If in doubt, add more brandy!

I did some reflecting this week to help with the Advent retreat I led on Thursday. One of the questions was around what aspects of Christmas Past poured life into you. When I looked at them, there were 3 broad categories. Food, Weather and Community. I can't do much about the weather I decided but I could do something about the other 2 and in that moment the insane desire to make English Christmas Cake was born!

A couple of years ago I blogged here about my Mum's Christmas cake and the wonderful kitsch decorations. I haven't made Christmas Cake since I was 17.

I sat down in front of the fire a few days ago curled up with 2 different Nigella Lawson cookbooks and eventually worked out what I was going to make. I made a few interpretive decisions in terms of ingredients (adding cranberries!) , but I'm so excited about how it's going to taste.
Here is my big batch of mixed dried fruits after they have been soaking all night in a cup of brandy - Nigella recommended 1/2 a cup, but that was barely enough to get them moist. I reasoned that a cup of brandy would also counteract the tartness of the cranberries. Christmas Cake in my family was always liberally doused in alcohol, I think it was partly to disguise the taste.


The cake itself always requires a bit of 'Blue Peter' fiddliness (though without the sticky-backed plastic). First line the sides of the cake tin with parchment coming up about 4 inches above the height of the pan. Then line the inside bottom of the pan with parchment too. Then wrap the outside of the pan in brown paper, also rising about 4 inches above the rim of the pan. The cake cooks for 3 hours in a 300F oven. I believe the paper helps funnel the heat in some way. I've no real answer for why, but Nigella's cookbook told me to do it so it must be important!

Here is the yummy fruit cake batter carefully placed inside all that paper and ready for the oven. You should have seen me trying to hold the brown paper together and tie a one handed knot!
It baked for 3 hours, filling the house with a glorious fruit cake aroma. As soon as it's time was up I took it out of the oven, poured yet more brandy all over it and then wrapped the entire cake and pan in foil. It stays like that until cold, the foil traps the steam and helps keep the top of the cake soft and moist while it cools.

It will now live in an airtight container in the pantry for 3 weeks and then comes the icing.

The completed fruit cake will be covered in Apricot Preserve. On top of that goes a layer of Marzipan and covering all of that is a layer of White fondant or Royal Icing. I'm opting for the fondant icing this year for ease of decoration! Put some ornaments on top, tie a ribbon around it and voila English Christmas descends.

And the best bit of all was that the weather decided to get in the Christmas spirit too.

I had the fireplace roaring away and John Rutter Christmas Carols playing on the ipod. Sometimes I am such a cliche!

World Aids Day

This is a re-post from Dec 1st last year, but it seemed an important memory to share, especially as I read this morning that the number of new cases of hiv has risen for the first time in years and is spreading primarily through heterosexual relations.

Today is World AIDS Day. I was reading an article about whether the Global AIDS crisis is overblown. It's an interesting thought provoking article, but one line just made me smile -

"Everybody talks about AIDS at cocktail parties," Oldfield said. "But nobody wants to hear about diarrhea."

Ewww!

Back in the 90s Churches in the U.K. did special services on World Aids Day, today it just seems to slip by almost unnoticed. I remember attending a service in Nottingham - I attended because a friend of mine was speaking. I recall sitting there and being aware that some of the people who were sitting across the aisle from me were living with AIDS. It was the first time I'd seen someone with the disease. It put a face to something I'd just heard talk about. Suddenly AIDS became much more real to me.

After the sermon they played the song 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables' from the musical Les Miserables, they played it in memory of people who had died from the disease.



As the song echoed around the church I began to see people sobbing over friends, colleagues and partners they had lost. I did not know anyone who had died from the disease, but the grief was so palpable I began to weep too.

It was at that point that AIDS ceased to be a 'homosexual problem' or a 'third world problem' instead it was simply a 'Human Problem'.

Make your own Cyber Snowflake

Looking for a fun way to creatively waste 5 minutes?

Click here.

From Mountain to Manger - Advent Week 1

Random thoughts for Sunday's Contemplative Service

Advent arrives too early. We have barely recovered from the joys and excesses of celebrating Thanksgiving when Advent comes knocking on the door like an unexpected guest. We open the door and welcome him in and then stand around not exactly knowing what we should do. At least when Lent, Advent's older brother arrives, we know how to behave. We greet Lent by giving up something, but Advent tells us to wait and prepare without giving us any explicit instructions.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

(Luke 2:8-15)

If Thanksgiving is the angelic party on the mountainside and Christmas is the encounter at the manger then Advent is the long walk down the mountain in the dark. The Shepherds leave the place where heavenly worship spilled over onto the earth and begin a journey. They begin as worship spectators and end as worship participants, but first comes a narrow dangerous path. A path that looks very different than when they walk it in daylight. And as they journey they leave their sheep, their only source of income, behind. The hope of a Savior drives them toward the manger, and the memory of Angels gives them comfort, but after seeing heavenly light the mountain seems especially dark.

I seem to spend most of my life on that path. I have had moments when Heaven's joy seems to fill my heart, and other times where I know exactly where the manger is and in which direction I should walk. But often my Christian life is a stumble down a dark mountainside. My lips may be singing 'Walking, walking in the light, in the shining light of heaven above' but that is more of a statement of faith than experience, of hope than reality.

I have experienced God, and I will experience God. The Hope of Advent is that no matter how dark the path, I will reach the manger. Christ will be born, not just in a stable, but in our lives. As we journey towards God, He, through some divine mystery, journeys towards us. The father runs towards the Prodigal Son as he sees him cross the horizon.

And there is another mystery.

None of us journey alone. We may tell ourselves that we do. We may keep other people at a distance because of what we fear they would see. But none of us walk down the mountain alone. Our companions may not be who would we choose, but they are who we have. And, if we have eyes to see clearly, that person is the embodiment of God for us.

As we journey towards Jesus, not only does Jesus journey towards us, but he journeys with us as well.

As we begin this journey of Advent, where are you right now? Basking in the light of Angels? Close to the light of the stable? Wandering down the mountain in the dark? It's not enough to know where we are going, we also need to know where we are.

Who is journeying with you? Who will you allow to be Jesus for you this Advent Season?

Muppet Bohemian Rhapsody

click here for the youtube page

BGG Con Activity Breakdown

Total Number of Games played: 24
Number of Different Games: 22
Number of New Games: 17
Games Purchased: 2 (Court of the Medici and Chopstick Dexterity Mega Challenge 3000)
Games I want to purchase: INFINITE

Here is the Play by Play Day Account:



Thursday

Die Aufsteiger - I love this game. There wasn't a copy in the library so I brought mine with me and got to introduce it to some new people.

Waz Baraz - A clever little deduction game. I found it tough to play in a noisy room as I couldn't remember what conclusions I'd already made. I'd play it again though.

Tobago - Most people said it to rhyme with Cargo, but I always though it rhymed with Day-glo. Anyway, it was fun. I might purchase this one.

Neu Heimat - another game I brought from home, but this one was in the library. A tough economic auction game.

Zertz - a fun abstract

Opera - a big letdown for me. I so wanted to like this game of building opera halls all over Europe. It was rather dry and tedious. It went from 'Purchase Unseen' to 'Never play again' very quickly. At least I saved some money.

Monkey Lab - it was o.k. I'm not totally sure what all the fuss was about over this game.

Breakfast: Buc-ee's Burritos
Dinner: Scary Indian Buffet which caused post-meal intestinal problems
Time to bed: 2:30am


Friday

A La Carte - So cute and with great components! Competing chefs racing to cook dishes whilst being careful not to over season. It is so much fun to sabotage your opponents. I want this.

Dixit - Has a core mechanic similar to Apples to Apples, but requires more creativity on the part of the player. I would play this again and my purchase it.

You Robot - This game needs the right crowd or the right alcohol. Basically you make gestures and point at a card to get your partner to assume a pre-designated position. It was more frustrating than silly.

Basket Boss - Managing a Basket Ball team. I only found it mildly interesting and have no real desire to play it again, though I wouldn't run away screaming if I was forced.

Polizei-Alarm - Fun with magnets. A clever little children's game where one player is a thief and the other the police trying to apprehend them.

Die Aufstieger - Yeah! I got to teach it again :)

Ad Astra - Probably my favorite new game of the convention. Settlers trading and building combined with Wallenstein/Shogun programing mechanic and using a scoring system similar to Masons.

Sticheln - A great trick taking game that took some mind wrapping to work out the best play. I was poised in a great position to win this game, but the lateness of the hour befuddled my brain and I went wrong in the final round. This was fun!

Breakfast: Dennys
Dinner: Ali Baba Mediterranean
Time to bed: 2:45am

Saturday

Scripts and Scribes - an excellent little card game that is difficult to track down. I would like a copy of this.

Elk Fest - a silly dexterity game we played at lunch. The only game of the Convention that I actually won!

Railroad Dice 1 - thanks for teaching this Judson! Another game I would play again that is difficult to obtain in the U.S.

Lost Cities the Board Game - This game was a lot better once we used all the cards. Oops! Slightly more complex than the original Lost Cities, but it plays more than 2 which is a bonus.

Crokinole - Late night dexterity fun!

Also played in the BGG Game show - A version of Family Feud played with approximately 15 teams of 4. We finished in the middle of the pack.

Also played 'If you wanna....I'd rather...' A very silly way to waste time!

Lunch: Chilis with my good friends Rich and Ginger (and their son Jack). Good times!!!
Dinner: Light snacking on chips and apples at the hotel.
Time to bed: 1:30 am

Sunday

Court of the Medici - an interesting 2 player card game that I purchased. We played twice and I can see that it needs more plays to grasp strategic possibilities.

Atlantis - Leo Colvini re themes Cartagena and adds some other elements to make it less frustrating. I see no desire to own this but I wouldn't refuse to play it.

Pack and Stack - I was curious about this game so I was reading the rules when the Mayfair Rep came across and offered to teach it to me. He explained one rule and I pointed out that the published rules said different. He'd been teaching it wrong all weekend! It's a game about packing luggage crates in pickup trucks. I don't need to own it, but it was o.k.

Breakfast: Dennys again
Dinner: I'll fix something here
Time to bed: Still unknown, but I was snoozing in the car!

Let the Games Begin!

I'm off to leave for my boardgame convention early in the morning.

It's been 2 years since I made it to this convention so I'm really excited about seeing some old friends again and playing lots of new games!