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Teacher presents:

Last year made Earl Grey chocolate cream truffles - super easy, no cook, look impressive (dust them in cocoa powder or choco strands).

This year will be coconut ice - mega easy, looks pretty when wrapped, and am going to attempt cardamom fudge.

Anyone want to share recipes? I love Christmas but DP is a grinch maybe if I feed him well he might cheer up a bit

How long does the peppermint bark keep? I'd like to make some but don't know how much time I'll have closer to Christmas.

spook I make Nigella's choc Christmas cake every year, it's yummy and gets lots of compliments. I don't generally like fruit cake but this is fab.
Already made one, expect it will be eaten and I'll have to make another!
I've made mincemeat and a batch of mince pies are in freezer.
Also made Florentines but might make more for DD's nursery teachers.
DH wants a yulelog, never attempted one before. Is the rolling bit tricky?

Thanks sleepstarved, that is reassuring

Have been busy this year with homemade goodies. Old favourites Christmas Puddings & mincemeat, more excited about the blackberry gin that the kids have been turning for me every day and today I started candying oranges so I can make dh his favourite chocolates - orangettes. Also planning to make layered peppermint bark and may even give Panettone a go this year, using my home made candied orange - if I can find a catering sized tomato tin to bake it in. Closer to the time I will make some truffles, marshmallows and a Yule Log.

Dh and ds2 are making a xmas cake. Will make ninja gingerbreadmen with ds1and ds2. Am making blackberry vodka and choc rum truffles as gifts.

I brew my own mead, so various friends will be getting bottles of different types of mead - and a favoured few will get gifts of my special chocolate mead liqueur.

Wow rose brewing your own mead is impressive - we tried making our own cider one year - the less said the better!

It's actually very easy to make mead; you don't even need any specialised equipment to do it. I've got some very easy and simple recipes on my mead blog if you wanted to give it a go yourself, though if you make a batch of mead now it probably won't be drinkable until new year at earliest. But you could start brewing up ready to lay some bottles down for next year!

(It's Arkady, BTW, not rose - Rose is my surname. )

SpookySal Sorry didnt see your message. I used [[ http://orangette.blogspot.co.uk/2008/12/look-at-that.html this]] recipe:

Was very very good. I made little goodie bags for a nursery fair. I put in peppermint creams, coconut ice and Peppermint bark.

Sorry here:

this

Once again this year, I’ve had requests for my Vodka Christmas Cake recipe so here goes...
Please keep in your files as I am beginning to get tired of typing this up every year!

(Made mine this morning!!!!)
1 cup sugar,
1 tsp. baking powder,
1 cup water,

1 tsp. salt ,
1 cup brown sugar,
Lemon juice,
4 large eggs,nuts1...bottle Vodka,
2 cups dried fruit
Sample a cup of Vodka to check quality.
Take a large bowl, check the Vodka again to be sure it is of the highest quality then Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point, it is best to make sure the Vodka is still OK. Try another cup just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eegs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the fruit up off the floor, wash it and put it in the bowl a piece at a time trying to count it. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit getas stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with a drewscriver Sample the Vodka to test for tonsisticity. Next, sift 2 cups of salt, or something. Check the Vodka. Now shit shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the Vodka and wipe the counter with the cat.

sparkling

Sleepstarved rolling the log is pretty easy, roll empty while warm and then unroll to fill - any cracks are covered with ganache. They are big though - we freeze half of ours for another time, it only keeps for a couple of days.

cutie I had my eye on that recipe for peppermint bark, glad to see you have used it successfully, ds is getting them this year in place of peppermint matchsticks, he'll love it!

Made some of Hugh's homemade marshmallows on Sunday, they freeze well will use them for some Rocky Road and some snow man soup. I've decided to make some Turkish delight for dd, it's her favourite, looks tricky but if it works we'll be in heaven.

How long does fudge last once made?

Later...snowman soup?

Can I ask, how are you planning on wrapping all the gift goodies? Can't find any wrapping cellophane in shops, only tissue paper. Thought piping bags would work but they are too think and not nice at all. I'm at a loss!

chocolate vodka with green and blacks choc and naice vodka ... has Kirsty done this on her 'homemade home' yet?

Lots of cello bags on ebay to put goodies in.

Homebase sell bags and boxes too (but ebay cheaper)

Wrapping cellophane now in Lidl

I bought cellophane in a baking shop last year and then some cellophane bags on eBay.

I'm not giving away any of my homemade goodies, maybe visitors if they are well behaved - kids and dh will be eating them...I'll wrap them in cellophane and I might put dh's in a box bought from Tiger.

Snowman soup is just a fancy version of a hot choc...with a kiddie name. Google for recipes...there are loads, I've never done it before so I can't recommend one.

www.frugalfamily.co.uk/2011/10/how-to-have-a-frugal-christmas-snowman-soup.html

Yes-does anyone know how long fudge can be kept for?

Sorry barefoot, it never lasts longer than a week in this house, there's not much to go off, all that sugar and fat - it should last forever!

Im pretty sure I have seen in recipes that fudge keeps for 2 weeks in an airtight container. However I tried to find this out last year and no one could give me a definate answer...