Goode Trays ready for tomorrow. Contrary to popular belief this is not for us. I just like to bake. I like to see the dough transform into something other than a goopy mass. It's in the doing , rather than in the eating.Reminds me of Shortbread. Tons of different ways to make shortbread; Whipped, Squares, with rice flour, without rice flour, with cornstarch, round, decorated, not decorated.....boggles the mind.
Mum always made her shortbread in little rounds. Like this. With peel and dragees on top. Every year I make a batch. Some to keep , some for company, some to keep in the freezer and forget about till March.
Mum would pile her shortbread into a glass jar. A big one. Dusted inside with icing sugar. And then they would each be doled out to lucky company, or ourselves. We'd eat shortbread late at night, with tea and watch the news.
This is the original jar that held shortbread. It is very old. She had it when my grandmother was alive. I decided to retire it a few years ago. It now holds shells and flower soaps. No longer does it require a dusting of icing sugar. But I remember, when I was little, sneaking shortbread out of the depths, icing sugar spoofing all over the place.
And now I add those little rounds to the trays of goodies that will go out tomorrow and be devoured by kith and kin.
And the little shortbread rounds will be there, amongst the fruit cake , mincemeat tarts and other sweets. And every time I look at them I will remember Christmas and my mother diligently cutting them out on the old wood board, while "A Christmas Carol" plays on the tv.
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