British Expatriate Network

Not for recipes, so I reckon it belongs here! grin

Question 1

Do you bake at all? If so, do you do just the English things, like the cake and pudding, mince pies and so on ....

or......

do you just do the mountains of cookies, and the cheesecakes....

or do you run yourself ragged doing all of the above?

(Yeah, that's me...the last option! roll lol )


Question 2

If I leave all the baked goodies on the counter top uncovered for a while, will the calories all evaporate, making it a weight watchers delight? razz razz razz razz razz razz

lol lol lol

Oh yes it does now... :grin:

Bake everything and anything from anywhere in the world. Also a big fan of roasting as well.

Winter is an especially good time to be using the oven as it doubles up as a heat source (albeit marginal).

But never run myself ragged. I'm organised :lol:

Can't leave *anything* on our counters here, with one smart feral cat and one equally smart dog...

:wink:

What are calories? :lol:

Andrew

What are calories??

Those things that I never used to care about a few years ago, but are now evil.
Janet

Aaaaah! Round here we call them children.

Monster lol lol lol



Don't bake, often think about it though, but never seem to get around to it.

I do make an effort at xmas and bake a mince pie sort of thing. It's so terribly easy I can hardly call it baking really.

Here it is for all of you that might want it.

Ingredients

1 package of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry.
1 jar of mince.
Egg wash or milk.
Bit of sugar.


Unfold one piece of pastry and cover with mince leaving an inch around the edge.
Cut diagonal slits in 2 folds of second piece.
Unfold and lay over top of first piece sealing edges with water or egg.
Brush top with beaten egg or milk, sprinkle a little sugar over and bake at whatever it says on the puff pastry pckage, 400ºF I think, till golden brown.
Optional powdered sugar can be dusted over to after cooling for a more wintery look.

Mich

I like to bake simple cakes and ice them. Mum had a great Christmas cake recipie but my family are not great fruit cake eaters.

Didnt like mince pies but funnily enough MrKippling luxury mince pies were ok.

Cookies....I make chocolate chip ones and have tried oatmeal and raisin ones.

Cheesecakes, well Ive found a dead simple recipie which looks great (Philadeliphia cheese recipie).

I like making appetizers/dips etc and Christmas is a good excuse to take a few when visiting friends.

I dont count the calories but am aware of what i am eating lol

Do we have a good mince pie recipe here anywhere? I have munched through one box of Mr Kiplings but have found them sadly lacking sad I think they've made them smaller or have less mincemeat in them.

Where can I get proper mincemeat over here?

Me and the wife do both sort of. We made a load of cookies (but we make choc chip all time anyway so hey) and a chocolate log. Cant stand fruit cakes or mince pies so that solves that problem. My british introduction to american christmas's is to stuff myself silly with as much imported chocolate as possible. The chocolate oranges and the kinder has arrived, and im getting stuck in.

oooh Chocolate Log...is that the swiss roll cake rolled up with choc butter icing on?

where where do you get jars of mincemeat ...help help help

jars of mincemeat in stop and shop irish section. (Surprise surprise!!)

thanks jim

I always thought Kiplings were nasty anyways, with that dreadful "faux" short pastry, overly sweet and just nasty.

I think I posted a make your own mincemeant recipe on here didn't I? If you do a search you might be able to find it.

Then just make some nice shortcrust pastry or buy some phyllo or regular puff and whammo!

:smile:

I agree mczip, disgusting little things those Mr Kiplings.
I live to make mine with puff pastry.

Maczip..... have you ever tried my pastry?? lol

Frankly I don't care what kind of pastry my mince pies are made with - as long as they are crammed with mincemeat - preferably alcoholic!