Christmas is only 10 days away

A bit of Christmas cheer to get you in the spirit......

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Click here to do a Christmas jigsaw

IF YOU SEE A FAT MAN…
Who's jolly and cute,
Wearing a beard and a red
flannel suit,
And if he is chuckling and
laughing away,
While flying around in a
miniature sleigh,
With eight tiny reindeer to pull
him along,
Then let's face it...
Your DRUNK!

Every time I see this picture I crack up laughing

Check out this cute Christmas e card by CLICKING HERE

Here is the recipe for the best ever Christmas Cake!

Rich Fruit Cake by Margaret Fulton

2 1/4 cups raisins, roughly chopped

2 1/3 cups sultanas

1 2/3 cups currants

6 each dried apricots, nectarines and peaches, finely chopped

3/4 cup mixed peel

1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped

1/2 cup glace cherries, halved

1/3 cup brandy

1/3 cup rum

250 g butter

1 cup brown sugar

5 eggs

finely grated rind of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons marmalade

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2-3 tablespoons rum or brandy, extra

This rich, spicy cake made a few weeks or even a month or two before Christmas will age and mature, ripening to a truly festive cake.

Toss the dried fruit, mixed peel, almonds, cherries, brandy and rum together in a large bowl, separating the fruit pieces. Cover and set aside to soak overnight.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Grease a 24cm square cake tin. Line the base and sides with 1 layer of brown paper and 2 layers of baking paper. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon rind and marmalade.

Sift the flour, mixed spice and baking powder together. Add 2 tablespoons of the sifted mixture to the dried fruits and toss through to prevent the fruit sinking to the bottom of the cake. Mix the remaining flour into the creamed mixture. Fold in the fruit. At this point it is easier to mix using your hands.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Level the top and drop the tin sharply onto the kitchen bench to settle the mixture. If your decoration is to be blanched almonds, arrange in a pattern around the top.

Bake for 2-3 hours, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the tin. Sprinkle the hot cake with extra rum or brandy. Wrap in a clean tea towel and leave on a cake rack until completely cold. Wrap the cake in baking paper and foil and store in a cool dark place until ready to use.

Brandy Butter Icing

180grams butter

4 1/2 cups of icing sugar

3 tablespoons brandy

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Cream butter, slowly add sugar, brandy and vanilla essence. Beat it so it's nice and fluffy and plop it all over the cake :)