Mince Pie Central
After several weeks of deliberation, and more than a little procrastination, I decided that the lounge room coffee table would be Mince Pie Central this year. The back porch table would have been better, as it's larger and of a more suitable height. The back porch however is quite windy most days, and while that's often a good thing, it's not really suitable to be making mince pies there while the wind is blowing dust and leaves in and out. So the coffee table was thoroughly washed down, (and dried) and that's where I knelt on the floor to roll out pastry and cut the little rounds for bases and lids. In spite of the house being breezy and cool from the wind, it did get quite warm in there as I rolled, cut and filled those tiny pies. Part of that heat was filtering in from the kitchen where the oven was heating up ready for the baking. My hat goes off to the early settlers putting up with baking on a daily basis, with a wood oven constantly going, in our d...