Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Golden Sugar.....and All Things Nice

Lets talk about, bake for, make for, wallow in, dress up in silly clothes for....

Christmas

(humor me, I can't help it)
SO this is what I have been making and freezing for pressies!
Christmas Fruity Biscotti

• 350g plain flour , plus extra for rolling
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs , beaten
• coarsely grated zest 1 orange
• 85g raisins
• 85g dried cherries
• 50g blanched almonds
• 50g shelled pistachio

*I used dried cranberries and raisins for my fruit and 100g of mixed nuts.*

Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
In your favourite Christmas mixing bowl, sling in the flour, caster sugar, baking powder and (with a gratuitous *sniff* and arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Christmas moment) the wonderful Mixed Spice, all the while humming Walking in a WinterWonderland.

Mixed in the eggs and when it starts to come together a bit, get your hands in (great for kids!) and mould into a ball. Trust that it will come together, even if looks dry, it gets quite sticky. (start singing Silver Bells, with gusto)

Throw in your lovely, colourful fruit and nuts and distribute evenly through dough.

Half the dough and half those again to give you four even balls of dough. Roll out into sausages of approx 30 cm long. Place two rolls perbaking tray. Cook in oven, till spread out and firm to the touch, but still pale.
Take out and cool on wire rack, just long enough to handle. Turn down oven to 140 C. Then slice diagonally, making little biscotti about 1cm wide. At this point you can place the slices in freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to two months and when needed carry out next step. Place side down on tray and place back in the now cooler oven for a further 10-15 minutes to dry out. (Biscotti means twice baked...it is what Italian Mamas and Nonnas did with their stale bread)
When cooled, plop your lovely little biscotti into gift boxes or in my case kilner jars and tie with a Christmassy ribbon and bells! They will keep for a month in an airtight container (in a house where there are no nibblers....big and small!!)

Be proud! So cute, so clever!
Gorgeous with your Christmas morning cup of coffee! x (and finish with your best rendition of Santa Baby!)

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8022/fruity-christmas-biscotti

Beetroot and Orange Preserve x

As in the previous post - it was the fat, muddy bulbs of Beetroot that inspired the making of this. I wanted to pickle them but i came across the recipe in Lakelands Book. I wasn't sure about the orange to begin with, but the recipe wanted 3 and i happend to have 3 oranges sat in my fruit bowl that needed to be used up.... thrifty cookery is the best x 300ml of Malt Vinegar
200g Granulated Sugar ..... heated gently in a large pickling pan.
I added a little less Malt Vinegar and substituted with some Raspberry Vinegar and White Wine Vinegar so i had 400ml i think, all in.


350g/ 3 Raw Beetroot (from the Veg Box)
350g/3 Cooking Apples (scrumped from a neighbour if possible)
225g/ 3 Red Onions (Man sent to the shops to fetch)
Chop them all as small or big as is your preference. I like mine as small as i can, 1cm cubed on average. Add them to the liquid in the pan.

3 oranges - the rind and juice of (i just re-read the recipe and it says only 2, oop, i added 3)
1 garlic clove crushed
1tsp ground Allspice
1tsp Salt
... i added to the mix also: 1tsp Mustard seeds / 1tsp Corriander seeds / Celery Salt / 1tsp GROUND Peppercrons. Add whatever you like... oh and some fresh tiny cut Rosemary! (love that stuff)


Bring it the boil - just - then put it on a low setting and simmer away for 40mins. I put a lid on mine but you don't need to....

Give yourself a pat on the back and feel rather pleased with yourself :)

After 40mins - whack i gave mine a good mulch with a big potato masher as i don't like anything too chunky. Then whack the heat right up again and boil away the last of any liquids you dont want. I kept a bit of liquid in mine.

Oh IF ONLY this screen was scratch and sniff! This kitchen smells amazing x i am in love with my own culinary genius... or i love chutney / presrves / pickles x

This ingredients list made 2 FULL 1/2Litre Kilner Jars - so you are looking at 4 standard jam jars? or even 5 if you want to give away / sell jars that aren't too big?

A glass of chilled white wine to celebrate the fact it was now 5pm on a Friday and i had survived another week as an amazing Mum! tee hee (i have to keep saying it as one day, i'll believe it)

Decorate the jar a bit, of course! And i always put the dates on each jar as i will never remember, come Nov / Dec when they were made or how long they will keep:

"Made in beg. August 2009 - use in Nov 2009 - once opened, keep refridgerated and use within one Month"

So there you have it - open it mid November and you'll have a sweet and spicy preserve to accompany meats and cheeses and it will take you right through Christmas festivities from Mid November into the New Year x

Do i sound like Nigella yet? I hope I am a little more real than that x