Tuesday 20 December 2011

Five Days and Counting!

When I look at how many days to Christmas Day and what I still have to accomplish I sit here and wonder why I am feeling so calm. Technically I should probably be running around like a headless chicken but I'm not. Perhaps it was my willingness to not feel guilty about not doing Christmas cards this year, and that feeling has followed through to everything else. I think I will get it all done, and if I don't the world will not end. And we will still have a very good time.

Our social plans for today fell through sadly. My father and his girlfriend could not come here with her granddaughters due to the persistent germs that are everywhere this year. We will see them after the holidays now. Instead I took the girls to town. And I didn't complain about the traffic, I found a parking space without teaching them new words, and we had fun. Mostly in the kitchen shop. We have stocked up on squidgy bottle type things for decorating the cookies with icing on Friday. So that we all have our own, including my mum. That should make the job go quickly, theoretically.

To decorate the cookies you first have to make the dough. I did that today. It will happily keep in the fridge for three days, or more, if well wrapped. This gingerbread recipe is not for the faint hearted or small family that doesn't have a sugar fetish. The recipe makes a huge amount of cookies.

Can you see how full the mixer is?!
These gingerbread cookies are a huge part of Christmas for me. My mum made them when I was little, and my brothers and I sat around doing the decorating. When we were a bit older we often had friends join us and help. I look at the photo above and remember that my mum used to mix this mass of dough by hand. Thank goodness for Kitchen Aid! I won't provide the recipe. If you would like it just let me know and I will pass it on. I really think it is one for those who like baking, don't mind kids making a mess with icing and sprinkles, and have many mouths of feed over the holidays. If that description fits you and you want to join the fun, I am more than happy to send you all the details. It is dead easy to make - but the mixer does help enormously!

The only other Christmasy thing I have ticked off my list today was to unwrap the Christmas cake, breathe in its luscious boozy, fruity aroma - and then melt some apricot jelly and brush it all over the cake.


Half a pound of ground almonds, some sugar and egg yolks - and the handy, dandy mixer again - some brisk work with the rolling pin and my cake was covered.



Guess I should go and make a couple of cushions then. Rather sit here and look at other blogs though. I wonder if I will give in to temptation?

Susan

19 comments:

  1. My tummy is rumbling and my eyes are getting bigger...not quite as big as my tummy yet though!

    You make your own marzipan! Now that is one of my favourite things!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry that your family plans fell through - the gingerbread cookies sound amazing and I will be emailing you for the recipe as Z and I would appear to fit the criteria required to get our hands on it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Y'all have the strangest traditions over there! I have never seen such a recipe...what is that white stuff on that cake? **teethy grin**

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oooh I love boozy Christmas cake! In fact I know I would just love Christmas in your house full stop! Next year! Jxo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, go on, go blog hopping! You deserve some R and R!! Your cake looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aww, sorry your dad and co couldn't make it over, but so glad you were able to make other plans that didn't involve teaching the girls new words ;o)

    My mum marzipanned our cake at the weekend, and she's icing it tomorrow I believe...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Take advantage of the quiet time just you and the girls :-) And have a ball with your mum! (and I know where any excess gingerbread dough could go...not that I'm greedy...)

    ReplyDelete
  8. ps samosas in the freezer this afty! Thanks sweetie x

    ReplyDelete
  9. I havent even started baking..I think it might be a quick trip to the shops for me to get Christmas biscuits!

    (I'm completely insane at this point- two days left at work and a million bibs to make for a friend who is having a baby by Thursday- I swear by Friday I'll be normal again and back to responding to email and catching up on blogs. It feels like forever since I wrote a post for my OWN blog!)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Assume Mr Tesco did that to my cake too!

    Too busy panicing to cook!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Can't wait to see the biscuit decorating - I'd love the recipe but will probably be making a half (or even quarter!) portion...with an ailing hand mixer. I won't he making them this year though so there's no rush for the recipe! I'm getting some butter tomorrow to make the mincemeat tarts - can't wait to taste one!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your cake looks perfect - nobody likes it in my house except me so I stopped making them - poor old me.
    Glad to hear you are controlling the girls' vocab.

    ReplyDelete
  13. OK Susan, hand over the recipe and no one gets hurt. I'm a gingerbread cookie freak. We're swapping Chrissy cake for red velvet cake this year. Well done to you and your little elves on that cooking expedition!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow, you're cooking up a storm over there. Looks so good. Did you get the cushions finished?

    ReplyDelete
  15. You have been busy in the kitchen this week! Have fun on Cookie Day!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I made a cushion for Mr.Romance today and also a batch of cookie bars. I would love the gingerbread recipe to make with the grandkids on Friday. But, don't stress over it if you don't have time to send it xo.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sounds like you've been busy! All those sweets look (and sound!) delicious!

    Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh I was I had the ability to bake! It all loks fabulous! I'm doing the headless chicken thing!

    ReplyDelete
  19. where do you find the time...!!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a comment. I read them all and I love them all. I do my utmost to reply to comments as often as possible. If you comment and never receive a reply from me there is the possibility that you are a no-reply commenter.