Friday, November 14, 2014

Snow, Parking, Bowling, Christmas Puds.

For most of Thursday it snowed, very, very lightly in the morning Parking toll boothgetting heavier as the day wore on. However, as far as the roads were concerned it became wet but nothing more, thank goodness. We had to go see a specialist for Matt’s annual appointment in the morning which would have been a pain if the snow had been thick. Tees me off, we see this guy and he talks to us for all of about 6 minutes but we end up having to pay $4 for parking. What is also annoying, he moved locations and his previous one did not have paid parking. Of course if you spent the day parked there it would still cost the same amount, but of course we don’t.

In the afternoon we went bowling again and I had two super games My Balland one reasonable one with a triple of 500 which delighted me, but not Matt. He did NOT bowl well at all. I just wish it counted for our league scores (well mine not Matt’s). I also spread the word that it was the 50th birthday of one of the proprietors at the end of the month. We won’t be there as it’s the day of our travel league, but the league who bowls on Thursdays is going to buy him a cake they said. Wish I was going to be there although the place where we will be having lunch sell the most gorgeous mince pies and I like to buy them for Christmas. Mind you I also like to sample them at lunchtime.

It occurred to me that Christmas is on its way and Christmas pudding may well be on the tables of some people. This is the recipe 3d bit 2I use from my very old cook book by Mrs. Beeton. It’s got to be about as old as I am or even a bit older as it was my mothers and she would have been married 78 years this month but I don’t know exactly when she got the book, very early I suspect as she couldn’t cook at all when they got married. Mrs. Beeton changed her into a fantastic cook. Much better than I will ever be. Suet is readily available to me in Ontario, but I could never find it where I lived in North Carolina. Also, these days, a lot of people try and make the pudding healthier with the use of vegetable suet, I cannot imagine anything worse, but I don’t know. Traditionally in England we would pour brandy over the pudding and set it ali3d bit braceletght then bring it in to a darkened room. It was very impressive. I always made Rum Butter  (basically creamed butter, icing sugar and rum whipped up together) but my mother always preferred whipped cream (the really good English stuff of course). Another tradition, when making the pudding, everyone in the family got to stir it and the last tradition (that I know of anyway) was to add silver threepenny bits into the pudding but that is never done any more I don’t think. One pic shows a bracelet made of threepenny bits, I used to have one but gave it to a cousin who had it stolen from her. Pity. By the way it's pronounced thrupny.


Christmas Pudding - Mrs. Beeton

1/2 lb suet (here's a link of notes about suet in the US)  Christmas Pudding
2 oz flour
1/2 lb raisins
1/4 lb mixed peel
1/2 a grated nutmeg
1/2 oz mixed spice
1/2 oz ground cinnamon
10 oz milk
1 wineglass brandy or rum
1/2 lb breadcrumbs
1/2 lb sultanas
1/2 lb currants
1 lemon
2 oz shredded almonds
4 eggs
1 pinch salt

Put all the dry ingredients in a basin and mix well. Add the milk, stir in the eggs one at a time, add the liquor and the strained juice of the lemon. Work the whole thoroughly for some minutes, so that the ingredients are well blended. Put the mixture in a well greased basin. Boil for about 4 hours or steam for at least 5 hours. Usually made well before Christmas and then on the day, steamed or boiled for an hour or two before serving.

Servings: 8 (or more, it’s very rich).

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

19 comments:

  1. Hi Jo - Christmas is soon isn't it .. I do like Christmas pudding ... I know we all have Mrs Beeton's - but am unsure which recipes they use ... and I'd have asked my mother what recipe to use - if I ever cooked one - certainly not now-a-days ...

    Cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love this recipe it is delicious. Hubby not keen on puds but likes this one. However, as we don't entertain on Christmas Day I don't make them any more. For two of us it would be around a long time. I have frozen leftovers but they still hang around for years because we only eat a little bit at a time.

      Delete
  2. Most parking is by the hour, so that seems unfair.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The doc's office didn't validate the parking? That's a surprise. Most businesses will do that for their clients. I once ordered a pudding with the brandy icing from a catalog that sold lots of British items. I thought it was pretty gross, but not having grown up with it, that's probably why. It even had a little coin to insert in the cake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right JoJo, lots of doctor's offices do.

      Brandy icing doesn't sound right anyway.

      Delete
  4. Hi Jo! I love snow, even a dusting will make me smile! Bowling is not my game - I'm so poor at it - I only get laughs! Pudding sounds lovely but where would I find suet? By the way - I'm in North Carolina. Have a great weekend lady!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember one year on the coast in NC we got 18 inches of the white stuff. Here we were prepared, there we were not.

      Unless you can find a source of the fat which surrounds kidneys in beef, I don't know. I used to get Canadian friends to bring it down. Here you can buy it already processed to use. I think a friend in Colorado found vegetable suet.

      You have a great weekend too.

      Delete
    2. I've added a link to notes about buying suet in the States

      Delete
  5. Sorry, not crazy about Christmas pudding. I hear pudding, my brain thinks chocolate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe, like Matt, you would enjoy the one I make.

      Oooh, chocolate pudding, yum.

      Delete
  6. I sometimes wonder about the value of going to the doctor. Like the experience you describe, my visits to the doctor are quick and they tell me virtually nothing. I'm not even sure if they know all that much. They sure do like to prescribe drugs. I'd like to just kick all the pills I take now, but what if the doctor's right?

    The pudding looks interesting. I've never had that kind of a pudding. The pudding that I'm used to is that creamy stuff made from a mix in a box.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At least we don't have to pay for our visits Lee, and usually they tell us what we need to hear, well ours do anyway.

      Trouble is it is apparently almost impossible to get suet in the States. Obviously it exists because it comes from cows, but none of you use it so they don't process it.

      Delete
  7. My grandparents always made their own Christmas pudding and it was always very exciting to get the threepenny bit or shilling. Australia didn't switch to decimal currency until I was eight years old. I know what you mean about parking fees. They should validate your parking or something at that doctor's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can you buy suet in Oz Michelle? I don't know what year we went decimal in the UK, I think it was either late '60s or early '70s.

      I agree, and a lot of doctors we go to do do that.

      Delete
  8. Christmas is alarmingly close, isn't it. My daughter and daughter were talking about arrangements for an early get together this morning since they are going to be away. I've given up on making Christmas pudding since sugar is a no-no - makes several of us literally ill - but I remember the coins in it from when I was a child. I think they stopped doing it here once decimal currency came in because they're made of a different metal and discoloured.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a pity you can't eat it any more. I have diabetes, but I can still eat such things in small quantities.

      The threepenny bits were all silver but all the metals they make coins of today are not very healthy I understand. Plus it's discouraged because people can swallow them and choke. Portuguese have a cake they put a small gift in and that's not allowed any more either. Unless you make it at home of course.

      Delete
  9. I never had this to eat but I love the spices used.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's one of those things you love or hate I think.

      Delete