Christmas 2021 - The second slice - Biscuit Kit

 

Hello My Dear Readers 

and Happy New Year and welcome to 2022!

I have a few more Christmas New Year posts to share so I'm doing a bit of a catch up.

 My regular Dear Readers will be aware that every year I make a Christmas Extravaganza for my nurses and our other wonderful support staff.

I also gift one to my hairdresser, my cleaner, grand-kids, niece (for Christmas, with a mixing bowl set)  and our next door neighbour.

You may remember, in the past for Christmas gifts I've done bookmarks, paper stars, jelly beans and reindeer noses.

This year ..it nearly killed me! 

Only kidding.

I put together 40 Christmas biscuit kits, I was exhausted,  

I keep telling them that next year their all just getting lollies..

Here is my production line, measuring out the ingredients for 40 kits.

The idea is the recipients just add one egg and some butter and bake the biscuits themselves.

I also bought some really nice recyclable packing with the pouches which I found online.

And of course there were things I forgot to consider...

They were heavy so I had to lug kilo's and kilos of gifts into work.

Chocolate melts in summer.

We have a mouse issue from time to time, which is why I had to store everything in plastic crates.

Graham thinks I'm bonkers.

But they were very much appreciated by the staff.

 

My first idea was to do a cookie mix in a jar.

But I needed a one litre jar and 40 jars were expensive. 

(I don't know why I didn't think of making the ingredients 1/2 quantity)! 

So that was 40 kits, each making potentially 24 biscuits. 

960 Christmas Biscuits!!!

Here's my original recipe from TASTE. (Thanks to Abby and her cookies in a jar). 

 https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/abbys-cookies-jar/717dc06f-5854-4c04-ae6b-768f72d9dcb9

I completely adapted it  to make the ingredients cheaper.  

But then had to do a test batch. 

The first batch was yucky, as I added Christmas spices and it was just too over whelming so I left the spices out of the final recipe. I also upped the flour a bit.

Here you are, 

some photos of pretty Christmas Biscuits.

These are mine! The successful test batch. (with a bit of cinnamon sugar on top).

Below:- These are Rory's!

Below:- These are Genevieve's!

Well, I may have to add to this post in the future if more photos of Christmas biscuits arrive. 

So watch this space..

``````````````````

 But wait there's more!

Below are Mary-Anne's!

AND MORE,

These are Chloe's!

 

 

 

Who's Who in the Zoo!

A recently finished cot quilt for one of my nurse's new baby son.

Its an alphabet quilt from the fabric range Zootopia.

 

It was one of those occasions that I had to spend $10.00 more to get $12.00 off my order, and half price international postage! That was a couple of years ago, but I knew I’d find a use for this fabric one day.

The bonus was that it was in the ‘pants on fire’ sale, so I bought the panel and all the animal ‘toss’ fabric they had in stock.

Here is the instruction manual with further information.

New info in BLUE.

Coming soon! Two more cot quilts which are the second Toy Story and Wiggles quilt.

Also, the Under Pressure at Christmas quilt in early 2022!

We let the wild daisies grow in the backyard for a few weeks as they are pretty!

 Above:- Here is 'Phil' our backyard Magpie supervising the photography session and hoping that as I am in the backyard it means I'll bring him a feed.

Christmas 2021 - The first slice

Merry Christmas everyone! 

This year I made a Fig and Chocolate Christmas pudding and this is it above lit up with brandy, although the room was too bright to see the flames, and Edith is looking decidedly underwhelmed!

Tasted yum though!

As in the book  'The Magic Pudding' I am naming this years 3 Christmas blog posts 'slices'!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas Morning in Armidale!

Positively exhausted after enjoying the dog gifts!

And Christmas wouldn't be the same if not for negative covid tests!

Meanwhile - out at Kentucky there was a Strictly Ballroom theme beginning in the new house.

Also, a farmyard including dinosaurs.

Ruby's first Christmas!

We had Christmas lunch with Sean, Rose and the kids.

Here is Kimba having a read with Edie and Florrie on the windy back deck.

MENU

For starters we had savory spoons.

Spoon 1- thinly sliced cucumber, smoked salmon, creme fraiche and caviar.

Spoon 2-  Rocket, prosciutto, boccaccini and a balsamic dressing

Then there was prawns, roast pork and veg, a layered salad, finishing with pudding fruit and custard.

And finally gingerbread houses, one was made by Mum, the other by Rose and the kids.

Long day, we were all a bit exhausted at the end!

And lets start as we began with the magic pudding.

Here is the recipe from one of my scrapbooks.