Kisses sweeter than wine...
Now that tax season is over I can focus on the sweeter things in life; families have started arriving at Lily's Cottage for the Christmas holidays. Some of the little ones have already crept into our hearts like one real charmer with a snazzy new hairstyle:)
Christmas decorations were fetched from the store room bringing back the nostalgia of this special time with family and friends
The cookie jars still need filling as our sons and a special girlfriend will soon be arriving so I had to dig into the deepest depths of the pantry cupboard for the good old rolling pin and pans.
Homemade Mince Pies and Christmas go hand in hand - I made my own fruit mince by steeping candied peel, raisins & sultanas in a spicy brandy mix, adding grated apples just before using it.
A crispy flaky homemade pastry made with butter makes the most scrumptious pastry blanket for the Mince Pies - I can guarantee there'll be none left long before Christmas arrives so will definitely be making another batch to be put away!
Mince Pies
Flaky Pastry
- 200 gram ice cold Butter
- 2 cups Cake Flour
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 egg yolk + 2 Tbsp Vinegar or Lemon Juice + enough iced water to make 1/2 cup liquid
Grate butter into sifted flour & salt, work through with a knife using cutting motions
Add liquid and knead to a firm dough
Store in refrigerator till ready to use
Roll out thinly, cut into circles
Place a spoonful of fruit mince filling in centre
Cut smaller circles to top the mince pies
Seal edges with a fork or pastry sealer and brush with an egg wash
Bake at 180C till golden brown for approx 20 min
Nothing fancy, nothing grand; real rustic and real good homemade Christmas Mince Pies
These also make excellent gifts so why not make up a special gift box and fill it with homemade mince pies for someone who may be too busy or may not be well enough to bake this year.
Talking about gifts, I'm currently writing a series on Gifts from the Kitchen, Gifts from the Heart, so if you enjoy creating in the kitchen, take a peek at that and start making treats for the special people in your lives who will be more than delighted to receive a hamper of delectable homemade treats!
This is my contribution for this week's Food Fight Friday overseen by our judges Mr RockballInSpaceInConciousness @idig, Mr Splatz Linetrash @jlsplatts and dear Mr @dandays, who also is a hot-shot Champion Fighter; look forward to seeing what you’re all bringing to the table!
A huge thank you to @appreciator who really has ignited our weekly #fff with a generous sponsorship, much appreciated by all our contenders I'm sure!
Connecting the people of #STEEM across South Africa. #steemsa
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I refuse to say goodbye to @thesteemengine,
hope to see you at The Whistle Stop one of these fine days.