Casualty

Posts will be sporadic and possibly misspelled for a few days as I can't see very well - glasses broke tonight and have had to put some contacts in, which I hate, and I can't see that well with them.  Better than nothing at all, though, and I definitely won't be driving anywhere!!

For those who grieve

We had a candle alight for them all at our service this afternoon.

So desperately sad.

Double chocolate biscotti recipe

I have made some MORE mince pies tonight to serve at the chapel on Saturday afternoon's Nativity.  But I wanted to make something else, something different that I hadn't tried before - and in my email inbox was a notification from Mortgage Free In Three to say that Elaine had posted today.  I nipped over there, and sure enough, it was a recipe!

Now, I didn't use that particular recipe, but I adapted it a bit, and made some double chocolate biscotti - my first attempt.  They smell divine, and the YFG and FH have both tried them, and they both said that they were rather hard for biscuits so I had to explain that these are grown-up dunking biscuits.  Then the EFG came downstairs and asked me why the cake hadn't risen!  Because it is biscotti, not cake!!

They look a little like these:

(image from marthastewart.com) 

and the recipe for those in the picture is here

My recipe ingredients were:

220g dark chocolate, chopped

250g plain flour

150g caster sugar

1tsp baking powder

2tbsp cocoa

4 eggs [medium]

It is rather a stiff dough, but I shaped it into 2 logs and placed them side by side on a baking tray and cooked them at 180C for about 20 minutes, and then cut it into slices and baked it again for 10 minutes to dry it out. The chocolate chunks oozed a little but that added to the flavour a lot, so a little oozing can be forgiven.

It was a case of using what I had in stock, and what I thought would be appreciated here.  I haven't got any cranberries to make Elaine's version, and I hadn't any pistachios to make Martha's either.  There is another recipe I would like to try another time, for Christmas Biscotti which an MSE poster has shared and they have mincemeat in them.  Got plenty of that, so they may be next on the "challenge-myself" list!

Delia's Christmas Dinner

(image from guardian.co.uk)

The fab folk on MSE forums posted a link to an article in the Guardian from the end of November, where our national treasure, Delia Smith, had put together a Christmas lunch menu for under £5 a head, to include a starter, main course and the pud, as well as Christmas cake and mince pies.  

The recipes are mostly there but they do send you on to Delia's website for a few of the more basic ones.

I'd love to hear if anyone has any cheaper ideas!  I'm sure that some of the super scrimping tightwaddy people out there have some other ideas - let's share?

Some numbers

ONE

One hundred pounds raised on our cake stall at the Christmas Fayre on Sunday afternoon.

TWO

Two really late nights have made me really tired!

THREE

Three people in this household have got a cold, and we are all "bung dup"

 and it isn't fun!

FOUR

Four sleeps until the weekend, and I can't wait...Saturday afternoon we are having the Christmas Songs of Praise and Nativity Play.  The children have been rehearsing well, and it is going to be fab.

It is also the number of guests we are now expecting on Christmas Day to share our lunch - one older chap and a young mum and her two darlings.  The girls are really excited to be having people round on the big day as we don't usually.

FIVE

Almost five thousand pounds socked away into the fund this year - I will achieve it by the end of the month - I am determined....just about £400 to go and I am pretty sure where that will come from.  Our future is getting more secure.  I am becoming more confident about riding the waves in the rougher seas to come.

SIX OR SEVEN

The number of pounds I want to lose to get to my target weight - I don't think that will be achieved this side of 2013, but I will happily carry that one over the New Year.

EIGHT

In eight days' time, I plan to marzipan the Christmas cakes, so that I can ice them on the weekend before the  big day.

NINE

Nine days to wait for a delivery from Rosspa.co.uk which is my answer to coping with the shopping.  Having  his birthday on a Tuesday was just bad management this year [joking!], as it means that the shops will be heaving for about five days beforehand, and I need things like grapes and bananas that I can't buy and freeze - I have to get them fresh....so they are coming in a home delivery.  I was too late to get a slot from a supermarket, so I thought laterally and went for Rosspa rather than AF as I knew I could get fruit and veg from them too.  And bargain prices into the deal.

TEN

Probably another ten dozen mince pies will need to be made this week.  For Thursday, for Friday, for Saturday......all church events!

[Weakening at the thought......anyone want to send me some - there is a recipe on here somewhere!]

Monday finances

As I said last Monday, today is my day for keeping track of things, and this morning I have just spent 45 minutes tracking and moving and adding things up!

(image from homecaredirect.co.uk)

I want to share some tips I found on the Australian Simple Savers website, posted by a chap called Stephen Lake.  He seems to have lots of wise sayings to share, and these seem particularly apt:

Successful money managers

1 Have good savings habits

2 Start saving early.

3 Spend less than they earn.

4 Are decisive.

5 Have conservative expectations, live modestly.

6 Live for tomorrow, and plan.

7 Are driven and self motivated.

8 Trust their adviser and provide good information.

9 Invest through good and bad times.

10 Are emotionally secure and mature.

11 Learn at every opportunity

12 Keep good records.

Saturday sharings

Only two tonight because I am so late that it is actually morning and I should be in bed!

This is an amazingly good recipe for chocolate brownies and they will be featuring in our Christmas revels at some point - perhaps for Boxing Day tea for the people who hate the Christmas cake!

And this one is a veritable feast of links within itself for all kinds of goodies - nip over and I can guarantee half an hour will pass whilst you check out all the fab ideas!  And all for luscious gifts you can make and give.

This afternoon I have been baking lemon muffins, more carrot cake and some ginger cakes, packaging them up, sewing holly onto knitted Christmas puddings, and just now I am taking a break from making the Rocher home made truffles.  One batch down, one to go - I am just making the inside bit tonight and then I will get up early and coat them in chocolate before church.......the bazaar is at 2pm so they will have to be packaged by 12.  They should be set by then, fingers crossed.