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It's The Final Countdown!


Hi guys :) 
Are you almost ready for Christmas? 
Only five days left to go, and i can't wait 
I adore Christmas, and i am always very laid back about the whole thing, i just don't see the point in stressing about it, but that's just me :)

To be honest, we didn't even plan what we were going to eat until we finally went out shopping on Friday, we didn't buy a full turkey this year, as it's just the two of us, so we got a nice fat turkey leg and thigh joint for only £4.12, which will do us nicely and still make a few more meals out of it.

I got one present early, a bread slicing guide, found in a charity shop and bought for the princely sum of £2 :D
It's a bit of a funny present, for most people, but i really wanted it, as i'm terrible at slicing my home made bread and end up with a lot of half slices and crumbs 
I've asked for a dehydrator for my birthday in January haha :) 


I've been baking some doggy biscuits for the puppy we look after now and then 

I've been making some non alcoholic mincemeat, using apple juice instead of brandy
I'm making a lot of non alcoholic stuff this year, we just can't afford it at the minute, but we are getting in some cheap wine for Christmas day, thank goodness! 

I added some flooring to the pantry on Friday,these were in a pack of four from pound land, so i just need two more :)  
Only problem is, even though they claim to be self adhesive, they don't actually stick to the pantry floor so i've had to overlap them so they don't slide around!
The reason i decided to put the shelves back in the pantry is that we are finally going to get it damp proofed in the new year!
Wahooo!!
We had a specialist in a few weeks ago and our housing association has finally admitted that there is a damp problem in the pantry and the downstairs loo, so i can finally start to use it to store food again , but i am making sure everything is in jars, bottles or tins for now though :)



This picture shows only one bottle of ginger wine left. We are halfway through one bottle, i am gifting another and i managed to drop the fourth! :( 
The bottle on the left is Lemon cordial, which we also love here (also non alcoholic!!)
I plan on making so any more drinks next year, lots of cordials, and , hopefully foraying into the world of proper homebrews :)

I've also been attempting to dry out some roses, a rare treat, they were reduced to £1.29, i'm hoping to make potpourri with them :)



Lastly, this is officially my favourite breakfast of all time.
Home made bread, spread with butter, topped with cheese and lightly toasted :)


If i don't post before, have a very Merry Christmas


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Comments

  1. Susie - secondhandsusie.blogspot.com20 December 2015 at 14:54

    I love that bread slicing guide! I've never seen one before but I could definitely use on of those, my bread slicing is shocking!

    Hope you have a very happy Christmas and all the best for 2016 :D xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown21 December 2015 at 08:59

      It's great! though i could with a sharper knife as my crusts are quite crispy so it makes it a bit of a bugger to cut into haha :) xx

      Delete
  2. Dawn20 December 2015 at 22:38

    You will have to make another batch of ginger wine up now, shame about the broken one, I hope you have a lovely Christmas :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown21 December 2015 at 09:01

      It's on my to-do list as soon as i can beg, borrow or steal some more bottles from friends haha :) i hope you have a lovely Christmas too :) xx

      Delete
  3. RavenMoon21 December 2015 at 00:07

    Happy Christmas and a blessed Yule to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown21 December 2015 at 09:01

      To you too Raven :) Have a great new year :) xx

      Delete
  4. Simple Living21 December 2015 at 00:52

    For such a young lady you are doing a brilliant job at running the home.
    I am not allowed to cut the bread I always muck it up. I have one of those washing hanger thingies, great idea using it for drying things x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown21 December 2015 at 09:05

      Aww thank you :) i try my best, with lot of help from a certain hubby of mine :)
      The hangers are great aren't they? I'm going to get another from pound land next time i go for underwear and socks :) xx

      Delete
  5. sustainablemum21 December 2015 at 04:42

    I have not thought of making mincemeat with apple juice I can't drink any alcohol at all it makes me ill, did it turn out alright or was it a bit odd?

    Merry Christmas to you too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown21 December 2015 at 09:09

      It tastes delicious, the trick is to not add too much and to use muscovado sugar, it helps give it that nice gooey texture :) What i do also is bake it on a very low heat in the oven for 30 minutes, it melts the sugar and goes nice and gooey and sticky and delicious! xx

      Delete
  6. Jules23 December 2015 at 11:05

    Goodness, you've been busy! I think I'm going to try and make my own mincemeat next year. We are giving your mulled cranberry recipe a try on Christmas eve. I'm looking forward to it. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown23 December 2015 at 11:50

      It's super easy :) you can cheat and just buy a bag of mixed dried fruit :) i must post the recipe (horribly late for it to be of much use now, but never mind haha)

      oooh i hope you love the mulled craberry juice as much as we do :) let me nkow how it goes :) xxx

      Delete

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