Christmas is coming, 2016 ... Part One

Just in case you didn't know... Christmas is coming ... about ten weeks away now.

So, trying to be organised, I have prepared all my dried fruit and have it soaking in rum overnight for my Christmas Puddings, which I will make tomorrow.

It is our turn to host both Christmas Dinner (lunch) for the extended family (my Dad, uncle and aunt, cousins plus my sisters and my niece and nephew) and a Christmas "Eve" dinner (we are having it early this year) with some family friends.  So, I thought that I had better take the opportunity of a quiet week this week to make my puddings.

This is a tried and true Australian Women's Weekly recipe, that I have been using since 1983 - that is 33 years now!  Wow! That does make me feel old.

Just for fun, after I peeled the one Granny Smith apple that I needed for the recipe, which I actually managed to get off in one long strip - woo hoo! - I threw it over my left shoulder to see what letter it would make, expecting just a squiggle.  I was thrilled to see this gorgeous curlicued V, when I turned around.

Isn't it pretty?

That's all from me for now, off to pick some more roses - lol!

hugs, 

P.S. Jamie from Cricket Bug Corner, just asked me if there is a tradition linked to throwing the peel over your left shoulder.  Yes, there is, it is supposed to show you the initial of the man you are going to marry  (too late for me, I have been married 34 years to the same man whose initial starts with J not V! lol!)

Apples and love

K xoxox

Online Advent Calendar: December 9th

I am lucky enough to taking part in  Jo from Serendipitous Stitching's Online Advent Calendar.

I am Day 9.

This stitchery is one I did for an exchange.  It was a lovely quick stitch as I stitched and completed it on the train to and from work in just one day!

I thought that you might like to see the sparkly tree and reindeer which graces our foyer at work. 

 

The bigger building next door has the same tree but 10x bigger!  Here I am with one of my work colleagues Kieran as we were on our way to get a coffee at one of new cool coffee places at Collins Place.

 Jo has asked us to share a Christmas tradition with you all.  One of mine is that I always make the Christmas pudding.  The recipe I use is a really easy one and I have made it since Christmas 1983 - that is 30 years!
It lives in the scrapbook of recipes which I have been collecting since TraderVic and I were married in 1982.  It is an Australian Women's Weekly recipe from Christmas of 1983.

Here is my tatty old recipe scrapbook:

The true beauty of this recipe is that it is cooked in an oven bag!  Yes, an oven bag!  It always makes two puddings and once it is made it can be kept in the fridge for weeks.  And if we don't use both puddings on Christmas Day, the second one is popped into the freezer (right at the back) and it will keep there for a whole year!  (Unless we host Christmas in July).

The last really great thing about it is that all you have to do is microwave it for 10 minutes on Christmas Day and it is ready!  ... and it is delicious! Wow!  I really love this recipe!

My dear friend Marie, of Princes Park walking fame, just gave me my Xmas present early this year as it is this awesome snow globe which lights up and snows just at the press of a button.  I shut all of the shutters to take this photo so that you could get a bit of an effect.  Cute, hey?  It is a nutcracker which I just love - thank you dear Marie.

Anyway, I wish you all a Merry Xmas, don't forget to go to Jo's blog to check out the other days of the Advent Calendar  and....

hugs,