Stir it up...

Stir it up Sunday found me other-wise engaged. This is not a Bob Marley reference
but the traditional day for making your Christmas cake.

Put the dried fruit in a dish and cover with 170ml of Christmas spirit.
This year I used a mixture of brandy, port and amaretto.
I have heard of people using orange juice instead. Weird.
Leave to soak overnight.

So this week I had a stir it up Wednesday - hopefully not to the detriment of the cake.
The great thing about this recipe is that you weigh out all of the dried fruit the day before and soak it overnight in the booze. Therefore you have a Delia moment when the ingredients have been pre-measured for you.

8oz sultanas
8oz currants
8oz raisins
4oz glace cherries - quartered
40z mixed peel
170ml brandy

8oz butter
4oz caster sugar
4oz soft brown sugar
12oz plain flour
4oz ground almonds
2tsp mixed spice
The rind of 1 large orange - finely chopped
4 large eggs - beaten
1tbsp black treacle



Heat the oven to 150 centigrade and prepare an 8" square cake tin.  This involves greasing the tin and lining with a double layer of baking paper.  You then wrap the outside of the tin with brown paper or in this case, wallpaper and cut a piece to go on top with a hole in the middle to release the steam. This is the most bothersome part of the whole thing so to reduce to agony, I save the paper and re-use every year.

Cream the sugars and the butter together until light and fluffy - I put this in the electric mixer.  In a separate large bowl, mix the flour, mixed spice and ground almonds with a whisk.  To this, add the creamed butter mixture and the beaten eggs and gently fold together.  When combined, add the boozy fruit, black treacle and orange rind and mix again until evenly distributed.

Spoon in to the prepared tin and bake for 3.5 or 4 hours.  Don't forget to put the paper lid on to protect the top.  The cake is ready when the top is springy and a skewer comes out clean.

Around the Grounds

I have noticed an interloper or two in my flock of chaffinches. 
The rather attractive bramblings are back. 
Similar in size to the chaffinches but much more orange down the front.







Frozen Assets

The Christmas Feast has many elements and to make things easier, its good to get a few done ahead of time.  This week I got my sausages wrapped in streaky bacon and put those little babies in the freezer.  Just remember to get them out the night before you need them.

Quick and Delicious - Cheesy Bacon Pasta

Quite often at this time of year, I find that I am hungry, tired and I haven't given a thought to tea.
This is the meal for those occasions.  Its more delicious than you think - even if you think its pretty delicious.
The sauce cooks in the same time as the pasta so put that into boiling water first.
Take a deep frying pan and fry some chopped up streaky bacon.  (The quantities will depend on how many you are feeding).
Once this is crispy, reduce the heat to low.  If there is not much free oil in the pan, add a little butter.
Now add 2 tsp of plain flour and allow to cook for a while.  Keep stirring.
Next add milk, a little at a time so that the sauce thickens as you go.  Once you have a nice thick sauce, stop adding milk and instead, spoon a little of the liquid in the pasta pan in to achieve the thickness you require.
Now add a handful of cheddar, the same of parmesan and a little dried sage.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the sauce. 
Cook together for a minute or so, stirring to combine.  Everyone in my house loves this and its so easy.

Funny of the Week

For anyone still struggling - here's a guide to the internet.

From the IT crowd.

http://youtu.be/sDA1HUmuuJo