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| Christmas Chatter; Slightly secular thread | |
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| Topic Started: Friday, 9. November 2007, 13:33 (1,002 Views) | |
| KatyA | Friday, 9. November 2007, 13:33 Post #1 |
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Independent Catholic News have provided a list of sources of "ethical Christmas Gifts. I'm sure there are others which could be added. E.g. http://www.ccrsorg.co.uk/ http://web.mac.com/thefriary/CMI_SITE/Home.html
Used with permission http://www.indcatholicnews.com/etica4356.html Perhaps members would like to add their own recommendations KatyA |
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| pat | Saturday, 10. November 2007, 00:08 Post #2 |
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Thank you Katy, very useful resources. |
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| Lilo | Thursday, 6. December 2007, 16:13 Post #3 |
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 The chestnut stuffing to go with the turkey above.  Tourtiere - Quebec's contribution to Christmas  Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars) |
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The root problem in a lot of bad catechesis is ultimately not ignorance, but pride. ~ Mark Shea
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| KatyA | Thursday, 6. December 2007, 23:12 Post #4 |
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I thought that I would resurrect this in case anyone needed ideas for what are described as "ethical" Christmas cards or presents
:D Anyone got any to add? KatyA |
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| Rose of York | Thursday, 6. December 2007, 23:43 Post #5 |
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The Tablet Magazine is running a survey about Christmas gifts and donations. Included are questions about "Alternative Gifts", by which you pay for an item (eg a goat) needed in a developing country, and send someone a card telling them you have done it as an alternative to sending them a personal gift. Other questions are about how much you will spend on gifts, how much you will give to charities and how much to your parish. Link to survey |
 Catholic and proud of it! Talk to God before Mass. Talk to each other afterwards | |
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| Rose of York | Friday, 7. December 2007, 01:39 Post #6 |
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I suggest: We use this thread for "secular Christmas stuff" about presents, shopping and so on. By all means open new threads about the religious aspects (liturgy, etc). I just think it will be easier to keep track if we have this one thread for "bits and bobs". The thread Christmas around the World is unaffected. That one is precious. |
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Catholic and proud of it! Talk to God before Mass. Talk to each other afterwards | |
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| shana buck, sfo | Friday, 7. December 2007, 06:22 Post #7 |
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Some of the Catholic bloggers have posted foods and goods made by religious congregations in different places. One (an old friend) had quite a list: http://theanchoressonline.com/2007/09/13/t...sking-me-about/ Most of these were for religous orders in the US, and one for a mysterious home schooling Mom with a large family who makes unique rosary bracelets in her 'spare time'  Other bloggers (she has some of the links, I think) posted other suggestions. If you in the UK know of different orders needing some financial aid - post 'em! In the Sacred & Immaculate Hearts - shana |
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"There is no triumph without loss, no victory without sacrifice, no freedom without suffering." -- JRR Tolkien "Ours is an age of improved means to deteriorated ends." -JRR Tolkien http://sthubertsrosary.com/default.aspx | |
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| Lilo | Friday, 7. December 2007, 18:32 Post #8 |
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They're really quite lovely!  The other day I was half way through early Mass when it suddenly dawned on my foggy brain that I had neglected to "dress" my wrists: no watch on the left; no Rosary bracelet on the right. Not a good feeling. :P BTW - these bracelets have been known to do extensive travelling. :o The first one that was supposed to be headed my way didn't show up . . . . and didn't show up . . . . until that mysterious home schooling Mom finally gave up & shipped another. Some two weeks after the second bracelet made it here, the first showed up, too. For some strange reason it had come here via The British Virgin Islands. . . . and that took a while. (I always pictured it sitting in an office there until everyone had a look at the envelope that was supposed to be sent north to Canada and ended up south in the Carribean.) |
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The root problem in a lot of bad catechesis is ultimately not ignorance, but pride. ~ Mark Shea
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| PJD | Friday, 7. December 2007, 19:22 Post #9 |
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I thought of baking a Christmas cake today; but got laughed out of court. Well for kneeding, males are stronger aren't they? And then there is the icing. But gave us when I found the ingredients would cost several times more than if bought from the supermarket. It's just that I thought of testing out my baking on the grandchildren. Just thoughts..... PJD |
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| Rose of York | Friday, 7. December 2007, 19:34 Post #10 |
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Dough is kneaded. You don't make cakes with dough.
What have they done to their grandfather to deserve a kneaded cake? 
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Catholic and proud of it! Talk to God before Mass. Talk to each other afterwards | |
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| PJD | Friday, 7. December 2007, 19:37 Post #11 |
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Well I mean't the mixture. Butter only if you please. Grandchildren always give me lots of cuddles; they would if I made the cake; they would still do so if I bought it from a shop and pretended; but then they might ask questions if they found out. Would still get cuddles though. PJD |
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| Rose of York | Friday, 7. December 2007, 19:40 Post #12 |
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PJD, try this one: Check recipe for shopping/store cupboard purposes. Gather together the fruits and soak in alcohol as directed in the method before making the cake. 10 oz currants 6 oz sultanas 3 oz raisins 3 oz dark natural glace cherries 3oz mixed chopped peel - Cut your own or use ready cut Grated rind of 1 lemon Grated rind of 1 orange 2 tablespoons of whisky, brandy, rum or sherry 4 eggs - room temperature 6 oz butter - room temperature 6 oz soft brown sugar (or caster sugar if you have none) 3 ½ oz of self raising flour (use all plain if you have no SR flour, this cake is not intended to rise, but be level.) 3 ½ oz of plain flour 2 oz ground almonds 1½ teaspoons of mixed spice (this should contain cloves, cinnamon etc) 1 tablespoon golden syrup or corn syrup Optional 2oz walnuts or blanched almonds chopped. Optional 2 oz chopped dried apricots The quantities in this fruit cake recipe must be baked in a deep Round 8 inch tin or Square 7 inch tin. Prepare these things first. 1. Before you mix up the cake, SOAK the dried fruit and the halved cherries in the alcohol for about 4-8 hours before using it and also remove your 6oz butter and 4 eggs from the fridge to bring them to room temperature about 2 hours before cake making begins. Sometimes I just put all the fruit in a screw top jar and shake it every day for about a week or two. The soaking helps plump and hydrate the fruit. 2. Heat oven to 140 degrees Celsius or Gas mark 1 or 275 degrees Fahrenheit 3. Butter your tin type and double line it and butter it again with 2 circles of greaseproof paper and an inner band of paper. 4. Outside the tin add a double band of brown paper that rises 2 inches or so above the tin. Tie with string. 5. Place the tin ready on a flat pizza or other baking sheet – this helps in removing it from the oven. NEXT - Chop ready the nuts you decide to use or omit if preferred. Sort out 4 eggs which you can lightly whisk in a jug in preparation. In a large bowl sift the flour with the mixed spice. Add the ground almonds and the chopped nuts to that bowl. Mixing the Cake In another very large mixing bowl cream the room temperature butter with the sugar – I use an electric whisk. Next start to use the 4 mixed eggs and add them teaspoon by teaspoon to the sugar and butter, beating well to mix them in between additions. If you add too much egg too soon and it curdles, then shows separation if that happens just add a tablespoon of flour and mix in. Now add the golden syrup. Dip a tablespoon into piping hot boiling water and remove the spoon of syrup from the tin and drop it onto the cake mix and stir it in. Next fold in the spiced flour and ground almonds and nuts. Now add all the soaked dried fruit. Stir it all together until mixed well Spoon the Christmas cake mixture into the tin and smooth the top absolutely flat with a spatula or even your CLEAN dampened hand. This cake should not rise in the middle, but be flat. Then drop the tin from about 10inches in the air onto the floor to make sure it has no air bubbles. Replace it onto the pizza support tray. Baking the cake I bake this rich fruit cake for 3 hours in my oven using the ordinary section, not the fan section of my electric cooker oven. Fan ovens can over dry cakes of this type which require long slow cooking to help the flavour and colour develop. This same recipe is baked for 4 hours in my mother’s oven which is gas fired. So oven timings will vary. But don’t look at this cake before 3 hours has passed. I have no idea how long it would take in an Aga so if someone tries it in one please let me know. Test with a skewer and bake the Xmas cake another 10 minutes before testing again. A cooked cake is evenly raised and should be moving slightly from the tin sides. The singing hum stops. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin. The next day remove the paper wrap and make some skewer holes on the underside. Pour over 2 tablespoons of alcohol. I use sherry or any good spirit available. Do this about every 5 days for several weeks. Each time wrap the cake in double greaseproof paper and then tinfoil and store in a tin or plastic container. You can either eat the fruit cake immediately as it is or keep feeding the cake for a month once or twice a week until you are ready to decorate. You can add almond paste and finally icing or fondant. Or instead use a simple glazed topping of crystallised fruits or nuts and encase in large ribbon band. Warn drivers of the alcohol content of the Christmas cake, but otherwise ENJOY it. |
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Catholic and proud of it! Talk to God before Mass. Talk to each other afterwards | |
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| Rose of York | Friday, 7. December 2007, 19:46 Post #13 |
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It all seems a bit too violent for me. |
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Catholic and proud of it! Talk to God before Mass. Talk to each other afterwards | |
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| Papa Buck | Friday, 7. December 2007, 23:41 Post #14 |
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With children (and adults) all cakes are needed cakes. Bill |
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| Rose of York | Saturday, 8. December 2007, 00:02 Post #15 |
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Having been born during wartime I have memories of the days of rationing, and shortages of imported foodstuffs. The only items in a Christmas cake that were rationed were butter and sugar. The dried fruit, nuts and citrus fruit were all imported, so limited amounts were brought into the country. Sailors in men in the Merchant Navy were going to their deaths, bringing in supplies so Winston Churchill had ordered that this island must aim at self sufficiency and import as little as possible. Though the "luxuries" needed for the cake were not rationed, they were in short supply. When the grocer had some, he would control the supply, so all his customers had a share. There was a high shelf in a cupboard in the alcove next to the fire. When Mother got any goodies, they went up there, she said she could not see what was on the shelf, so she was less likely to use them during the year. Once a year Mother stood on the step ladder and down came the dried fruit, glace cherries and candid peel. There would be no fresh eggs for breakfast that week, they were needed for the cake. Everybody had a turn at stirring the cake. When the mixture was put in the tin we children would call out "Mother can I have the bowl please" I do not know how she decided who was given the privilege of eating the last remains from the bowl. One other child would be allowed to lick the mixing spoon. Anything sweet was a treat to a War baby. Whoever got the bowl or spoon had to either wash up or dry. The oven was prepared in advance. The range had an open fire in the centre. To the right there was a cavity for drying out wood for lighting the fire. Behind the grate was a boiler for heating water. Above the fire there was a wide cast iron shelf for airing sheets and towels. To the right there was an oven. The fire would be stoked up with big shiny lumps of coal. When hot water was needed Mother would open the rear damper, that sent a draught backwards, sucking the flames towards the boiler. On baking days the oven damper was opened to send the flames under the oven. If the oven got too hot the damper had to be partially closed, and if it was not hot enough it had to be opened wide. There was a thermometer on the oven door. Mother kept checking it, and opening and shutting the damper. When the fire got low one of the boys would be sent down the cellar for a bucket of coal. It was traditional to make the Christmas cake soon after the previous Christmas, so it would mature. There was quite a performance one Christmas Eve, when Mother could not find the cake she had made months previously. It turned up, on the hat shelf of her wardrobe, wrapped in brown paper. Christmas goodies were a real treat. We never went hungry in the days of rationing, but we certainly appreciated the occasional luxurious treat. Fruit cake is not quite so enjoyable when you can have it whenever you please. |
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