love those cupcakes

Happy New Year

So, the end of the year. 

Looking back through twelve months of blog posts, it was a good one. 

My word for 2013 was 'savour' and I savoured all of it.

Well, maybe not the norovirus bit. 

Or that batch of vegan pancakes.

And now the new year is only hours away.

The start of another trip round the sun.

365 blank pages to fill.

 

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2014.

 

Christmas at ours

Our Christmas celebrations didn't pan out quite as planned due to the arrival of that uninvited and most unwelcome visitor, Mr. Norovirus.

The Boy was the first casualty.  He spent the whole of Christmas Day in his sick bed, his absence highlighted (we're only five with a full complement) by the unused place setting and unpulled cracker at the dining table and piles of unopened presents under the tree.

The mister was the next casualty on Boxing Day, quickly followed by yours truly. 

Just one word. 

Yuk.

Festive leftovers have been consigned to the bin, the fridge is still full of treats which are not yet tempting dulled appetites, the Christmas cake is uncut, the tub of Quality Street unopened.

But the Gorgeous Girlie has been home for a few days, stacks of lovely gifts were given and received (and I really must give mine some proper attention), Boo seems pleased with his string of smiley sausages and we all recovered just in time for a night at a really good local panto.  

De-Christmassing the house (and I can't wait to see the back of that droopy tree) will happen once we've welcomed the New Year.

And then we set off on an adventure.

Source

 

Oh the weather outside is frightful

It's very stormy here in the north east but indoors the presents are all wrapped, the cake has been iced, the food shopping is done and dusted, the decorations remaining on the droopy tree are clinging on for dear life and Boo is swanning around in another festive hat.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and the Girlie will be making her way homewards.  Food prep, table setting and a carol service are on the agenda along with last minute house prettifying in readiness for the big day. And no doubt a dash to the local shop just before closing time for whichever vital ingredient I've forgotten to buy.

 

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas.

 

 

Sounds of Christmas

Then there's the unmistakable sound of cherished glass baubles smashing on the floor because the Christmas tree you bought has such droopy bliddy branches they refuse to stay put. 

Sorry, no, that's for the other Sounds of Christmas list.

 

Not getting enough.......

....... mince pies?  If you fancy a change from your usual ones, you could make these from Bless the Weather blog using a pack of ready rolled puff pastry.  I baked a batch today for the mister to take to the animal shelter Christmas party (for the volunteers, not the animals).  

They're very quick and easy (and vegan if you use Jus Rol).  If you do give the recipe a try, don't skip lining your tray with baking parchment as they are rather sticky when they come out of the oven (though they do crisp up nicely when left to go completely cold) and don't hold back with the icing sugar.  I added a sprinkling of glitter, too, before the mister whisked them away.  It is Christmas, after all.

This flurry of festive baking seems to have gone to someone's head.

Getting there

I'm still buying presents, the decorations are still in the loft but the cards have now been posted, we have a copy of the festive edition of the Radio Times and a Christmas tree is waiting patiently in its netting outside the kitchen door.

We also have mince pies. They taste rather better than they look. So they should. Ten ounces of butter went into that pastry. 

And some actually made it to the freezer.

 

'Ich bin ein Berliner'*

Well, for the best part of a rain sodden and misty week. 

Berlin is big, very big, and this was a first visit (and first trip to Germany for me). We tried to maximise our time there and immerse ourselves in the city's complex, unforgettable past and its more vibrant present though only managed to scratch its surface.  The Brandenburg Gate. The Reichstag, home to the German parliament.  The concrete blocks of the memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.  The Jewish Museum and the 10,000 open-mouthed metal faces of Menashe Kadishman's powerful Shalekhet (Fallen Leaves). Remnants of a war.  Remnants of a wall.   Remnants of a city divided. Everywhere so many buildings and structures telling so many stories.

But there is a lighter side to Berlin, especially at this time of year with 60 or so Christmas markets to browse, each offering gluhwein to sup, lebkuchen, roast chestnuts and other delicacies to munch . 

I loved this book tree, in the area we were staying, where old reads can be passed on.

Perhaps surprisingly for a city, there are dogs, beautifully behaved dogs, everywhere.  Dogs of all sizes being walked on leads, walking off the lead, running alongside bikes, dogs travelling on the U-bahn, dogs strolling round the markets, dogs waiting patiently outside shops.  And dogs on walls.

 Boo?   He had a whale of a time with his new carers.  But he's delighted we're back.

 

* http://millercenter.org/president/speeches/detail/3376

 

TTFN

We're off on a pre Christmas jaunt.  

Boo (who is somewhat, erm, lovelorn at the moment) is staying with new carers who promise long walks in the forest.

Back next weekend.

 

Little cakes for Advent

These little almond and fruit cakes were made using the cranberries left in the bottom of the bag after making the Christmas cranberry chutney.

I've been baking these in the run up to Christmas since I came across the recipe in a magazine (Country Living, I think) in 2009.  I'd needed something to serve with coffee when I was about to be visited by a couple of friends whilst I was convalescing and luckily had all the ingredients to hand.  We all agreed they were delicious, slightly chewy little morsels and I've made at least one batch during Advent each year since.

They're easily and quickly mixed but they can be a bit tricky to remove from the baking tray.  You could use fairy cake liners if you're not confident that your tray is non stick although these cakes don't rise much so you'd probably want to discard the cake cases after they've cooled.

The recipe makes 12.

 

Little cranberry almond cakes

1 oz plain flour, sifted

2 ozs ground almonds

31/2 ozs icing sugar, sifted

3 medium egg whites (I've used 2 large when I didn't have medium sized eggs handy)

1/2 tsp almond extract

21/2 ozs butter, melted

2 ozs dried cranberries

 

Thoroughly grease a 12 hole fairy cake or rounded mince pie baking tray.

Combine the flour, ground almonds and icing sugar in a bowl.

Add the egg whites and almond extract and whisk to blend.  Mix in the melted butter. 

Reserve about 24 of the cranberries to scatter a couple on top of each cake before baking (I forgot to do that with the cakes in the picture and just chucked them all in) and add the remainder to the mixture.

Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for about 15 mins.

Pre heat oven to 200C fan/220C/gas 7.

Spoon a generous dessertspoonful of the mixture into each of the cake moulds and scatter a couple of the remaining cranberries on top of each one.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the cakes are firm to the touch and golden brown.

Allow to cool slightly in the tray then remove carefully and transfer to a cooling rack to get cold.

Dust with icing sugar before serving.

 

Mix ups

* Another window opened on the Advent calendar.  As I took the picture,  I realised I'd opened today's yesterday and vice versa.

* This morning, I took my car to the garage for its annual service.  They weren't expecting me.  I was a day late.  

* Gillian's Christmas cranberry chutney was so easily made and so delicious last year I  decided to mix up another batch whilst waiting at home for the call to say the car was ready for collection (yes, they managed to find a slot in today's schedule). 

The recipe made enough to almost fill two jars.

This will be a very tasty addition to the Christmas buffet table.

If I remember I've made it.