Time to Ice THE cake??

Is it? Is it? Is it?
It has been sitting in the tin for about 5 weeks now.
Fruit steepd for hours in alcohol at the pre-cooking stage...
All families have there own secret recipes so i won't 'share' mine with you, unless you beg. Molasses! i have weird memories of this blackest, gloopiest, strangest of treacle-like substances. I like my cake to have a real heaviness to it - density! - blackness.
Lots of fruit. Definately no nuts in this cake for me. NO glace cherries (sorry, they are a pet hate of mine but i don't want to cause Glace lovers any offence)



Slowly, i have added Amaretto to the well wrapped Cake, sat in it's tin, waiting patiently...
I am not a great Amaretto fan (what am i saying? not at all 'a fan' in fact) but all the girls in my family love it so i thought i'd give it a try.

SO..... Is it time to Ice the Christmas Cake yet? Is it? Is it? Is it? A

Advent starts next week........ !!!! :)

Poorly Blanket and Soup!

What to cook? When feeling achey, snotty, and unable to drag your shivering bones out from under the 'poorly' blanket, the thought of cooking is enough to send your soul to the grave early! But this is the time your body needs goodness, a little heat and nourishment, in an easy to consume bowlful.

Nigella saves the day!

Sweetcorn Chowder with Cheese Toasted Tortillas! (click the title and the Lovely Nigella will take care of directions!)

I love sweetcorn! One of my favourite veg dishes (that I serve with chilli con carne ALOT!) is sweetcorn, with a large dollop of butter and a VERY generous grinding of black pepper. I don't know why (being just a 'cook') but black pepper and sweetcorn is one of those perfect food marriages! Try it! You will love me when you eat it, I promise!
So easy just wack it all in and blend up!

If you don't have semolina or cornmeal or grainy polenta, (I got this lovely cornmeal from Sainsburys.....I make cornbread for chilli with it too, it is all round useful stuff to have in your 'tins' cupboard!) I imagine, lentils or a roughly chopped potato would be just as good, (not as Mexican but a functioning thickener just the same.....needs must when man flu hits eh?!)

Right am off to couch to 'suffer', drink tea and eat the Quality Street that Mr B 'foresaw' wouldn't last out October!

x