Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Wednesday 26 November 2008

To do today . . .


1. Write a checklist of things I must not forget to take to the Saffron Walden Arts Fair on Friday.

2. Write a list of prices of all the things on my stall.

3. Write a list of things to do before Friday.

4. Make the Christmas cake*.

* I intended to make the Christmas Cake at the weekend, there was a delicious sounding recipe in the newspaper the other week. I'd bought all the fruit and spices from Daily Bread and appropriately on Stir-up Sunday** I weighed out all the fruit as discribed in step one of the instructions. Step two was "leave for a minimum of two days" . . . oh! So I changed that to read: "add to Wednesday's 'to do' list". The cake is now in the oven, and as my cake tin is slightly smaller than the one recommended in the instructions, the mixture has already risen right to the top of the tin! The uncooked mixture tasted divine :)


**Stir-up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people;
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,
may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen


The collect for the last Sunday before Advent in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

11 comments:

  1. Ooooh that looks like a lovely recipe. I have always loved the notion of feeding the cake. But we aren't big cake eaters, so I will probably stick to just making the pudding. Must write a to do list.

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  2. I wanted to make our cake at the weeknd but I still don't have a working oven (and still no date when it can be fixed!)which is very frustrating. Hope the fair goes well at the w/e... might make it over to see you.
    Off to write some lists....

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  3. I made the pudding last Wednesday (Plasterers' Wednesday!) when I couldn't leave the house - seemed like a good day for a 6 hour steaming session! Cake still to be made. I seem to be out of the house more than in this week. I do love the Christmas spices and I go heavy on the cloves in everything. That recipe sounds great.

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  4. I'm really hoping tomake it this weekend ... depends, as ever, on the timetables of everyone else in the house ;-)

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  5. Have you seen David Hall has a brilliant christmas cake recipe on today - which I am sorely tempted by....

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  6. Threadspider - now that I've licked the bowl I'm looking forward to eating the cake – delicious flavours :-)

    Gina - Oh my goodness - how are you coping without being able to bake a cake! Hope to see you at the weekend!

    Vegetable Heaven - we have a family pudding recipe, but I chop and change with the cake recipes - if this one is a hit it will be filed for next year.

    Dottycookie - hope you can escape and come to the Arts Fair :-)

    GBVC - I saw David's recipe - and was tempted as he seems like a chap who'd mix up a good fruit cake. But I wasn't sure about the coffee and chocolate so went for this one. We love rich fruit cake - just perfect after a bracing winter walk! I love your 'Credit Crunch Lunch' project.

    Celia
    x

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  7. There is nothing better than a slice of really well matured Christmas fruit cake with a slice of cheddar! Enjoy.

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  8. Celia
    Thanks - its driven by necessity. I couldnt justify the £1200 paying the school to give my kids lunch when I could do it for half of that. I made a kale risotto for Alex's lunch flask last night and it smelt gorgeous. Cost around 30 pence a portion

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  9. LOVE your cat baskets ;)

    And your lists ... I always forget them, leave them in the car, ignore them ... wish I was organised ;)

    Joanna

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  10. :( I want to come to the fair. I love local community events and I bet it's a swish looking newsletter too! I don't think I'd like chocolate and coffee in my christmas cake - call me old fashioned but it's rich enough with fruit methinks. I'm a bit of a list writer myself and I know I'm having high anxiety when I start the list of lists...thankfully not there yet but as Christmas approaches. I like the studio assistant's nonchalance

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  11. Hi - good to see you on Sunday Dottycookie!

    Mmmm! good idea Matron!

    GBVC - Kale Risotto sounds great!

    Hi Joanna - Chloe has a new 'vintage' basket, she thinks it's fab!

    Hi Chooks'r'us – stay cool! Cats are great role models.

    Thank you everyone who came along to the Arts Fair! we raised lots of money for this year's Mayor's Appeal Fund and all had a great time :)
    Celia x

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