FN's Ponstastic Christmas Thread part Trois....

[FellatioNelson]

....will be officially open for business on September 24th. I am just firing up the engines and dusting down the control room ready for action in case I forget to do it on the 24th

Do not post yet. Do not. Sit on your hands, ladies.

On your marks........................

Thanks hanbee I'll have a go at that tomorrow :)

I've been busy poncing today. The bottles I ordered for my flavoured plonk arrived. I've just bottled up Christmas pud vodka and cherry brandy. They look great already but will look even better when I put labels on.

Fabric for Christmas stockings will be getting cut tonight during x factor and Christmas magazine browsing is well under way. Which has already inspired me to buy some vintage decorations for the tree. :)

My Nigella book arrived from the library. Ohh so many yummy recipes (forget the diet....)! I just MUST make some chutney for presents an for at home! Anyone tried the 'Christmas' and the 'Rich fruit' ones? Am also starting to plan for DHs birthday dinner on the 24.12 and I think the Passionfruit Pavlova just fits the bill - a nice change from chocolate and it looks rather grand even if I have to scale it down to cater for 6-8...

Of course I am still waiting on other books from the library so my plans may change but these copies are being filed into the binder now, and the shopping list for the chutney is made....

Meanwhile I made some Rhubarb Jam and Pickled Pumpkin this weekend somehow I don't think they make it very high on the poncy scales so they'll be for home consumption only!

And I spotted this recipe for nutty chocolate shortbread sandwich biscuits, it's gone to the top of my must make list for this year!
www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/1087241214646015/Tartines-au-Chocolat.html

Anje - they look delicious. Think 'll have to get busy with google translate though

Re marking my place for a good catch up tonight!

hurricane no worries happy to help if there is interest! I might end up posting more links to that site as I make more of my 'standard' recipes.

I love a poncetastic Christmas thread but as a lover of tinsel I thought I'd be cast out - then I find posts about Christmassy bog roll and I feel I am amongst friends

A small amount of tastelessness merely accents the ponciness I find.

I've been reading up on flavoured vodkas and love the idea of flavouring it with sweets. Can one flavour gin with sweets does anyone know?

Poncers,
A couple of questions about mincemeat if I may? Am planning on having a go with the Hairy Bikers recipe this year but wanted to do it in stages (get the mincemeat sorted soonish and then make into mince pies and freeze later on) but am a bit stuck.

1. I know I have to cook the mincemeat, Delia said it so it must be true! But how do I keep it and for how long?

1. When stirring in the booze do I do that before cooking or after?

Who knew poncing mince pies could be so complicated! (Pea brain!)

Rocky i use a Good Housekeeping recipe (book is an old faithful from the 80s) and it doesn't need cooking, as it contains sugar and alcohol which help to preserve it. It keeps for ages, as long as the jars stay sealed.

Rocky, the bikers mincemeat will keep for 12 months in sterilised jars in a cool cupboard. Only the lemon in the biker mincemeat is cooked, everything else is mixed uncooked in the food processor. Then you just decant the deliciousness into jars and seal.

Last week I bought a canapé tin with the teeniest little indentations (24 in a regular sized tin) and a sugar craft cutter for the tiniest little stars.

I then painstakingly cut out tiny circles of homemade pastry, filled them with mincemeat and topped with a tiny star. They have been frozen uncooked so they can be served warm and fresh.

It was the most ludicrous activity I have yet engaged in but DH is now clear in his understanding of what constitutes ponce

Morning All. I have been lurking with intent - all your ideas sound absolutely fabulous. I'm seriously excited about Christmas!!

I have a question though. I've made Betty's Christmas puddings for the last 2 years. I have to admit to not being a massive lover of Christmas puddings, but thought they were passable! I've read some quite heavy criticism of them though - on MN and elsewhere. Can anybody recommend a tastier poncier pudding that I can try this year?

Thanks all

Just up to speed- gutted I missed the free ideal home tickets

I have a long list of stuff to do/buy/make- feeling a bit swamped at the moment. I did make my cake and mincemeat yesterday though- Delia. Just going to pot the mincemeat- for whoever asked, brandy goes in afterwards. Am sterilising jars with campden tablets from winemaking and boiling water.

I have wasted spent all afternoon catching up on this thread! Loving all the fab new ideas but am getting very twitchy as we STILL haven't moved and feel I am falling way behind on poncetasticness! And very disappointed with the blackberry foraging this year not nearly enough! Also how do you all know what to forage for (apart from blackberries I know what they look like...) who taught you? Nobody ever took me foraging and I feel a bit useless at ponce when I wouldn't know a sloe if you threw one at me
Have been looking for somewhere to set up the sewing machine in a permanent home so it will be instantly ready for stockings and Christmas bunting andlooseatcover-- but somehow think it may just get dusty....must try harder!

Anyone know if I can microwave polyester? I realise that doesn't sound very poncetastic but I want to make microwaveable hand warmers and don't know what material to use, I want something nice and fleecy but heard a rumour that you can only microwave 100% cotton. Any idea?

I dont think you can, Lurkingprincess. The ones we had were cotton, they went inside a fleecy cover once you had heated them up. Could you do that?

Can I join in? Not sure if I'll necessarily be doing much any of the poncey stuff but I love reading about it and I'll try and provide a few good links/ideas.
Right - Fellatio asked about Heston's pudding. We had it last year and it was delicious but intensely, tooth-achingly sweet when you bit into the orange. Fine for me, but apparently there is such a thing as too sweet for some people.
I looked at the Rose Prince demo, and thought her orange looked more steamed than the real thing - Heston's really is candied all the way through - not in a nasty, jelly-fruit way, more like an unctuous fusion of syrupy orange surrounded by moist yummy pud. So I don't know what he does to get it like that but I'm guessing it's more than boiling it in syrup and marmalade for an hour. Probably involves a blow torch.

Hello poncers - I've come here looking for advice.

We're having goose this year for Christmas dinner, but never having cooked or tasted it before, I'm just wondering, should I brine it? I like the look of Nigella's turkey brine, but not sure if goose needs it.

Nearly forgot, I went to Ikea this weekend and they had packs of ribbon ties, red and white, for the home made tree decs, plus brown paper gift bags with St Nic on them. Also packs of 24 printed little gift bags for Advent - £8 I think. DH banned me from buying them as I'd have to get 3 packs and the thought of £24 on tiny bags was more than he could bear.
What else? Oh, the musical score wrapping paper - plus they had mirrored musical notes/clefs for hanging up. Loads more stuff to get my antennae quivering but as I said, was with DH...

waitingforme, did you freeze them in the tin? How are you storing them, in a bag?

Thanks

Fred, yes, freeze them in the tins, then as soon as they're frozen slip them out of the tins into freezer bags and tie them up tightly so they don't dry out. I do this every year so i can quickly rustle up fresh mince pies with no effort.

Thanks for the tip Ophelia and waiting. I make mine in mini-muffin size tins, and top with a star for mincemeat and a heart for raspberry jam (Lidls is perfect), there are many mincemeat-haters in my house! But the make-ahead-tip is magic thanks! I presume you defrost in the tin before making?

Had a first nose around HomeSense today - first decorations are out. And some nice Sagaform dishes. Also a really cheapo B&M shop next door had a good section of single-colour sparkly candles and some china plates (would have bought some is they had had more than one left!)

.. before BAKING is what I meant...

Checking in - I feel like I can look you all in the eye a bit more now, Piccalilli made, shallots and red cabbage pickled and ingredients bought ready for Christmas cake (Delia's, natch) next week.

The Kate Forman stocking arrived today and it's beautiful, I can thoroughly recommend them and also
this as I bought the Penhaligon's version for a friend last year and realised I'd missed a trick. I'm hoping to do the greenery and doorframe thing as per the pictures. My sitting room walls are now deep green so I'm hoping it'll look super!

I love the mince pies in a canape tin idea and will definitely give that a go, and also got one of Heston's puds whilst on offer. I can't believe I'm so ahead of the game this year!

Yes they go back in the tin to defrost but I often cook from frozen anja

A B&M is being opened on our high street. I've never see one before so keen to have a look around now!