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A Selection of Christmas Starters

  • Posted on December 4, 2011 at 11:42 am

We all know that getting organised for Christmas can be not only time consuming, but also nerve-racking, especially if you are having visitors for Christmas. Perhaps you are entertaining your in-laws for your first Christmas as a married couple, often a very nervous occasion.  As always, it is all in the planning and first you need to consider whether you want to serve a two, three or four course meal.  If you intend to have a starter I would suggest you go for something simple like soup, salad or pate.  The beauty of soup and pate is that they can be made in advance.

Today we will have a look at a selection of starters that you might want to consider for Christmas. Continue reading A Selection of Christmas Starters…

It’s all in the Planning

  • Posted on November 30, 2011 at 10:32 pm

I’m sure most of you will know that the secret of a great Christmas is all in the planning and this is where the ‘to do’ list comes in.  The earlier you start, the better and I usually start around the middle of November.  If you are in the US you will probably be too busy to prepare for Thanksgiving around this time and I have always been in total awe of you guys, being able to get organised for two great events with so little time in between.

As today is the last day of November it is time to finalise the Christmas list and, hopefully, start ticking off things you have already done.  If you have not yet made your Christmas cake it might be a good idea to plan it for this weekend, which would mean there is still plenty of time left to let it mature and feed it with a little brandy, before the almond paste and icing go on. Continue reading It’s all in the Planning…

The Christmas Cake

  • Posted on November 19, 2011 at 4:20 pm

If you are intending to make your own Christmas cake this year you should be starting to think about what ingredients you will need and when you want to make the cake.  If you are making a traditional Christmas cake with almond paste and icing you should work out how much time you will need for the three stages – baking the cake, putting on the almond paste and icing the cake.  I usually make my cake the first weekend in December and that leaves enough time for the different tasks without putting yourself under pressure.

There are many different versions of the traditional Christmas cake and this year I’m making an Irish Whiskey Christmas cake.  The beauty of this cake is that you soak all the dried fruit in whiskey which gives the cake an amazing flavour and texture and it is really easy to make, even for a complete beginner. Continue reading The Christmas Cake…

Making an Advent Centrepiece

  • Posted on November 13, 2011 at 9:41 am

It’s not long until the first Sunday in advent and although there are quite a number of decorations in the shops to choose from I always think it is lovely to make your own and it usually works out a lot cheaper too.  If you are lucky to have greenery in your garden or have remembered to dry your Chinese lanterns (winter cherries) earlier in the year, the cost of making an Advent centrepiece will be next to nothing.  Also, if you have woods nearby you can combine an afternoon walk with collecting some pine cones for decoration.

Although the traditional Advent decoration is a wreath, it is not necessary to stick to this and you can make your arrangement in a number of shapes.  The easiest way is to use florists foam which you soak in water and this will keep any greenery nice and fresh.  You can use fir tree branches or even the clippings of your conifer hedge, but if you can get your hands on some fruiting ivy, it lends itself particularly well as it is bendy and the dark berries, once gilded, look fantastic. Continue reading Making an Advent Centrepiece…

Visiting the Christmas Markets

  • Posted on November 6, 2011 at 9:30 am

One of the most enjoyable things at this time of year is visiting the Christmas markets. Nobody does a Christmas market like the Germans, and no German Christmas market is quite like Dresden’s. Dating back to 1434, this is the oldest in the country and the 250 pretty stalls provide a real hit of Christmas cheer. Breathe in the heady scent of caramelized almonds and mulled wine as you shop for traditional crafts and gifts such as blown glass baubles from the town of Lauscha and brightly painted and carved wooden nutcrackers from the Erzgebirge mountains.

A slice of Stollen (German Christmas cake) is a must, especially if you are there for the Stollen Festival, which is held each year. Echoing past times, when the local princes gave slices of the cake to the poor, a four tonne Stollen is paraded through the town to the market, taking in some of Dresden’s best sight along the way: the Baroque Zwinger Palace, the Semper Opera House and the newly restored Frauenkirche (the Church of Our Lady). Continue reading Visiting the Christmas Markets…

Time to start Christmas Shopping

  • Posted on November 4, 2011 at 11:37 am

Just looking out of the window and can report that it could not look less like Christmas out there. The rain is coming down in sheets and the outside does not look inviting. That is the perfect excuse to stay indoors, hit the computer and start doing some of the Christmas shopping. I’ve been nagging the family for the last month to do their Christmas lists and have a good idea what everyone would like and, fortunately, most of it is available to order online.

One of the reasons why I’m starting extra early this year is the fact that last December we had heavy falls of snow which resulted in deliveries being delayed and some of my Christmas gifts did not arrive until after Christmas. As my children are now grown up it wasn’t a big deal, but imagine how disappointing it would have been for small children not to have their presents in time for Christmas. Continue reading Time to start Christmas Shopping…

Christmas Pudding

  • Posted on October 28, 2011 at 2:43 pm

Since I was urging people in my previous post to start thinking about making the Christmas Pudding I thought I had better post a recipe for anyone who has never made a pudding before.  It is very easy, even for a beginner.   It says in the recipe that you should boil the pudding in a saucepan on top of the stove and this certainly gives the best results, but is also very time-consuming and you need to keep an eye on it.  Some years ago we had the bright idea to let the pudding boil overnight and we would set the alarm so that we could check and top up the water.  Needless to say, after a hard day of cooking and baking we were so tired that we didn’t hear the alarm – the saucepan boiled dry, the pudding burnt and we couldn’t get rid of the smell for days.  You can also cook the pudding in the microwave, but the consistency is not as good.  It comes out a bit crumbly and it is difficult to cut proper slices, but it tastes just as good.

When serving the Christmas pudding you can create an extra bit of drama by bringing it to the table whole, covering it in a couple of tablespoons of hot brandy and then lighting it.  Don’t worry, it won’t burn the pudding. Continue reading Christmas Pudding…

Only Eight Weeks until Christmas!

  • Posted on October 18, 2011 at 10:12 pm

As we are still in October, the sun is shining and it is the most beautiful autumn day outside, it is easy to forget that Christmas is only eight weeks away and it is really time to get organised. Every year I promise myself that I will start early so that there will be no last minute panics but, I’ve got to admit, that I find it often difficult to keep that promise.  By sharing my Christmas preparations here I won’t be able to make excuses about why things didn’t get done.

Everything is in the preparation and there is still plenty of time to get everything done.  If you are making your own Christmas pudding this year you should now be starting to get the ingredients together and I would advise you make it in the next couple of weeks to give it a chance to really mature.  Many people in England stick to the old tradition of making the Christmas pudding on ‘Stir-up-Sunday’, which is the last Sunday before Advent, but I prefer to make mine earlier.  The traditional English Christmas cake can wait a little longer and I tend to make mine the first weekend in December, not adding the icing and almond paste until about a week before.

Christmas shoppers range from those that are ultra-organised and start thinking about Christmas gifts in July and have everything bought and wrapped by the second week in November to those who dash out of the house in a flat panic on Christmas Eve, looking for the perfect present.  Something in between would probably be good.  These days life is made a lot easier for us and we can shop on the internet and there is a lot to be said for it, especially if you are working or a busy Mum.  But there is something wonderful about Christmas shopping in town, especially if the weather is cold and crisp and the towns and shops are full of decorations, it really puts you in the mood for the festivities.

During the next few weeks I will share some of my favourite Christmas recipes here and put up information on Christmas markets, shopping for presents and food.  How to decorate the house without breaking the bank, how to keep children amused while you get on with things and most of all how to stay sane and enjoy the festive season.

 

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