Thought it'd be a nice idea to have a thread for christmas goodies!

if you have a favourite recipe you'd like to share, put it here!

mincemeat... christmas cake... pastry!... tree biscuits... sausage rolls... turkey methods... sweeties as presents... the list is endless... i love cooking christmas goodies & can't wait to get started...!

I had my first Christmas chat with friends this week and it really inspired me to get started (though I have just got the "PLEASE DON'T MESS MY KITCHEN" talk from my OH).

I have dug out the bottles to start preparing the vodka and think I will get creative with the herbs and spices rather than the fruit and sweets this year.

The jewel biscuits went down a treat last year with the kids and I think we still have a stash of foxes glacier fruits for those.

The chocolate truffles are always a treat for the adults especially if you add an extra drop of the liquer to the middle as you roll them!

Will actually have to dig out some recipes and add them but for now I'm off to mess the kitchen up with the kids! lol

Awww I love Christmas cooking! I do Christmas at home and my sister and her fiance come over which adds an extra dimension to the cooking as she is Vegan and her fiance is Jewish. So she gets a separate main dish and he has his own chicken without bacon/sausages (I do a large chicken rather than turkey).

My sister's fave is Cranberry and Cashew croquettes and I have to say they are so lovely that we all pinch them too lol.

I used to make my own stock for gravy, own mincemeat etc etc (following Delia's recipes) but now that we have our DD and a small kitchen I tend to cut some corners.

One thing I love to make is Nigella's quick fruit cake (can't remember the name but it's the one with prunes in, it's all done in a pan and so fast but tastes like you've been soaking it for weeks! So moist and rich.

I always make my own bread sauce too, it's a must at christmas (Delia recipe).

I can't do without my slow cooker on Christmas day as it gives me more space in my oven, I will either do the chicken in there (it comes out so so tender, almost like spit roast chicken) or I will do potatoes or something else in there.

For gifts I like to make flavoured olive oil, I make 3 little bottles each (you can buy small bottles of extra virgin olive oil from most supermarkets for about £1 each). I pull out the plastic spout if it has one and in one I put a sprig of rosemary, one gets whole dried chillies and the other cloves of garlic and peppercorns. Then put spout thingy back in if you want and screw lids back on. Then I put a circle of fabric over the lid and tie on with a pretty ribbon. I also make my own pretty labels and stick them on. I then tie all three bottles together with a larger ribbon to make a set of three.

I also like making date and lime balls which are vegan and have only 4 ingredients, they are very healthy and good for you. Take a packet of dates and blend in a food processor with the juice of a lime and a packet of ground almonds, sorry I don't have quantities to hand but really it's to taste. The lime juice counteracts the sweetness of the dates and then the ground almonds are for consistency...you are looking for a dough-like texture so that you can roll it into balls without it sticking to your hands too much, damp hands really help. Roll into balls about the size of a Ferrero Rocher and then roll them in chopped nuts and refridgerate to firm up a little. So pretty and moreish, perfect served with coffee. I think the recipe originally came from Gillian McKieth but has been passed around my family now so not 100% sure!

Can't wait to hear everyone else's ideas =)

xxx

 

 

I find it way too early to think about Christmas! lol

It's DD's birthday on 15/11 so I can't til after then ;)

We do a leg of lamb with bacon on top of it (in the oven overnight on lowest setting) with roast spuds & sweet veg (BN squash with brown sugar/honey etc)

In SA the lamb & spuds would have side salad and watermelon with a dip in the swimming pool after Xmas lunch and then trifle.

I also do a *big* trifle even if we end up throwing half of it away - not this year. I'll do ramekins or cocktail glasses so we don't waste so much.

Not sure who we'll share Xmas with - maybe for once it'll just be me, H and DD.

Liz

passed these recipes by a friend, who does them every year! attached also pics of my efforts...

Christmas Pudding:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3728345&l=329f545a16&id=691043581

Serves 8 - 10
1lb /450g dried mixed fruit (use golden raisins/sultanas* , raisins, currants)
1 oz /25 g mixed candied peel, finely chopped
1 small cooking apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
Grated zest and juice � large orange and � lemon
4 tbsp brandy, plus a little extra for soaking at the end
2 oz /55 g self-raising flour, sifted
1 level tsp ground mixed spice
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 oz /110 g shredded suet, beef or vegetarian
4oz /110g soft, dark brown sugar
4 oz /110 g white fresh bread crumbs
1 oz /25 g whole shelled almonds, roughly chopped
2 large free-range eggs

Preparation:
1. Lightly butter a 2 � pint (1.4 liter) pudding basin.
2. Place the dried fruits, candied peel, apple, orange and lemon juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the brandy and stir well. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to marinate for a couple of hours preferably overnight.
3. Stir together the flour, mixed spice and cinnamon in a very large mixing bowl. Add the suet, sugar, lemon and orange zest, bread crumbs and nuts and stir again until all the ingredients are well mixed. Finally add the marinaded dried fruits and stir again.
4. Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl then stir quickly into the dry ingredients. The mixture should have a fairly soft consistency.
5. Now is the time to gather the family to take turns in stirring, making a wish and adding a few coins.
6. Spoon the mixture in to the greased pudding basin, gently pressing the mixture down with the back of a spoon. Cover with a double layer of greaseproof paper or baking parchment, then a layer of aluminum foil and tie securely with string.
7. Place the pudding in a steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water and steam the pudding for 7 hours. Make sure you check the water level frequently so it never boils dry. The pudding should be a deep brown color when cooked.
8. Remove the pudding from the steamer, cool completely. Remove the paper, prick the pudding with a skewer and pour in a little extra brandy. Cover with fresh greaseproof paper and retie with string. Store in a cool dry place until Christmas day.
9. On Christmas day reheat the pudding by steaming again for about an hour. Serve with Brandy Sauce, Brandy Butter or custard. Left over Christmas pudding can be reheated by wrapping tightly in foil and heating through in a hot oven.

Mincemeat:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3717177&l=507c816e97&id=691043581

Ingredients
8oz (225g) Bramley apples, cored and chopped small (no need to peel them)
4 oz (110 g) shredded suet
6oz (175 g) raisins
4oz (110 g) sultanas
4oz (110 g) currants
4oz (110 g) whole mixed candied peel, finely chopped
6oz (175 g) soft dark brown sugar
grated zest and juice 1 orange
grated zest and juice 1 lemon
1 oz (25 g) whole almonds, cut into slivers
2 level teaspoons mixed ground spice
� level teaspoon ground cinnamon
good pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons brandy

1. Combine all the ingredients, except for the brandy, in a large mixing bowl, stirring them and mixing them together very thoroughly indeed.
2. Then cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave the mixture in a cool place overnight or for 12 hours, so the flavours have a chance to mingle and develop.
3. After that pre-heat the oven to gas mark �, 225�F (120�C). Cover the bowl loosely with foil and place it in the oven for 3 hours, then remove the bowl from the oven.
4. Don't worry about the appearance of the mincemeat, which will look positively swimming in fat. This is how it should look. As it cools, stir it from time to time; the fat will coagulate and, instead of it being in tiny shreds, it will encase all the other ingredients.
5. When the mincemeat is quite cold, stir well again, adding the brandy. Pack in jars that have been sterilised (see below).
6. When filled, cover with waxed discs and seal. The mincemeat will keep for ages in a cool, dark cupboard - keeps for up to 3 years.
cl-wondering_one
xoxox
* Mums Club June 2007 * Community Cookbook * Grow Your Own *

Edited 12/10/2009 13:50 ET by cl-wondering_one