Thursday 7 November 2019

December 24, 2018

 
Finally! It's Yule eve and time for our last Yule calendar surprise. Like last year, it is the Laurelin hobbit Yule video Miss Lina made with a little help from Shire Quickpost hobbits, dancers and a snowbeast! Packed with pure hobbity magic, it is the most wonderful way to end this calendar and get into cheerful Yule mood. Here it is, along with a few words from Miss Lina.

Thank you again everyone who helped with the hobbity Yule calendar, especially everyone who sent their Yule tree pictures for the video! It has been a lot of fun to organize this calendar, and I hope you have enjoyed it too! A merry Yule to everyone!

____________________________________________________________________________________


The 2018 yule video

Since 2012, I have made yule videos where the hobbit players on Laurelin are invited to take part. Many players attend the video shoots, send in screenshots and offer up ideas. This year, we had record numbers of hobbits showing up for the video shoots, more than could fit in a raid. Many thanks to all who helped out! There were too many of yer to list in the credits (and I was also afraid I might miss one or two…). Yer help, assistance and good cheer was absolutely vital for the making of this video, though!

If you think this all looks fun, please join us hobbits on Laurelin. There are lots of things happening here. You can read about the events in my own hobbit calendar or in the Bramblebury Gazette, the local hobbit newspaper.

So without further ado: The 2018 Laurelin hobbit yule video (full-screen and high-definition recommended)!




The 2018 Yule video by Laurelin hobbits

Read more about the background and making of this video on Miss Lina's Biscuity Burrow!

December 23, 2018




 
For our 23rd YUle calendar surprise, we have an article written by Miss Almi. Here, she suggests some alternative Yule travel destinations for hobbits who want to avoid the busy Winterhome.

Yule Travel Destinations

Yule is here, and Frostbluff has opened its gates yet again. The streets swarm with helpers, cleaners, pickpockets and keg smugglers. You get hit by snowballs here and there, get trampled by big folks and their deer mounts, the snowy grims make you snow-blind for minutes, you fail in cheering up snowbeasts, and the Old Bloodtusk play is cancelled YET AGAIN. Starting to feel grumpy, hobbit? That won’t do. I recommend you search for the Spirit of Yule somewhere else in Middle-earth. Here are four travel recommendations for you to get in a real Yule mood. Or not. Well, let’s see what they are.

Thorin’s Hole / Blue Mountains

The area around the Blue Mountains is a good winter destination for hobbits with a low travel budget. A carriage ride from Needlehole doesn’t cost much and doesn’t last too long to Thorin’s Hole. Thorin’s Hole is a grand place for culture geeks: it hosts many popular music festivals and events (Dwarves’ Night Out, Winterfest, Winterstock). There is a decent tavern and a refreshing indoor river to for anyone who still hasn’t had a Yule bath. Oh, and as you can imagine, it is the miners’ favourite Yule destination. Just don’t dig too deep – it might wake up some nasty creatures, like hibernating hedgehogs.

 The dance goes ever on and on in Thorin’s Hole

Forochel

If you have more coin and time to spare, you might consider Forochel, a wintery region with beautiful northern lights north of Oatbarton. It is a bit scarier to travel there, so please bring a sturdy rolling pin or frying pan along. It is the number one place to have your Yule bath – you will definitely have that “reborn” feeling after you had dipped yourself into the icy cold lake. Also, it is a grand place to catch a fish, so juicy sweet! If you feel more adventurous, you might want to take a look at the Snowbeasts, “Peikko”, which are abominable to say the least. The Lossoth folks also ride on Mammoths or Norsu. This place is probably not the best spot to look for culture events – most bards play horribly, probably because their fingers are either frozen or inside thick mittens. But yes, fishes and cool baths! Put them on your list. Oh, and you might have a slightly foggy feeling after your Forochel trip – I blame their hard drinks.

The quality of music is influenced by the use of thick gloves

Misty Mountains

If you love blizzards and dangerous activities such as jumping off cliffs, you should travel to the Misty Mountains area. The accommodation options are few, mostly some campsite tents and uncomfortable strongholds where your sleep will be disturbed by loud snoring sounds, probably originating from a dwarf or a dragon. The food is bad, even though the meat is rumoured to be back on the menu in Goblin Town. Not much for culture lovers in this area either. Not much of anything. Well, if you look for a brutal and possibly the most painful death, you have plenty of options here (get killed by giants, snowbeasts, bears with winter-sleeping disorders, wargs, worms, goblins, and numerous other evil creatures one can imagine, plus all those chances of falling off cliffs when you do a Misty Mountain Hop). So, hmmm. Well, let’s look at one more alternative destination, shall we?

Most of your Yule self-portraits will end up like this

Wildermore

Now, we come to our last destination which is my personal favourite: Wildermore! If you have the coin, I strongly recommend that you come here. Taverns, snowmen, beautiful icy crystals here and there, good services all around. Forlaw is a wonderful town with picturesque, rustic cottages that certainly make a hobbit feel like home. The tavern has a heated terrace with live music, and there’s always a pork roasting on the fire. Take a stroll through the town, pop into the shops, and go pat the horses and chucks at the stables. And if you go outside of town, you will discover a hunters’ paradise: elks, bulls, all you need for your pie filling. After all that, you can go and rest in Thrymm Red-beard’s home and let his songbird sing you to sleep. This travel destination leaves no-one cold, despite the outside temperatures: it has the right peaceful feeling one seeks on Yuletide. Bring your friends, and Forlaw covers all the rest.



Pork! Do I need to say more? Wildermore!

A Merry Yule to all of you,
Miss Almi
A nanny, huntress and a Yule bath lover

December 22, 2018


For our 22th Yule calendar surprise, we have one more recipe for the holidays! Let me introduce you to a "pie" that fits all occasions, also Yule!


Rice pasties

Remember the rice porridge recipe Miss Lina shared in the calendar some days ago? If you made it and have some left, you could make some rice pasties from it!

Rice pasties (also known as Karelian pasties) are a traditional Finnish food. The most common version of this pasty has a rye-wheat crust and a rice porridge filling, but other fillings feature buckwheat, barley and potato. The pasties are rather easy to bake (making the porridge is the hardest and longest part in my opinion). The pasties are not only a Yule dish – we eat them all year through, at feasts, for breakfast, as a snack… But they go down well during Yuletide too.

First, make the porridge. You can use the recipe from miss Lina’s entry.

When the rice porridge is ready and has cooled down, you can make the crust. Here are two alternatives: one with rye and wheat, and the other one with buckwheat (if you have the coeliac disease and can’t eat wheat nor rye). Pick either one! I personally like the buckwheat one, it gives the pasty a nice and crispy crust, but not too thick.

1. Preheat the oven to 250 °C.

2. Mix the dough (pick either one of these two alternatives, a or b):

a) For the rye–wheat dough:
2 dl cold water
2 tsp salt
3 dl rye flour
2 dl wheat flour

Mix the salt with the cold water. Little by little, add the rye flour, then the wheat flour and knead into a solid dough.

b) For the buckwheat dough:
2 dl cold water
½ tsp salt
2 tsp psyllium husk
3 dl buckwheat flour

Mix the salt and psyllium husk with the cold water, and let the husk swell in the water for 10 minutes. Little by little, add the buckwheat flour and knead into a solid dough.

3. Add so much flour that the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers. Sprinkle some flour (rye/buckwheat) onto the baking board and roll the dough into a bar. Cut the bar into small pieces (~20 pcs.). Roll the pieces into small balls and flatten these so that you get thin (0.5 cm) circle-shaped crusts.
 
 

4. Put some rice porridge into the middle of the crust, and leave some free space on the side edges. Do not add too much porridge. Lift the side edges up and push over the filling, then ”pinch” them down firmly. This way, you will get oval-shaped pasties.
 
 
5. Bake the pasties in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes until they are golden brown.

6. Mix some melted butter with some milk (you can use a 50–50 ratio or melted butter only). When the pasties have been baked, brush the pasties with the butter–milk mix (this will soften the crust).

If there is some extra dough, you can just bake it into small flat breads without filling.

You can eat the pasties as they are, but if you like, you can add butter or egg-butter spread.
 
 

December 21, 2018





In our 21st Yule calendar entry, we have some more wintery pictures from Piandao! He has strolled around in Winterhome and captured the folks there. Lovely drawings!
 
 Coolest of Friends
 
 A bearded fiddler
 
 Merry Yule to all!

December 20, 2018




For our 20th Yule calendar surprise, we have a pink snowbeast paper doll! Last year, we had a similar paper doll, a Yule Man paper doll. This year, you can print this snowbeast lass to give him some company! The snowbeast might look a bit like one of the Order members who often dresses up as a snowbeast on Yule. I also added a Yule dress, for events where this snowbeast must be in disguise. You might still add the horned cap though! And I also made pink bagpipes for the snowbeast, I bet she likes to play those. Here is the PDF for printing (or just download this picture here and print it). I recommend you use strong paper or glue some backing paper on the back side of the doll, so that it will last longer. Enlargen the picture and/or adjust color settings if needed.


This snowbeast might also appear in the Yule video miss Lina is currently working on. You can also spot her in the end of this 2016 video here:
The 2016 Laurelin hobbit yule video

And attention hobbits: tomorrow is the last day to send your Yule portraits to Miss Lina so that she can add them to this year's Yule video! For more information, please read this post.


December 19, 2018


Our 19th Yule calendar surprise comes from... you! Some time ago, I asked the LOTRO community to send me their Yule tree pictures, including local and personal indoor Yule trees, so that I could make a video from them for this calendar. It was a success: I received dozens of pictures from all over the world. Now, here is the video I managed to put together:



Yule Trees From Lotro Players

I am not a wizard with moving pictures, so I made a quite simple slide show video with some copyright-free music on the background. I hope that I didn't add too many mispelled names, mix up locations, and forget any sent pictures, forgetful and busy lass that I sometimes am. Many thanks to everyone who sent pictures, each and every picture was lovely! It cheered me up to see how grand this community is. And a special thanks to LOTRO staff for promoting this initiative in their B(e)acon Issue and elsewhere! Oh, and thank you for those lovely, new ingame Yule trees you designed for us! *cheers* A merry Yule to everyone!

December 18, 2018


For our 18th calendar surprise, we have a Yule dessert recipe from Miss Lina! 's a sweet apple treat with an interesting background story.




Tilslørte bondepiker - Veiled peasant girls

Apples are lovely in many hobbit dishes, not least Brockenborings apple brandy. However, since the shirrif will likely put me in the lockhouse if I make the brandy recipe public, here's a slightly more innocent thing to make for the yule tide.
So, yer want a simple, yet ever so tasty yule dessert? Look no further than tilslørte bondepiker (veiled peasant girls)

This is a traditional Scandinavian dessert, although you'll find variations of it elsewhere too. It consists of layers of mashed apples, caramelized breadcrumbs and whipped cream. There are probably lots of explanations as to why the dish got its name. The apples might be the peasant girls covered under a veil of whipped cream. Here in Norway, at least, legends has it that it is related to a philologist called Ivar Aaasen. He is most famous for having assembled (from dialects) one of the two official written versions of the Norwegian language, Nynorsk. Far less known is the fact that he was madly in love with a local girl who made these lovely desserts from apples and cream. One day, the girl offered him a taste of her sweets, which made Aasen cheer up considerably and hope the best for the night ahead. When he found out that nothing else was on the menu than the apple dessert, he was so disappointed he called the dish "veiled peasant girls".

Here's how you can make the dessert, about four serving portions:

Apple mash:
4 apples (firm and slightly acidic)
4 tblspoons sugar
0.5 dl water

Caramelized breadcrumbs:
6 tblspoons crumbs from dry bread or rusks
2 tlbspoons butter
2 tblspoons sugar
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon

Whipped cream:
3 dl heavy whipping cream
Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

You need ca 2 dl of mashed apples. You can buy that in the store, or alternatively make it yourself with the ingredients above. Peel the apples, remove the cores, then slice into cubes. Add the apple cubes in a cooking pot with the sugar and the water. Boil until the apples are tender and start mushing up. Cool before use.

To prepare the breadcrumbs, melt the butter and the sugar in a pan. Add the breadcrumbs and sizzle well until crunchy (but be careful not to burn it). Sprinkle with cinnamon, stir, and set aside to cool.

To serve, whip the cream until nice and fluffy. Either use individual small bowls/glasses or one huge serving bowl. Add layers of apple mash, caramelized crumbs and whipped cream. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of crumbs, alternatively add some sliced almonds on the top for good measure. If you want something green, add a leaf or two of lemon balm.

Serve more or less immediately. If you wait too long after layering up, the crumbs will lose their crispy crunch. It'll still taste good, though!

Picture from: Opplysningskontoret for brød og korn

December 17, 2018





In our 17th Yule calendar surprise, Master Wildigard introduces us to a local tune with a grand message that fits Yuletide too. Here is a short introduction by him and the song itself!

Here is a song named "Path" by our latvian band - Soundpoets. We have two grand band from Latvia, Prāta Vētra (Brainstorm) and Soundpoets, and they are both from a wonderful city Jelgava, near our capital city Rīga.

Here is the song and my translation. This one is in Latvian but they also sing in English.


This song was dedicated for friends and calls for doing what you have planned to do but have not done.


In Latvian
Ceļojums
Negaidīti iesācies
Mērķis zināms tomēr liegts
Iekšā virmo satraukums

Tagad man
Kompasi un kartes jūk
Domu pavedieni zūd
Tomēr viss tik vienkāršs top

Vēl nē, vēl nē
Vēl neapstāšos es
Es iešu kur vēl nav būts
Kur vedīs mani ceļš

Vēlos sev
Dzīves skaistos brīžus krāt
Mazās laimes nosargāt
Kabatā ņemt vienmēr līdz

Un dienās, kad
Koferi un somas zūd
Kad kilometru pēdas zūst
Man viena ceļa biedra trūkst

Vēl nē, vēl nē
Vēl neapstāšos es
Es iešu kur vēl nav būts 2x
Kur vedīs mani ceļš

Vēl nē
Vēl neapstāšos es
Es iešu kur vēl nav būts

Vēl nē
Vēl neapstāšos es
Es iešu kur vēl nav būts 2x
Kur vedīs mani ceļš


In English
Adventure
Start unexpectedly
Goals are known but denied
Excitement swirling inside

Now for me
Compasses and maps go mad
Threads of thought are staring to lose
But suddenly everything is getting so simple

No more, no more
Will never I would stop
I'll go where I have not been
Where road will lead me to

I wish myself
To save the beautiful moments of life
To protect those small happiness moments
Always take them with me in my pocket

And at days when
Suitcases and bags are lost
When a kilometers of traces disappear
I only miss my friend

No more, no more
Will never I would stop
I'll go where I have not been
Where road will lead me to

No more
Will never I would stop
I'll go where I have not been

No more, no more
Will never I would stop
I'll go where I have not been
Where road will lead me to

December 16, 2018


Today, we reveal a recipe by Miss Molly! It's a sweet tater pie you can eat as a dessert. Sounds comforting and tasty! And as Miss Molly likes the colour purple, one can optionally use purple taters for this one.

Photo courtesy: Ernesto Andrade – Wikipedia/Flickr CC BY 2.0
 
 
Miss Molly’s Sweet Tater Pie (dessert recipe)
By Mollywobbles Puddingdale

Pie Crust – 9 inches
• Home-made Pie Dough
• Flour, for rolling the dough
OR

a lovely vanilla biscuit or graham cracker biscuit pie crust. Them ones on sale at the market fer yer larder will do nicely!

OR Miss Molly’s favourite: CRUSTLESS!!!!

Sweet Tater Pie Filling
• 2 1/2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 5 large, scrubbed clean but unpeeled)
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1/2 cup evaporated or whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) freshly grated or ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons (or more to taste) freshly grated or ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) vanilla extract
• Can also add some maple syrup for added flavour (to taste)


DIRECTIONS
Wash sweet potatoes thoroughly and pat dry.
Pierce each sweet potato a few times with the tines of a fork. I prefer to oven-bake them:
• Heat oven to 400° F
• Pierce each sweet potato 5-6 times with the tines of a fork. Then place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes.
They can be microwaved, but if you do – general instructions:
• Pierce each sweet potato 5-6 times with the tines of a fork. Place on a microwaveable plate and microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes, rotating halfway through.
• If the sweet potatoes are not tender after 5 minutes, microwave in 30-second increments until they are. Really it should take no longer than 8 minutes in total depending on how large the potatoes are.
NOTE: Baking or microwaving the potatoes gives them the wonderful caramelized texture that they are known for. The skin puffs up and gets crispy – which is why piercing is so important. SO DO NOT BOIL!

When done:
1. Split each sweet potato and use a spoon to scrape the flesh into a medium bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes—you should have about 2 cups.
2. Beat in the melted butter. Add the sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, maple syrup, and salt and beat just until the sugar is dissolved.
[Note that the color is a deep brownish orange (compared to the lighter yellowish orange of a pumpkin pie … the sign of a nicely seasoned pie.]
3. Spread the filling evenly in the pie shell if you are using t a crust.
4. Place the pie on a baking sheet. Bake for at 425°F for 15 minutes.
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking until the filling is set or a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes longer.
6. The pie can be served warm or cold. Transfer the pie to a cutting board or wire rack to cool. Let stand at room temperature for at 20 minutes to half an hour to serve warm or one hour before serving cool.
7. The pie can be served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
8. The remainder of the pie should be covered with aluminium foil or plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2-3 days.

NOTE: Yer could be bold and use the PURPLE Sweet Potatoes – but the cooking times on those are longer and the seasoning will have to be adjusted, again mostly to yer own personal taste. There are recipes available on various noticeboards.

(‘it “has a rich, almost winey flavor but is denser and drier than regular sweet potatoes,” writes the LA Times’s David Karp, who recently penned a delightfully thorough profile of the unusual vegetable.’ Source: https://parade.com/20179/linzlowe/what-the-heck-is-a-purple-sweet-potato-and-how-do-you-cook-it/)

December 15, 2018


Our 15th Yule calendar surprise is a story from my former nanny, Miss Almi! She helps out in our small pieshop and is a talented cook with many wonderful recipes. Now, she has a story about Yule porridge, inspired by Miss Lina's earlier Yule porridge entry!This was told at the Green Dragon Friday yesterday.
 
 
The magical Yule porridge

It was Yule eve, and I was putting up the last decorations in Miss Pycella’s burrow. Pycella sat on the armchair, going through some recipe books and preparing the Yule day menu. Suddenly, she stopped reading. ”Hey, I think we have never tried this one before!”
”Which recipe do you mean?” I asked and attached a ribbon onto the stuffed bear’s head.
”The Yule porridge! Quite perfect for Yule breakfast, I think!” Pycella said, smiling.
”Ah, that one”, I grunted. ”No, we are NOT making that one, never.”
”Why not?” Pycella asked. ”It’s sounds good, and it’s even healthy! How can you say no to hearty porridge?”
”I have had my share of that porridge in my youth”, I said. ”’s nothing but some common porridge, nothing fancy and festive about it.”
”But…” Pycella started, but I interrupted her.
”We had that porridge for breakfast every two days in me childhood” I sighed. ”Grew quite sick of it.”
”But this porridge is special” Pycella insisted. ”You put a lucky almond into it, and whoever gets it will get something really sweet as a price!”
”You think that the almond makes the damn porridge any different?” I said, starting to lose my nerve.
”’s the same wrecked porridge still, and I won’t eat it never EVER again.”
Pycella sighed. ”Well, I’d like to give it a go. You can have somet else for breakfast instead.”
I shrugged. ”Well, whatever you say. But still, you’ll be disappointed, lass.”

The porridge was slow to cook, so I decided to prepare it in advance on the evening before Yule day. I sat down by the stove and guarded the porridge pot. The scent filled up the whole kitchen… a scent full of memories! I smiled. How long had it been since I had smelled this scent the last time?

I closed my eyes, and suddenly I was many, many years younger, a young lass, back at my childhood home. It was Yule morning and my ma had summoned all to the breakfast table. I saw myself sitting at the table, looking at my porridge bowl.
”Time to eat now, Almi”, my mother said. ”Ye might be the lucky one to catch the almond this time!”
I sighed. ”Why do we need to eat this porridge at Yule table, ma?”
”We eat it every day! Couldn’t we have something more special on Yule at least?”
”The Whitfoots have pork patties, and the Brandybucks eat catfish cakes! Why can’t we have a breakfast like that?”
My mother looked at me patiently. ”I am sorry, but we can’t afford those things for breakfast, dear.”
”But the porridge has been cooked with love and hope for better days. Think of that while you eat it.”
My eyes filled with tears of hate. It wasn’t fair that I had to eat this, while the others had something special for breakfast!
I stared at my bowl. ”Ma? Can I maybe… go out and eat this there, in the fresh air?”
My ma sighed, probably knowing what her daughter was about to do, but she nodded. “If you feel like it, dear… Just remember to bring the bowl back.”

I went outside and wondered where I could scoop the porridge from my bowl. The nearby forest could be a good place to hide it. Maybe I could find some late berries for breakfast there. As I reached the forest border, I heard sniffing sounds from behind the bushes. I crept closer to see what it was and saw two rabbits facing each other next to a tree. It looked like they were talking to each other… and they were!
“Don’t worry, Daisy”, the other rabbit said. “I am sure the kids will find many other fun things to do.”
“But that won’t be quite the same, Lilly!” Daisy sniffed. “They only want to see the wonder of snow! Nothing else can replace that joy for them.”
Lilly sighed. “I know. But there hasn’t been snow in the Shire for years!”
“Aye. And they demand that we should go and visit their cousins in the north!” Daisy sniffed.
“I would love to, but the journey is very dangerous. But the little ones don’t understand that.”
“Well, I am sure you can come up with somet that will distract their thoughts from this topic, Daisy,” Lilly said and patted Daisy’s front paw.
“Yule is the time for magic and miracles. Remember that.”

Then, the rabbits hopped into their holes, and I was left alone. I remembered my porridge bowl and looked at it. It was milky white and soft. I ran back inside.
“Ma? Could I have some more porridge, please?”
I could tell that I had just triggered my mother’s shenanigans alert, but she scooped more porridge into my bowl. “I thought you didn’t like this porridge, dear”, she said, raising her eyebrow.
“Well, it is porridge is more magical at Yule, ma!” I said and ran out before she could ask more questions. I left the overfilled porridge bowl near Daisy’s rabbit hole, and went back inside.

Next day, I came back to the forest edge to see if the porridge had disappeared (and get the bowl back). I saw the two rabbits, Daisy and Lilly, again, talking.
“You should have seen those smiles!” Daisy chuckled.
“I think it’s a bit strange though!” Lilly said. “I have never received a snow delivery!”
“Well, you said that Yule is the time for magic and miracles, didn’t you?” Daisy smiled.
“Someone sent us snow! The little ones dived into it immediately.”
“And later, they had a small snowball fight too! I think they threw one or two balls at the shirriff who was passing by.”
“And I never thought that snow would taste that good”, Daisy said. “We got fun and a feast in the same package!”

Then, I woke up again beside my oven, and hurried to stir the Yule porridge. It wasn’t burnt, and it still had the scent of my childhood. I had quite forgotten about the rabbit thing. Did it really happen? ‘s hard to tell. Talking rabbits…

One thing was clear though: this porridge was magical. It had taken me back to my childhood, making me remember forgotten memories.
When I sat at the table next morning and ate the porridge, my eyes watered again. But this time, not for hate. Oh, and I brought a bowl of it to the forest edge again. I bet the forest creatures need a Yule feast too.

So remember this, young ones: There might be places, things and people that you try to avoid due to some unfortunate and bad incidents in the past. But behind those bad memories, there might be some golden ones hidden. Our memory is selective and betrays us. So give the past a chance.
Merry Yule to you all! And remember to eat yer porridge!

December 14, 2018


For our 14th Yule calendar surprise, I have prepared something special: A Shire Quickpost Yule Delivery Game! It is a simple board game with a simple objective: try to deliver a Yule gift from the Brandy hall to Michel Delving before the other Quickpost hobbits. Good luck!



To play the game, do the following:


1. Print the attached PDFs that include the rules and the sheets for the board itself. (I had to make separate files for each, because otherwise the file would have been too large to be uploaded to this forum post.) If the pictures are too dark, adjust the brightness settings of your printer and print them again.
2. The sheets A, B and C are to be set vertically to each other: sheet A is the topmost sheet and C on the bottom. You can cut off the marginals at the connecting edges so that there are no gaps in the Quickpost route. I have added arrows to show to which direction the route should continue.
3. If you wish, you can laminate the sheets to make them more durable and/or attach them together with tape.
4. Get a 6-sided dice and game pieces for all players, and you’re good to go!

Background:

The structure of this boardgame is based on an old, free board game I got from my bank’s kids club ”Leo the Lion Goes on a Summer Picnic”. It was the cruellest game imaginable – just when you thought you were winning, you ended up going back a long way, just because ”you forgot your keys at the beach. Oops!” I replaced the content, but the rules and structure are basically the same as in my old game. The pictures are more or less edited screenshots from LOTRO.

Enjoy! If you spot any essential mistakes in the game, please let me know and I will correct them as soon as I can.

Links for downloading the PDF files:


December 13, 2018


Our 13rd Yule calendar entry reveals another Yuleish recipe: A Yule log cake from Frogmorton! And don't worry, it doesn't include any toad ingredients!


Floating Yule Log

Here is a traditional Yule cake from Frogmorton! I amended it a bit though – no frog legs in this one. Basically, it is just a sweet roll that has been formed in a way that it looks like a log. There are many ways to make this one. I tried this recipe a week ago and it worked – the log was eaten in 24 hours!

I suppose you can use many things here as the filling (your favourite jam, buttercream, whipped cream, chocolate mousse…). In my area, we have flavoured quarks that make the filling a bit lighter than for example the buttercream.

For the dough
4 eggs
1½ dl sugar
¾ dl wheat flour
¾ dl potato starch
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder

For the filling
1 dl raspberry jam
2 dl whipping cream
200 g flavoured quark (I used quark flavoured with chocolate & mint)
1 tsp vanilla sugar

For the frosting
100 g dark chocolate
200 g flavoured quark (I used quark flavoured with chocolate & mint)
1 dl whipping cream
cocoa powder (optional)

Preheat oven to 225 °C. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar into a hard, light-coloured foam. Mix the dry ingredients together and add them into the egg–sugar foam carefully.

Pour the dough evenly onto a baking pan covered with baking paper, smoothen it if necessary. Bake the dough in the preheated oven for approx. 7 minutes.

Take another baking paper sheet and sprinkle it with sugar. Place the baked dough on the paper and let it cool down. Spread the raspberry jam on the dough.

For the filling, whip the cream and add the quark and vanilla sugar. Spread the filling on the dough. Leave an area of 5 cm free at the front edge. Roll the dough. Place the roll with the seam side facing down. Cut the both ends “clean”, and then cut a piece off from both ends. Place the long remaining piece onto a serving tray. Form the two cut pieces into “branch stumps” and attach them onto the log or on its sides.

Make the frosting: Melt the chocolate and mix it with the quark. Whip the cream and add it to the chocolate mix. Spread the frosting over the cake. Take a fork and run it down the length of the cake to make the surface look like bark. You can sprinkle some cocoa powder (through a sieve) on the cake to make the surface darker.

December 12, 2018


In our 12th Yule calendar entry, Miss Lina tells us something about the Yule-related Nordic nisse! Hmmm, could them be related to Master Potty's garden dwarf?


The nisse

If you read the calendar entry about "risgrøt" (rice porridge), you may remember that there is one character who really loves porridge: nissen*.

For some reason, the nisse has become closely associated with yule in the Nordic countries. It wasn't always so.

Originally, the nisse was a mythical creature in Nordic folklore. He was a tiny figure, less than a meter tall, sporting a long bushy white beard beneath a red conical cap.

Traditionally, the nisse was a "guardian angel" of sorts at Nordic farmsteads, where he more often than not lived at the barn. The nisse had quite the temperament, and if the farmers didn't treat him well, he would dish out his revenge in the form of small pranks, like tying the cow's tails together or breaking things. If he got real angry, his punishments could be severe, like selling off your grain or even killing your livestock.

If you were good to him, though, he would help with the harvest and take care of the farm animals. Hence, farmers often gave gifts to the nisse. And in the wintertime, near yule, he liked nothing better than a huge bowl of warm porridge, with a dollop of butter in the middle.

Eventually, the nisse was associated more strongly with yule. Around here, it isn't Santa Claus who brings gifts in the Yuletide, but julenissen**. He is sometimes accompanied by his yule goat, and he delivers the gifts at your door in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. Naturally, this means that many little ones stand around guarding the doorways, hoping to bust the nisse when he arrives. And many a father/grandfather curse loudly as they try to fit into a julenisse outfit after a heavy yule lunch or dinner...

Julenissen delivering gifts

Given his central position in the Nordic yule, the nisse figures heavily in yule decorations around here. Many houses put a lot of nisse figures and dolls on display when yule nears. Most children learned early on to make a nisse out of the cardboard core of toiled paper rolls. A lot of the yule food sold in the stores sport a nisse figure. He is pretty much everywhere.

So, if yer see a red hat tip in the bushes as yule nears, spare a thought for the Nordic nisse. Oh, and be sure to put out a bowl of porridge. With a huge dollop of butter in the middle. Yer don't want to get on his bad side, surely?

* Nisse is used in Norway and Denmark. In Sweden he is called tomte, while in Finland he's known as tonttu.
** Julenissen (Norway), Julemanden/nissen (Denmark), Joulutonttu (Finland), Jultomten (Sweden)


Pictures from: Wikipedia commons

December 11, 2018


For our 11th Yule calendar surprise, we have a selection of Yule drawings by Piandao from Winterhome! Still one week to go before this lovely Yuleish place opens up its gates to all.

 A tall couple getting warm by the fire

 A lass peeking out from the bushes... Maybe she's getting ready to set off some fireworks?

 I know, this is not THAT kind of a calendar, but look at that... um, beard!

December 10, 2018






Our 10th hobbity Yule surprise is a chilling tale! Storywise, it might be more fitting for the Fall festival than Yule, but 's a winter tale after all! A good way to say good bye to the Fall festival (encore). Once again, this picture is by Piandao!



A chilling winter tale

Here is a tale I told at the Green Dragon Friday on 19th January 2018, with a few amendments!

This happened when I still was a small lass, during winter. I was travelling with my pa who wanted to visit his relatives in Staddle, near Bree-town. I liked travelling and visiting other places, but the relatives… They were the dullest ever! They could sip their teas for HOURS, sharing gossip and all that useless stuff with me pa. Then, they gave a virtually endless tour at their tater fields, showing them of… And the debates of imaginary fish catches and hunting trips… Blah! That’s no entertainment for a lass like me! I wanted to hear tales about dragons, go adventuring in the scary Bree-town, play all sorts of fun games… However, the adults were not up for somet like that at all!

But this visit was a bit different. It was a cold winter, and as we arrived in Staddle with my pa, it had snowed, and a lot! I could go and plunge into the snow, while the adults were inside, drowning themselves in dullness. I made snowhobbits, snowburrows, mazes, everything I could think of. But after a while, it started to feel a bit dull as well - it was no fun to play in the snow alone… if I only had some company…

And then, as if by magic, I saw someone approach me. It was a young hobbit lad, fully dressed in winter clothes, smiling widely. “Nice work here!” he said, looking at my snowy creations. “Would you still have time and energy for a snowball battle?” The boy’s clothes were a bit messy and worn-out, but his face looked friendly. He gazed at me with his coal-black eyes eagerly. “Of course!” I said, and so I started a fierce snowball battle with the boy.

It was fun, but after we hit my relatives’ burrow window a few times with snowballs and had to dodge some scolding from inside, we decided to go somewhere else to play. The boy said he lived there nearby, and he knew a place that was very good for snowball fights. We went to the edge of a forest where we found lots of virginal snow, just for us two! My woolly mittens were getting sogged, but the boy lent me his. He didn’t seem to mind the cold at all.

It was getting dark and foggy, but it only made the snowball duel more challenging. We chased each other and moved a bit further from the forest. At one point, I had hit the boy with a rain of snowballs, and he was gathering himself for a revenge. “Catch me if you can!” I shouted and was about to run away into the fog that was suddenly getting thicker, when I sensed something strange… I looked back at the boy. He had stopped dead in his tracks. Only now I realized that his face was paler than any face I’d ever seen. No breath was coming out from his mouth, even though it was very cold… “I can’t go any further,” the boy said calmly. “You shouldn’t too.” “Why, what is it?” I asked, but then, the fog got thicker and I couldn’t see anything.

After a moment, the fog disappeared, as fast as it had appeared… and the boy was gone. I looked around. As the fog went away, I could see more clearly… and I startled! I realized that I was standing on the edge of a frozen pond. Had I gone any further, the thin surface could have given away.

I shivered and looked where the boy had gone. I followed his footprints to a burrow that was quite near to my relatives’ home. I still had to return the mittens the boy had given me, and I knocked on the door. An old lady emerged and smiled at me. “What is it, lass?”
“I wanted to return these. Your boy lent them to me.”
“Oh that’s sweet, dear,” the old lady said.
“Just bring them back to him, he's there in the back yard.”
And I went there… but there was only a single snowhobbit there… But it had the very same clothes that the boy had had, just a while ago! And eyes, black as coal, a pale face... I shook my head, put the mittens in the snowhobbit’s hands and went back to the old lady.

“That is... a wonderful snowhobbit down there. But where is the boy?” I asked.
The old lady smiled. “No one can answer that, dear. He has been away for decades.”
“Decades! But I just threw snowballs at him…”
“No, that wasn’t my son, dear, you are mistaken,” the old lady said.
“My boy fought his last snowball battle on the frozen pond many years ago,” the old lady sighed.
“We never found him… only a hole in the ice.”
I have never shivered so much. Had I been playing with a ghost?
“But at least I can have him as a snowhobbit here with me,” the old lady said and smiled.
“He really enjoyed the snow. I think he would enjoy to play with someone…”

I have never run faster to my relatives’ burrow. Suddenly, all that dull gossip beside a safe dinner table seemed very appealing to me! I never met that boy again… And sometimes, some snowhobbits give me goose bumps.

The end. 

December 9, 2018



Sunday morning coming down, and it's for a Yule tune by Miss Lina! It's an old tune she wrote some years ago, and it is based on a melody that is not from a traditional Yule tune. Here is also another drawing from Piandao.


The Hobbit Yuletide Song

Oh, the days are dark and dusky
And the northern wind brings news of coming cold
All the birds have left our land and headed south
With only crows left in our fold

But my mood is light and merry and I smile
I think of happy days ahead
For the yule is getting closer now
There are things to do to be prepared

The plumpest pig in farthings four
Will be ham and sausage, even bacon
And I surely need some pails of butter
For all the baking to be undertaken

In the cellar rest my kegs
There’s one with brandy and a large where my ale is brewing
And oh me shelves are filled with biscuits
Jars all good and ready for me chewing

So be welcome lovely yuletide
Bring light and joy to hobbits here
We will cherish time together
We’ll think of friends both far and near

Let us sing this song together
A mighty chorus for the yule
Though the days are dark and dusky
Our song will chase away the cool

It is time to clean the burrow
Bring a broom and chase the dust out of yer comfy home
Find yer special yuletide clothes and fill the bathing tub
Splash around in soaking foam

Light the candles, pour some wine
Then call yer loved-ones in and soon they are beside yer
And yer mood is light and lovely
Like the song of spring-time warblers fly through the air

So be welcome lovely yuletide
Bring light and joy to hobbits here
We will cherish time together
We’ll think of friends both far and near

Let us sing this song together
A mighty chorus for the yule
Though the days are dark and dusky
Our song will chase away the cool

The tune is based in this song here:


Johnny Cash – Sunday Morning Coming Down

December 8, 2018


For our 8th Yule calendar surprise, I made a drawing of our kin hall pig, Minna. She is Miss Tibba's breeding pig and likes to spend her time in our study, chewing Master Potty's precious scholarly scrolls. She also likes to munch the Yule decorations, when they are up. The mistletoe should be safely out of her reach though. But Master Potty should watch out when he strolls in the hall – he might be in trouble if he meets Minna under the mistletoe!

 You might see more vicious oinkers, if you come to the village of Oldfurlong today, where B.O.A.T. proudly presents the "Ode to Old Bloodtusk"! There might be some oinker-related violence against bounders. Oh, and some grand music to dance to! Welcome all!

December 7, 2018

For our 7th Yule calendar surprise, we have another Yule pie recipe! This one is called "Pycella's Fast Apple Pie". Simple, tasty and fast to make, this pie is perfect for the Yule table.



Pycella's Fast Yule Pie


For the crust:
75 g butter
1 dl sugar
1 dl whipped cream
1 egg
2.5 dl wheat flour
1.5 tsp baking powder

For the filling:
3 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
2 tbsp chopped almonds / pine nuts

For the topping:
1 egg
1 dl cream
0.5 dl sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


For the crust, melt the butter and let it cool down in a bowl. Mix the baking powder into the wheat flour. Mix sugar, cream, egg and the wheat flour with the melted butter. Press into the bottom and edges of a greased pie pan. Place the apple slices on the pie crust and sprinkle the crushed almonds and/or pine nuts on top. Prebake the apple pie in the oven (200 °C) for 15 minutes.

For the topping, mix the egg, cream, sugar, vanilla sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and pour the mix over the prebaked pie. Bake the pie for another 15 minutes or until it is baked properly. Serve the warm pie with vanilla sauce or ice cream.

December 6, 2018


Today, we reveal a Yule poem from Miss Nonette Shenanigan! If you have been to the Green Dragon on Fridays, you might have seen her uncle Matzo sitting at the back, grumbling about the loud music and all the racket. His nieces Nonette and Mira are merrier though! The picture is from Piandao.


Yule comes upon us soon, and Miralith's gone to find a tree!
Nowt better than that piney scent, to fill us all with Yule glee.
We've pushed the shelves and chairs aside, cleared a place for it on the floor,
I hope its tall and wide and grand but still fits through the door!
We'll dress it with bows and baubles, beset the branches with fireflies;
And for the top, with elvish luck, we'll coax a star down from the skies.
But surely such a perfect tree, will take Mira long to find,
So while I wait for her return, I'll taste the spicy wine.

(Nonette drinks from a steaming mug of mulled wine. She gives a thumbs up. Delicious!)

The drink is brewing nicely, but I'm getting dirty looks,
For my uncle's in the kitchen grumbling loudly while he cooks.
Any other day ol' Matzo's face could make an onion cry,
But tonight, although he's moaning, there's a sparkle in his eye,
He's chopped and mixed and toiled all day, and put it in to bake,
But tonight he'll get to taste the food he worked so hard to make,
There's bangers, sprouts and parsnips, and roasted taters I have heard,
and cranberries, stuffing and chestnuts, and a big ol' roasted bird!
But it'll be a little while till the grub is ready to eat,
so I'll grab a mug of ale and to the fire I'll retreat.

(Nonette drinks deeply from a freshly drawn mug of pumpkin ale, and wobbles a bit.)

Our hole ish looking purty, everywhere are wreathes of candles,
Little Chaline's grinnin' wide as she puts stockings on the mantle,
She and all the other chilluns are now filled with bubbly joy,
Theysh all been talking day and night 'bout Father Yule's toys,
Chickweed's shtealing from the biscuits as she sets out Santa's lot,
Sherry, wine and brandy and a flagon full of scotch.
A fine Shire selection, I can't decide which one ish best...
Sho to Father Yule's health, I'll put the lot of 'em to the test!

(Nonette drinks.)

Theesh fire shure is burnin' now, and thish room is all a-spin,
I'll jush shepp outshide to get shom air before the fun beginnsh,
Jush shufty out into the night where powdersh fallin' fresh,
Nae more'n two schtep out th' door, I'm flat uppon me arsch,
I've losh me feskin' sherry glash, mush to me growin' woe,
An' I hope to the hevvins thish spreddin' wet ish jus' the feskin' sch-snow.
Wheatberry's out schoppin' logs, an' sees me bruise me flippin' pride,
An' Mira'sh brawt beck a bleedin' tree! They drag ush bowf inshide.
Foodsh reddy, treesh up an' theesh cannles shinnin brite,
Heppy Yoole ta all, and to all a gud ni.....

(Nonette nods off midsentence, and finishes her poem with a large snore.)

Zzzz......

December 5, 2018


The 5th Yule calendar surprise is a Yule card from a bunch of hobbits who are about to bring some special Yule cheer to a very abominable snowbeast. Wait, is that a snowbeast...?

Warm Hot Yule Greetings to everyhobbit! 

December 4, 2018


Our 4h Yule surprise comes from Miss Lina. She wants to share a local Yule tradition and some recipes that go along with it! 's a tasty read!






Risgrøt and riskrem (rice porridge and rice cream)

One thing's for sure in Norway: Near yule, you need to eat "risgrøt" (rice porridge). Many eat it for lunch on Christmas Eve, but it goes down a treat both before and after too.

The rice porridge is pretty simple to make. You basically cook medium-grain white rice in milk for about an hour, until the rice is tender and the porridge has thickened, see recipe below.

Rice porridge ties in with yule for several reasons. First, it is the staple food of the "nisse", the Nordic yule version of garden gnomes, which might make an appearance later on in this calendar.

Second, while Norwegians eat this porridge all year round, near yule they throw a blanched almond into to the cooking pot. Whoever finds the almond in their bowl during the meal gets an early yule treat, traditionally a huge lump of marzipan shaped as a pig. This inevitably turns the porridge eating into pantomime, with everyone looking mysteriously at each other and acting like they found the almond. More often than not, though, the almond manages to split into pieces equalling the number of children sitting around the table. The pieces find their way into the bowls of said children, which means they won't go away disappointed from the table and cry and fuss a lot. This is obviously a miraculous outcome due to the magic of yule, and it has nothing to do with the cunning knife-work and spooning of porridge of the grown-up who prepares the meal and who would like to enjoy Christmas Eve with some peace and quiet, no no.

Third, rice porridge is the base ingredient of "riskrem" (rice cream/pudding, similar to the Danish risalamande), one of the more popular puddings for yule. Simple, fluffy, comforting, and oh so very very tasty.
The recipes below are rather basic/traditional. It is possible to spruce them up a bit too!

Rice porridge recipe:

Four servings:

2 decilitres medium-grain white rice
4 decilitres water
1 teaspoon salt
1 litre whole milk

Heat the water to boiling, then add the rice and the salt. Allow the rice to simmer on low heat for ca 10 minutes until the water is near absorbed into the rice. Stir regularly.

Then add the milk little by little, stir and reheat to boiling temperature. Then let the porridge simmer on low heat until suitably thick (ca 45 minutes). Stir frequently, so the milk and rice doesn't burn. Using a thick-bottomed cooking pot helps avoid this burning.

For serving, scoop porridge into a bowl, sprinkle with sugar and ground cinnamon, and add a spoonful of butter in the middle of the bowl. Enjoy! And watch out for the almond!

If you want a step-by-step description with lots of pictures, The Country Basket has a nice article on the making of the porridge.

Rice cream recipe:

Four servings:
500 grams rice porridge, cold
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
3 decilitres heavy/whipping cream

Whip the cream with the sugar until fluffy. Fold porridge into the cream until you get a nice fluffy consistency. Add vanilla sugar to taste.

Serve with a berry sauce. The Danes love cherry sauce, while us Norwegians often go for strawberry or raspberry based sauces. Sprinkling the cream with almond slices is also very nice.

For step-by-step instructions, have a look at The Country Basket again!


Pictures: The Country Basket