20 days to go..

Hi again, fellow Christmasophiles!  I had a great Sunday baking my Christmas cake.  I've had the fruit soaking for at least 6 weeks, so when I opened the jar, the smell (and the alcohol) nearly blew my head off!

Such a Christmassy smell, fruit soaked in a delectable Tokay and orange juice mix - the aroma wafted all through the house . It makes a beautiful moist cake that keeps for ages.  I have to pay tribute to the Women's Weekly Irish Christmas Cake recipe - named obviously because you are supposed to use Irish Whisky in it.  Now - I have done that for many years using my husband's good Irish Whisky.  He mentioned to me one year that the level was going down a bit and when I told him why, he went a bit pale!  What - you're using my good whisky in a cake!  So now I use anything to hand, from brandy to tokay (I still use the whisky occasionally, don't tell!).  Here are my pictures.

All the elements, plus my vintage Sunbeam mixmaster

S-T pondering the mysteries of the unbaked cake mixture, ready for 3 hours of slow cooking

Voila!  The finished cake

What has Santa Teddy been up to?

Well, apart from being very busy helping me make the all important Christmas Cake, he has been appreciating some modern art.



Very Avant-garde of you Teddy!

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Santa's reindeer are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner/Donder, Blitzen, and Rudolph.  Eight of these names are taken from Clent C. Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas", and the ninth from the song "Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer.