....... but I have something far more important for you - food and drink (and a bit of silliness)!! This morning I assembled the ingredients for the Christmas cake - the fruit had been soaking overnight in brandy and smelled wonderful
I was using a recipe from this little book, which I have had for years
to make it easier to follow the requirements for the size I make, I have highlighted the column
and I no longer have to refer to these instructions to prepare the cake tin, I have done it so often
lined with buttered greaseproof paper, and wrapped up with brown paper .........
...... ready for the mixture. I can't remember who gave me the tip to make a little hole in the middle, as it helps keep the top of the cake level (unlike my Mum's cake, which always sank in the middle!)
fast forward almost three hours, and here is the cake, just out of the oven
another tip ..... to make it easier to remove the cake from the cake tin, stand it on a tin
I wish you could smell the cake! It is now wrapped up in greaseproof paper and foil. Over the next couple of weeks, I will feed it some more brandy, before I ice it and decorate it with the marzipan fruits
Malcolm was out this morning, so I just had to make lunch for myself ....... a cheese omelette, jalapeno coleslaw and chilli sauce (yes, I like spicy food!)
I had asked Malcolm to get me a bottle of vodka, so that I could make this ......
he had at first picked up a bottle of cheap vodka, but then he saw this pack on special offer ...... so not only was the vodka cheaper, but there was also a carton of cranberry juice, and a little book of cocktail recipes
I added these other ingredients
it has still to be strained before being bottled - it might not look very pretty - but, oh boy, it is delicious!!!!!
and now for the silliness! There was quite a lot on the radio this morning about a prediction that the world is going to end on the 21st of December. That reminded of this wonderfully daft book, that I bought a few years ago
I love the bit on the back about the next meeting being on Thursday (when the world is supposed to end on Wednesday!)
there is more silliness at the foot of several pages - these are my favourites
I promise that there will be sewing tomorrow ..... and here is a little teaser - I bought this fabric for the back of a quilt - but which one?