Top tips for christmas!

[Blossom]

You're not the only one Blossom! I made and iced a huge (28cm) fruit cake and I've cut it into pieces,

Oh you reminded me, another idea if you do baking for gifts (i do too).
Next time you open a large can of smoked fish (fish pie etc) keep the can, clean it well and it makes a great baking tin for a very small christmas cake for say 1 or 2 people. I can make around 6 of these out of 1 good cake batter and I give them to singles and some of our elderly relatives who are not big eaters and the best thing is they fit inside a noodle box really well.

If you get one of those monster cans of fruit over christmas, cut the wee can in half and you have a half size cake tin with whatever height sides you need and you can make 2 cakes out of your cake mix, Not too big and not too small.

Finally use all your tins together for 21'sts or whenever you need a tiered cake and you can make a triple teired cake with 2 good cake mixes (my big tins are 21 and 24 cm rounds)

So anyway.. Tins are normally expensive so I thought I would pass this one on. If you dont buy the big tins of fruit, your local bakery may have one. I think they call them a catering tin, size 5? maybe. Good luck all with your christmas baking..

My TOP Christmas Tip...

EAT DRINK ROOT AND BE MERRY! OK!

EDIT: Had to add ROOT - wasn't quite right without it...

quite right too number One....

[Swoop]

TOP TIP for this week has been added...
See below.

[vifferman]

For all of you who go for a ride, stay safe.

Top Tip, young Ms Blossom!
'Twas a Christmas Day when I wrote off my first bike.

Here's another Top Tip:
If you really like Christmas, fly eastwards on Christmas Day, then you can enjoy it twice! We're absconding at 7:30 on Christmas, and arriving Christmas morning in San Francisco, ready to do it all over again.

[ManDownUnder]

Shopping top tip

Make Christmas day about the kids, and eating/drinking with family. Hold off on adult pressies till the sales start on Boxing day..!

[Swoop]

If you really like Christmas, fly eastwards on Christmas Day, then you can enjoy it twice!

So, you have to do TWICE the amount of X-mas shopping??

Bugger that!

[SARGE]

. Saw it at Countdown for $209 and told the guy the last bottle I bought (admittedly about 20 years ago!) was $88 and joked I'd be back to buy it when it was on special. He laughed and said that wouldn't be likely, but guess what was on a clearance special for $94.99 last week? There is no way I would have paid the full whack for it, but saving $114 wasn't too bad!
!

shoulda told him it was past its use-by date..

[Mrs Busa Pete]

You're not the only one Blossom! I made and iced a huge (28cm) fruit cake and I've cut it into pieces, plus made some spicy fruit cookies, and I've given some away to the rural delivery driver (who puts our mail through our cat door if we're out!), the hairdresser, the staff at Paper Plus (who give great service and are really friendly) and the bike shop staff (ditto, mostly for my husband's bikes), and some will also go to the butcher on Tuesday when I pick up my free range ham and free range chookies.

We've got the inlaws here for Christmas Day (if the MIL is well enough following heart surgery earlier this month), plus five Canadians - they are on a firefighters exchange visit with my brother-in-law and his family. We'll be having ham, chicken, salads, new potatoes, etc, followed by pavlova and fruit, and steamed pudding and custard (all desserts home made too). Not to mention copious bottles of good NZ wine and lots of chocolates!

And the cats don't miss out too, plenty of trimmings for them, although they won't like all the people here so we'll have to stick it in the garage for them!

Dam i want to come to your house. I mean the food sounds great and then you get to add the 5 Canadian firefighters. I think we will need photos

I can remember when i was a kid my mum used to make christmas pud and put money in it.

[Mrs Busa Pete]

Top tip

Smoke a fat one

Is that before breakfast