As I sit here, having coffee, reading Christmas food blogs and eating Christmas cake, I am declaring the end of Christmas for me. I've even put a few decorations back in the box that are in the way - I don't usually do this until Epiphany, but I've had my epiphany and that is I'm over Christmas this year.
Ive lost my baking mojo and love of recipe flipping and I think it's because I got a flu-cold just before Christmas and then chopped my left index finger nearly in half on Christmas day, and because I miss my family who are thousands of miles away, and the weather has been lousy here. Rain, rain, rain, rain.
Even my Stir-Up Sunday effort last month was a bit of a failure. Overall, I used too much Captain Morgan's and lighting of the pudding took nearly half an hour to put out after the warmed brandy was poured over it. The cake, which I am eating now, tastes great but again, a little too much liquid has produced more of a pudding than cake. And the mince pies. I have been making mince pies for years but I am OVER mince pies and I only made 2 dozen this year. First batch for the freezer never made it there, and I didn't like the pastry I'd made. Second batch I used Jamie's idea of puff pastry and filo pastry but I didn't put enough fruit mince in so the overall texture was too doughy and some are still lurking in the tin and actually, the rest of the mincemeat I am going to throw out because it simply isn't that good.
I am pleased that at least the turkey is all eaten, because I only bought a crown this year, and the beef en croute was eaten in its entirety at Christmas dinner. It was delicious, (thanks Delia). We had had the ham in mustard and marmalade glaze the night before with new potatoes and cabbage, so the ham was added to Christmas dinner for those that didn't eat the beef. The bread sauce was lacking in flavour this year, don't know why and the cranberry was a little tart. I did manage, before the finger-slicing episode, to make a few jars of Christmas chutney from my new book Scandinavian Christmas, bt Trine Hahnemann. It is delicious and, of course, goes with all the cold leftovers.
Which is how I am feeling today. Like a cold leftover. Now there's New Year's Eve to get through but in reality, it's usually a non-event. I always love the idea of me and hubs alone having our own private NYE cocktail and nibbles party. I usally make some effort with pate and canapes.
Roll on 2013.
