On the ninth day of Solstice, my Thelma gave to me

10 great gift ideas! This was inspired by a post I saw on a blog where the suggestions seemed a little bit off my radar - truffle oil? Why would I want that? I use it to drizzle on eggs or add it as an extra to a dressing or dipping oil, rather than an ingredient in things. Maybe I'm using it wrong?

This was actually inspired by a post over at My Kitchen Robot, not the one that I originally linked to but as Helene has commented about this post not the other one, I've just crossed out of what I wrote. Capiche? I'm confused, I don't know about you.

I've made a few of these as well ;). Here are 10 things that you could make with a Thermomix:

1. Raw truffles, truffles, rumballs, apricot balls, etc etc. So many options so you can find something that suits people who are gluten intolerant, nut allergic, dairy reluctant, low fat, high chocolate.
2. Vanilla sugar. There is a recipe in the EDC but mine was to use 3 vanilla beans and 600g of raw sugar, processed at speed 8 until it resembled sand. Bottle, label, share, use.
3. Lemon butter. Again, there is a recipe in the EDC and I did post about it when I made a lot of it.
4. Spice mixes - so many options to try! Sweet (cinnamon and cloves and sugar), spicy (chilli and pepper and cardamom), warm (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger), lemon salt rub, garam masala style, Moroccan.
5. Spicy tea mix - chai perhaps?
6. Anything that would freeze well, and fill someone's freezer with goodness. It could be sorbet, or some stroganoff, or something else yummy and your signature dish!
7. Vegetable stock concentrate is often requested and I can usually trade a jar for a dozen eggs, or a small favour.
8. Dukkah! I love it and the EDC recipe makes a lot but I use it as a rub for vegetables and meat as well.
9. Spinach pesto - use the last of the spinach in the garden to make, instead of basil, to bottle some
10. Jam or sauce with whatever fruit is around. Citrus, berries, stonefruit are all in season and so suited for bottling! You can also preserve it under a sugar syrup, if you want to use the Thermomix but want to use the lovely fruit whole.

On the eighth day of Solstice my Thelma made for me

Cake

A lot of things! I got up at 6am this morning (ugh) and made chocolate cake for my housemate's birthday. I made a double batch of the chocolate cake out of the EDC so I could make cupcakes for TheHusband as well, and it really wasn't a huge batch of cake. Which was odd given the huge amount of butter in it. It was a delicious cake though, with a simple ganache over the top (also from the EDC).

Biscuits

I then made biscuits. I used the chocolate chip recipe out the EDC but put 100g of seeds in with the sugar so that they got creamed in with the sugar and butter. I then added 100g of sultanas at the end and made do without chocolate chips, which I don't like much anyway. I did end up overprocessing the biscuits which had two effects - the butter started to melt so the texture was gross when handling them, and it made the biscuits almost shortbread in texture. Interesting.

Bread

I then put bread in to rise.

Bread recipe that's the best one so far
270g warm water
1 small palm sized collection of raw sugar
15g olive oil
Pinch of salt
500g bread mix, bread flour, flours
2tsp yeast

Assemble in that order in the bowl. Mix for 30 seconds at speed 4-5. Lock lid and knead for 2.5 minutes. I'm not sure if mine needs this long because it's an "ancient grains" mix so lower in gluten, but without this kneading it's like a brick. Leave it in the bowl until it peaks out of the top hole (or set aside in a warm spot to double in size, if you need the jug!). Lock lid and knead for another 2 minutes. Shape into a loaf and put into a cold oven, set to 200C, for 30 minutes or until baked (sounds hollow when rapped on the bottom). 

Vanilla sugar

and playdough
I packed up after mixing the dough, and went to the amazing My Kitchen Robot's house to make things and hang out with my mama tribe. I can hardly call it a "mothers group" when it's more of a tribe than a group. It's the best part of my week most weeks and this time we met at a house. I whipped up vanilla sugar (3 very dried out beans, 600g raw sugar, whizz up and voila! another gift done!) and then made faildough, which was made (a) with the same recipe (b) at the same time and (c) within metres of MKR's deliciously soft and doughy dough, and mine was like, well, putty. Nearly dried out putty. Though I did use different flour, and I used tartaric acid rather than cream of tartar, so that's probably the reason. I'm going to make ornaments out of mine today I think.

Soup

After that, I whipped up soup for 8+ people in 20 minutes. I used the Moroccan Lentil soup but didn't have lentils so added a large tin of 4 bean mix and it was delicious!! It was nommed up with gusto by children and adults alike, and went well with the bread I made while the soup was souping.

So you can just see my car can't you - 3 bags of clothes for someone who's expecting a babe in the new year but didn't get to the clothes swap the other week, a jar of lemon butter to swap for eggs, my picnic basket with flour, food colouring, an onion, premeasured spices for the soup, a tin of beans, two of tomatoes, bits and pieces, Thelma all gravid with proving dough, my bag, my camera, Thermobaby's acoutrement (she travels light though), a sling or two, hat, water bottle etc etc. It might have looked like I'd left home and was moving in.

At least I brought food!

Though TheHusband tells me that when he got home and there was no wife, no babe, and no Thelma - he momentarily thought the worst! That I'd left home and taken all that was important with him ;).

The view, sounds and energy of two dueling Thermomixes on My Kitchen Robot's benchtop was a sight to behold though. It was momentarily confusing to hear one working away, and the other chiming completeness, and both MKR and I had confused looks because we could hear/see our own working but were compelled to answer the chime as well! Mr MKR wasn't sure what to make of it all though when he got home, but I think seeing a happy MKR and fed people made sense to him.

On the seventh day of Solstice...

My Thelma suggested that I post 10 gift ideas for someone who has a Thermomix, because one could suggest that it is the smallest kitchen ever so what more could one want? This was inspired by a post I saw on a blog where the suggestions seemed a little bit off my radar - truffle oil? Why would I want that? I use it to drizzle on eggs or add it as an extra to a dressing or dipping oil, rather than an ingredient in things. Maybe I'm using it wrong?

ETA: Helene of Super Kitchen Machine has commented on the original place that I wrote this comment, to say:

Dear Emma: So sorry that my list was a little off your radar -- but glad to hear it did inspire this list of yours ;-) (thanks for the link, btw!) . The truffle oil was mentioned as something special that I would want for myself. I have never had truffle oil in, or anywhere near my house! It's just too 'precious' for someone as frugal as me. And yes, I agree -- I too would use it oh-so-sparingly to add just a drop or two of flavor to something special. Reason I thought of this is because I had an outrageously good pizza a while ago that was quite scant on the toppings but rendered impressive by the drizzle of truffle oil on top. Gourmet pizza is so easy to do with Thermomix and I am wishing that someone will gift me with a tiny amount of the oil to experiment with. I hope that all your Christmas dreams come true and that you have a lovely time with your little family. I love keeping up with your Thermomix adventures, so have fun and keep up the great work!

But here are 10 things that I still use lots, if not more, now that I have Thelma in my life:

1. A good grater to take the zest off things. I get a lot of use out of my Tupperware one as it has a serrated edge on it that just takes the zest off.
2. Silicon baking mat! Really important for baking things that come out of the Thermomix.
3. Large storage containers because once you have a Thermomix you buy flour, sugar, spices etc in bulk. I like Tupperware ones as well for the 5kg ish of flour I buy at a time.
4. A good bread tin for baking the bread that they can now easily make.
5. Something from your own kitchen! Because a baker likes nothing more than to be gifted something to say that they can have a break in the kitchen now.
6. Vanilla essence, paste or beans. Buy some delicious indulgent ones and tie them with a bow.
7. Jars, bottles, tins or similar for storing the things they make! Or a big cookie jar, bread tin, 
8. Tea cups  or coffee cups! I love Bodum double walled ones which are great for serving hot and cold dishes.
9. A nice apron, tea towel, oven mits combination perhaps?
10. A knife and chopping board. I bought an extra special handmade wood one and a lovely knife, because I used them a LOT more now that I have Thelma.
11. I lied - there's an extra one that comes to mind. Dip bowls and platters would also be great!
12. And another! Help! Stop! The ideas are flowing! Cookie cutters? They'd be great!

On the first day of Solstice, my Thelma made for me

On Forum Thermomix I posted:

I have 14 very juicy lemons...
So please, lend me your lemon recipes!!! for things that I can preserve. Or else that's a lot of lemon butter Wink Grin.

So I've used up a few things:
14 eggs
7 lemons
Lots of sugar
More butter than you need to know about

= 10 jars of lemon butter so far. Plus some extra for a smidge of a jar that is in the fridge for me. I really hope that this will help spread a bit of Solstice cheer around my lovely friends.

To sum up my approach to this season, here's a post I put elsewhere:

We hold our traditions strongly - celebrate the Solstice with food and candles and wishes for the new year, then Christmas day we volunteer in the morning as a family, and have an open house for waifs and orphans in the afternoon/evening with lots of food and drinks, and a Colin Firth marathon starting with Love, Actually. 

Probably the least "trad" way of celebrating but we've done it 5 years running now and love it. Low cost, low stress, genuine and sincere celebration of what Christmas means to us, and uniquely ours ;). This is my daughter's first and I can't wait to share it with her.

Part of it is also to cook and make many of the gifts we give at this time of the year. This year it'll be a lot of Thelma-assisted ones too.