Author: Maria Runs

Christmas recipes

Hey peeps

My fingers and toes are all crossed at the moment, as tomorrow I am hopefully going to be going on a Christmas holiday (to New York)! Last year we had to cancel as I was ill, and the year before it snowed and our flight was cancelled. So we are hoping 3rd time lucky!

Anyway, we will be away for a week, but I am looking forward to doing some more baking when I get home, so I thought I would do a round up post of the baking that I like to do in the holidays.

I love making a gingerbread house! First of all they smell amazing, and they are just fun to decorate. And I promise not as hard as they look. I cheated this year and bought a kit from Lakeland which contains all the cutters so I won’t have to make my own templates, but even making those is not hard.

I also love making stollen– I am a bit of a marzipan addict I think! Plus it is a good way to use up dried fruit left over from Christmas cakes. The recipe I tried from the Baking Mad website is very easy, and could easily be left as a loaf instead of bites, and I also made stollen whirls one year (like cinnamon rolls).

Of course it would not be Christmas without a Christmas cake. Yum. Although that recipe can be made a long time in advance, it can also be made right before you eat it, so you still have time!

Mincemeat slices are another favourite of mine. I really like mincemeat (especially the meridian one) but I am not such a fan of pastry. A while ago I created these slices (you could leave the marzipan off and just dust with icing sugar) and they are lovely, and also pretty quick.

Fudge is always a great gift to make (I was so shocked when I saw the prices for home-made fudge at the Bath Christmas markets) and this recipe for Christmas pudding fudge is pretty easy to make. I find that if you let it get to the soft ball stage you have to turn it off right away, and don’t beat for too long- the longer you beat it the crumblier it will get (more like tablet), and I prefer it to have a softer texture. You can also adapt the recipe- leave out the Christmas pudding and add cranberries when you beat it, and then sprinkle some white chocolate chips on, or sprinkle some mint dark chocolate over the top. Basically whatever flavour you like you could make.

White chocolate and coconut fudge- pour half the fudge into a pan, sprinkle on white chocolate (it will melt), pour the rest of the fudge over, flatten down and sprinkle on coconut. 

Or how about some spiced nuts with cranberries and coconut? I made them again this year as gifts, and used a mixture of almonds, hazelnuts and brazil nuts. Very pretty too with the bright red cranberries.

Right, most of the packing is done now, so I am off to relax for a bit. One more day of work to go and then hopefully to enjoy the holidays! Have a fab week all (and don’t forget to sign up for the Jantastic team, Run Blog Bake! The more the merrier! And it is just for fun.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Run, blog, bake!

That is the team name for the Jantastic marathon talk spring motivation challenge. Now, I know not everyone likes to bake (or blog…)- but I could not think of a better name. So you don’t have to have a blog to join in!

So, to join in (and the more the merrier, please)- go to the marathon talk website. Then you need to register (if you have not already)- with your email address etc. Then find the Jantastic tab, or the Spring Motivation tab.

Then you can select the team ( run bake blog!) from the drop down menu. As I had to create it, please let me know if for some reason it does not appear. Or if you do manage, please say so here.

Also, for fun, watch the little video here.

For January you have to pledge how many runs you will do each week. The first time I did this I chose 3, but I have decided to challenge myself with 4. Not sure if I will manage it, but I feel like 3 is a bit easy as that is what I do pretty much every week unless I am unwell. So rise to the challenge with me!

You have to log your runs each week, and then you get a % score (so if I did 2 of my 4 runs I would get 50% score) but there are no prizes for 100%- it is the taking part that counts.

So, good luck! And please join me!

And, how about this for a post run evening snack? Ocado have finally started stocking Coyo- yummy! I tried the chocolate one, which was nice- not sweet at all, and I have some mango coyo in the fridge for another day.

So, who is with me? And if not with the Jantastic, does anyone have anything they are challenging themselves with next year?

🙂

Mincemeat madness, motivation and a muffin recipe!

Hey- I have been having a bit of an obsession with mincemeat this week.

Sunday started with a pile of pancakes:

Wholegrain spelt flour, pumpkin puree, baking powder, almond milk and spices all cooked gently. Served with a massive chopped apple cooked in a tsp coconut oil, and served with that lovely Meridian mincemeat. Yum. Plus a cardamom chai.

On a week day I don’t have time for pancakes- I get up as early as I can! So today started with porridge made with pumpkin puree, and topped with more mincemeat. So good.

Tomorrow we are having a breakfast at work, and I offered to bring muffins. I have seen lots of mincemeat recipes- mincemeat scones on The Pink Whisk look amazing, so I decided to adapt a recipe for cinnamon muffins.

Makes 12

Ingredients:

250g flour (I used half wholegrain spelt and half white)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp mixed spice

115g soft brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

120ml milk (approx)

85g butter, melted

200g mincemeat

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200C. Put cake cases into cake pans ready.

Mix the flour, baking powder, spices and sugar in a bowl. Melt the butter (microwave for 20 seconds), and mix this with the egg and the milk.

Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture, and pour in the liquid ingredients, then add the mincemeat and mix gently.

Put spoonfuls into cake cases- then put in the oven for 15 mins. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (or sugar) and then bake for another 5 minutes until golden.

Leave to cool in the tins before turning on to a wire rack to cool completely. My cases were full so I used some little loaf pans to bake the extra in- might have to have one later as a quality control check.

Yesterday for Sunday tea I took around the orange cake that I made on Saturday- any excuse to use the orange peel 🙂 This time I added dark chocolate chips in the mix to make a chocolate orange cake- yummy.

Today I went on my run and I was listening to marathon talk. They have a Spring motivation challenge (Jantastic! appeals to my love of puns etc)- it is just for fun, but anyway you can sign up on their website. You can enter on your own- for January you just pledge how many runs you would do each week, and then log them each week (nothing lost if you don’t do what you aim for), then for February you do that, and pledge the distance of your longest run each week, and then for March you try to predict to the nearest second a race/ race distance (can be a 5K you do on your own, or a race you are entered in).

Anyway, I am going to do it- I did it 2 years ago but couldn’t last year. But they were saying you could have a team, with a minimum of 6 members. So I was wondering if anyone wants to join up in a blog team? I was trying to think of a good name, but I can’t, so any suggestions welcome. I think it would be quite fun. They say the run has to be over 1 mile, it can be a run/walk, but you have to be wearing your kit, so no counting running to the bus! Anyone fancy it? If so, let me know by commenting here, or emailing me- also if you have a good idea for a team name let me know! Then I think when you sign up the team will appear (once I register it) from the drop down menu.

Might be worth a bit of extra motivation for getting out there when the weather is cold and damp and windy etc.

Cheers 🙂

Bird watching

Hello all,

Man was I looking forward to the weekend- this week has been flat out, and after having a few weekends away it was nice to have time at home to look forward to. This morning (after a lovely lie in and then a trip to the post office along with half the town) I went on a run. I have not been on a long run for a few weeks, but seeing as on Wednesday I managed to keep a pretty fast pace with the Sweatshop run (the guy from the shop even said how much he had noticed I had improved) I thought that I would still be fine for my lovely 8 mile route. It was cold, well, windy really, and after not being sure what to wear, ended up being just right- long sleeved craft top (love these, so cosy) and a jacket, gloves, tights and headband ear warmer- kept it all on the whole time. I did glance at my watch a few times to check I was not going too fast, or plodding too slow- most of the time I was about 11 min miles, so fine, and the 8 miles were just enjoyable. I saw a very pretty Jay bird (rusty coloured with bright blue streaks on the wings), so I stood and watched it for a bit, after all, I am in no hurry. Then later I saw a kestrel (you do see them a lot, but it was really close) so I stopped then too. I did the run in exactly 90 mins, which I am happy with. I have done it quicker, but I have also run it slower, and really I am just enjoying running at the moment. I am signed up to the Brighton Half in the Spring, so after Christmas I will concentrate on speeding up a bit, hopefully.

When I got home it was time for a late lunch- tomato soup and some pop chips, which I was sent to try. I was quite impressed.

This week I have been finishing getting all the Christmas things ready. I have made marmalade, fudge, written cards, wrapped presents- I love it. We put the tree and decorations up on Wednesday evening.

I can’t seem to get a good photo, so that will have to do. I went for lights and decorations, but no tinsel or beads this year. Each year we have been adding to our decorations, and I have some lovely ones that I don’t want to be hidden by the tinsel.

This is one of my favourite decorations- we got this in Denmark a few years ago- it is nice to link decorations to memories I think.

I got some cute little tags in Bath so have been labelling the marmalade (and fudge) with those.

I am also going to be playing with my new present! We had “Christmas” with my parents last night as we are away (hopefully) over Christmas itself. They got for us a hot water dispenser- it will be getting a lot of use that’s for sure! We gave them their gifts, and they loved the robin Christmas cake- I don’t think they were expecting it at all. 🙂

I am also going to do a bit more baking- I need to make another batch of fudge for more presents, and we are seeing Andy’s family, and having a breakfast at work. I was sent a lovely book and some cookie cutters as a thanks for my Baking Mad post- how sweet. 🙂

Right, off to do some baking I think. Have a lovely weekend 🙂