Christmas cooking

Since my hormonal storm passed, the Little Big Fella and I have been doing a bit of Christmas cooking.  I think this is one thing that I'd like to be a tradition for us.  It's spending time together, making different foods (maybe even trying new recipes), and licking the spoon :-D

One of the traditions we're passing on to the next generation (I'm pretty sure my sister is doing it with her boys too) is the making of yo-yos.  They're a little like shortbread, but made with custard powder rather than rice flour, and you stick the two biscuits (cookies) together with icing - vanilla, passionfruit, lemon... whatever takes your fancy really.  It's a tradition passed down from my dad's mum, then my mum did them every Christmas, and now my sister and I have done them too.  I like that sense of continuity and connection with my extended family, even when some of them are no longer here.

Here's a pic of my yo-yos when they'd just come out of the oven:

Another treat I love at Christmas time is fruit mince pies/tarts!  Some people hate them but I am an absolute fan!  So I bought a jar of fruit mince (too hot and tired to make my own this year) and made the pastry.

Seriously. Messy. Job!

The first part was easy!  Chuck it all in the food processor and whiz it up then wrap it and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Easy!

But then you have to roll it really thin.  And even with plenty of flour on the table, rolling pin and pastry, it stuck like billy-o!  And, of course, the Little Big Fella had his finger in the flour constantly and the flour went everywhere!!!  But we had fun, and that's the point!

I'm thinking of doing some ginger snaps and shortbread between now and Christmas.  We'll see how we go ;-)