December Christmas Lust List

1. Mulled Wine Warmer – I drink a lot of mulled wine over Christmas.  Any gadget, that looks this pretty, that will assist me in mulled wine guzzling is going to be my best friend.

2. Gold Patterned Plates – Bling plates will see you right through from pre-christmas parties loaded with canapés to New Years Eve.

3. Santa Face Bowl – I want to fill his head with popcorn and then eat it whilst pretending to be a zombie. Braaains. So festive.

4. Christmas Napkins – Simple red and white patterned paper napkins suitable for every table.

5. Christmas Pudding Teapot – I want this for Chrismas morning; despite the fact I’m the only person that drinks tea in my house… Grumble…

6. Jingle Bell Lights – My kitchen needs jingly bells and lights.

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I cleaned my oven.  I wish I could say that this is a regular thing, but it really isn’t.  But with an oven full of caustic chemicals and a want for cake, this would normally be a recipe for disaster.  Luckily, if you have a slow cooker; I have your back.

IMG_7715Ingredients

100gr room temperature unsalted butter
80gr light brown sugar
50gr golden syrup
20gr black treacle
2 eggs
40ml water
160gr self raising flour
50gr fresh ginger, grated finely
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Method
1, First prep your slow cooker.  Put two small saucers in the bottom and add a couple of inches of hot water.  Turn the slow cooker onto high and put on the lid.  Grease and line a seven inch silicone cake pan and set this to one side.
2,  Put the butter, sugar, syrup and treacle in a medium saucepan and set over a low heat.  Stir until the butter has melted with the sugars.  Remove from the heat and let this cool.
3, Beat in the eggs, water and fresh ginger.  Sift in the flour and stir through until you have a smooth batter.  This will be fairly liquid.
4, Pour into your prepared cake tin and then loosely cover it with a sheet of foil.
5, Carefully, place in the slow cooker.  It shouldn’t touch the sides or bottom or it will cook unevenly.
6, “Bake” for at least three hours before uncovering and checking it.  It needs the initial long time in there undisturbed because you effectively lose all the heat if you take the lid off.  Poke it with a skewer or with a sharp knife in the centre, and if it comes out clean then it’s ready.  If it’s still a bit gooey, stick the lid back on for 30 minutes and test again.
7, Turn out the cake onto a wire cooling rack and leave to cool.  Store in an airtight container.
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Ginger Syrup (optional)
Simmer together 250ml of water with 3tbsp of caster sugar and 50gr chopped ginger until thick and caramelly in colour.  Leave to cool and pour over the cake before serving.

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 Christmas Tree Day is a big deal.  I have very strong views on the difference between a Nordman Fir and a Norway Spruce.

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 There isn’t a smell more christmassy than a real tree.  But if you want bitesized sapling to snack on, try these crisp meringue trees.  They’d make a perfect topper for your Christmas cake.

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 Ingredients

2 egg whites
100gr caster sugar
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
Green food colouring paste/gel

Method

1, Beat the egg whites until they are foamy and add in the vinegar.
2, Carry on beating the egg whites until they reach soft peaks.
3, Turn the speed up and slowly start adding in the caster sugar.
4, Carry on beating the mixture until you can rub a tiny bit between your fingers and it doesn’t feel grainy and you’ve reached a thick glossy mixture that holds its shape when you lift the whisk.  Beat through the food colouring to a pastel green.
5, Preheat your oven to 100 degrees C and line a baking sheet with bang paper.
6, Decant the meringue mix into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe as you would a cupcake.  If you make a mistake with these, just scrape them off and repipe.  You can make these as small or large as you like.
7, Bake for one hour (if they’re small) or one and half to two hours if they are large.  Then turn off the oven and leave until completely cold.  Decorate with silver balls and stars.

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Your hands get a battering in winter, especially over Christmas.  Cold weather and lots of washing up take their toll on your fingers.  This is a cute little way of putting together a little hand care kit which you can customise completely.

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I included the following in mine: a mini manicure kit, four sided nail buffer, hand cream, my favourite type of nail varnish remover, hand cream and two glittery nail polishes.

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Add a tag. And you’re done!

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