Mince Pie Madness

I must be mad. As if there wasn’t enough else to do, I seem to have invited the whole village to our Christmas party. I get a bit carried away with all that festive cheer and dream that I will miraculously transform into Nigella Lawson the minute the Christmas tree goes up. Somehow, I’ve got to find time to cater for the party, on top of getting ready for Christmas and keeping my tribe fed. The freezer is groaning under the weight of all this advanced cooking and if I see another mince pie, I swear I’m going to scream.

Small and gorgeous…

Talking of mince pies, they do freeze brilliantly, which is just as well because we’re going to be eating them until Easter at this rate. I’ve just spent £20 on two mini muffin trays (don’t tell The Husband) because I thought that if I make them really small, they look gorgeous and guests can get them in their mouths in one bite. It will rescue the carpet from potential mince-pie spillage and therefore actually save money in the long-term… A friend pointed out that I could have spent less than 20 quid on ready-made ones from the supermarket and saved myself a whole heap of stress. She’s right, those TV ads for perfect little nibbles are really tempting, but buying them doesn’t quite fit with my domestic goddess inclinations…

Furry squash!

We’ve eaten a lot of baked potatoes this week – partly because my planning has gone to pot slightly. With all this frantic activity in the kitchen, I’ve ended up running out of time in the evening and having to fend off starving children. So I’ve chucked potatoes in the oven for a quick supper, but I’d already defrosted some stewing steak for a casserole and also some sausages to have with mash. Now I’ve got to cook it all up before they go past their dates. I did manage to use up the carrots earmarked for the stew in coleslaw. But the butternut squash, which usually lasts for ages in the veggie rack and was going to be served roasted with the sausages, has gone decidedly furry.

But a least we’ve got mince pies…