#29 Happy Crimbo

UPDATE

Ok, I know it’s been a while… I’m sorry, I’ve thought about you all A LOT (and I really mean that) but putting pen to paper (or fingers to buttons on this case) has evaded me in the last few weeks.

My excuse….

If you haven’t already seen, Mum and I got a puppy 2 weeks ago (eek). She’s a black Cavapoochon called Olive and is super cute- her ‘side eye’ LITERALLY melts you!

Our decision to get a dog wasn’t spontaneous, it’s been on our radar for a while - we’re those annoying people that run up to other people’s dogs for a cuddle and a stroke at any given opportunity, but, until now, have failed to commit to the responsibility. In the last 2 years or so we have done considerable research into breeds, what to expect and, more recently, we have read every book under the sun about ‘how to go about it’… so we felt well prepared when we finally committed to our decision… or so we thought!!! LOL!

… I’ll be straight with you (because I swear people make it sound -and look- SO easy and such FUN!!) owning a puppy is HARD work!!!

Don’t get me wrong, we are utterly besotted with Olive; we have already formed an unbelievable bond and the unconditional love is unrivalled. I also have a new appreciation of my own time, I’ve been more efficient and ‘neater’ - particularly noticeable in the kitchen, I have been cleaning up better as I’m terrified of dropping food on the floor which isn’t puppy friendly - my sleep has been long and deep because I’m so tired from puppy stimulation, I’ve been forced to ‘let go’ a bit, and embrace change - shaking up my very rigid routine - I’ve experienced a shift in perspective; I fear I had become extremely selfish and self-centred, I now have something else to focus on other than myself, and I have realised, even more, the simple joy that can be experienced in life.

That all being said, it’s a FULL TIME JOB - and there’s two of us parenting this little fluff ball!! - we are desperate to raise a happy, obedient and healthy little dog, we want to do everything right, reward the good behaviour, ignore the bad etc etc… in theory it’s as easy as pie, in practice, it’s a little more tricky… and despite all the suggestions in the book, you still seem to have questions and seemingly every dog is slightly different!

Nevertheless, we realise this is a marathon not a sprint and are trying to recognise that patience is key… so it’s a case of ‘deep breaths’, perseverance, and the good old adage of ‘keep calm and carry on’… also send coffee, please and thank you!

ITS CHRISTMASSSSS.

I’ve been fairly absent on here for much of the festive period… in all honesty, I’m not a big Xmas fan. I mean, it’s pretty and cosy, everyone seems to have a bit of cheer about them and there’s plenty of food on offer to keep our taste buds satisfied… but I’m not a massive party fan, I have a very small family so Xmas day has always been pretty quiet - even more-so this year following the death of both my Dad and Grandma - and I just find it all a bit ‘meh’ (sorry).

Despite my ambivalence towards Christmas, I actually had grand ideas of sharing a Christmas gift guide (basically just my wish list for Santa - recipe books, coffee, peanut butter, kitchen appliances and gym kit featured high on the list!), and a few festive bakes… clearly I’ve now missed the boat a bit - standard practice from me, but I hope you can acknowledge that the sentiment was there; the gift ideas can wait until next year and I’ve managed to compile a few last minute bake-related ideas below for you that I highly recommend!

There are a few other festive things that I’m epically on board with:

• Christmas films on the TV; Elf, The Holiday and Love Actually are my top 3 I think - they have an incredible ability to make me smile even after the 50000000th time of watching them!

• Sprouts - yes you heard me right, I’m obsessed - anyone else? Also bread sauce is a roast dinner game changer IMO, and for dessert, literally PINTS of brandy sauce - I could drink the stuff! As a family tradition, we have always had Christmas pudding on Christmas day. I’ll be honest, it has NEVER been homemade (terrible I know), we rely on M&S to deliver the goods instead - their luxury Xmas pud is a very good version in my opinion - chunky fruit, nuts galore and super boozy! - and really just serves as an accompaniment to a VAT of brandy sauce!! DROOL!

• Heated debates over chocolate selection box favourites - people get so PASSIONATE about these things and I absolutely love it!

• Champers - I’m such a lightweight and actually very rarely drink - I’m just not that fussed by it… but Champagne is different, it’s special RIGHT? It’s my drink of choice around Christmas & New Year - Mum and I often buy those half bottles and share one over 2 days - I TOLD YOU WE ARE LIGHTWEIGHTS, but it’s enough and I very much enjoy the small amount I have!

Before I share my fairly feeble suggestions for some festive bake ideas, a couple of other comforting nuggets I’ve acknowledged in the past week or so deserve a mention. Most notably, we’ve made it through the shortest day - HOORAH! I wouldn’t say we’re through the worst of winter - January and February are arguably the pits of Winter bleakness - but it’s certainly a mini milestone that I’m happy to have crested!
Another bonus - 2022 is nearly behind us… Ok so this is quite a personal thing but 2022 has been particularly tough for me - I’ve faced heartache on SO many levels, my anxiety and fear have peaked beyond belief, and I’ve honestly been terrified of more bad stuff happening every day. I know the new year is just another day, and I very much consider it that, but I’ll be happy to see the end of 2022 and hope that 2023 brings more happiness, health, and prosperity for ALL of us!
Ok, now I let’s talk food…

Salted Caramels

I have seen recipes for caramels crop up all over the shop this Christmas so naturally I had to make some of my own, and OMG am I glad I did! They are literally the epitome of STICK-YOUR-TEETH-TOGETHER sweet and salty goodness!! Give 'em a go if you have time over the next few days… or save the recipe to perk you up in January instead - they’re also a great little Christmas gift idea if you need a last-minute solution!!!

Ingredients

75g Caster sugar
75g Golden syrup
115g Double cream
35g Unsalted butter cubed
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Maldon Flaky sea salt + a pinch extra for sprinkling on top

54% dark chocolate melted, for coating (optional)

Method

Grease and line a loaf tin/dish measuring approximately 18x10cm (or a dish of similar dimensions) with butter and baking paper. Weigh the double cream into a jug - pop in the microwave for 10-20s or until lukewarm - and measure out the butter - make sure both are to hand when you need them later.

Measure the caster sugar and golden syrup into a medium sized saucepan. Place over a medium heat and stir occasionally. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil, and cook to 160C on a sugar thermometer, gently stirring occasionally, as soon as it reaches this temperature, remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream stirring vigorously with a spatula or whisk as you do. Once all of the cream is added, chuck in the butter and salt and continue to whisk in until melted. Return the pan to the heat and cook, back over a medium heat, until it reaches around 123C on a sugar thermometer stirring all the time to prevent it from catching, this can take a bit of time - just be patient and trust the process. Once it hits the magic number, (strictly speaking, anywhere between 121 and 130C should be adequate for toffees/caramels but I always aim for 123C), remove from the heat and pour into the prepared tin. Leave for a minute before sprinkling over another pinch of flaky salt and leaving to set completely - 6 hours/overnight - before cutting into cubes as big of small as you like (use a slightly oiled sharp knife).
You can also then dunk the set caramels in (tempered) chocolate for the ultimate chocolate caramel situation!

Crumble Topping (for your mince pies)

I’m sure you all have a fantastic mince pie recipe in your arsenal - if not, BBC good food have a pretty good one here and I’m pretty sure this one from Camilla Wynne is fantastic! I’m not a massive mince pie fan, so this year I decided to try and make things a bit more exciting by giving the topping a bit of flourish in the form of an oaty, pecan crumble - PURE COMFORT. This would also be a great topping for a standard fruit crumble or even little fruit pies? Alternatively, just bake a batch of it directly on a baking sheet for 10 mins at 170C fan for around 10 mins or until golden, and sprinkle it on your fruit and serve with a dollop of yoghurt - magical!

Ingredients

40g Plain flour
50g Rolled oats
Pinch of flaky sea salt
30g Demerara sugar
50g Unsalted butter
20g Pecans finely chopped

Method

Combine the flour, oats salt and sugar, add the butter and rub into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles lumpy nuggets. Add the pecans and stir to incorporate, refrigerate until ready to use.
Use to top your mince pies - this amount of crumble covered about 12 cupcake sized mince pies - I used about 15g to top each mince pie - and baked the mince pies for 20-25 mins at 180C/160C fan or until golden!

Other recipe ideas

• My FAVOURITE Christmas day brunch is smoked salmon with blinis and Crème Fraîche or soured cream - such a TREAT! I’ve made my own blinis for years. In all honesty, I forget what I do each year and end up frantically Googling for a recipe on Xmas day. I promise I’ll make more of an effort to research a recipe for you for next year, but I know this one from James Martin is a quick no-yeast version which works well!

• ALSO … shameless plug BUTTTT… My book - Bake Yourself Happy contains both a WICKED boozy brownie recipe (that happens to be gluten free) AND a couple of chocolate truffle recipes: one VGN & one a traditional creamy affair, which are both pretty EPIC if I do say so myself!

FINALLY…

Ok, this newsletter all feels a bit rushed - I’m quite literally running around after a puppy as I type - and I’m conscious that I haven’t given it quite as much time as I would have liked, but I wanted to make sure I dropped in before the end of the Year!

One final thing I want to say is the BIGGEST Thank You to each and every one of you for the endless support this year, you’ve honestly all been a massive source of comfort, and I do hope some of the content I have shared has helped a few of you too!

I hope you’re all doing ok - if you enjoy Christmas & New Year, have a blast. If, on the other hand, you find it tough, I’m with you, I’m sending the biggest of hugs and hope you manage to navigate it as calmly and comfortably as possible.

All my love!

Steph X X X

p.s. oh one more thing, I can’t guarantee when the next newsletter will be because… well, I’m just rubbish at juggling more than one thing, remember? But rest assured, I’ll bring you more updates and comfort-content as soon as possible!