@Boogie, I made them similar to an apple dumpling. There were two sizes of puff pastry, 8"X8", and 6"X6".
I put a large spoonful of the mince meat in the center of each, moistened the corners of the pastry, and folded the corners together diagonally. They were baked until the pastry was golden.
Last night I suddenly remembered Advent candles, which I've omitted for the past couple of years. I have the holders and need to see if I can buy the necessary blue and pink ones in town tomorrow. Past experience has shown that I'm probably too late.
One year, when I was too late to buy Advent candles, I just bought blue and pink ribbons and tied them on the base of plain ones.
We've never used Proper Advent Candles. Probably for no reason at all other than habit, it has always been four red and one white, and thus, it evermore shall be. I have about an hour left to gather in the fresh greenery for it.
@Boogie, I made them similar to an apple dumpling. There were two sizes of puff pastry, 8"X8", and 6"X6".
I put a large spoonful of the mince meat in the center of each, moistened the corners of the pastry, and folded the corners together diagonally. They were baked until the pastry was golden.
I should do that again!
Sounds tasty! Quite different from our traditional mince pies. 🙂
Listening to Christmas in the Stars: The Star Wars Christmas Album, no relation to the Holiday Special, and quite good, as well as the first recorded work of Jon Bon Jovi (as John Bongiovi).
I. forgot it was the first Sunday of Advent. I bought an advent calendar for the grandson yesterday and ClassicFM is playing Christmas music. Darllenwr was preaching in Merthyr this morning. and Oh come, oh come Emanuelwas played, one of my favourites. It was lovely that our first hymn was “oh Come, oh come Emanuel”!
Once I had a really fantastic homemade Christmas pudding which has rather spoiled me for all shop-bought versions since then, but I don't have a freezer so no point in trying to make individual ones for myself.
You don't need to freeze a Christmas Pudding!
Get small pyrex bowls with tight-sealing lids. Mix up Christmas pudding mix, put in bowls, put lid on, and steam for several hours to cook. Put puddings in a cool, dark, ventilated place. Every now and then, check on them and add a little more brandy.
Once I had a really fantastic homemade Christmas pudding which has rather spoiled me for all shop-bought versions since then, but I don't have a freezer so no point in trying to make individual ones for myself.
You don't need to freeze a Christmas Pudding!
Get small pyrex bowls with tight-sealing lids. Mix up Christmas pudding mix, put in bowls, put lid on, and steam for several hours to cook. Put puddings in a cool, dark, ventilated place. Every now and then, check on them and add a little more brandy.
They'll keep fine for months.
I don't have enough storage space for a bunch of Christmas puddings either!
I’ve never understood how Christmas puddings don’t go bad if not refrigerated, but I live in Florida, so I’m guessing the differences in heat and humidity might be a factor?
I’ve never understood how Christmas puddings don’t go bad if not refrigerated, but I live in Florida, so I’m guessing the differences in heat and humidity might be a factor?
Hi @ChastMastr! This may not equate, but my Christmas fruitcakes are well doused in brandy and keep well in my part of Florida! I wonder if the same might be true with Christmas pudding as well.
(BTW, I just had a slice of last year's fruitcake and it was still moist and yummy, and the brandy still had some kick left in it. After last year's cake had set on the Special Fruitcake Display site for a few months, I cut it into large chunks and froze it. )
Hi @ChastMastr! This may not equate, but my Christmas fruitcakes are well doused in brandy and keep well in my part of Florida! I wonder if the same might be true with Christmas pudding as well.
Brandy doesn't hurt, but it's mostly the sugars in the Christmas Pudding that have the preservative effect. Steam the pudding, let it cool completely, then put on a clean dry airlight lid (plastic snap-on lids work. Layers of greaseproof paper and foil tied up with string work.)
I will be eating at the home of my daughter on Christmas Day and my son on Boxing Day (which will no doubt be Christmas Pie, ie all the leftovers under a pastry crust). However this means I’ll have no leftovers of my own, so I need to think ahead for the Saturday and Sunday and have something tasty in the freezer. I already have a couple of Aldi individual Christmas puddings which are very good indeed. On a blind tasting they beat all others from the major supermarkets.
I’ve never understood how Christmas puddings don’t go bad if not refrigerated, but I live in Florida, so I’m guessing the differences in heat and humidity might be a factor?
Hi @ChastMastr! This may not equate, but my Christmas fruitcakes are well doused in brandy and keep well in my part of Florida! I wonder if the same might be true with Christmas pudding as well.
(BTW, I just had a slice of last year's fruitcake and it was still moist and yummy, and the brandy still had some kick left in it. After last year's cake had set on the Special Fruitcake Display site for a few months, I cut it into large chunks and froze it. )
Hi @ChastMastr! This may not equate, but my Christmas fruitcakes are well doused in brandy and keep well in my part of Florida! I wonder if the same might be true with Christmas pudding as well.
Brandy doesn't hurt, but it's mostly the sugars in the Christmas Pudding that have the preservative effect. Steam the pudding, let it cool completely, then put on a clean dry airlight lid (plastic snap-on lids work. Layers of greaseproof paper and foil tied up with string work.)
I assume the air tightness keeps the bugs out, but I don’t understand why the sugar doesn’t just provide more stuff for bacteria to feed on. Hmmm. I’ll have to look this up. I wonder if Good Eats with Alton Brown has an episode explaining this with puppets…
Hi @ChastMastr! This may not equate, but my Christmas fruitcakes are well doused in brandy and keep well in my part of Florida! I wonder if the same might be true with Christmas pudding as well.
Brandy doesn't hurt, but it's mostly the sugars in the Christmas Pudding that have the preservative effect. Steam the pudding, let it cool completely, then put on a clean dry airlight lid (plastic snap-on lids work. Layers of greaseproof paper and foil tied up with string work.)
I assume the air tightness keeps the bugs out, but I don’t understand why the sugar doesn’t just provide more stuff for bacteria to feed on. Hmmm. I’ll have to look this up. I wonder if Good Eats with Alton Brown has an episode explaining this with puppets…
For the same reason jam doesn't go bad. Christmas pudding is mostly dried fruit, sugar, and alcohol - relatively little flour. Same goes for Christmas cake.
I will be eating at the home of my daughter on Christmas Day and my son on Boxing Day (which will no doubt be Christmas Pie, ie all the leftovers under a pastry crust). However this means I’ll have no leftovers of my own, so I need to think ahead for the Saturday and Sunday and have something tasty in the freezer. I already have a couple of Aldi individual Christmas puddings which are very good indeed. On a blind tasting they beat all others from the major supermarkets.
It is ten years since I last 'did' the family Christmas catering, and I do miss the leftovers.
I always over-catered, doing a roast meat dinner, with all the trimmings, big enough to feed any extra guests, plus a celebration-sized crown nut roast for the vegetarian half of the family, so there were always lots of leftovers.
I didn't have to think about food shopping again until the new year.
We may not have any of the family here on the actual day and I've contemplated dishing up Marmite sandwiches for the two of us. However, it's not Christmas for me unless it's turkey roast - we went to our daughter and son-in-law once years ago and they did roast duck ... I mean, it was nice, but it wasn't Christmas - so I'll be doing that.
Hi @ChastMastr! This may not equate, but my Christmas fruitcakes are well doused in brandy and keep well in my part of Florida! I wonder if the same might be true with Christmas pudding as well.
Brandy doesn't hurt, but it's mostly the sugars in the Christmas Pudding that have the preservative effect. Steam the pudding, let it cool completely, then put on a clean dry airlight lid (plastic snap-on lids work. Layers of greaseproof paper and foil tied up with string work.)
I assume the air tightness keeps the bugs out, but I don’t understand why the sugar doesn’t just provide more stuff for bacteria to feed on. Hmmm. I’ll have to look this up. I wonder if Good Eats with Alton Brown has an episode explaining this with puppets…
For the same reason jam doesn't go bad. Christmas pudding is mostly dried fruit, sugar, and alcohol - relatively little flour. Same goes for Christmas cake.
I always keep jam in the refrigerator. It doesn’t go bad if you don’t?
If you leave jam for a very long time, it might grow green mould on the top - but I've always scraped that off and the jam underneath is fine. I'm in the UK, so rather different atmospheric conditions to yours.
After all, jam was invented as a way to preserve fruit before there were refrigerators.
Back to Ye Festive Season, and Father Smeagol's latest pew-sheet (he sends me a draft, for checking) caused me to smile wryly. He insists on referring to the Nativity Of Our Lord as 'Christmass', so a typo lists the Carol Service on Sunday 14th as being followed by the 'Christmasss Fair'.
Lotss of lovely thingss to buy, Preciouss, yess...
Hi @ChastMastr! This may not equate, but my Christmas fruitcakes are well doused in brandy and keep well in my part of Florida! I wonder if the same might be true with Christmas pudding as well.
Brandy doesn't hurt, but it's mostly the sugars in the Christmas Pudding that have the preservative effect. Steam the pudding, let it cool completely, then put on a clean dry airlight lid (plastic snap-on lids work. Layers of greaseproof paper and foil tied up with string work.)
I assume the air tightness keeps the bugs out, but I don’t understand why the sugar doesn’t just provide more stuff for bacteria to feed on. Hmmm. I’ll have to look this up. I wonder if Good Eats with Alton Brown has an episode explaining this with puppets…
For the same reason jam doesn't go bad. Christmas pudding is mostly dried fruit, sugar, and alcohol - relatively little flour. Same goes for Christmas cake.
I always keep jam in the refrigerator. It doesn’t go bad if you don’t?
Once it's opened, sure, because you've introduced air into the jar. You don't need to keep unopened jam in the refrigerator.
I always keep jam in the refrigerator. It doesn’t go bad if you don’t?
Back in the bad old days, when nobody worried about the amount of sugar we consumed, jams & other preserves kept for ages without going mouldy.
Nowadays, as commercial preserves are made with less sugar they have a much shorter shelf life once opened, and even in the fridge they will form mould in a comparatively short time.
My homemade jams & chutneys, on the other hand, keep for months after opening just in the kitchen cupboard.
Gingerbread biscuits have been baked and taken to daughter's work. There was a bit of a disaster with my batch, fortunately I realised and we decided we would eat them and daughter would bake a new batch.
I've done a couple of batches of mince pies. My pastry (home made) is not really up to scratch, but I am learning as I go, hopefully I can perfect the next batch. One batch for our own use is now in the freezer. One batch in the fridge for ongoing munching.
We will be home for Christmas, the four of us, and so I've written up a list of our favourite dishes and this morning went out to purchase a few gifts for the littlest ones in my family. Glad to have that done, took me all of 10 minutes, Lego is a great please all in our family. We have received two cards, but I have not yet begun to write ours. I might go out tomorrow and get stamps and top up my card supply. It would be less wasteful not to do so, perhaps I can make this year the year of the ugly Christmas card and use up the ones that I reject each year and put back into the Christmas box. I'll think on that a bit more...
My daughter-in-law is coming for a visit next week. Not only will I be glad to see her, but it also means I will not have to mail the Christmas gifts. This saves me time, money, and the hassle of finding the right size mailing box.
I've had a quiet 'nothing-doing' sort of day. but I have written out several Christmas cards - mainly, those that need to be posted. I discovered that I had enough stamps in stock for all of them, so I don't even need to go to the Po Stoffis...
I have a sliding glass door at the entrance to my mobile home, so I cannot hang a wreath. Two friends brought me a lovely Christmas arrangement in an iron stand, which I placed on a small table on the porch. Such a perfect gift.
My first two Christmas cards arrived today - one from a former ambulance service crewmate (one of the Ladies Who Lunch), and the other accompanying a couple of new 00 scale wagons made by a certain YouTuber. He uses 3D-printing in resin, and the results (at a very reasonable price) are of professional standard - I am well-pleased.
I posted those I needed to post earlier today, though the next collection from our local box isn't until 7am tomorrow. Still, they're on their way!
BTW, I posted just a few moments ago (on the All Saints thread) some remarks about the decorations in the Arkland Office.
The Office has been very tastefully decorated for the festive season. It has a fair-sized imitation tree (with baubles), some gold lights and stars in the windows overlooking the car park, and some sort of small sticker thingies (no actual glue IYSWIM) depicting holly leaves and berries on the plastic screens (left over from Covid!) near the reception desk.
Nothing overdone, and I duly congratulated the Office Ladies, which pleased them mightily. I will give them a larger box of CHOCOLATES this year...
Is anyone having something other than turkey? In the past we have had goose (have to strip away extra fat), Prime Rib (very expensive this year); salmon; even duck. Then too, there is ham.
Is anyone having something other than turkey? In the past we have had goose (have to strip away extra fat), Prime Rib (very expensive this year); salmon; even duck. Then too, there is ham.
Turkey has never been part of Christmas for me; it’s for Thanksgiving. When I was growing up, we always had country (salt-cured) ham at Christmas.
Our standard Christmas meal for a while now has been stuffed beef tenderloin. Last year we had to do some rethinking, as our daughter had decided to become vegetarian. She does eat fish, but our son doesn’t like fish. It was just the four of us, so we had stuffed beef tenderloin and salmon. Daughter ate salmon, son ate beef, and my wife and I ate both; everyone was happy. (Salmon is actually pretty much the only fish I like.) I’m guessing we’ll do the same this year if it’s just us. (I’m not sure about that yet.)
And we’ll have oysters, of course. I’m from eastern North Carolina, where oysters are traditional at Christmas. Some people do oyster dressing, steamed or smoked oysters, or raw oysters, but we always have scalloped oysters.
For some years we've been going to friends for Christmas for what we call the Bah Humbug Dinner which aims to be untraditional. Usually a joint, though this year it's to be duck + a vegetarian option. I'm chipping in the red cabbage and apple.
We're doing a nut roast this year. Our dinner has been vegan/vegetarian for the last thirty-five odd years but he haven't had a nut roast for a while. We used to do a cracking celery sauce the recipe for which came from a Ship of Fools Secret Santa present but I haven't worked out how to turn it vegan. I might have a go this year.
Thanks for reminding me to call the meat market tomorrow!
Part of my gift to the family is to roast a prime rib for Christmas. I'll have mashed potatoes, peas, which my daughter likes, and some other veg. Probably broccoli this year. Son-in-law and granddaughter and I love broccoli! We'll have a Caesar salad too, since everyone likes that. And I'll buy a cherry pie!
Although we have not had an actual invitation yet, Eldest Grandson informs us that we are expected at their house for Christmas lunch.
This will be the 9th year of this arrangement, and I know exactly what will be on the menu.
As four out of seven are vegetarian and four out of seven (possibly six) have autism the many components of the main course are the same every year, and the desserts are; my baked lemon curd ring, with raspberries, and a selection of Elder Son's baking (including Christmas pud), so all the usual Christmas treats.
On Sunday they will also host a less formal family meal with an equally predictable menu, as Younger Son and family will join us. That ups the ratio of omnivores to vegetarians, but won't alter the cuisine.
Comments
I put a large spoonful of the mince meat in the center of each, moistened the corners of the pastry, and folded the corners together diagonally. They were baked until the pastry was golden.
I should do that again!
Sounds tasty! Quite different from our traditional mince pies. 🙂
Our Place tends to save it until Advent 4, but IMHO it is suitable for any Advent service.
You don't need to freeze a Christmas Pudding!
Get small pyrex bowls with tight-sealing lids. Mix up Christmas pudding mix, put in bowls, put lid on, and steam for several hours to cook. Put puddings in a cool, dark, ventilated place. Every now and then, check on them and add a little more brandy.
They'll keep fine for months.
I don't have enough storage space for a bunch of Christmas puddings either!
Hi @ChastMastr! This may not equate, but my Christmas fruitcakes are well doused in brandy and keep well in my part of Florida! I wonder if the same might be true with Christmas pudding as well.
(BTW, I just had a slice of last year's fruitcake and it was still moist and yummy, and the brandy still had some kick left in it. After last year's cake had set on the Special Fruitcake Display site for a few months, I cut it into large chunks and froze it. )
Brandy doesn't hurt, but it's mostly the sugars in the Christmas Pudding that have the preservative effect. Steam the pudding, let it cool completely, then put on a clean dry airlight lid (plastic snap-on lids work. Layers of greaseproof paper and foil tied up with string work.)
Interesting. Probably?
I assume the air tightness keeps the bugs out, but I don’t understand why the sugar doesn’t just provide more stuff for bacteria to feed on. Hmmm. I’ll have to look this up. I wonder if Good Eats with Alton Brown has an episode explaining this with puppets…
For the same reason jam doesn't go bad. Christmas pudding is mostly dried fruit, sugar, and alcohol - relatively little flour. Same goes for Christmas cake.
It is ten years since I last 'did' the family Christmas catering, and I do miss the leftovers.
I always over-catered, doing a roast meat dinner, with all the trimmings, big enough to feed any extra guests, plus a celebration-sized crown nut roast for the vegetarian half of the family, so there were always lots of leftovers.
I didn't have to think about food shopping again until the new year.
I always keep jam in the refrigerator. It doesn’t go bad if you don’t?
After all, jam was invented as a way to preserve fruit before there were refrigerators.
Nor does refrigeration indefinitely postpone deterioration in eg cheese, tomato puree, chutney, salad dressing.
Lotss of lovely thingss to buy, Preciouss, yess...
Once it's opened, sure, because you've introduced air into the jar. You don't need to keep unopened jam in the refrigerator.
Back in the bad old days, when nobody worried about the amount of sugar we consumed, jams & other preserves kept for ages without going mouldy.
Nowadays, as commercial preserves are made with less sugar they have a much shorter shelf life once opened, and even in the fridge they will form mould in a comparatively short time.
My homemade jams & chutneys, on the other hand, keep for months after opening just in the kitchen cupboard.
I've done a couple of batches of mince pies. My pastry (home made) is not really up to scratch, but I am learning as I go, hopefully I can perfect the next batch. One batch for our own use is now in the freezer. One batch in the fridge for ongoing munching.
We will be home for Christmas, the four of us, and so I've written up a list of our favourite dishes and this morning went out to purchase a few gifts for the littlest ones in my family. Glad to have that done, took me all of 10 minutes, Lego is a great please all in our family. We have received two cards, but I have not yet begun to write ours. I might go out tomorrow and get stamps and top up my card supply. It would be less wasteful not to do so, perhaps I can make this year the year of the ugly Christmas card and use up the ones that I reject each year and put back into the Christmas box. I'll think on that a bit more...
I posted those I needed to post earlier today, though the next collection from our local box isn't until 7am tomorrow. Still, they're on their way!
The Office has been very tastefully decorated for the festive season. It has a fair-sized imitation tree (with baubles), some gold lights and stars in the windows overlooking the car park, and some sort of small sticker thingies (no actual glue IYSWIM) depicting holly leaves and berries on the plastic screens (left over from Covid!) near the reception desk.
Nothing overdone, and I duly congratulated the Office Ladies, which pleased them mightily. I will give them a larger box of CHOCOLATES this year...
Our standard Christmas meal for a while now has been stuffed beef tenderloin. Last year we had to do some rethinking, as our daughter had decided to become vegetarian. She does eat fish, but our son doesn’t like fish. It was just the four of us, so we had stuffed beef tenderloin and salmon. Daughter ate salmon, son ate beef, and my wife and I ate both; everyone was happy. (Salmon is actually pretty much the only fish I like.) I’m guessing we’ll do the same this year if it’s just us. (I’m not sure about that yet.)
And we’ll have oysters, of course. I’m from eastern North Carolina, where oysters are traditional at Christmas. Some people do oyster dressing, steamed or smoked oysters, or raw oysters, but we always have scalloped oysters.
For some years we've been going to friends for Christmas for what we call the Bah Humbug Dinner which aims to be untraditional. Usually a joint, though this year it's to be duck + a vegetarian option. I'm chipping in the red cabbage and apple.
Part of my gift to the family is to roast a prime rib for Christmas. I'll have mashed potatoes, peas, which my daughter likes, and some other veg. Probably broccoli this year. Son-in-law and granddaughter and I love broccoli! We'll have a Caesar salad too, since everyone likes that. And I'll buy a cherry pie!
This will be the 9th year of this arrangement, and I know exactly what will be on the menu.
As four out of seven are vegetarian and four out of seven (possibly six) have autism the many components of the main course are the same every year, and the desserts are; my baked lemon curd ring, with raspberries, and a selection of Elder Son's baking (including Christmas pud), so all the usual Christmas treats.
On Sunday they will also host a less formal family meal with an equally predictable menu, as Younger Son and family will join us. That ups the ratio of omnivores to vegetarians, but won't alter the cuisine.