Festive Foodies

I grabbed a couple of books from the Christmas display in the library last week. Donna Hay is the Australian equivalent of Martha Stewart - cooking plus lifestyle. And Brontë Aurell is the lovely woman who runs ScandiKitchen in London

DH had loads of recipes for main courses - interesting to read, but not much that I'd want to prepare for our Yuletide feasts. And quantities were for larger numbers, as you'd expect. Not much use to the two of us. However, in her dessert section, there were some ideas I liked. Four which used crushed up candy canes. 

Candy canes are pink and sweet and often greatly reduced straight after Christmas. Donna crushes them and uses them almost like a substitute for praline. 

Crushed canes, bourbon biscuits, and cream make truffles, coated in chocolate. 

Canes, crumbled brownie and ice cream make a loaf to slice for a fancy pudding. 

Canes, white chocolate, butter and shortbread melt together for chocolate bars. 

Canes with milk, cream and melted ice cream becomes a festive milk shake

The other ideas involve ice cream, pandoro and pannetone loaves. She hollows out the loaves and fills the inside with ice cream. One she covers with meringue like a Baked Alaska. The hollowed out "innards" become a trifle. And gingerbread men sandwich a slice of ice cream to make a fun ice cream sandwich [an idea for the grandchildren] 

Brontë's book has lots more recipes which I could see myself making. Scandinavian bread recipes, small cakes and biscuits. She also has an excellent section explaining popular Scandi ingredients [eg lingonberries, cardamom, buttermilk] and giving tips for substitutes

And I learned another word... Kringle.. I'd heard Americans referring to Santa as Kris Kringle, but I didn't realise that Kringle is a Scandi word for pretzel. And this dessert is a sweet flaky pastry filled with dried fruit, marzipan and nuts. 

Brontë also has lots of information about Scandi Christmas traditions. 

Both books were an easy read, with clear illustrations, and well written recipes. I liked the way that both books offered some fresh ideas for salads and side dishes. And good ideas for turning store cupboard ingredients into something more interesting. I'd expected a bit more "lifestyle" stuff from DH - if you have Disney+ you can watch her Xmas shows which do give tips for presentation and table setting. But I suppose she is in Oz, where they have sunshine not snow at Yuletide. 

But I need to stop reading and get on with Christmas tasks! 

At The Repair Café

Repair is definitely the theme for this week. Sunday I posted a prayer to repair the world, yesterday I introduced The Repair Shop  The Restoration Station. And On Sunday I spent four hours at the Village Hall where I go for my craft group, at the Repair Café.

I was at the mending table - I worked on 3 aprons which needed longer ties, and then did an invisible darn on this argyll pattern sweater.

It was quite a busy time- I never got round to taking photographs outside, in the sunshine where people were mending tools and bikes, and sharpening blades. My friend's husband came in wielding a huge axe!

One of my blue quilts was on display, draped over the unsightly [non-working] electric organ - but I didn't snap that either.

The cakes were amazing, and the filled rolls delicious.

Jane sold lots of her seed packets for peace[raising money for Amnesty]

Bob had some positive conversations about the Men's Shed Project. 

It was lovely to see the community coming together, collaborating in such a positive way.

UPDATE; Monday morning's Holiday Club was brilliant. 29 children booked in, everything ran very smoothly. Thank you for all the encouraging messages!

No Egyptians [Due To The Vikings]

We had Wednesday all planned out. 

1. Off early to a local farmshop to buy a birthday gift [and have breakfast] 
2. on to the University for the Visions of Ancient Egypt Exhibition
3. followed by visiting some newly opened shops at Earlham House [and have coffee]
4. finally a supermarket shop at Sainsburys on the way home.

The Goat Shed at Honingham are very proud of their new Kids Playground

And the kids [as well as the older goats] really seem to enjoy it. Sadly, none of the goats were climbing when I took my pictures..I bought a selection of locally produced goods [apple juice, marmalade, fudge etc] to make up a Norfolk Hamper to take to a 90th birthday lunch tomorrow.

The Egyptian thing - never quite happened. We got to UEA, picked up a [free] parking permit for the Sainsbury Centre, then I tried to buy two tickets. The girl on reception said "I'm really sorry, but the exhibition is closed for a private viewing. The regular exhibits and sculpture trail are both open" I said we'd done them before, and it was the Egyptian thing we had come to see - could we come back in the afternoon? No it was closed all day "Who is the special visitor? Is it the King or somebody?" I asked. "No it's erm..VI-king, the sponsors. It does say on the website" I said I should have checked, my fault. She said in all the years she has worked there, she's never known a closure like this.  I smiled, meandered round the gift shop and we left...meanwhile a lot of very indignant people were milling round reception getting very cross because they had come from all across East Anglia to see this display. 

I didn't feel they needed to be so loud, and so abusive - it was hardly the fault of the three pleasant young women at the desk. But after we drove away I looked on the website- and I couldn't find anything saying Closed Today...We will try again sometime.

On to the Earlham House Shops. This little parade is in the middle of Norwich's "Golden Triangle" - so named by Estate Agents 40 years ago as our city's equivalent to London's Notting Hill. There are two great charity shops, a wonderful green grocer [also serving food]  a fair sized Co-op and more...

Liz had alerted me to HandStand, a new craft & gift shop which has just opened. Lottie, the owner [and artist] was very friendly. There were prints, cards, jewellery, pots, plants...all locally made.

Very attractive stuff, but a little bit more than I'd like to pay. 

I was very taken with a plant, in a plain ceramic pot with a simple leather hanger - until I saw it cost £50. A couple of doors down the street, the Post Office has re-opened. Martin and Beverly, who have run the PO since 1995, retired in August.

Adam has taken over, and there has been a "five-figure revamp"

As well as the Post Office, which offers around 160 different services, he tells me, there are other goods on sale; Books, toys, cards and stationery. [I didn't like to point out that their sign said stationary] Decent quality at very good prices. I treated myself to another Hairy Maclary book. If you have young grandchildren, I can really recommend HM books!

I posted Rosie's parcel. "For security, can I ask what is in this?" said the assistant. "This jumper" I said, showing her a picture. She said she'd like one for herself!

I found a Boden teeshirt for £1 in a CS. We sat in the sunshine and had coffee with pasteis de nata in Dyrrah.

Then Sainsburys and home. The weather turned wet and windy, we were very glad to be inside in the warm.

Reading The Signs

Steph and I went to the Trafford Centre on Monday morning. My first visit there for over 10 years. There were lots of stores to see, and signs to read. Perhaps I should have gone to Specsavers - I thought at first this was sewing happiness, and was a little disappointed to realise it was serving ice-cream** 

John Lewis haberdashery was really depleted compared to last time - so very little sewing happiness there either. The cushion was encouraging though

Steph and I were quite unfamiliar with some of the newer shops, and the fashion brands have such intriguing names. 

I thought Stradivarius made violins, and "Pull and Bear" sounds like some sort of instruction to engage in hard labour! 

This had to be the strangest name! Whatever do they mean by it? 

We also looked at - but did not buy - the bags of meringue sweets

Live lightly and brightly ✔️ Fair trade ✔️

Recyclable ✔️ Vegetarian ✔️

Gluten free ✔️ Natural colours and flavours ✔️

75% + white sugar? ? Not quite so good

There's a wonderful building firm locally, we've seen their vans out and about

In these days of national mourning, it lifts one's spirits to come across the cheerful name of "Rejoice and be clad" doesn't it? 

It takes ages to get round the shops when pushing the buggy - every other woman wants to look at Jacob and comment on how tiny he is, and how well Steph looks, considering she gave birth just 3 weeks ago. 

**As well as gelato, you can also buy 'rolled ice cream' which is a very strange concept [website here] but seems extremely popular amongst the Mancunians.