AVIES HOME MADE CHRISTMAS

OF MINCE PIES AND CHEESE STRAWS


I believe I have e already mentioned the fact that the trimmings from ready rolled short crust pastry cannot be re rolled to make more tart bases as for some reason it puffs up and all the mince meat of jam is pushed out. I often use ready made pastry these days,its inexpensive,save a lot of mess and tastes almost as good as the home made sort.

Having made three dozen mince pies this afternoon I had quite a lot of oddments and corners of short crust so I decided to make some cheese straws and a few savoury nibbles.

I am certain I do not have to tell you how to make mince pies so we will skip that part and come to the cheesy straws.

For the cheese straws

scraps of ready rolled pastry

strong cheddar finely grated

sesame seeds

dried Italian herbs

garlic

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Gather the scraps of pastry roll into ball and then roll out to about a quarter of an inch thick. I always save the blue wrapper that the pastry comes rolled in as it prevents ans sticking to the rolling pin. Scatter the cheese,herbs and garlic salt over the pastry then form in to a sausage shape ,fold into a square and roll out again to the same thickness as before.

Next scatter with the sesame seeds and cut in to strips,twist and transfer to a baking sheet.

Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes a 200oC, when crisp and golden remove from the oven and cool on a wire tray. Store in an air tight container.

Pastry treated in this way can also be cut in to small circles with a biscuit cutter, sprinkled with a little more cheese and cooked in the same way.


For a different flavour try adding some sun dried tomato pieces well drained and finely chopped, a little dried basil and some finely grated cheese.

. They are great with sherry although I prefer mine with a pint of Guinness!

AVIES HOME MADE CHRISTMAS

THE GREAT BRITISH TRIFLE


How this Mammoth,show stopper of a pudding ever came to be called a “Trifle” is a mystery, this recipe was made in my childhood home for every party or special occasion,there are many variations,this one however has children in mind.

UNCLE JACK'S PARTY TRIFLE

I could tell you to begin with scalded milk,vanilla pods and eggs.......lets leave the faffing about to Nigella and cut to the chase.

1 pint of custard made to the manufacturers directions and left to cool with a little sugar scattered over the top.

1 sponge sandwich cake

raspberry or strawberry jam

4 macaroons crushed

4 fl oz of raspberry sauce or cordial

10 fl oz double cream

2 oz glacé cherries

edible silver balls

angelica (if you can find any)

Spread the jam over the sponge cake,cut up and place in a shallow 2ltr bowl and top with the crushed macaroons. Spoon over the fruit cordial(This takes the place of sherry) and leave to stand for 2 hours.

Stir the cold custard well and pour over the sponge cake and macaroons.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form and top the custard with half of the fresh cream. Pipe the remaining cream around the edges then decorate with the cherries,angelica and silver balls . Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Starting tomorrow I am on my own Christmas countdown,well one of them as I have several,this one is a count down to a very special party,sadly I fear the last of its kind I am determined that it shall be the best ever and I have 20 days to prepare it,beginning with the making of a vegetarian mince meat which tastes every bit as good as the ordinary sort.

My other deadline in Pa's birthday feast which this year we shall have six days early as it will be more convenient than his actual birthday on which my son will be at work.

The next few weeks will pass in a whirl of Pavlova, mini quiches,sausage rolls and lots of other delectable Christmas treats and as they roll off the production line watch out for the pictures some of which go with the recipes in my recent Avies Home Made Christmas blogs.

AVIES SMALL WORLD

THE PARTY CAKE

Sorry I have been missing for a day or two,I rather overdid things on Friday and the resulting exhaustion kept me in bed yesterday. Today I feel rested and am allowed up and more important allowed access to my net book,on the understanding that I refrain from checking my mail...I hear and obey oh Mighty One.(My son of course.)

There are few children who enjoy the traditional heavily fruited cake customarily served at Christmas and so as this is to be a children’s party we shall act accordingly and cater to their tastes.

In the past I have made teddy shaped cakes,railway engines and even the Starship Enterprise, fine if one has lots of time but who ,at Christmas has such a luxury. This recipe is perfect,it has loads of creamy white icing on which Santas, fir trees or whatever decopration takes your fancy can be displayed. Better still it  contains the sort of ingredients commonly to be found in the store cupboard at the festive season.

The size of the cake will depend on the number of guests,this recipe will serve 8-10.

6 oz butter

6 oz caster sugar

6 oz self raising flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

3 eggs

1 medium sized carrot finely grated

2 oz glace cherries chopped

1oz angelica chopped

2oz walnuts chopped

1 heaped teaspoon of poppy seeds

2 oz sultanas chopped

two tablespoons of milk



FOR THE ICING

6oz butter

10 oz icing sugar

rind of a lemon

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Grease and line an 8” cake tin,set oven temperature to 160oC

Place the butter into a large mixing bowl and beat until soft ,add the sugar four,baking powder and eggs and beat well until the mixture is smooth add one or two tablespoon of milk if the mixture seems dry. Fold in the remaining ingredients and pour the mixture in to the prepared tin.

Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.

While the cake is baking place the butter in to a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add icing sugar, lemon juice and rind and beat again until the butter cream is very pale.



When the cake has cooked remove from the oven and turn out on to a wire cooling rack,leave to cool. When the cake has cooled place it on a plate or a cake stand and cover with the icing.

Decorate with holly and ribbons or reindeer and fir trees penguins or even a polar bear on a skateboard,what ever your children will enjoy. Sprinkle with a little edible silver cake dust , and that,as they say is that.

CHEATS CHEESE STRAWS

These are so simple yet having recently seen a box of 8 selling at £1.99 I think it is well worth a mention.

1 packet of ready rolled puff pastry

3 oz finely grated Cheddar,Gruyère, Parmigiana... whatever hard cheese you have to hand.

1 teaspoon of made Dijon mustard stirred in to 3 tablespoons of milk

Make sure that the party is chilled. Open the pack and unroll then with a sharp knife slice widthways,each slice should measure about half and inch wide.

Twist each slice and place on to a greased baking sheet then brush with the milk and mustard mix and sprinkle with the e grated cheese.

Bake at 200oC for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack and store in an air tight container.

For variety try brushing with egg white and sprinkling with sesame seeds,poppy seeds or brush with Marmite!





.

OCIF

Most people generally think 'TGIF' - Thank God Its Friday. This house is often an exception to that rule - Friday is not only our cleaning day, but also seems to be the day that attracts trouble and peril...we're more likely to say 'OCIF' - Oh Christ It's Friday!

In that spirit...Avie has been forced to retreat to sleep, and normal service will resume shortly.

Son Of Avie

AVIES HOME MADE CHRISTMAS

Coping with stress Pt 2:


CHILDRENS PARTIES

As a child growing up in a rural environment I seemed to attend quite a large number of parties around Christmas time. One farmers wife put in a Christmas party for all the Hamlet children every year.

One child had a birthday within a day or two of Christmas and elected to have a Christmas party rather than one for her birthday.

There was of course the school Christmas party , a great occasion which always followed a concert put on by the children and finished with a gift for every child from under the tree.

All the parties had games,competitions and lots of lovely food, each child brought a small gift for the hostess(a much nicer tradition than the obligatory party bag which modern parents feel blackmailed in to giving to each child) for Christmas games I advise you to ask your Granny about the sort of games that were played when she was a child herself.

A few ,like pass the parcel still survive , but in these days of parties catered at M cDonalds and timed to the minute so that the next set of guests are already queueing up before you and your party leave games are rudimentary to say the least.

Spin the plate ,postman’s knock,sardines and charades are still great fun and keep children entertained for longer.

If your house is large Hide and Seek is exiting,if your house is smaller then try hiding a number of objects in odd placed around the house then set the children to find them. Prizes for the winners of course.

Forget the burgers and serve a selection of mini sandwiches pin wheel sandwiches,sausage rolls,so easy to make,cup cakes of course and don’t forget the trifle great big one covered with edible silver balls.

PIN WHEEL SANDWICHES

I sliced loaf

softened butter or spread

Meat paste,chicken,ham etc.

Remove the crusts from the bread then spread with a little butter. Next spread with some of the meat paste. Now roll carefully in to a sausage shape and with a sharp knife cut in to four. You can make your own fillings as long as they are smooth enough to allow the bread to be rolled up.

TRAFFIC LIGHT SANDWICHES

1 wholemeal sandwich loaf

a few thinly sliced tomatoes

half a cucumber thinly sliced

half a pound of hard yellow cheese thinly sliced or slices of boiled egg

butter or spread

Remove the crusts from the bread and butter thinly and cut in half. With a small pastry cutter cut three small circles out of half of the slices. Next place the cheese tomato and cucumber onto the slices without holes making sure that when the tops go on the fillings will show through the holes red,yellow and green just like traffic lights.

TRIPLE DECKER SANDWICHES

l sandwich loaf

softened butter or spread

an assortment of fillings (at least three

party cocktail sticks

remove the crusts from the bread and butter thinly

Take the slices three at a time and using g two of your chosen fillings make a three layer sandwich. Cut in to quarters and secure with a cock tail stick.
Instead of a salad which most children will ignore try a more adult approach and offer a dish of carrot sticks, celery sticks,spring onions and cucumber wedges, place a savoury dip in the centre.

For the dip

Half a medium sized jar of mayonnaise

a teaspoon of Italian herbs (dried will do)

teaspoon of garlic salt

the rind of a lemon

Mix all the ingredients together and place in a bowl in the centre of your veggie sticks

Any of the cookie recipes from recent blogs will be suitable for the occasion ,a selection is best.

Sausage rolls either home made of cooked from frozen are always popular.

Make no apologies for the absence of the ubiquitous party bags ,so many young mums of my acquaintance detest the practice but are not bold enough to ignore the fashion...be the first and start a new trend.

Finally don't try to go it alone.,rope in older children,your mother,your sister,your best friend,the lady next door,never be afraid to ask for help,you will often find that many people are not only waiting but are wanting to be asked.



Tomorrow the birthday cake and cheats cheese straws.

.

AVIES HOME MADE CHRISTMAS

COPING WITH STRESS : PART 1


It is more than usually the case that at Christmas we visit and are visited far more than usual and it is this
that I wish to address today. Although I do not normally boast,.on this subject I speak from the summit of a mountain of often bitter experience.

Being visited at Christmas can be an experience similar to being on trial,nerve racking to say the least and there are so many scenario so let us begin with.

THE MOTHER IN LAW....da da DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

My husband was a lucky man,my parents adored him on sight and treated him as one of the family from day one,I on the other hand was not so fortunate.

My Mother in Law was a repressed,puritanical over critical character assassin who could see no fault in herself because of her constant preoccupation with the imagined faults of others. She took one look at my long corn silk hair and my patched jeans ...and hated me on sight. An art student in those times and in such a small town was considered little better than a tart, I was sixteen and desperate to please....it was to take almost twenty years for me to realise that pleasing such a malevolent old hag was impossible.

In her eyes if one did not do exactly as she did or exactly as one was told one was,... now let me remember.....oh yes,,,a slut, (if there was one thing out of place in an otherwise pristine room) A harlot (if one did not cover every bit of flesh from the neck to the ankles). An alcoholic( if one drank anything stronger than shandy.) she was the sort of woman who when I asked on her arrival at my home ,if I could get anything she would say “Yes,a duster!”

Had she kept her views to herself things would have been bad enough...she did not.., she was in the habit of broadcasting her malicious tittle tattle to all and sundry. Once at a party at my parents house she observed my father taking his second glass of scotch and was heard by the whole room to remark that she was deeply sorry for my poor Mother, and what a trial it must be to be married to a drunkard. Fortunately for her my family had better manners than she,in other society she may not have been so lucky.

Now you may be wondering just where this reverie is leading it's really very simple,if you come across someone who refuses to be pleased ,please yourself,don't take it to heart,in the end I felt sorry for the old girl. After all everyone disliked her and she had no fun at all. People like her only win if you let them, make them welcome then let them get on with it.

If you are the hostess rise above it, enjoy your other guests,your family,have fun,after all she cannot think any worse of you than she does. If you are a guest,leave early. If you are unfortunate enough to be staying the night ,smile,be pleasant and be sure to take a bottle of your favourite tipple and any other treat you can think of to make things more palatable. If children are involved be firm,set a time for visiting and being visited and make sure that it is observed.

Excited children and grouchy old grannies do not mix,tell her you are thinking of her when you tell her your Christmas rules,she won't believe you,she might whinge a bit but think of the rewards,a Christmas surrounded by those who love you best.

You've worked hard to make the magic,you deserve to enjoy the applause.

TOMORROW ALL THE FUN OF A CHILDRENS PARTY

AVIES HOME MADE CHRISTMAS

TREES AND TRIMMINGS


I have already made some suggestions for decorations ,edible and otherwise,the tree itself can often pose problems. When my son was at the toddler stage, a time when nothing was safe from his curiosity,I was also blessed with a number of cats several of which were kitten’s. Envisioning constantly having to extricate either my son of one of the kittens from the tree focused my mind and I decided to do away with the traditional sort of tree for the duration and instead found a curved branch of sycamore and suspended it from the ceiling in a corner of the living room.

On to this branch went the lights, the tinsel and the baubles collected over the years. It turned the room into a magical fairy grotto and was so admired by our family and friends that even those without either toddlers or kittens adopted the same approach on subsequent years and we continued to do so long after the necessity was gone.

If you have a small room with no space for a tree how about making a paper or card board tree to stick on the wall. This looks lovely if you also make cut out decorations to BlueTac on to the tree.

Stars and hearts are in vogue at the moment but if you like you could make cut out birds,angels Santas, Christmas baubles, anything that takes your fancy and the children will love helping to make and attach these decorations.

A walk in the countryside or a park may furnish you with fir cones, twigs and so on all of which can be used to decorate cheaply and effectively. A friend of ours who had several small children was dreading Christmas as her husband had been made redundant and the firm she worked for and gone out of business. They could not afford a tree so she and her husband collected a small pile of short logs,some fir comes and some holly into which they planted a small twiggy branch. She then made some small animals and birds from scraps of cloth and wool which they placed on and around the

log pile,all that was needed then was a little fake snow and a small animal winter wonderland was created for the children who adored it.

A fairy grotto could be made by fixing small doors on to the logs and adding the odd fairy of elf to the scene.

I once made a fairytale Christmas castle from an old cardboard box,some silver spray, toilet roll middle turrets topped with cardboard cones and lit from inside by a set of old Christmas lights placed in the widows and arrow slits,so you see,,it does not have to be a tree.

A focal point, somewhere to place the gifts and more important than all something which the whole family helped to create makes Christmas even more special and exciting to little ones and parents alike. My Grandmother once knitted me a whole family of mice from a white whiskered old Grandfather to a tiny baby mouse mouse wrapped in a shawl. These graced our tree that year and when the decorations were taken down I was given the mouse family to play with, it made my Christmas.

I suppose what I am trying to say is that lots of money does not always make for a happy Christmas, being together, having fun and making the magic between you does.