got around to baking my first batch of the festive season and they are already disappearing fast. This must be the latest I've ever left it, temptation usually getting the better of me, but I expect I'll be making even more before the week is over. My star pastry cutter has been working extremely hard this year. ✩✩✩

Once cooled the mince pies were treated to a generous dusting of icing sugar, with six of them being set aside to be delivered along with some Christmas gifts later in the day.

Shortly after lunch, and being careful to dodge the heavy rain showers, we made a visit to the farm shop to buy some cheese. They have a wonderful cheese counter there, and there is usually something just a little bit different to try. At the moment, their selection is quite limited but we were able to get what we wanted, including my festive favourite, Wensleydale with cranberries. 

To get us in the Christmas mood, there was a concert band in the courtyard playing carols. A much welcome slice of normality in these ever changing times and some delightful background music to our visit.

This evening I've tidied my baking cupboard again, I'm terrible at not putting things away neatly. I also like to do a quick inventory occasionally, just so I can know exactly what's in there. If I'm not careful I end up getting all sorts of ingredients when I'm at the supermarket 'just in case,' and before I know it I have a cupboard full of cinnamon, ground almonds and cornflour. 

J. X

 

Mince Pies

I baked my second batch of these yesterday and, having tasted the results,  I have changed my mind in that from now on I will definitely be using this recipe for my mince pies. They are delicious. Here it is, for those who would like it (and also that I can keep my favourite recipes in one place). This makes 18 mince pies.

You will need:

225g Plain flour

140g Butter

2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon

30g Caster sugar 

55g Ground almonds

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons of cold water

Around 400g mincemeat (I use a stores own luxury brand)

Brandy

To make the pastry, sieve the flour and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar and ground almonds, then mix together using the egg yolk and water to form a soft dough (I use the back of a fork to do this). Finally, knead lightly, then cover and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Empty the mincemeat into a small bowl and stir in one (or two 😆) tablespoons of brandy. Mix well.

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and cut out approximately 18 rounds and stars. Place the rounds in a greased tin, dividing the mincemeat between each, then top with the stars.

Bake for 20 minutes at 150°C. Allow to cool and sprinkle with icing sugar. Dont be alarmed, it's not unusual to discover one or two have 'disappeared' during the cooling process.

 J. X

Into December

So, here we are, at the beginning of the final month of the year, and it made me so happy that it arrived with the most wonderfully bright and crisp weather. Overnight, the landscape turned into a winter wonderland. It looked quite magical and I couldn't think of a better way to get me in the festive spirit, except for maybe some gently falling snow. ❄❄❄

Last weekend the advent stockings were hung in preparation for the annual countdown to the big day and Lily could hardly get to sleep with the excitement of it all. Goodness knows how we will get through Christmas Eve this year! And yet, I still haven't got any further with my preparations. I know I said I wanted to take a relaxed approach but I really do need to get on and make a proper start.

On Saturday morning I was up nice and early in order to make some mince pies. I have a favourite recipe which I use every year but wanted to try something a little different for a change. The pastry called for some ground almonds and cinnamon, whilst some additional brandy was required for the already 'enhanced' mincemeat. They were delicious. In fact, they have all disappeared already! And, although I think I will return to my usual pastry recipe for my next batch, I will definitely include the extra brandy in the mincemeat in future. 😉

Sunday brought with it another early start but this time it was for a walk in the beautiful Borrowdale valley. Another hard frost had made for a sunny but bitterly cold morning, the shores of Derwentwater were iced over, and I was grateful to be wearing my woolly sweater, hat, scarf and mittens. We began our walk through the woodland. Frosted branches glistened in the sunshine, the ground was crunchy underfoot, and we needed to remain vigilant for patches of ice as we continued along the rocky track, then upwards towards the final steep climb to the summit. As well as the cold frosty weather, cranberry sauce in our sandwiches, along with mince pies in our lunch boxes provided a delightfully festive feel to our day.

During our descent we made a brief detour to visit Milican's Cave, where we rested a while and Lily enjoyed some hot chocolate. It wasn't long before she discovered an icicle which she really, really wanted to bring home with her, however, she soon changed her mind when her gloves  became cold and wet. Fortunately, I had some spare gloves with me, while Lily took ownership of my already warm mittens.

Following an early Christmas meal out with friends on Friday evening, this weekend has made  a lovely start to my festive season. Plans for the week ahead include making a Christmas wreath, visiting a Christmas tree festival and possibly baking some more mince pies.

A glass of mulled wine, anyone?
J. X