Much more relaxed today

We dragged the 15 year old Christmas tree down from the loft. We then proceeded to have a jolly old time reminiscing at the where, whens and hows of the decorations. There were a few decs from our trip to France for my 40th birthday. Items we had bought in the January sales over the years. Nothing has been purchased in the last four years. The decorating is done. The fabric lid covers are on the jams and chutneys and weather permitting, I'll be delivering homemade gifts to family tomorrow. After the few minutes we spend decorating the house, it was time to sample the homemade Sloe Gin...............if it wasn't so nice; I might have had more to write.

Stop the ride - I want to get off!

 After watching an episode of 'Ice Road Truckers' I decided that I would try driving on the ice myself and was fine once I had made it off the estate where I live; onto the treated roads. Beyond my drive way, the world seemed so normal. Well, normal until I ventured inside the local Tesco. Firstly, Tesco is now being run by Dick Turpin and since last week, veg prices have almost doubled. None of the bread or dairy offers are around and everything was really expensive. Their 'value' range has disappeared, which has meant I had to pay full price for a lot of items.

Also, people all seemed to have adopted alcoholism as their hubris of choice. Trollies clanked their way around the shop with hostile, half crazed people pushing them (probably in discomfort, due to having to sober up to go shopping!) As I carefully made my way through the store, buying my usual, plus a few nice things such as satsumas and grapes (those are a REAL treat on my limited budget!) everyone else seemed to be hell bent on killing themselves with the contents of their trollies! Enough! Stop! I want to get off!

I am really looking forward to a family meal on Saturday and hopefully a brisk walk after lunch. I have probably spent £50 on Christmas..........after my experience today; I think most people in my locale spent that on cheese!!!

Christmas on a very tight budget.

I had egg yolks left from yesterday cake icing, so I made a bread and butter pudding, I had brown sugar left from when I made the mincemeat earlier in the year. I don't waste anything!

 I have one week to get ready for Christmas. I have a lot to make and do. I made some 'savouries' for the freezer. The puff pastry was being given away for 25p in the Co op this morning, so I bagged some. I chopped and fried: a pack of streaky bacon, an onion, a yellow pepper and finely diced two large potatoes. I added them all to the pastry and added grated strong Cheddar cheese and formed them into pasties. I serve them cut into three with drinks for people to nibble on, Christmas evening if anyone wants any more. I will freeze them in readiness. I'm also experimenting with desserts. I have a pudding, but not everyone (well actually I am the only person who like it!) and I found a recipe for posh bread and butter pudding. You only use egg yolks in the custard, use soft brown sugar, you can buy dried cranberries, which I shall try and find.

 I wrapped the cakes I am going to give as gifts. Wrapped a blue velvet ribbon around them, covered in cellophane and added a tinselly flourish. The largest cakes have worked out, including wrapping at £5 each. There is of course, no cost for my time, that was given freely and gladly for the people I care about.

 I may have problems getting to people this year, but when I do, it's going to be a joy to give everyone homemade gifts. I hate 'commercialism' and love to make things for people instead.

Homemade gifts, ready to distribute.

Making Christmas presents

 I rolled out the shop bought marzipan.

 Brushed the cakes with homemade crab apple jelly - add a little water, heat in a pan and brush over. It sticks the marzipan to the cakes.

 Roll out marzipan, smooth down with your hands so it sticks well.

 Made the royal icing with 2.5 lbs of icing sugar, the whites of six eggs and a tablespoon of glycerine. It means the icing hardens on the outside, but remains softer underneath. It then does not crumble when you eat it.

 I mixed it up in the Kenwood, but it's easy to do by hand.

 I employ the slap it on and smooth it out - ish method of cake icing.

 You will need a pallet knife, keep wetting it in hot water an keep smoothing and spreading until you've got it how you like it.

 Keep turning the cake and work away from you.

 They don't look too bad once they're done.

Here are the four final cakes. I have some wide ribbons to go around the cakes and I'll wrap them for gifts. All decorated in under two hours. The oblong one was decorated by Dearly Beloved, who did a much better job than I did. I hope the recipients enjoy them. xx

Frugal gifts

I got my idea for the frugal gifts from Foster Mummy - see HERE - I bought some lovely mugs, flannels, some smellies and some of my handmade soap into the mugs and wrapped them with Christmas cellophane and tied them up with a pretty ribbon. Seven gifts for family members for about £6.50 each. Thanks for the idea FM xx More Christmas preparations to come later!

Frugal Mincemeat

I've added the finished result as the mincemeat took three hours to slowly cook. The house smells fruity and spicy. I like the large lumps of apple, which are cooked but still have their shape. I made four large jars for 89p per jar and each jar would make 24 mince pies. It's a very cheap yet indulgent treat to eat throughout December and the New Year and nothing beats homemade. The full 'how to' is below.

I've had another happy day pottering about my kitchen and after seeing Christmas goods in the supermarket today, I thought I ought to start making some things to spread out the cost.

The recipe and full instructions for this can be found by Googling "Delia Smith Mincemeat" and you will find her methods and instructions on the BBC food site. You can make this and not cook it, but by cooking it, you will stop the apples from fermenting and making the jars explode. This will last for years but I give a jar each to family members in advance of Christmas so they can make mince pie with the gift I give them. I have adapted the recipe and haven't included the expensive dried fruit but substituted the cheaper mixed fruit instead of singular packs of fruit, peel and I omitted the almonds, which are expensive. Even though I have made this cheaply, it knocks spots off anything you can buy as it has so much more flavour and texture. Ingredients: 3 large cored and diced cooking apples, zest and juice of 2 lemons and 2 oranges, 350g of soft dark brown sugar, 4 teaspspoons of mixed spice, half teaspoon nutmeg, half teaspoon of cinnamon, 6 tablespoons of sloe gin (should have been brandy but I don't have any) 1 250g pack of suet (I used beef suet but you can use veggie suet).

How to make mincemeat. Pour two packs of dried mixed fruit into a large pan/casserole dish. Remove zest off citrus fruit and add to the mixed fruit.

Add the suet.

Squeeze the lemons and oranges.

Dice the apple - I leave mine in biggish lump as I don't want my mince pies to be just goo.

Stir everything together.

Add the sugar - you can see now that I've remembered that I am going to slow cook this in the oven and have now transferred this to a casserole dish!! Doh!

Add the cinnamon.

And the nutmeg.

And the mixed spice.

And the fruit juice.

And what every kind of wintery booze you have, if you have rum, sherry or brandy, then add six tablespoons.

Stir everything together, place a loose lid or loose foil over the dish and place in a low oven, 120ish for three hours. Whilst typing this, I remembered that I could have saved the electricity and had made this in my slow cooker. Which ever method you use, leave it in the oven for around three hours until everything is soft and cooked. More photos to come when I take it out of the oven.