Xmas Recipies

A new study conducted at Penn State University, USA, led by Luke LaBorde found that spinach stored at 39 degrees Farenheit loses its folate and carotenoid content at a slower rate than spinach stored at 50 and 68 degrees.

This means that spinach stored in a refrigerator at 39 degrees F retains more nutrients than spinach kept at warmer temperatures. While they found that substantial nutrient loss occurred at all storage temperatures, cooler temperatures retained more nutrients for a longer period of time. Ideally, says dietician Seema Tarneja, you should buy, cook and eat up your vegetables on the same day.

This suggestion, of course, is impossible, for most young couples. Your next bet: store your vegetables as carefully as possible. "The trick when storing vegetables like spinach," says Tarneja, "is to maintain the moisture levels which, in turn, helps sustain the nutrient content to an extent." Some ways to do this are as follows:

If you are looking for something quick-n-easy to make Apple Pie Recipes, come to the site for very best of Apple Pie recepies.

Another Historic Christmas Pudding Recipe for 8 People

• 1 lb Suet
• 1 lb Currants
• 1 lb Raisins
• 8 Eggs
• 4 extra Egg whites
• 6 c Bread crumbs
• 1 tb Nutmeg
• 1 ts Ginger
• Salt
• 1 lb Flour
• 1 pt Milk

Cut suet in little pieces. Beat the eggs, then half the milk, beat them together, and by degrees stir in the flour and bread together, then the suet, spice and fruit, and as much milk as will mix it all well together and very thick.

Wet a large muslin cloth (3 foot square) and rub with flour inside and out. Drape it into a bowl large enough to hold the pudding mix. Pour the mixture in and tie up the muslin ends tightly, leaving the pudding in a large ball with some room for expansion. When tying the neck, leave long enough ends on the cords so you can knot a loop. Suspend the pudding in a large kettle or stock pot of boiling water, hanging the loop from a long wooden spoon straddling the open top of the pot, and boil five hours. Check water level frequently. It evaporates quickly.

When done, wrap in a clean muslin cloth and douse with 1/4 cup rum or brandy. Check weekly and add additional rum or brandy if it appears dry.

These are Christmas or 'Plumb' cakes, some old and new recipes to be tried. Of course they are best cooked weeks in advance of Christmas and allowed to age - but putting them in the freezer for a few days is also supposed to work wonders for rich cakes - so that is something - just don't let water drip on them.

Christmas Fruit Cake - a modern variety and very rich

• 1/8 cup chopped dried cherries
• 1/8 cup chopped dried mango
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup currants
• 2 tablespoons chopped candied citron
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup rum
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 8 tablespoons butter

Method

1. Soak dried fruit in 1/4 cup rum for at least 24 hours. Cover tightly, and store at room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter and line with parchment paper a 6 inch round pan.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
4. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the flour in three batches, alternating with the milk and molasses. Stir in the fruit/ rum mixture and nuts.
5. Scrape batter into prepared pan,and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, anjd then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons rum.
6. Place a piece of parchment paper, large enough to wrap entire cake, on a flat surface. Moisten a piece of cheesecloth, large enough to wrap the cake, with 1 tablespoon rum. Place the cheesecloth on top of the parchment paper, and unmold the cake on top of it. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the remaining rum. Wrap the cake, pressing the cheesecloth closely to the surface of the cake. Place the cake in an airtight tin, and let age for at least 10 weeks. If storing longer, douse with additional rum for every 10 weeks of storage.
   

A Plumb Cake

An old fashioned recipe with original spellings.

Take 6 pd of currants 5 pd. of flower an ounce of cloves & mace a little cinnamon 1/2 an ounce of nutmegs 1/2 a pd. of pounded & blanced almonds 1/2 a pd. of slic'd citron lemon & orange piele 1/2 a pt. of sack a little Rong water a qt. of good ale yest a qt. of Cream & a pd. and half of butter milke there in mix it well together on a board lay before the fire to rise yen work it up smooth put in an hoop with a paper flowered at ye bottom.

The Iceing (for the above fruit cake)

Beat & sift a pd of doubt icsind sugar & put to it ye whites of 4 eggs put in but one at a time beat them in a bason with a silver spoon till tis very leight & white.

Traditionally New Years Day is for visiting people, so these are simple (and the gingerbread, traditional) cakes and biscuits to take with you.

Ginger Bread Cakes

Take 3 pd of flower a pd of sugar & a pd of butter rubbd very fine an ounce of ginger & a grated nutmeg mix it with a pd of treacle & a quarter of a pt of cream warmed together to make up your bread stiff roul them out cut them in little cakes bake them in a slack oven.

Another Way
Take a quartern of flower 2 pd & 3 quarters of treacle & 1/2 a pd of butter warmd together an ounce of ginger 1/2 an ounce of carraway & corriander seeds bruisd make it into large cakes put it to either of them what sweetmenat you please when they are baked dip them in boyling water to glase them.

Gingerbread

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup unsulfered molasses
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
4 cups stone-ground or unbleached flour, unsifted

Combine the sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Mix well. Add the melted margarine, evaporated milk and molasses. Add the extracts. Mix well. Add the flour 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly. The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to fingers. Knead the dough for a smoother texture. Add up to 1Ž2 cup additional flour if necessary to prevent sticking. When the dough is smooth, roll it out 1Ž4 inch thick on a floured surface and cut it into cookies. Bake on floured or greased cookie sheets in a preheated 375° F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. The gingerbread cookies are done when they spring back when touched.


Honey Merry Christmas Cookies

1/3 c Shortening
1 Egg
1 tsp Lemon extract
1 tsp Soda
1/3 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Honey
2 3/4 cup Flour
1 tsp Salt

Mix ingredients. Chill dough 2-3 hours. Roll out dough and cut. Sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

So you have got the Xmas Recipies. Enjoy Xmas Recipies.