Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 6: Calmly through the day

[MissConductUS]

I've started a new one. Please join us and share the boring and mundane things happening in your world. It will be calming for all.

Shame about the onions but good on yer for the gravy

@Prokupatuscrakedatus - Have you considered a classic chocolate chip cookie? I make them every Christmas and they are very popular.

www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10813/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/

@Missconductus
Chocolatechip is another idea - that would bring me up to the traditional ten (no idea were that number came from - but that's how it is).

These are my DSis Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars ?) sth I never managed to bake properly.

Christmas cake update - half the bottle of brandy is now in the cake, more or less. (It was a small bottle before anyone grows concerned about our livers).

I reckon I’ll get another quarter in, most likely. It will need to be marzipanned a few days before I ice it so I don’t have unlimited time. Which reminds me - I need to add icing sugar to the Tesco order this week so I don’t get caught in some festive stockpiling disaster scenario.

I may give stollen a go this year, once DS has gone back to school. I do love a good stollen.

I’ve never made stollen, does anyone have a good recipe please?

Varnished a couple of doors today, did dinner. Just taken a crumble out of the oven. DH will make custard.

www.stollen-aus-dresden.de/stollen-rezepte

@adoraBell

This page is bilingual.

Ah I hope you like them @Prokupatuscrakedatus. They're a bit of an institution over here in N.I, and make an appearance at everything from church fetes, school bakesales, and work canteens. Really simple but really addictive.

I made my Christmas cake today! I usually use the same recipe for a massive one which ends up weighing 5kg and has at least one bottle of brandy feeding it, but it'll be too much this year with hardly seeing anyone. I've made a smaller date and chocolate one instead, the recipe was in last weekend's Guardian

I am missing a lovely friend who moved abroad so I made a chocolate babka with DS (she is a phenomenal baker and this was a much loved part of her repertoire). I have never made any kind of enriched dough thing before and we don’t have a mixer so it was a LOT of kneading.....but it is one of the nicest things we have ever made. Satisfyingly time consuming as well - the making of the dough, kneading, rising, making the filling, assembling the loaves, baking, eating. Took all day pretty much.

I have caulked the gaps underneath the skirting boards in preparation for painting tomorrow. It looks loads better already.

@Prokupatuscrakedatus i am very jealous of your colleagues getting 10 kinds of Christmas cookie!!

@Persisford
We used to supply the cookie stand at DD's school's advent basar - a local event. There were a lot of great bakers in her year. But she's a student now, so we force cookies unto everyone who can't run away fast enough.

@Prokupatuscrakedatus I wouldn’t run away, I would run towards you with my mouth open! I make fairly successful cakes but I am just dreadful at biscuits. My heart sinks when the kids bring out the cutters as I know it will mean a sticky mess, flour EVERYWHERE, and biscuits all spread and gloopy and not looking anything like they are supposed to! I loved making biscuits as a kid but my mum’s old recipe book has sadly been lost in a house move and no other recipe has ever come close in terms of being easy to make and not spreading in the oven. I would be VERY GRATEFUL for any tips!

I’m going to go to bed with a hot water bottle and watch the Diwali fireworks out of my window.

@Persisford
I join you - I cannot handle cookie cutters at all - unless a simple round or square form. I feel like Donald Duck handling sellotape. DM used to create angels, stars, animals, bells - I only create mess.

Had deliveroo from local Thai restaurant, absolutely gorgeous, plus a nice bottle of rosé 👌 Popped on an album of Ella Fitzgerald in the background, all that was missing was us wearing something nice, but it's all packed away waiting for the move!

@PersisFord

I am missing a lovely friend who moved abroad so I made a chocolate babka with DS (she is a phenomenal baker and this was a much loved part of her repertoire). I have never made any kind of enriched dough thing before and we don’t have a mixer so it was a LOT of kneading.....but it is one of the nicest things we have ever made. Satisfyingly time consuming as well - the making of the dough, kneading, rising, making the filling, assembling the loaves, baking, eating. Took all day pretty much.

I have caulked the gaps underneath the skirting boards in preparation for painting tomorrow. It looks loads better already.

@Prokupatuscrakedatus i am very jealous of your colleagues getting 10 kinds of Christmas cookie!!

Wasn't that in Bake Off the other week?

Thank you for the link 👍

I watched The Post today. It was a bit like watching an episode of The West Wing at the start as I had very little idea of what was going on and then got very gripping. Jesse Plemons is in it and we thought it was Matt Damon - apparently he gets confused for Matt Damon regularly so I don’t feel so daft.

I am now on rest days and it is raining. Not that it matters really as I wasn't actually going anywhere

DDog3 is furious at being made to go out into the garden in the rain.

I shall go to bed for a couple of hours, then I may expand my horizons to the laundry pile

I went to see The Post three times - twice on my own and then I dragged DD4 to see it too. I would have gone again but they put on another movie in my local cinema.

Has been raining really heavily here, thankfully our new thatched roof is working.

DH is sleeping, DS is awake.

I went downstairs to give Sodding his breakfast and let him out of the kitchen (where he sleeps). He’s now under our duvet catching and killing our toes. He discovered there is an ‘under’ to the duvet when he was poorly and crawled under the covers to curl up against me. Now he gets into bed with us often, and not just to bite our extremities.

Blue sky with fluffy clouds.
I have made a to do list for work and one fo home.
And I have already taken down the dry washing and folded it back into the cupboard. The T-Shirts are still wet, so they stay up.

Sodding is itchy scratchy. Following a short convo we realised he is overdue on flea treatment and may have picked them up during his stay at the vets or from Shyboy. With the central heating at full pelt, we can’t delay or we’ll all be itching soon. I am heading out to Pets at Home shortly.

We’ve done an online Mass and sausage/bacon/egg rolls afterwards. Finally stopped raining so dragging DC out for quick walk before it starts again. Need to change the beds, make packed lunches for tomorrow, clean the kitchen and feed everyone risotto this evening. Dull but necessary!

Hermes lost GDS's aftershave present ordered two weeks ago. Perfume shop are replacing. On the other hand Eufy Robovac ordered yesterday has just arrived. Not delivered by Hermes.

DGS's present. No idea who a GDS would be.

I am eating blackcurrant curd on toast. It is sensational.