image from here

I was going to spend the afternoon making Aberrnethy Biscuits for presents. I did go and buy the ingredients but returned home and flopped on the sofa instead. The baking I realised was a 'should'.

I've decided the real meaning of this time of year is to spend time with the people one most loves so I've been on the travelline to findout about travel on Boxing Day to see my friend up from London but that is not a goer !

Yesterday I popped into WordPower Books for a last min birthday/xmas present and ended up buying for myself this book. I'm a great believer in the To Me From Me present. I find it takes the sting out of what can be a quite horrilble time of year. Great expectations not met, families not all shiney happy and together. Friends fleeing off in all directions, cat off dancing on the tiles. The only solution apart from booking oneself into an exclusive hotel with the entire back catalogue of the Sapranos is to treat oneself as well as one can under the circumstances. I was on the phone to a friend in london who was relating the list of yummy ingredients she had sourced for her meals today (tomorrow she will have xmas dinner with her subanorexic mother and brother who has converted to hinduism - picky eater meets holier than thou eater).

If you have more energy than me -

Abernethy Biscuits

8oz flour

3oz butter

3 oz sugar

1 level teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

tablespoon milk

Mix - roll out, 4 mmish thick and cut out into fancy shapes with cutter or just plain circles with a glass bottom.

Bake in a moderate oven 10-15 mins until golden on top.

Variations - add all spice, cinnamon, ginger for spiced version, or grate some lemon zest to make lemon versions. plain with half cherries in the middle are nice.

Goes well with a cup of tea and coffee and a good book.

Last min presents - at this stage I'd recommend a voucher with a meal or treat out

Artists survival kit for any creative types you might know.

TUT - encouraging notes to you every day.