Launching my very own Christmas Cake recipe

Came over all domesticated this morning and made a bit of a culinary effort for Christmas. I found an old fruit cake recipe of my mother's and with a few changes, and not much preparation time, it worked out really well.

If anyone wants to try it here is the recipe:

Gently boil the following ingredients in a saucepan for 3-5 minutes:
100g brown sugar
100g butter
1 cup hot water
2 cups dried fruit (I used cranberries and raisins)
1/2 cup marmalade (or berry jam)
3 tsp spices (I used ginger, mixed and cinnamon)
1 tsp salt

Once the fruit mixture is cool, mix in the following ingredients:
1 whole apple (including skin and core) blended into a mush
1/2 cup Frangelico liqueur (or sherry, or port - anything sweet and with alcohol)
200g plain flour
100g almond meal
3tsp baking powder

Bake 50 minutes at 180deg C in a large pan that is lined with foil then baking paper.(You don't need to grease the pan or the paper, it lifts off easily)

I decorated mine with walnuts and red glace cherries stuck on with a little bit of icing - but I think Mum used to press whole almonds into her version.

Lizzie

5 good things about the dog

I've never owned a dog before; so I thought it was time as I now live near a great beach, with a dog section, in Tahuna. So, Vito and I have been together for 16 months, and my training has been going very well. He's a Sydney Silky - but I keep his hair cut quite short so he doesn't have that overgrown mop look. I'm getting better at the haircuts and he looks less punk now.

I reckon there's a few good reasons to own a lively little dog:

1. He will drag you out for walks on a regular basis; or drive you to distraction or chew your shoes
2. You'll end up meeting other people with dogs that you would normally never speak to; some of them are quite nice, some of them you just wish he'd walk past without creating a conversation
3. Kitchen scraps, like cooked rice, apple cores or chop bones, will never go to waste again
4. You will learn a second language - one that includes sniffs, squeaks, growls and animal body language. This helped me deal better with other people's dogs. (I'm much less of a wus now.)
5. Keeping the upper hand, or the mystical 'top dog' status is tricky, but you'll learn to be consistent

Vito

Of course, if you start talking silly, buying dog outfits, or looking like your dog its probably time to call it quits.

Lizzie