What is your Christmas list?
Would it be a puppy? a Kitchen aid? or perhaps a diamond ring?
One of my favourite songs is My grown up Christmas list a cover by Kelly Clarkson. There is something about this song that get me in the spirit somehow. It's a song that reflects on giving and receiving. It's about how life is alot more than material gifts and how I take things for granted easily.
One of the things I take for granted is how blessed I am to have loved ones by my side. This year has been painful-and I have witness and experience losing close ones. It did taught me a lesson though, it made me realize that we should always cherish the people beside us.
Then the economy meltdown that has been happening around us. I can't help but feel for others who are affected by it. As it hit home (like literally), the tightening of our belts somehow trigger memories of when we first dated-where money was really scarce but the walks in the parks and the laughs we had were far more precious than what we cannot afford.
Dreams-that's what it was. Dreams always get us going isn't it? And somehow, Christmas time made me dream more. It's contagious I think. And Dream is a goal with a time line attached to it isn't it?
What do you dream of? a car? a house? Maybe something bigger like volunteering without worrying about finances? What about a cure for Autism? Or perhaps greater money being placed for interventions for Autism... or more intervention for families in need?
And then we have life simple's pleasures. Food. What is Christmas without good food? Seafood? Roast? Turkey? Honey Baked Ham? Maybe a slice of Dom infused fruit cake?
So besides my very grown up Christmas List- My bake for this year Christmas is Dome Fruit cake! My grandma bought me a bottle of DOM liqour and has been encouraging me to use it somehow...and since I have been procrastinating about doing my Christmas baking this year-I decided to use whatever I have in the kitchen.
In fact, I was quite generous while marinating the mixed fruits and glace fruits with Dom-TWO full cups for 5 days! WOAH! Now that's suppose to be lethal right?
But for the final product.. my grandma said "NOT strong enough" DOH DOH DOH!
Having said that, the fruit cake passed her quality inspection-and it was moist enough. I loved it!
Christmas Dom Fruit Cake (Adapted from Australian Women's Weekly Food We Love)
2 cups of DOM
3-4 cups of mixed fruits and mixed peel
1-2 cups of mixed glace fruits (I love glace cherries so I was really generous with them!)
250grams of butter
3/4 cup of brown sugar
5 eggs
1.5 cup of flour
1/3 cups of self raising flour
1-2 tsp of mixed spice
1) Marinate fruits with DOM for 5 days.
2) Lined square cake pan and preheat oven to 160C.
3) Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs slowly. Fold in sifted flours and mixed spice.
4) Add 1-2 tablespoons of flour to the marinated fruits and mixed well. This will prevent the fruits from sinking.
5) Fold fruits into flour mixture and spoon to cake pan.
6) Bake for 2-3 hours (Mine was done in 2 hrs!). Cool.
7) Slice and serve with some custard orrrr... cherries!! =)
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! =)
My Grown up Christmas List
Do you remember me? I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with all childhood fantasies
Well, I'm all grown up now and still need help somehow
I'm not a child but my heart still can dream
So here's my lifelong wish
My grown up Christmas List
not for myself
But for a world in need
Chorus* No more lives torn apart That wars would never start and time would heal all hearts And everyone would have a friend and right would always win and Love would never end, no This is my grown up Christmas List
As children we believe
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely wrapped beneath a tree
But heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal a heart ached human soul
Repeat *
What is this illusion
Called the innocence of youth
Maybe only in our blind belief
Can we ever find the truth
Repeat *
