According to Lette, Christmas is eight six-ish weeks away. Eep! I have to admit that I’m fairly grinchy most of the time; I think it’s way over-rated and I hate hearing Christmas songs on the radio in November! I do really love the Budweiser Christmas ad though, and have done since I was a child, so here it is for you.

OK, having said all that, I LOVE cooking for Christmas. Last year, JD and I had his parents over for the big day, and it was great, planning what we were going to do and working out the timings and so forth. I would say that the big trick is doing as much as you possibly can on the day before, eg prepare the carrots and parsnips, par-boil the potatoes and boil the ham, etc. Then on the day all you have to do is whack a few things in pots or into the oven and you’re golden. Stress-free Christmas! I’ll be posting in more detail on this in a few weeks, but first I have to make a confession.

I’ve already made my Christmas Cake.

There, I’ve said it.

And, actually, it was dead easy. I used this recipe, and it’s little to no effort. And I’ll be making puddings this weekend, and this is the recipe I use. Again, insanely easy and totally delicious. I’ve made it before and it’ll be a stalwart of my recipes for a long time yet.

However, my absolute favourite Christmas cooking is making foodie gifts for other people. In the past I’ve made Red Onion Marmalade, Mango Chutney, (which I’ve just realised I’ve never posted - oops, anyway, here it is), Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies, or Dark chocolate fudge. I usually top this up with a bottle or two from The Wine Buff and some cheese from the Limerick Market, and maybe a Brown Soda made by himself. People seem to really enjoy it, I enjoy making it, and everyone winds up happy!

Maz has been pushing the “Buy Handmade” pledge, so if you don’t feel like baking all your Christmas gifts, maybe she has some inspiration for you!

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