Tinsel and Sparkle, Crackers and Lights

Last Sunday Rob and I went to choose our Christmas tree. I love doing this each year and, although the shops are full of gifts months before and Christmas songs are on the radio throughout December, bringing home the tree really marks the start of the festive season for me. Rob spotted this one and it's really lovely with a full, bushy shape. I'm a classic and traditional girl when it comes to the tree and every year I adorn it with gold and red baubles that shine under the little lights.

I'm feeling very festive now, although it took a while for that to happen and up until even last week I just could not believe that Christmas day is next week. The last six weeks (wow, six weeks!) since I started my new job have been like a whirlwind. It's a great time to start a new job though and I've been enjoying parties and lunches there as well as catching up with old colleagues. I'm off to another little gathering, at my Mum's, tonight and I think I'm going to be all partied out come Christmas day!

I've been so wrapped up in my new job that the Christmas preparations have pretty much been passing me by up until now. I felt a sense of panic threatening to descend upon me when I realised I only had a few weeks to go but, after ordering our turkey, a late night shop last Thursday night, a huge Amazon order and finally writing and posting our cards today to catch the last post for 1st class I now feel more that I can start to relax and enjoy the season. Bring on the food and drink!

In the Bag: Cooking the Month of December

With less than two weeks to go until Christmas we thought we'd fill this month's bag with traditional Christmas ingredients for you to make a seasonal classic, perhaps with an original twist, or to come up with something completely new. So without further ado let's open up the bag:

Mincemeat
Chestnuts
An orange

Entry Details
Make a dish using the ingredients and blog about it then send an email with ‘In the Bag in the subject line to asliceofcherrypie AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk by Sunday 4th January with the following information:

• your name
• a link to your post
• the name of your dish
• a picture of your dish

Rules

Here are the loose rules - but ultimately remember the objective is to have fun whilst highlighting seasonal food:

1. Participants should attempt to use all the ingredients 'in the bag' for that particular month, but may leave one out if they prefer. The dish should be based around the seasonal ingredient, with it acting as a central ingredient.

2. Participants can include any "extra" ingredients that they see fit.

3. Entries should include a link back to the host for that month, and the post should be tagged "In the Bag".

4. Entries can be written any time during the month, as long as the URL is emailed to that month's host before the closing date.

5. Particpants from outside of the UK are most welcome to join in and substitute an item from their own local seasonal produce if necessary.

'In The Bag' is a food event run monthly by 'A Slice of Cherry Pie' and 'Real Epicurean'.

Naff Retro Party Food

As the party season is in full swing I thought you may enjoy this list of buffet style food from the 70s and 80s that my colleagues and I came up with today at work during a moment of joint reminiscence. Although the theme was naff retro party food quite a few on the list made us go “ooh I used to love those” and some that we admitted to still liking, so perhaps there’s something to be said for a little naff-ness every now and then.

How many do you remember and what can you add to the list? Look out for them at the next Christmas party you go to and let me know if you spot any of them!

Cheese and pineapple on a stick
Prawn cocktail
Twiglets
Baby Cham
Vol au vents
Fray bentos pies (I’m not quite sure how this got on the party food list!)
Ice gems
Spam fritters
Snowball
Avocat
Cherry Brandy
Glace cherries
Black forest gateaux
Watney's red barrel
Double Diamond
Screwdriver
Mateus Rose
Branston pickle
Birds trifle
Arctic roll
Angel delight
Blancmange
Matchmakers
After eights
Cocktail sausages
Sausage rolls
Pickled onions
Tizer
Discos crisps
Melon balls / boat
Party rings iced biscuits
R White's Lemonade
Soda Stream
Rum & raisin choc ice
Tutti frutti ice cream
Space dust
Pink panther wafer biscuits
Garibaldi
Fig rolls
Quiche
Cheese straws
Fish paste sandwiches
Polony
Spam

The Fruit that thinks it's a Dessert

In the staff restaurant at work the other day custard apples were on display with a notice urging people to try them. I’d never come across them before but my colleague who was with me said they were good so, never being one to turn down a new culinary experience, I picked one up and took it home to dissect with my camera lens, a knife and my taste buds.



When I selected my custard apple from the ones on display in the restaurant my colleague had advised me to choose one that wasn’t too hard but gave a little when pressed so that I would know it was ripe (much like an avocado) – worth remembering if you ever buy one. I cut it open and discovered little black seeds buried inside the cream coloured flesh. When I scooped some of the flesh out with a spoon and tasted it I immediately understood why this fruit got its name. It was sweet and tasted a little like banana, with a hint of pineapple, but in both taste and texture I thought it actually did have a vague similarity to custard!

For a whole host of information about custard apples and recipes too take a look at this website from the Australian Custard Apple Growers Association.