Howdy!

Are you all getting those Christmas trees up? I am really shocked with how fast Christmas is coming around, as I am sure most of you are too! I really haven’t begun my Christmas cards, or gifts etc, so I better get started on that!

However, the one thing I do LOVE about Christmas is the baking! I love to bake, and if it wasn’t for my waist line I would be baking all sorts of scrumptious things to eat. I love to try new recipes, however sometimes the golden favourites are best.

My dear friend and Upline Ngaire, organized a Christmas lunch, and we were all participating in a bake swap as well. I couldn’t decide if I should make Rocky road or Shortbread so I made both!

Here is are some pics of the yummies….

Star shaped shortbread….

Bell shaped, Choc chip shortbread….

mmmmm….Rocky Road!

I packaged them up into cellophane bags. I had the big intentions of making tags to go onto the ribbon tie, but I just didn’t get the time…..

 All packaged and ready to go…..

Ngaire put on a most wonderful lunch, but better than the food was the lovely company! After we did our Bake swap, I came home with these wonderful parcels…..

Louise made a White chocolate and Gingerbread slice with these gorgeous boxes…

Cherita made shortbread and mini Christmas cakes (and yummy prawn cocktails for lunch, and table goodies too!)

Skip made White Christmas slice, all on a gorgeous Christmas plate!

Ngaire made a bag of Almond Rocca (which is to die for!!!) and these adorable handbags that had a box of buttons in there. Beautiful huh?

So now the trick is to hide all these scrumptious parcels, so that we actually enjoy them at Christmas time, and I don’t eat them all on my own! LOL!

I thought I might share with you the recipes to make the Shortbread. It is my Great Grandmothers recipe, and rather easy to make.

Christmas Shortbread

240gms Icing sugar

720gms Plain flour

500gms butter

1 egg

Choc chips (optional)

Method:

Add the icing sugar, flour, softened butter, and egg into a bowl and blend with your beaters. Place onto a floured board, and kneed till the mixture is of a good consistency. Cut into shapes, and place onto greased baking trays, and bake in a slow/ moderate oven till lightly browned. If you want to make it with Choc chips, add them when you are kneading the mixture so they are well mixed with the dough mixture, definitely use good quality chocolate.

Now tell me what is your favourite Christmas treat you make?

Well after all those promises to pass on my recipes on the day, I have finally found the chance to write them out for you all

I will put here whatever it was that I made for the Stamp-a-thon and if you need clarification, please just ask!

Makeesha’s Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

2-3 Chicken breasts with skin off

1 large onion

5-6 Carrots grated

5-6 stalks of Celery, sliced

1/4 paket of spagetti

4 pks of Cream of Chicken instant Cup-a-soup

2 pkts of Tomato instant Cup-a-soup

1 pkt of Chicken Noodle soup mix

Method:

Boil the Chicken breasts in a large pot and cook for approx 30 mins till all the Chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the chopped onion, grated carrot, sliced celery, and soup mixes, and spagetti snapped into smaller pieces. Add extra water and bring to the boil. Cook until all vegies soft and pasta is soft also. Shred the Chicken and add to the pan. Stir through. Add extra water if it is too thick. It makes one large panful.

 Great-Grandmother’s Shortbread

Ingredients:

720 grams Plain flour

500gms butter

240 grams icing sugar

1 Egg

Choc chips or Macadamia nuts

Method:

Mix butter and icing sugar together, then add the egg and plain flour. Mix thourghly. your can make plain shortbread, or add the chopped choc chips, or the macadamia nuts for a different flavour.

Turn onto a floured board and knead till mixture is smooth. Roll to a half inch thickness and then cut out into cirlce shape, or do this by hand.

Bake in a very moderate oven (150 degrees)  for about 30-40 minutes

HINT: Soften butter for easy mixing.

Choc Chip biscuits

Ingredients:

300grams of Margarine

1 cup of white sugar

1cup of brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tspn of vanilla essence

3 cups of Self Raising flour

1 pkt of choc chips

Method:

Beat the margarine, 2 sugars, eggs and vanilla essence together till light and fluffy. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Drop teaspoon size drops onto baking tray. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly on tray before removing. I find the biscuits bake better if the mixture is cold ( chilled in the fridge beforehand).

You can also adapt this recipe, by making it with white choc chips, adding cocoa, or peanuts to the mix. Makes about 50 biscuits. 

Ginger loaf

1/2 cup of honey

1/2 cup of golden syrup

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup hot water

2 cups of cold water

2 eggs

4 teaspoons of mixed spice

4-5 cups of SR flour

 Method:

Add the honey, golden syrup, brown sugar, margarine and hot water together. Mix. Then add the cold water, eggs, mixed spice and flour and beat with beaters till mixture is well blended.

Pour into 4 greased loaf tins. Cook at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes. Slice when cool and spread butter on one side.

Almond shortbread

Ingredients:

500 gms Butter

500gms sugar

3 cups of coconut

500grams of plain flour

4 tsp of Almond essence

Method:

Best the the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy. Stir in the coconut, and flour, and almond essence. Spread into 2 large flat greased trays. Galse with milk and bake in a very moderate oven (150 degrees) for about 35 minutes, or till browned. Slice whilst warm.

Choc Chip Fudge Slice

150 gms of margarine

500gms of brown sugar

3 eggs

2 cups of SR Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 pck of choc chips

Method:

Melt the butter and stir into the brown sugar. Add the eggs and stir. Stir in the flour, salt and baking powder. Add choc chips. Put into a greased lamington tray and bake for 35 minutes in a moderate oven ( 180 degrees). Slice and Enjoy!

 Date and Walnut Loaf

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup sugar

1 tspn bi-carb soda

1tblspn butter

1 cup boiling water

2 cups of SR flour

1/2 tspn salt

1 egg beaten

Method:

Place dates, walnuts, sugar,  margarine, bicarb and boiling water into a large bowl. Add the beaten egg, salt and SR Flour and stir through. Pour mixture into 2 greased loaf tins and bake in moderate oven for 50 minutes. SLice and spread marg on one side.