Christmas bake #4 : Mincemeat shortcake

Mincemeat shortcake (a shortbread base, with mincemeat mixed with almonds on top, and decorated with Christmas shortbread shapes) is a speciality in our family and one of my favourites. This year I made some individual ones in my mini flan tins.

End of 2009

I had so many ideas of things that I wanted to write about at the end of the year, and to take a really good look at what I've been reading this year, but somehow it has snuck up on me, and I didn't get time to count books. Partly because I realised a week ago that I was within a whisker of having read 700 books this year, so I have been spending a lot of time reading this week. So here instead is an end of year meme, borrowed from Simon at Stuck-in-a-book, and hopefully next week I'll get round to starting on some of the reviews that I want to write!

- How many books read in 2009?
701. Normally I read somewhere between 300-350, so this was a bit of a record. Mostly it is due to having been chronically ill for much for the year and unable to do anything apart from go to work or lie on the sofa and read.

- Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?
Probably about 100 were non fiction - recipe books, memoirs, biographies...

- Male/Female authors?
Mainly female, due to having started my Virago Venture, attemtping to read my way through the Virago Modern Classics.

- Favourite book read?
This is a difficult one as there have been very many good ones, but The music room by Will Fiennes was really very very good. I have read a number of wonderful books published by Persephone and Virago too.

- Least favourite?
I struggled with No place on earth by Christa Wolf.

- Oldest book read?
Absolutely no idea - I haven't read anything very old this year.

- Newest book read?
Read Margaret Forster's latest book, Isa and May, which I can strongly recommend and which is out in February.

- Longest book title?
Probably The voluptuous delights of peanut butter and jam

- Shortest book title?
Home by Penelope Mortimer

- How many re-reads?
Probably about 50.

- Most books read by one author this year?
I think Rosamund Lehmann, as I read all of her books at the start of the year.

- Any in translation?
Yes. Most recently The Post-Office girl

- How many books were borrowed from the library?
A large number of them, but not all as I seem to have acquired about 400 books this year.

- Name a book you've read this year which was recommended by a blogger?
ooh, that's difficult as so many of the books I've read have been as a result of blogging. Most recently, probably A very great profession by Nicola Beaumann.

Christmas bake #3 : Jewelled cranberry cake

This was the centrepiece when my Mum and Dad came around for a post-Christmas meal. The recipe comes from BBC Good Food.

Christmas bake #2 : Maple and pecan cupcakes

I made these seriously yummy cupcakes to finish up eggs before we went away, and to feed some people dropping in to wish us a Happy Christmas. The recipe came from my Usborne Children's Book of Christmas baking, and replaces half of the sugar with maple syrup. Pecans are also added to the batter.

Christmas bake #1: Swedish gingerbread

Shortly before Christmas, I went to a gingerbread making party with a Swedish friend, and here are two pieces I brought home.

A bookish Christmas

I'm back from the ski slops with no broken bones, and feeling very relieved that I managed to shoehorn so many books into my suitcase as I ran out of books on the plane home. The skiing was absolutely beautiful and it was fun to spend Christmas in Austria again.

I'll resume blogging about books next week I think, but in the meantime this week, I shall be bringing you Five Bakes of Christmas - a different Christmassy bake each weekday. But first a brief word on the books that I read whilst away.

The two Honno classics, Dew on the grass (Lewis) and Travels with a duchess (Gallie) were absolutely delightful and will be reviewed in due course here. Housewife on top (Fenton Harper) and Relative love (Brookfield) were Christmassy reads. I enjoyed Odd girl out (Howard)and The vinegar jar (Doherty) which had been languishing for some time. I didn't think much of The snow cow short stories, but again, will be writing about this. Nightingale Wood (Gibbons) was a wonderful Virago which I enjoyed much more than Cold COmfort Farm. It was good to read another Jane Gardam, The queen of the tambourine. I read two Greyladies titles, Pink Sugar (Douglas) and Pirouette (Scarlett) - the first was disappointing, especially given such an appealing title, but the latter was a lovely Noel Streatfield-esque book. Adrian Mole: the prostrate years continued the Mole saga. My boyfriend had taken A taste of my life, the autobiography of Raymond Blanc, and I read this too - a fascinating insight into the man and lots of interesting advice on cooking. Evelyn Finds herself was a typical school girl story and most enjoyable. Christmas at Fairacre was good and Christmassy, but Christmas at Thrush Green, the ghostwritten Miss Read was a disappointment - the characters were there, the plot was about right, but the writing and details were just wrong.

Not bad for a week away!

Happy Christmas (and a Christmas bake)

The piece de resistance of the B Files Christmas is our shortbread nativity and gingerbread stable; the stable was constructed by my boyfriend. Isn't it amazing?!



We're off skiing for Christmas, and I won't be blogging for a bit. I'll be back with some more Christmas bakes after Christmas, and in the New Year with more book-chat, and the start of another book-buying moratorium.

And in the meantime - Seasons Greetings to everyone who is reading this! Hope you have a wonderful holiday period.

A packing dilemma.

We're off skiing at the end of the week and I'm trying to complete my packing. I've been worrying a little bit about having enough books and the right books (whatever they are) but this has been increased by the news of the BA strikes. Of course we are flying with BA, and although we are flying out before they start, it will affect our journey home. Luckily we're on a package holiday, so it is Ingham's responsibility to get us home, but I have been forced to pack some spare clothes. This means that the suitcase is already overflowing and I have yet to pack a single book.

These are the books I'm thinking about taking. The left hand pile contains lighter and Christmassy reading, the right hand pile some more serious things (the two Penguins at the top chosen soley because they are small and have very small writing). I really need to take at least 10 books to get through the week, ideally more.

I hope you can see the photo, but if not...
On the left...
* Evelyn finds herself (a Girls Gone By publication) - a school story is essential I think
* Christmas at fairacre (Christmas themed Miss Read)
* Pirouette and Pink Sugar (both Greyladies titles that I have been anticipating for some time)
* Housewife on top (Christmas themed chicklit that I picked up in charity shop earlier in year)
* Relative love (Slightly heavier book, also Christmas themed - I enjoy Amanda Brookfield very much)
* Christmas at Thrush Green (new ghostwritten Miss Read book)
* Adrian Mole : The prostate years (I often have a Sue Townsend to read over Christmas - she does make me laugh)

On the right...
* The realms of gold (Drabble)
* Odd girl out (Elizabeth Jane Howard)
* The stone angel (Margaret Laurence - can't go away without a Virago!)
* The snow cow (won this review copy of ghost stories about skiing!)
* Fugitive pieces (have been meaning to read this for ages)
* Queen of the Tambourine (Gardam)
* Nightingale Wood (another Virago Modern Classic which I have been looking forward to for a while)

Any opinions?

More acquisitions, or a bookish leaving present

It is traditional to give leaving workers a print of the college that we work in, but lacking wallspace for pictures (all taken up with bookshelves) I asked if I could have a couple of books from my Wishlist instead. My colleagues kindly gave me the four lovely volumes below - they are what I would describe as keeping-books - not books which I shall read avidly and shelve, but ones which are to be pulled off the shelf for browsing at intervals, and which have lovely pictures.


London transport posters - I have had this title on loan from the college since we purchased it shortly after I saw the exhibition on which it was based.
Nigella Christmas - I often bake things for work, and was keen to have this Christmas book to accompany my copy of How to be a domestic goddess.
700 Penguins - this is a book of 700 different Penguin covers - wonderful for flicking through and seeing the history of Penguin
Penguin by design - this puts 700 Penguins in context and is another book that I have been coveting for years.

Aren't I lucky?!

Bake of the week: Stollen and an Advent Tea Party

Stollen was this week's Christmas baking experiment, and I was extremely pleased with the result. I got the recipe from the Usborne Book of Christmas Baking (a wonderful book, not just for children with lots of accessible recipes, many of which I want to try!). I cheated a little bit and used my bread machine to mix and knead the dough, but I did make my own almond paste (surprisingly easy, just egg, ground almonds and sugar). It smelt absolutely wonderful and tasted pretty good too.

I also had an Advent Tea for some of my friends last week, and here are the biscuits and cakes that I baked. At the back, Swedish gingerbread (recipe to follow after Christmas), on the right, Christmas rock cakes and vegan cranberry oat biscuits, and Christmas shaped shortbread; I might post recipes for some of these if anyone is interested! We also had chocolate coins in belated celebration of St. Nicholas day, since my father is called Nicholas!