Author Archives: pennygj

Mince Pies!

I’ve left it so late for this! Do you want to be making mince pies on Christmas Eve? Go on, you know you do… Radio 4 at 3pm…Nine Lessons and Carols and the smell of baking. The start of Christmas…

750g sweet shortcrust pastry ( I actually used 125g butter, 50g caster sugar, 250g plain flour, 1 egg yolk + 2 /3 tbsp water and it was just enough rolled out very thin!)
large jar of good mincemeat
200g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
200g ground almonds
50g plain flour
2 large eggs
2 tbsp brandy
flaked almonds

Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
Grease three 12 hole tart tins. Roll out pastry thinly and cut 36 rounds of pastry to line tins. Leave to rest in fridge while you make the frangipagne.
Beat the butter until soft. Beat in the sugar until pale and fluffy and then beat in the eggs. Mix in the flour and ground almonds with the brandy.
Half fill the pastry cases with mincemeat and then spoon a heaped teaspoon of frangipagne over the top over each one. Smooth it over and sprinkle with flaked almonds.
Bake for about 20 – 25 mins until golden brown. Serve warm sprinkled with icing sugar.

These are light and moist and even non mince pie eaters profess to love them. I don’t know who to credit with the recipe as I picked it up last Christmas and have forgotten where, but I am happy to pass it on!

Snowy Walks and Marzipan

At last, I’m sitting at the computer with enough time to have a little chat. I can’t believe how this week has flown by and now the Christmas counter is saying seven days, just 7 days to go. I think I’m pretty organised, despite the odd gasp of dismay as I realise something I’ve forgotten. If we get snowed in before I get to the shops I can rustle up most of the Christmas dinner, but I’m really hoping I can get to a bottle of Harvey’s Bristol Cream! Mind you, if we do get snowed in, I’ll have masses to eat, ‘cos it’ll just be me, Higgins and Henry! Please can everyone send up a little prayer for Tim to get home from work safely on Tuesday?

I popped into Norwich on Wednesday for a tidy up at the hairdressers and to finish the Christmas shopping and have to show you how pretty Norwich Arcade is looking for Christmas.

Higgins and I went for a very chiily walk while we waited for the promised snow to arrive, at least the going underfoot was firm but I do feel sorry for Higgin’s little tum being so quite close to the ground!

It’s times like this I realise how little Higgins is. Everytime I try to photograph him when we are out walking I look at the picture and he’s just a little spot in the middle!

Once we back home and the fire stoked up there was present wrapping to do. I had planned to use brown paper and red raffia, but then I went to ‘Glory Days’ and found this…

…which took me straight back to childhood Christmases – and it still looks good with red raffia. I didn’t have any labels which matched, but with a little help from the scanner and Photoshop I came up with these…

I made a little stocking too, using some of the pretty trimmings bought at ‘The Owl and Sewing Cat’, and a bell from one of last years chocolate reindeer!

Outside though, something was happening…

…And we popped out to see if it came up to Higgins’ knees…

We certainly haven’t had that much snow here in Norfolk but it’s very cold and it’s so beautiful. Another walk for Higgins and me this morning…

Higgins, once I’ve dug him out of the bottom of his bed, really enjoys a romp in the snow…

After all the fun outside I had a date in the kitchen with the Christmas cake. It occurred to me that if I didn’t get some marzipan on it PDQ I’d be icing on Christmas day. Anyone else made their own marzipan this year? I think I did years ago and don’t remember having to beat it for twelve minutes over simmering water and then over cold water until it was cold. Thank goodness for the food mixer! I then moved on to the Frangipane Mince pies which are delicious but I can’t photograph them until the morning hopefully brings more light. So more of these, and the recipe next time.

Heavens, look at the time! I must away and make up the fire and get ready for ‘Strictly Come Dancing! Tomorrow I have Christmas bunting to make and I have to look for a saw so I can pot the Christmas tree…

See you soon, keep warm x

Trotting along briskly…

…to catch up! So much has been going on lately that it’s been hard to find a minute to stop off for a chat. Added to which, the light has been lousy as far as photography goes. We haven’t had a lot of snow in Norfolk, just bitter winds, hard frost and grey skies. I know how inconvenient and downright scary all those great dumps of snow have been for lots of you up and down the country, but the ten-year-old in me did hanker after a couple of days of winter wonderland, a snowman and a few snowballs! And you’ll be pleased to know I did stop moaning about the mud once everything was frozen solid!

I would have liked to have joined in the Advent countdown theme which lots of bloggers are doing, but never mind, I will share with you my grown up Advent calendar made for me by my dear daughter-in-law. I was so touched when I received it. I think because I’ve always made things other people are maybe a bit hesitant to make things for me so something hand-made especially with me in mind is always a treasure. Especially from Celia, who is inexplicably convinced she’s not crafty, and I know she is! And she’s just proved it…

So far I have found an exquisite little seashell, pearlescent and pink, a mermaid’s fingernail? Origami stars, some miniature press studs, a Christmas stocking drawn by four-year-old Benjy, and a Fruitella sweetie which I’m probably going to pop in my mouth at any moment! It’s going to part of my Christmas for many years to come (minus the edible bits of course!)

The Christmas Fair at our Village Hall went off nicely yesterday, and the Knit and Stitch Stall was laden with lovely things.

We did have that horrendous pricing issue of course. Hands up all you makers who know exactly what I mean. Some of us were hoping to sell our things at a reasonably realistic price given materials and time and make a donation to the Hall funds. Others were happy to sell things for whatever price they could to make funds for the hall and not take things home again. Both perfectly laudable intentions, but very hard to marry up at the same venue when people were bringing beautiful things which obviously took hours to make in lovely fabrics but wanted to sell them for £1.50, making everything else look very expensive. It’s so hard, I feel it undervalues the time people put into things, and it also means that all the craftspeople out there trying to make a living are somehow expected to count the enjoyment they have from their craft as part of the reward for their efforts, and to charge low prices to reflect this.

This discussion has been going on for ages so I’m not expecting to solve it here, but every now and then I have a little rant! I’ll stop now…and we did make enough for a good donation for the hall!

I’ve been making more robins, teeny weeny ones, this time.

I’m putting them in the Folksy shop very, very soon. I’ve also got a jar of felt beads which have been accumulating over the weeks waiting for me to turn them into jewelery, I’ll show you those next time…

We have a new furry friend! It’s Clovis, the French Cat. Well, Norman Cat really I suppose…Le Chat Normand?

Clovis has trailed behind his migrating family because of jabs and rules and regulations, and although he’s got as far as the UK he has to wait until a house has been found where he can join them. (Landlord’s rules and regulations this time.) In the meantime he’s found a comfortable post as a Lady’s Companion, aka my Mama.

My Mother has been petless for quite a while, and as her mobility has decreased she has resisted the family suggestions of a kitten to keep her company. Higgins make regular visits to keep her amused but is far too demanding to stay with her without his retinue of staff in attendance. So a plot was hatched to give her some daily amusement, and Clovis a mission in life, as an entertainer.

He burst from his travelling box and went into full cute mode, a blur of activity…

Higgins has no idea about the competition yet. It didn’t seem fair on Clovis to present him with a small dog at this stage of settling in, especially one with a cold nose….

TEENY TINY ROBINS ARE NOW LISTED ON FOLKSY…see link at the top of the page

Christmas Smells

We’re really getting into the swing of Christmas here on Planet Penny, are you keeping up? My main problem has been that if I’m being creative I can’t squeeze in the blogging, sorry, I will try harder!

Delia’s’ Happy Christmas’ is sitting up on the kitchen bar and I have in progress Christmas cake, Christmas pudding AND mincemeat. All of it has to sit over night for the flavours to blend so the kitchen will be a frenzy of activity tomorrow too. But the smell is already tantalising, mixed spice, cinnamon and my favourite, freshly grated nutmeg, the zesty tang of oranges and lemons and heady aroma of the dried fruit for the cake, steeping in brandy. (note to self – I must not pick and nibble…no, no, NO!)

This morning I popped out to the shop where the sun was shining on the snow and a brass band was playing carols which made me feel really festive so when I heard what a depressing play was on the radio I abandoned it for my ‘free from the Daily Mail’ carols CD….

Higgins, under protest, has gone for walk so I have been able to quickly clear up the carnage left after he disemboweled his festive reindeer soft toy, new today, little terror. He seems to think his mission in life is to remove the squeaks from all his toys, leaving a trail of stuffing all through the house.

So what have I been up to? Well next Saturday we have a Christmas Fair at our village hall and the Knit and Stitch Group have a table to fill. I have been stitching and stuffing in ever available spare moment, producing little hearts…

and birds…

The next project is to find a twiggy branch which I can turn into a tree for them to perch on at the fair, my cherry blossom branches don’t look Christmassy enough…

As usual I am battling with the light for photographs, flash does weird things with the colour. I find I don’t have one photo which shows that each little bird is made with two different but complementing colours with little silver stars for eyes, and every bird is different.

If you would like to buy the hearts or birds without a trip to Norfolk please get in touch!

Higgins is home now, and very tired. He can’t think who could have done the naughty thing to his toy and made all that mess, because he is, of course, a very good dog. Look, butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, now would it?

Blog Award

The lovely Teje of Nero’s Post and Patch has given me an Award! Thank you so much Teje, one day we must get Nero and Higgins together, that would be an achievement! As part of the award I must reveal seven secret things about myself which has set me thinking. So I will continue to think as I decide who I can pass the award on to which is really hard. Hard because I read so many blogs, and there are so many talented and versatile people out there who have become blogging friends, and I can only choose three, only three?

So, with difficulty I will choose, without further ado…..

Penelope at L is for Love, Julie at Swedish House and Lisa at Bobobun for their versatility and alround fabulousness!

Now these secrets..Hmm, I do have secrets but most of them are really quite boring…

Who know ALL the goss….?

Ah! I know! Higgins! he knows all my darkest secrets…

If you click here, he will tell you everything…

Buying! and SELLING!

Despite the foggy weather it’s been pretty jolly here on Planet Penny this weekend. I hope yours is being just as much fun.
Yesterday morning we set off to Holt in North Norfolk to the third Pick n’Mix Makers Market organised by Teena of Kitschen Pink, and Lisa of Bobo Bun. The Church Hall was filled with not only beautiful things but with lovely people I have been gradually getting to know through the blogging world.

It was funny to be greeted by cries of ‘Planet Penny? You must be Higgins’ Mummy!’ There were a lot of people disappointed he didn’t put in an appearance, but I think he would have cramped our style a little. Emma from Silver Pebble was there, with a gorgeous display of her jewelry, and since she had asked me take along one of my Robins to buy, a little bargaining and bartering meant that she could go home with the Robin of her choice, and I had these wonderful earings.

I had gone with Christmas shopping in mind, but it’s going to be hard to part with this set of little notebooks from The Lapwing Printworks

– I actually need to write down my Cunning Plans – and this soap from Perfect Scents is heavenly.

Later on in the town we visited Verandah, a shop run by a co-operative of artists ( where I always want to spend too much money), and where I found these pottery Christmas decorations.

See how focused I am? Well there are only 34 days to go!

But I didn’t just spend money yesterday, I MADE some! How amazing is that? I actually sold FIVE Robins! Why I have so little confidence in what I do that I have taken so long to get to grips with marketing it I don’t know. I think it’s the curse of working alone, in a vacuum. And although I’ve been gaining confidence thanks to all you lovely people and your positive feedback, I really needed to be shoved off that diving board so I could start swimming. Special mention must go to Emma, and to Celia of Purple Podded Peas, and my fellow procrastinators!

And that wasn’t the end of it. I got home to a request to buy one of my cushions!!

Kerching!

For the first time in a long time I ended the day richer than when I started!

So here I am, thinking positive. I hope I can spread it around, there are lots of talented people in blogland hiding their lights under the proverbial bushel, you can do it too!

P.S. This post took a little longer than intended. Half way through, Higgins’ magic nose detected the sweetie Tim dropped down the side of the reclining armchair. Have you ever tried to remove a dachshund from the inside of an armchair? In another life, I’d have Truffle Hound… In reality, a Jelly Bean Hound. Probably just right for Planet Penny…