He’s making a list,

And checking it twice;

Gonna find out Who’s naughty and nice.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

SOURCE: J. Fred Coots, Henry Gillespie (c) 1934

8 days till Christmas!

Today is the perfect time, to plan + prepare for your Christmas day entertaining.  Use the following checklist to help you with your planning:

• Finalise your menu plan + drinks
• Think about what you can cook in advance? Why not whip up a batch of Tangy Cranberry Sauce (made with dried cranberries)
• Write your shopping list
• Plan the table setting – what do you still need?
  • Tablecloth
  • Serviettes
  • Candles
  • Christmas Crackers
  • Centrepiece
• Have a look through your crockery, cutlery, serving dishes and glasses.  Do you have all the serving spoons that you will need?  Make sure you have enough of everything, for all your guests.  (Every year I seem to lose some cutlery – I don’t have the vaguest idea how!)

Cheers, Make Ahead Mum xxx

Tangy Cranberry Sauce (made with dried cranberries)

Serves: 6

Yield: about 3 cups

Ingredients    

2 oranges juice & rind
1/2 lemon juiced
1/3 cup marsala
3 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup brown sugar to taste 
1 apple peeled and grated
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions

Prepare this recipe at least a day ahead, as it improves for sitting a while.  Place the dried cranberries and orange and lemon juice into a medium sized saucepan.

Cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 10 minutes, until the cranberries are starting to plump up.  Remove from the heat and let stand for 1 hour.  This allows the cranberries to plump up completely and soften.

Add the the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, marsala and apple and simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Check for sweetness and add more sugar, if necessary. If too sweet add more lemon juice. If too thick, add more water.
Just before serving, I like to refresh the cranberry sauce by squeezing over the juice of half an orange. Serve with a sprinkle of orange zest on top.

Make Ahead Notes:

• Best made at least a day ahead, as the sauce improves for sitting a while.
• Refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• The cranberry sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.
• Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and serve at room temperature.

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