By then it's usually about December 22 and the nerves are getting a little frazzled. Now there's something rather therapeutic about a baking session in the kitchen, and therein lies your answer. Make them something. Something they can hand around with drinks or coffee when friends drop in over the holidays.
As I am returning to the land of the employed this week, I had an unexpected burst of pre-Christmas motivation last Friday, fired up the oven and got baking while I had some idle time.
First I made the Christmas mincemeat pies. I took the lazy option and bought a packet of pre-rolled sweet short pastry instead of making my own and I have to say those are the easiest mince pies I've made in an age. While I rattled through the various kitchen storage areas searching for my pie tins - and indeed wondering if I might have thrown them out in one of my pre-shifting cleaning fits - the pastry defrosted. I duly located some tins that were sufficient for the task at hand though I never did find the ones I was looking for.
I gave the recipe for my Christmas mince last week. I used to make pies with full tops but they are fiddly to crimp. Far easier to make a star or Christmas tree cutout and use that instead (1). Just stamp out the bottoms with a cookie cutter, ease into the mould, fill with a spoonful of mincemeat and place a cutout on top. Bake according to the directions on the pastry packet. A dozen of these make a nice gift (2) for someone who is unlikely to make their own but would like to offer a visitor a little homemade Christmas cheer.
While these were baking I decided to make some cheese nibblies. These go well with a glass of wine. They have a nice bite and flavour. I seasoned these with ajowan seeds. I bought mine from a New Zealand firm, Spice Wise - http://www.spicewise.co.nz. These pungent little seeds have a high level of the volatile oil thymol and they lend a herby, spicy note. Buy a good mature cheddar to add to the flavour.
Cheese Nibblies
125g butter, cut into cubes
250g plain flour sifted with 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt
200g tasty cheese, grated
