December 26, 2011

Weekend Update

I hope that you have had a great past few days! I know that I have. I started out Friday at a small birthday party for my mother. It’s the first time in my life that we’ve celebrated it with a family party, believe it or not. Our family has attended a caroling party for decades, but the hostess decided that she just couldn’t do it anymore. It was always on Mum’s birthday, so that’s what the celebration was.

Saturday was filled with visiting friends, friends stopping by and cooking. I made the Danish Strudel again. I also made a batch of the infamous Baltimore Eggnog, which was delicious! I attended a lovely dinner party and gave the hostess, who is a great cook, something that I knew she’d love, and actually use! A copper bowl for whipping egg whites!copper bowl

She gave me the cookbook “A Cook’s Year in a Welsh Farmhouse”, which has the most gorgeous pictures, and lots of recipes for things I got to know and eat when I lived in Wales. welsh farmSpeaking of cooking, I made one of the recipes that my English father was famous for – jam tarts!IMG_7500 I filled the tarts with raspberry jam, mincemeat and lemon curd. I think that they brought back a lot of memories for my siblings and my mum.

One of the most popular Christmas presents, at least amongst my circle, was a folio page from Taschen’s Album Vilmorin, The Vegetable Garden.Album Vilmorin2 You can read the story of these 19th century garden vegetable prints here. In keeping with the P theme of our presents to each other, my brother gave me the print of the purple cabbage and parsnips!Album Vilmorin I gave him a periodical publication, plus a pack of pencils, post-it notes, personalized pads of paper, a pound of peanuts, pistachios, Pears soap and a pineapple.

I hope that your Christmas was filled with as much love and warmth from family and friends as mine was!

11 comments:

  1. The tarts look delicious! I could eat all the raspberry tarts myself. My Mom would have liked the mince meat ones.
    Like your folio pages of veggies.
    They'd be great to have framed and hang in a kitchen.

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  2. OMG those tarts look v. enticing and just the perfect size.

    I might have 2 prints like that in my attic...I will have to check them out tomorrow.

    Then I'll try and sell them on OKL for 2,000,000.dollars.

    xo jane

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  3. Love that bowl! What a great gift.

    Wishing you a Happy 2012 my friend!

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  4. Happy Christmas!!! That recipe of your dad's brings new meaning to being called a "tart"... sounds pretty great now! 8-)

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  5. I loved Jane's last comment! What a HOOT!!!!! Girl! You just out-did yourself in the kitchen for the holiday! Lucky family to have you in their midst! I like the idea of presents beginning with a letter of the alphabet....opens up new possibilities! Love the tarts! Glad you all gathered round for your sweet mom! Sounds like a wonderful holiday weekend!

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  6. Sounds like a lovely weekend full of gastronomic pleasures and thoughtful gift given and received!! Your tarts look delicious!!

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  7. OMG! Those pics. make you feel like you can reach out and touch and grab one of those tarts and eat them...you can def. sell those they are so good looking they are making my mouth water. Just FAB!

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  8. The tarts are darling. I want to make some but we are on sugar overload.
    I must have missed the reasoning for the "P" theme. Do you go through the alphabet? We used to have a contest for the tackiest gift we could find for each other, which always involved hoots and howls of laughter.I like your idea better though.

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  9. Sounds like a fantastic Christmas and more. I love the "P" presents. Have a wonderful week...and now it is on to New Year's!! Mary

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  10. That looks like a fine cookbook. I will have to seek it out. Homemade jam tarts - yummmmmm! Happy new year Meg.
    Di
    X

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  11. Mincemeat gets a bad rap so you don't see it too much anymore. I think I'm going to make some and call it something else to get people to eat it. I think they'll love it.

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