RECIPE CORNER
All these are personal favourites of our editor and come with her recommendation!
Kiwi and prawn triangles
6 slices of wholemeal grain bread
125g/4oz low fat soft cheese
or cream cheese
175g/6oz fresh peeled prawns
2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
15ml/1tbsp chopped parsley
Method (makes 20 triangles):
Toast the bread, cool and spread with the cheese. Cut into triangles. Decorate with the prawns, and kiwi fruit and sprinkle with the parsley.
Orange Chocolate Truffles
250g/8oz plain chocolate
75g/3oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp double cream
50g/2oz ground almonds
finely grated rind of 1 orange
1 tbsp drinking chocolate powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Method
(makes 20 Truffles, my favourite, Ed):
Break up the chocolate and put it into a bowl set over a pan half-full of very hot water, over a gentle heat, the water should not boil, only simmer. Melt the chocolate, add the butte, a little at a time, and stir in the cream.
Stir until melted and smooth and then remove from the heat and stir in the ground almonds and grated orange rind.
Let the mixture cool and put it in the fridge until stiff enough to mould into balls. To do this, break off little bits of the mixture and with wet hands roll them into small balls. Then roll truffles in the chocolate and cinnamon mix.
Return to fridge until needed.
Christmas Shortbread
125g/4oz butter 50g/2oz caster sugar
175g/6oz plain flour
25g/1oz glace cherries, washed and chopped
25g/1oz chopped almonds
Sifted icing sugar to decorate
Method:
Soften butter and sugar together until just blended. Add flour, cherries and almonds. Knead well on a lightly floured surface. Pack into 8inch flan ring or sandwich tin. Prick surface with a fork and bake at 160C, 325F, gas mark 3 for about 45 minutes until golden brown. Turn out of tin and cool. Cut into 8 wedges and sprinkle with icing sugar.
And from our junior editor, a dish not long ago impossible outside Puglia in Southern Italy. Now all ingredients are available (I am reluctant to admit) in Sainsbury’s. (When space allows, I’ll relate just a few of my runs-in with Messrs. Sainsbury).
Orecchiette con Broccoli
125ml Olive Oil
30 grams finely chopped bacon
1 finely chopped small onion
3 coarsely chopped garlic cloves
750 gm broccoli florets, tender stems, sliced
¾ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of finely ground black pepper
4 anchovy fillets in olive oil drained/mashed
185 grams of Orecchiette pasta
Cook olive oil, bacon & garlic in a large pot over a low heat until the onion begins to wilt. Increase the heat to high and cook briefly until aromatic. Add broccoli and stir for a couple of minutes. Add salt and ½ cup of water, stir and cook, covered, over a low heat for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and add pepper and anchovies.
Cook the Orecchiette in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and toss in the broccoli. Serve immediately or else cold.
Buono appetito!
WEDDING BELLS!
RACHEL DUNCOMBE & FELIX FRANKE
Several friends from Slip End and Caddington made the journey to Germany to celebrate the wedding of Joan Duncombe’s daughter Rachel to Felix. The ceremony took place at the Historic Rathaus (the old town hall) in Cologne on November 6th. What a delight Rachel looked and how proud Joan must have been.
PARISH COUNCIL
Here we are again at the end of the year. I must apologise for not sending an article for last month's PN, but I was away and did not attend the Parish Council Meeting.
October crime figures
Theft from Motor Vehicles - 5.
Interference of Motor Vehicle - 1.
Criminal Damage:Vehicle - 1. Robbery:Personal - 2.
Criminal Damage:Non-Dwelling: 1.
Gifts for the Elderly
These have already been ordered and I hope to collect them early next week. Our lists have been updated for this year and Parish Councillors will be out and about to all those who receive these gifts early in December.
Skate Board Park
Our newest Councillor, Ken Crossett, has taken upon himself the job of finding a Committee of at least four adults and some young people to continue the quest for finding the funding etc., for the Skate Park. If you have any time or expertise you can offer, please contact him.
See item from Ken Crossett below …..
Crawley Playground & Village Hall Security
We're nearly there on this one. Planning permission has been submitted for the mast for the Cameras and the lighting, and as the winter is a good time to plan works for the playground we hope to have a start on this in the New Year. With some luck it will discourage those who think its a good idea to vandalise the Village Hall and use the Crawley Playground for purposes other than playing.
Budget for 2005-2006
Councillors will be doing their sums about this time for next year. Grants for activities are also looked at now. So, if your Club or Group would like to be considered for a Grant for next year, please put your request in writing to our Parish Clerk, alternatively, any written requests can be handed to any Parish Councillor and they will submit them for you.
There being nothing else to report, I take this opportunity to wish one and all A Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Christine Benson, Slip End Parish Council
More local scenes in last winter’s snow.
Skateboard Park Plans!
You may remember I wrote to Parish News last month asking for volunteers who would be prepared to join a committee; that would set up and run a Skate Boarding facility at the playing fields.
I am very pleased to say a number of people have been in touch and said that they would be prepared to help. The Parish Council will be holding a public meeting at the Peter Edwards Hall in January to formally set up the committee and invite the views of residents as to what they would like to see. It is hoped that a large number of our younger residents, will come along to tell us what they would like to see.
The date for the meeting has not yet been fixed so watch out for posters that will be placed around the village giving details of the meeting.
Thank you to all those who contacted me.
Ken Crossett
RON FLASHMAN – Ship Builder
From time to time we feature some of our local personalities and their interests. Since being laid up following a road accident a couple of years back, Pepperstock resident, Ron Flashman has kept himself busy with a new hobby. With detailed plans and components and skill needed to make the many scratch built items, over the months he has constructed a small fleet of beautifully made sailing ships. His attention to detail is fascinating, the ships are fully rigged, needing much work and patience. We wish Ron well in his continuing recovery – ahoy,
m’hearties!
CHRISTMAS CARDS:
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
The huge annual deluge of Christmas card mail had its beginnings in the 1840’s in Britain, though even in the Middle Ages some well-off Europeans are known to have given friends woodprints on religious themes at Christmas.
An English illustrator, John Calcott Horsley, is credited with creating the first modern British Christmas card in 1843 – a picture of a family celebration with ‘A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You’ written on it. This was a few years after the first penny post public deliveries started. Within 20 years, improved printing methods meant that Christmas cards could be produced in large numbers and they became even more popular when cards could be sent for half price if the envelope flap was tucked in instead of being sealed.
There was also a limit to the number of words the sender was allowed. This was difficult to check unless the conscientious office manage un-flapped each envelope to count, which might seem an unlikely scenario but it happened in at least one village post office. There are now special sales of first-day covers and Christmas postmarks from various areas, mainly of FC’s round, smiling face, and of course, Wales’s claim to Christmas fame – the postmark ‘Bethlehem, Llandeilo’.
A copy of the card made in 1843
HOW TO ….BEAT THE COLD
Freezing weather can cause a lot of damage. Take a few simple precautions now so you’re prepared if it turns really chilly.
1. Protect container plants by wrapping the pots in bubblewrap.
2. If possible, turn off the water supply to outside taps. Insulate taps and exposed pipework by wrapping layers of sacking or hessian around them. Or you can buy special protection jackets from DIY stores.
3. Pop a small pond heater in the pond to stop the water from freezing over. Otherwise gases can build up harming fish and wildlife.
4. If the bird bath freezes, break the ice or change the water so birds can still drink from it. The birds need your help as much as your plants do.
Don’t slip up this winter….
Make patios, paths and steps safer. Give them a good scrubbing with warm water and washing-up liquid to remove moss and algae.
LAUGHTER
I needed a few days off and I realized that I ran out of vacation time already I figured the best way to get the Boss to send me home was to act a little crazy. I figured he'd think I was burning out and give me some time off. I came in to work early the other day and began hanging upside down from the ceiling. Just then one of my co-workers (she's blonde. it’ll be important later) came in and asked me what I was doing. "Shh," I said, "I'm acting crazy to get a few days off. I'm a light bulb." A second later the Boss walked by and asked me what I was doing. "I'm a light bulb!" I exclaimed. "You're going crazy," he said. "Take a few days off." With that, I jumped down and started walking out. My co-worker (the blonde) started following me and the Boss asked her where she was going. "I can't work in the dark!" she said.
Smythe found the following ransom note slipped under his front door. “Bring £50,000 to the 17th hole of your golf club tomorrow morning at ten o’clock if you want to see your wife alive again.” But it was one o’clock by the time he arrived at the designated spot. A masked man stepped from behind a bush and demanded, “What took you so long?” “Give me a break!” exclaimed Smythe, pointing to his scorecard. “I’m a 27 handicap.”
One Sunday the minister stood before the congregation and informed them he had good news and bad news. He proceeded to tell the audience that the church required a sum of £500 to fix the leaking roof. The congregation groaned. The vicar cut them short by dishing enough money to cover the repairs. The congregation breathed a sigh of relief. “The final piece of bad news,” said the minister, “is that the money is still in your pockets.”
CATCHPHRASE
Here are some real puzzlers for you. Can you decipher the hidden meaning of each set of words? (Answers on the last page.)
New Service at St Andrews!
Dateline Saturday 28th November, 8:20am
Church Close, Slip End.
A small red van pulls up outside the lych gate, the driver gets out to avail himself of the latest Service offered at St A’s. Not of the normal Praise & Worship or spiritual kind, but a Car Wash!
Our man produces sponge and soap and fills his bucket several times from the water tap in the churchyard, more usually utilised by folk wishing to keep flowers fresh in the graveyard. Suspicion was that the GPO were into a new cost cutting scam to keep their post vans clean at no expense. But on checking with GPO, local investigators were informed that the registration number did not tie up with any of their vehicles.
Van clean, the driver leaves the scene.
St A’s are considering adding a collection for this service to help pay the water meter bill!
EDITORS CHOICE
My daughter Amelia is off to back-pack around the world, well several countries, on December 5th so I would like to wish her a wonderful time. What fantastic opportunities the young people of today have been given. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience just waiting for her and her friend Lorraine. Hopefully she may pass me snippets that I can include in the Parish News. Her first port of call is Fiji, then Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. She hopes to finish up in Africa and then South Africa and will be away for one year, so God speed, Amelia and Lorraine. Have a really great time and don’t forget the postcards.
Lorraine and Amelia
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May god hold you in the palm of his hand.
The Tree in the Window
In the little window stands a tinselled Christmas tree,
Gay with candles, red and gold, a lovely thing to see.
Lighting up the grim surroundings
for the passer-by
with a glow that warms the spirit
and delights the eye.
To the ugly street there comes the hint
of holy things,
a flash of glory I the gloom, a rush
of angel wings;
the heart is touched by something that is strange and mystical,
and faith returns, the faith of childhood,
new and wonderful.
This is what we need today, so
shine out little tree!
Give us back what we have lost:
faith, hope, simplicity.
Patience Strong
Never a Christmas morning
Never the old year ends
But somebody thinks of somebody,
Old days, old times, old friends.
Finally it just remains for me, on behalf of the Parish News team to wish all our readers a Happy and Healthy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.
Editor
Need to Advertise? Call David Kingston on 416138 or davidgoodmankingston@hotmail.com
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Please Note: Articles for the February issue should be passed to Sue Cowell 83 The Crescent, Caddington (733507),
parishnews@slipend.co.uk (by 16th of the month if possible)
or David Kingston 7 Crawley Close, Slip End, davidgoodmankingston@hotmail.com
.
Anonymous material will not be published, however names may be withheld on request.
Parish News reserves editorial rights.
Answers to catchphrase – 1. Hitting below the belt. 2. Out on a limb. 3. More often than not.
4. Fly by night. 5. All in a day’s work. 6. Forgive and forget.
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