books, recipes, parenting & other things
Gone away, is the bluebird
Here to stay, is a new bird
He sings a love song,
While we go along
Walking in a winter wonderland
I haven’t actually included Emilie-Claire Barlow’s version of Winter Wonderland on a Christmas mix, but the Christmas songs of hers I have included don’t have YouTube videos. Barlow has a stunning voice, and her version of Winter Wonderland (a 1934 Christmas pop standard) is lovely.
I heard the bells on Christmas Day,
Their old, familiar carols play
Sarah McLachlan’s version of this carol is beautiful, one of my favourite versions. Wikipedia says I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day is a carol based on an 1863 poem “Christmas Bells”. I used it in the 2013 Christmas mix.
A child is born, born in Bethlehem
Born in a cattle pen
A child is born on the killing floor
And still he no crying makes
I really like Anais Mitchell’s slightly reedy voice, and Song of the Magi is from her Brightness album. I included it on last year’s mix.
By the time we got to Oslo, snow was gone, and we got lost
The beds were small but we felt so young
Most of Low’s Christmas album (I wonder how many Christmas albums are just entitled ‘Christmas’) is a little too slowcore for my taste, but Just Like Christmas is on the more upbeat side. I included it on last year’s mix.
Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight;
When it’s exactly twelve o’clock that night
Rufus Wainwright has such a wonderful voice, and this version of the 1947 pop song was from The McGarrigle Christmas Hour album. I included it on last year’s mix.
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Celebremos juntos la vida
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Y que viva la alegría
Michael Buble’s version of Jose Feliciano’s 1970 song, from his Christmas album in 2011. It’s wonderfully upbeat and I finished the 2011 mix with it.
When you play my song, play it slowly;
Play it like I’m sad and lonely
Over The Rhine are a folk band, and this song is from their 2006 Christmas album, Snow Angels. It’s a lovely mournful song, and I thought it went nicely with the general melancholy tone of 2012’s Christmas mix.
When a recipe has equal amounts of butter, cheese and flour, you know the result will taste good. These spicy cheesey biscuits are lovely, crisp salty little snacks speckled with the pleasant contrast of the almonds.
ingredients:
175g unsalted butter, softened
175g grated strong cheddar
1 tsp chilli flakes
¾ tsp salt
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 small clove garlic, crushed
175g plain flour
2 tbsp ice-cold water
150g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
Haul your food processor out of the high cupboard where it’s stored. Roughly chop the butter into the food processor, add the cheese, chilli flakes, salt, paprika and crushed garlic, then let it whiz around for about a minute. Add in the flour and cold water, and keep whizzing away until you have a soft dough. Take it out of the food processor, and stir in the chopped almonds by hand so they don’t get too crushed up.
Get two sheets of baking paper, and spoon half the mixture onto each one. Roll them up into log about 4cm thick and 20cm long, and put them into the fridge or freezer until the dough is fully firm.
Heat up your oven to 180C (about 170C if fan forced). Cut 1cm thick slices off the dough sticks, and put them a few cms apart on lined biscuit trays. Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden, then slide the biscuits onto a cooling rack with a spatula.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices;
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
The Puppini Sisters recorded O Holy Night on their Christmas With The Puppini Sisters album. It’s one of my favourite carols, and I love close three-part harmonies, so I think this is a fantastic version. Obligatory information from Wikipedia – the carol is from 1847, and was music composed to the French poem “Minuit, chrétiens”.
I’m never worried, I never sit by the phone;
Cause come Christmas time, I’ll never be alone
This is a great bluesy song from Carole King’s album of Christmas songs, A Holiday Carole, which I included on the 2011 mix cd. One of those many Christmas songs along the general theme of waiting for someone to return at Christmas.
o frabjous day! 