Be Jolly By Golly Blogfest

Do you remember me mentioning that I joined every blogfest going? Yes? Good.


The Rules (from Jen's blog):
1.Blog Post to be posted on December 20th (whatever time you desire)
2.Show pictures of your decorations, holiday lights & Christmas tree!
3.Share your favorite treat (Recipe included, chance for others to steal the yumminess!)
4.Share your favorite drink (Recipe included, chance for others to steal the alcohol – or non)
5.Last but not least… visit others!!! Take part in their holiday cheer!

Note: For those who don’t celebrate Christmas, you’re welcome to share any other holiday you are celebrating in this year!

1. Check.


2. Well, here's the deal. We in the Cheeky house celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas. (Yes, if you've already been celebrating the 12 days of Christmas, you came to the party early. Leave some appetizers for the rest of us!) So, we put up our tree and other decorations on Christmas Eve, leave them up through the 12 days of Christmas, and take them down on Epiphany (Three Kings Day), which is January 6th. And therefore, there are no decorations up yet inside the Cheeky house. However, 

we have put up the outdoor lights, and at least one neighbour is enjoying them.


3. It's hard to pick just one treat that we particularly like, although I do have a recipe for chocolate fudge that we really only make at this time of year:

POTATO FUDGE

3 T shortening
3 T butter
½ c plus 1 T cocoa
⅓ c mashed potatoes
⅛ t salt
1 t vanilla
1 lb powdered sugar
½ c chopped nuts (optional)

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt shortening and butter in the microwave. Stir in cocoa until smooth. Add potatoes, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Blend in powdered sugar, mix and add nuts. Dough will be very lumpy. Knead until smooth. Press into a buttered 8x8 inch pan. Cool in the refrigerator before cutting. Makes 64 pieces.


I promise that you can't taste the potatoes. Really. They just bind everything together, basically. As you can plainly read, there is an unreal amount of sugar in this stuff. People have been known to go mad after eating it. Proceed with caution.


4. I'm drinking this right now! No alcohol involved... although I'm sure you can add some. As I understand it, rum is the traditional addition.

Christmas Wassail

2 lg. cans pineapple juice
5 sm. cans frozen orange juice

2 sm. cans frozen lemonade

⅓ c tea

4 T whole cloves

2 T whole cinnamon

1 sm. pkg. red hots

2 c sugar in 1 qt water

Red food colouring

Make simple syrup of sugar and water; add spice tied in a cloth and simmer while mixing juices.  (Be sure to add all water called for on juice cans.)  Steep tea only 3 minutes in 1 quart water.  Dissolve red hots in 1 c boiling water and add to syrup mixture after removing spices.  (Be sure to mash out as much strength from spices as possible before removing from water.)  Add tea, juices and food colouring.  Makes about three gallons.  May be served hot or cold, but it's much better hot.

Editorial note: I don't put the spices in a cheescloth; I cut a slice of orange, poke cloves in it, and toss it in. And I put the cinnamon sticks in loose-- it's not like anybody's going to drink those by mistake. Nor do I add all the water the juice cans call for; I start putting stuff in the crock pot and stop when it gets full. I don't bother with the food colouring, either. 

And for my non-US friends: Red hots are small cinnamon candies. Just use whatever you have available.

The most recent wassail batch; I just sliced up the whole
orange & tossed it in. The specky one is the slice with the cloves.

5. Here I come a-visiting, among the leaves so green... ♪♫♪  Happy holidays, my friends!