Five on Friday - December 18, 2020

Here we are - the last Friday before Christmas!  I'm so excited to wrap a few things up this weekend.  I'm embarrassed to say our Christmas cards are still in pieces, but I'm determined to have them stamped and in the mail by tomorrow.  Before I start the signing and sealing, let's look at my five for today ~

1.  The Great British Baking Show - Love to Bake

Do you watch The Great British Baking Show?  We're caught a few episodes and really like it.  Their new cookbook is hitting the standing on December 22!  Pre-order now and you just might have it in time to slip it under the Christmas tree.  Here's the summary from Amazon ~

Love to Bake is The Great British Bake Off's best collection yet - recipes to remind us that baking is the ultimate expression of thanks, togetherness, celebration and love.

Pop round to a friend's with tea and sympathy in the form of Chai Crackle Cookies; have fun making Paul's Rainbow-coloured Bagels with your family; snuggle up and take comfort in Sticky Pear & Cinnamon Buns or a Pandowdy Swamp Pie; or liven up a charity cake sale with Mini Lemon & Pistachio Battenbergs or Prue's stunningRaspberry & Salted Caramel Eclairs. Impressive occasion cakes and stunning bakes for gatherings are not forgotten - from a novelty frog birthday cake for a children's party, through a towering croquembouche to wow your guests at the end of dinner, to a gorgeous, but easy-to-make wedding cake that's worthy of any once-in-a-lifetime celebration.

Throughout the book, judges' recipes from Paul and Prue will hone your skills, while lifelong favourites from the 2020 bakers offer insight into the journeys that brought the contestants to the Bake Off tent and the reasons why they - like you - love to bake.

2.  McCartney III

Sir Paul McCartney has a new CD releasing today!  This is his 18th solo album.  Amazon's editorial review says this, "Paul McCartney will release McCartney III on December 18th. Paul hadn't planned to release an album in 2020, but in the isolation of "Rockdown," he found himself fleshing out some existing musical sketches and creating new ones. Before long an eclectic collection of spontaneous songs would become McCartney III: a stripped, self-produced solo work marking the opening of a new decade. Built mostly from live takes of Paul on vocals & guitar/piano, overdubbing bass, drums, etc. atop this foundation."

3.  Popeyes Chocolate Beignets

A new item recently showed up on the Popeyes menu and I'm excited to give it a try!  What is it?  Chocolate Beignets!  These are not your typical beignets.  They are filled with melted Hershey's chocolate!  In true New Orleans-style, they are covered with powdered sugar.  You can pick up packs of three, six, and twelve.  They are only here for a limited time, so get yours while they are here!

4.  Saturn and Jupiter

It's coming!  On Monday, December 21 Saturn and Jupiter will align to form the Christmas Star.  This rare spectacle hasn't happened at night in nearly 800 years.  NASA says if you'd like to see it (and who wouldn't!), this is what you need to do ~

• Find a spot with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park. Jupiter and Saturn are bright, so they can be seen even from most cities.
• An hour after sunset, look to the southwestern sky. Jupiter will look like a bright star and be easily visible. Saturn will be slightly fainter and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until December 21, when Jupiter will overtake it and they will reverse positions in the sky.
• The planets can be seen with the unaided eye, but if you have binoculars or a small telescope, you may be able to see Jupiter’s four large moons orbiting the giant planet.

5.  Where are your packages???

We have nothing in particular on the books for this weekend.  There's a charity organization stopping by tomorrow to pick up a donation.  I'm going to try to add to the pile I already have together and get some more things out of the house.  I might pull the sourdough starter out of the frig and bake a loaf.  Stop back in on Monday for the summary!

Linking up with:

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Simply Sweet Home