Oh Thirfty Tarts!

After Christmas Use Up Everything (well nearly) in ..

 

A Tempting Tart!

 

After all those Christmas treats, gorgeous cheese boards, Italian delights (pestos, olives etc) it is time to be a bit Thrifty and clear out those fridges and have some puff pastry tarts. Buy a block of puff pastry from the local supermarket (cost £1) and roll out. I made 5 tray tarts, roll it as thinly as possible as it rises and you want the crisp base with a doughy middle.

 

I made a lovely mozzarella, tomato and pesto tart which cleared up some of the Christmas day goodies plus a squash and apple wood cheese tart to name just a few.

 

We comfortingly had our with peas, jackets and lashings of gravy. Just the thing for a cosy night low cost night in between Christmas and New Year.. Enjoy!

 

My Creative Christmas Family

 I love homemade gifts...

..so tonight's post is a thank-you for some gifts made by love by my caring family!

 

I am really am blessed to have some talented people around my new little family. Here are some of the lovely homemade Christmas gifts we received on Tuesday. So tonight I am having a break and showcasing my family and some beautiful gifts, given with love.

Homemade Chutney

Made by Great Aunty Celia

 

Aunty Celia makes us chutney every year and it is mild enough for baby L to have for tea with her cheese sandwiches. We love chutney and I use it on everything sandwiches, toast and a spoonful in a curry always goes down well.

Crochet Baby Gifts

Made by Aunty Hazel

 

Baby L has some handcrafted crocheted knits for Christmas from Aunty Hazel, a pinafore and a jumper with crochet flowers and over sized buttons. I took a few pictures as I cannot wait to get baby L dressed up in theses handmade unique pieces. As they are winter colours we can team them up with tights and colourful bodies. So very cute...

 

 

Nordic Style Felt Bird Hanger

Made by Nana

 

For baby L, she has this beautiful Nordic style felt bird hanger. Each felt bird was stitched and embellished with beads and sequins in orange and pinks. It has a little bell on the end so we have attached it to her door so it rings each time you go into her room.

 

 

Homemade Christmas Cakes

Made by Grandma Cynthia 

Some handmade Christmas cakes were made and iced by my Mum as Christmas gifts. They were so light and a great idea, you never eat all the cake and these are kept really fresh. We have been eating our way through them and they stack in the cupboard. At Christmas time the cupboards are always full.

 

 



Party Dress

Handmade by Grandma Cynthia

 

I haven't been able to make some beautiful handmade dresses for baby L this Autumn due to my other crafty ventures and job hunting / interviews etc. So while I was busy looking to get back in the job market as a new Mum, my Mum helped out making a new dresses. This one was a surprise for Christmas day which she kept very quiet from me and I am sure that baby L will spend many happy times in this dress.

Spring Bulbs

Handmade by Aunty Melissa

 

How lovely, a pot of spring  bulbs wrapped in Christmas ribbon and decorated with small stones . In a few weeks we will have a show of Spring bulbs in our kitchen window to remind us that spring is just around the corner.

Post Boxing Day Curry

When the relatives have gone home and you still have a fridge full of bowls and old veggies... 

..make a curry!

 

 

 

For me, Christmas was very special as I made my first Christmas day lunch, but with seven people for dinner the thought of running out horrified me. I didn't go crazy but made sure we had enough plus a bit more.

 

So this afternoon, I set about making a glut of curry bases to chill or freeze with what I had left. The spices in the cabbage and the sweetness in the onions was perfect. I started by sweating an onion , then adding the red spiced cabbage, red onions, parsnips and carrots. Reducing the heat, I covered the vegetables with boiling water and added a stock cube. after half an hour when the veggies were soft I blended the mixture. Then filled three boxes with the mixture to make curries in future weeks.

 

For tonight's dinner, I took four large spoons of the mixture and left it on one side whilst I sweated a white onion, added a yellow pepper, a roasted sweet potato and some mushrooms. To the pan I addded ground ginger and garlic powder and the curry base mixture. Cooking low for about ten minutues the spices infused the freshly cooked vegetables until the curry looked rich.

 

The rest will be chilled and frozen and I now have an empty (ier) fridge. A bargain dinner for post boxing day.

Our 2012 Christmas

Our family Christmas with a homemade touch...

 

After a busy few days of preparing for Christmas day I managed to host my first Christmas Day.

 

***my Internet connection went down so blog post lost half way thru!! update tomorrow***

 

So over the 12 days leading up to Christmas day I crafted my way through presents and treats and the odd decoration for the tree. This was my first Christmas dinner and with a 13 month old I was a little nervous of getting food from kitchen to table without a nappy stop or a teething moment!

 



 

I really put everything into the preparation, on Christmas Eve we had a tagine which freed up some of my time to make the veggie option. With a visit to Church for the annual Christingle service to go to I didn't want to feel stressed and not enjoy what the children had spent months rehearsing.

 

After Christmas Eve's tagine with couscous (bit festive with fruits and spices) I set to with my helpers to get all our vegetables chopped and in water ready for the next day. I even had enough time to make a handmade card for our kitty crazy toddler. That is real preparation on the food front.

 

I made our Italian Christmas cake a few days before and on Christmas morning whisked up some eggs,cream  and vanilla, sliced up the cake and layered it all in a oven proof dish with morello cherries and covered in brown sugar. Not too heavy for a pud.

For our Christmas lunch vegetables, I did roasted potatoes of courses and a new dish of roasted red onions with pomegranates seeds and basil. The fruits really lifted the palette and were a delight. I always do too much red cabbage! Braised in cinnamon and balsamic vinegar the cabbage really added some punch and colour.

The veggie option was a stuff roasted squash, stuffed with chestnut and walnut roast and the fish option was salmon with lemon and martini glaze (little sweet and bitter at the same time).

And