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#Post#: 1456--------------------------------------------------
Re: Getting ready for Christmas 2018
By: Carol1412 Date: May 17, 2018, 11:45 am
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[quote author=kitty link=topic=84.msg1227#msg1227
date=1526512339]
Oh wow, this is a topic I really need right now!
This year, I want to make fruitcake. Because there's nothing so
awesome as good fruitcake. But -- I hate those little glace
cherries and candied citron and that sort of thing. I want to
do it all with dried fruits. I can substitute out the fruits,
no problem, but I desperately need a base recipe to start with.
Does anyone have a tried-and-true good fruitcake recipe?
Preferably something handed down for a few generations and
involving copious amounts of liquor?
I have done a substantial amount of research and Googling for
"old-fashioned" fruitcake recipes, but I really want something
that I know has a good track record, so I don't waste six months
anticipating something that's going to turn out to be crap.
Thanks in advance!
[/quote]
Try Alton Brown's Free Range Fruitcake. He uses dried fruits and
lots of rum and brandy. I'm going to try it with gluten free
flour next time so I can eat it, too!
#Post#: 2030--------------------------------------------------
Re: Getting ready for Christmas 2018
By: Frogjuice Date: May 18, 2018, 7:33 pm
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Round about October/November I'll start prepping for Gin Jelly
rings / vodka gummy bears.
- Stash of rubber sealed 0.5litre korken jars from Ikea.
- Couple of 3 kilo bags of gummies from amazon.
- Bottle a week of Lidl/Aldi brand cheap and cheerful vodka or
gin.( so I don’t end up hailing 6 litres of spirits through the
checkout all at once)
- Clear out a couple of shelves in the fridge.
Fill jars to brim with gummy sweets.
Top up the 3/4 way up with spirit of choice.
Seal. Shake. Stick in fridge.
Repeat shaking on daily basis until all the liquid is gone and
the gummies are hideously enlarged.
( week to ten days. Keeps in fridge until needed )
Label jar as not suitable for children and best enjoyed in small
non driving doses.
Started as a joke one year and turned out popular, so now a
traditional. Works out cheaper per person than gift box of
smellies /bottle of good wine.
I don’t actually like the taste or aftertaste of any alcohol
myself so I never keep any!
Dys
#Post#: 2651--------------------------------------------------
Re: Getting ready for Christmas 2018
By: Gyrus Date: May 20, 2018, 7:14 pm
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I'm making totes this year, since I've had requests for them.
#Post#: 2655--------------------------------------------------
Re: Getting ready for Christmas 2018
By: guest569 Date: May 20, 2018, 7:26 pm
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.
#Post#: 3206--------------------------------------------------
Re: Getting ready for Christmas 2018
By: Ballincurrykiwi Date: May 23, 2018, 3:56 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=kitty link=topic=84.msg1227#msg1227
date=1526512339]
Oh wow, this is a topic I really need right now!
This year, I want to make fruitcake. Because there's nothing so
awesome as good fruitcake. But -- I hate those little glace
cherries and candied citron and that sort of thing. I want to
do it all with dried fruits. I can substitute out the fruits,
no problem, but I desperately need a base recipe to start with.
Does anyone have a tried-and-true good fruitcake recipe?
Preferably something handed down for a few generations and
involving copious amounts of liquor?
I have done a substantial amount of research and Googling for
"old-fashioned" fruitcake recipes, but I really want something
that I know has a good track record, so I don't waste six months
anticipating something that's going to turn out to be crap.
Thanks in advance!
[/quote]
I have a couple of old recipe books from the 20's and 30's.
(Thanks Nana :)), I am at work now, but I will have a look when
I get home.
#Post#: 3431--------------------------------------------------
Re: Getting ready for Christmas 2018
By: Chez Miriam Date: May 24, 2018, 1:43 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=kitty link=topic=84.msg1227#msg1227
date=1526512339]
Oh wow, this is a topic I really need right now!
This year, I want to make fruitcake. Because there's nothing so
awesome as good fruitcake. But -- I hate those little glace
cherries and candied citron and that sort of thing. I want to
do it all with dried fruits. I can substitute out the fruits,
no problem, but I desperately need a base recipe to start with.
Does anyone have a tried-and-true good fruitcake recipe?
Preferably something handed down for a few generations and
involving copious amounts of liquor?
I have done a substantial amount of research and Googling for
"old-fashioned" fruitcake recipes, but I really want something
that I know has a good track record, so I don't waste six months
anticipating something that's going to turn out to be crap.
Thanks in advance!
[/quote]
I don't have a family recipe, but a few years ago I watched
Kirstie Allsop's Christmas series [whatever it was called;
there's been a few], and she was making a Christmas cake and I
thought "what's the point of showing us this now? It's far too
late to make a Christmas cake!" - and then she said "it can be
made as late as Christmas Eve", so I paid attention. I made it
on 23rd December, and it was fine by the evening of 24th.
The original place I found it has vanished, but this
HTML http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-5172133/Kirsties-Christmas-feast-Caribbean-Christmas-cake.html<br
/>is the same thing. On the programme, she said you can make it
one day and bake it the next, which is what I do now. The
mixture really seizes up overnight (in my cold pantry), so I
loosen it up again the next morning with more orange
juice/sherry/apple brandy/whatever. I think boiling the dried
fruit in [hard] cider helps make it nice and moist, too.
It's delicious, and I've made it with all manner of different
dried fruits/nuts. The only thing I would say is: if you put
nearly half a bottle of apple brandy in during the 'feeding'
process, it can cross from 'moist' to 'almost soggy', and have
your guests making comments about getting drunk on the fumes! I
thought it was overcooked, and therefore dry, and was trying to
"fix" the problem. :-[ It was not overcooked, but became pretty
'laid-back' during my efforts (wasn't liquidy, just very, very
moist).
I love dried cranberries in it, but would advise against
goldenberries, as they are gritty, otherwise I use anything I
like.
I did seriously ramp up the spices, though, but I do that for
almost all recipes - I added ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and
vanilla extract, and that suits our tastes. I am also far too
[s]lazy[/s] busy to marzipan/ice a Christmas cake, so I do the
thing of arranging cherries/nuts in circles on the top.
Obviously, you will need to find an alternative to cherries!
Hope you find a recipe you like, and let us know how it goes.
#Post#: 3631--------------------------------------------------
Re: Getting ready for Christmas 2018
By: Knitterkitty Date: May 26, 2018, 12:12 pm
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[quote author=Chez Miriam link=topic=84.msg670#msg670
date=1526384036]
[quote author=gmatoy link=topic=84.msg411#msg411
date=1526257777]
And here we are! I hope that we can pick up and carry on. Do
share with us: updates, ideas, and suggestions for gifts and /
or decorating for the holidays. Planning ahead will help the
budget, the schedule, and keep the brain from melting!
[/quote]
Great to see you here, gmatoy!
I'm doing hats (as mentioned on the old forum), and owing to the
amount of "other stuff" happening in my life right now, my
research into one-colour-only hat patterns in chunky/Aran wool
has stalled...
If anyone has a favourite hat pattern that I can knit in the
round they would be happy to link to, I would be delighted.
Apologies for being so lazy - I'm itching to get knitting, but
internet research takes so much time! The lady in the yarn shop
couldn't sell me a book of hat patterns, but referred me to
Ravelry; I shall end up there, sooner or later, but I can't
afford to lost a whole week just yet. ;) ;) ;)
[/quote]
You really should join Ravelry. There are lots of great
patterns there and lots of free patterns.
I love both the Bankhead pattern (designed by a friend of
mine!) and the Barley pattern. I've knit several toques with
both patterns. Both are free, easy, and come in several
different sizes. I haven't figured out how to link yet, sorry!
#Post#: 3704--------------------------------------------------
Re: Getting ready for Christmas 2018
By: Loves to polish silver Date: May 27, 2018, 12:54 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I am officially about 60% done with Christmas shopping -
including wrapping! ;D Our last trip made things super easy
for special items to mail back to the stayes. For home made
gifts, I think I'm going to give vanilla sugar & some of the
cool salts from our travels in pretty packages. The German
kindergarten teachers will get some muddy buddy/puppy chow mix
and hopefully American chocolate chip cookies. (The baking
supplies are truly different, so it's a nice treat to share.) I
don't yet know what my oldest's teachers will be given.
#Post#: 3834--------------------------------------------------
Re: Getting ready for Christmas 2018
By: Chez Miriam Date: May 29, 2018, 10:02 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Knitterkitty link=topic=84.msg3631#msg3631
date=1527354771]
[quote author=Chez Miriam link=topic=84.msg670#msg670
date=1526384036]
[quote author=gmatoy link=topic=84.msg411#msg411
date=1526257777]
And here we are! I hope that we can pick up and carry on. Do
share with us: updates, ideas, and suggestions for gifts and /
or decorating for the holidays. Planning ahead will help the
budget, the schedule, and keep the brain from melting!
[/quote]
Great to see you here, gmatoy!
I'm doing hats (as mentioned on the old forum), and owing to the
amount of "other stuff" happening in my life right now, my
research into one-colour-only hat patterns in chunky/Aran wool
has stalled...
If anyone has a favourite hat pattern that I can knit in the
round they would be happy to link to, I would be delighted.
Apologies for being so lazy - I'm itching to get knitting, but
internet research takes so much time! The lady in the yarn shop
couldn't sell me a book of hat patterns, but referred me to
Ravelry; I shall end up there, sooner or later, but I can't
afford to lost a whole week just yet. ;) ;) ;)
[/quote]
You really should join Ravelry. There are lots of great
patterns there and lots of free patterns.
I love both the Bankhead pattern (designed by a friend of
mine!) and the Barley pattern. I've knit several toques with
both patterns. Both are free, easy, and come in several
different sizes. I haven't figured out how to link yet, sorry!
[/quote]
Thanks for the recommendations, Knitterkitty - I'd realised I
needed to head on over there, so to have two "targets" means it
will be less daunting at the beginning. And I might even get
those needles back in use.
#Post#: 4684--------------------------------------------------
Re: Getting ready for Christmas 2018
By: gmatoy Date: June 6, 2018, 10:30 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I got 3 more lounging pants cut out this week. I hope to get
them sewn by Monday. This part of Christmas sewing is going
well!
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