A few days ago I realised that in all the posts and photos I've shared about our family Christmas pudding making that I've never shown the final steps.
Well, I'm still not going to, because a photo of two puddings bubbling away for eight hours on the stove is not very exciting. Neither is this ...
... especially when the delicious aroma of spices and all things nice cannot be conveyed through a photo. This is the hanging-to-dry stage after eight hours of boiling. (Now you know why we aren't too concerned with little people making our puddings: they are boiled for so long that no germ could possibly survive!) Every time we opened our freezer cupboard, where the puddings were drying, we were greeted with the wonderful aroma of Christmas.
But, alas, it couldn't last and DH was concerned the puddings were drying out too fast (not a problem in their country of origin - nor would be mould, I suspect, which is something we have to watch for in our Christmas climate) and so they had to be removed from their cloths and frozen. Come Christmas Day, we will remove them from the freezer and heat them to serve. Traditionally, they should be boiled for another two hours to heat, but our oven does a pretty good job and is far quicker and easier (and no concerns about the puddings boiling dry while we cook the main Christmas dinner or enjoy eating it with family).
The puddings are not the only thing that have been hung - or almost hung - around here. There were times when I was ready to hang the shepherds and wise men - or at least throw them away but I have finally - finally - stitched and stuffed the last one in the knitted nativity I made for The Most Adorable Granddaughters. (Don't ask me how many years it is since I cast on the first stitch: it would be too depressing to know.) I don't mind telling you that I have come to hate this nativity scene. Well, the making of it, that is. When I see what The Most Adorable Granddaughters (and some other family members who might also be implicated in the crime) do with the figures, I have to smile. So as not to destroy your sense of what is right and proper, I will only share the 'correct' photos. Here they are just hanging out together ...
(Did anyone spot the one-winged angel? I will fix that in time.)
I added tinsel to our tree ... even though DH thought it was perfect without. But I wanted some colour! And a chance to hang some treasures in the tree. And our Christmas quilt has finally been 'hung' (okay, strategically pinned to the mantelpiece but same thing).
Finally, if you would like to enjoy our puddings from Christmases past, hang around and check out these posts ...
2008
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
I'll be here for a while enjoying old memories.
Well, I'm still not going to, because a photo of two puddings bubbling away for eight hours on the stove is not very exciting. Neither is this ...
... especially when the delicious aroma of spices and all things nice cannot be conveyed through a photo. This is the hanging-to-dry stage after eight hours of boiling. (Now you know why we aren't too concerned with little people making our puddings: they are boiled for so long that no germ could possibly survive!) Every time we opened our freezer cupboard, where the puddings were drying, we were greeted with the wonderful aroma of Christmas.
But, alas, it couldn't last and DH was concerned the puddings were drying out too fast (not a problem in their country of origin - nor would be mould, I suspect, which is something we have to watch for in our Christmas climate) and so they had to be removed from their cloths and frozen. Come Christmas Day, we will remove them from the freezer and heat them to serve. Traditionally, they should be boiled for another two hours to heat, but our oven does a pretty good job and is far quicker and easier (and no concerns about the puddings boiling dry while we cook the main Christmas dinner or enjoy eating it with family).
The puddings are not the only thing that have been hung - or almost hung - around here. There were times when I was ready to hang the shepherds and wise men - or at least throw them away but I have finally - finally - stitched and stuffed the last one in the knitted nativity I made for The Most Adorable Granddaughters. (Don't ask me how many years it is since I cast on the first stitch: it would be too depressing to know.) I don't mind telling you that I have come to hate this nativity scene. Well, the making of it, that is. When I see what The Most Adorable Granddaughters (and some other family members who might also be implicated in the crime) do with the figures, I have to smile. So as not to destroy your sense of what is right and proper, I will only share the 'correct' photos. Here they are just hanging out together ...
(Did anyone spot the one-winged angel? I will fix that in time.)
I added tinsel to our tree ... even though DH thought it was perfect without. But I wanted some colour! And a chance to hang some treasures in the tree. And our Christmas quilt has finally been 'hung' (okay, strategically pinned to the mantelpiece but same thing).
Finally, if you would like to enjoy our puddings from Christmases past, hang around and check out these posts ...
2008
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
I'll be here for a while enjoying old memories.
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