What are you planning for the Christmas Holidays???

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Faith Gealey-Brown on November 21, 2010 at 8:58pm

Last year, I made large pineapple upside down cakes for family - 2 for each of my uncles (I have 5) and their families because each of my uncles eats a whole entire cake by themselves! I also did gingerbread cookies, oatmeal cranberry cookies with orange glaze, mini red velvet cakes with cream cheese glaze, mini banana breads, and almond pound cakes with almond glaze.

This year I'm planning on doing gift baskets for friends/family and using a hodge podge of different things to make each one unique....
- homemade hot chocolate mix
- homemade cake mix
- raspberry scotch bonnet pepper jelly
- chocolate dipped spoons
- cake balls (going to do egg nog, peppermint, red velvet and guinness flavours)
- fruit cake
- christmas sugar cookies
- oatmeal cranberry cookies

what stuff are you guys planning?

Permalink Reply by Kerry on November 30, 2010 at 5:00pm

Hi Faith

Sounds like you have your hands filled. Christmas cannot be a Christmas without making black cake (fruit cake with some good alcho and wine etc - lol lol), pastelles, sorrel and ginger beer. These are some of the traditional items made for Christmas in Trinidad.
I have already made eighteen (18) pastelles which like finished in one day. This was two Saturdays ago. I also give some of the pastelles to my co-workers, friends and family.

Sorrel - a type of deep red fruit/ plant prepared to make a sorrel drink (usually drawn with hot watter- clove, sugar essence is added to make the drink)

Ginger beer - preparation is similar to that of the sorrel drink

Pastelle - consist cornmeal, mince beef (or any mince meat of your choice, even soya for vegetarians), capers, olives, raisins, pimentos, ketchup, oil etc. Some use banana leaves as well as aluminium foil to prepare same. I prefer the banana leaves
Pastelles is also popular in Puerto Rico and many other spanish speaking countries. However, the ingredients and preparation will differ.
My relatives and friends caught me this year so on the week of around December 15th onwards I have 6 dozen pastelles to make and at least 10 black cakes (fruit cakes) and PLEASE NOTE pastelles is a lot of work :)

I also plan on assisting the those in need and spending time with family and friends.

Permalink Reply by Faith Gealey-Brown on November 30, 2010 at 9:13pm

We do sorrel here in Cayman too...we just buy ginger beer from the store though! LOL. My mom makes really great sorrel, so I'm not doing the sorrel this year. THe stuff I listed above is what I'm making to give as gifts :).