Hello Lovelies! Please excuse our dust while we do a bit of construction on the blog. We will still be posting exciting reviews, brilliant guest posts, and exciting giveaways but we are in the process of transforming the blog and adding new content and features for you to enjoy.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

12 Days of A Tudor Christmas Giveaway

Day 10
The Boleyn Pack:


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Day 9 winners are:


Robbie won the Tudor Throne
Shibhon won The Tudor Age


Please email your mailing address to:
newroyalreviews at yahoo dot com


You all have such brilliant and lovely traditions. I grew up in a Scottish and Irish home, so Christmas and New Years is filled with Scottish and Irish traditions yet my favorite has always been Oidche Choinnle.


Oidche Choinnle, is Gaelic for Night of Candles. On Christmas Eve lit candles are placed in the windows to light the way for the Holy Family. On New Years, the candles help light the way for a stranger, “The First Footer”. As a child, I remember my Great-Grandmother lighting actual candles each window, although I still practice the tradition, I err on the side of caution and use battery operated ones.


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Moving on to your Tudor Questions, which were all brilliant by the way!


Gisele Alv ask: Was Henry happy at least once in his life?


I believe that Henry was the happiest at the beginning of his reign. He was 18, and the burdens of being a king hadn’t effected his yet. He did as he pleased, and I believe that he was in love with Catherine of Aragon. Without being bogged down by matters of State, he jousted, put on elaborate banquets, performed in masks and disguises, and wrote brilliant songs that showed he was truly happy. At this point of time he was still known as Harry and most importantly he still knew who his true friends were.


Robbie ask: What happened to Katherine Parr after Henry death’s.


Katherine Parr was in danger of losing her head briefly whilst Henry was alive. Henry had a warrant for her arrest drawn up and was making plan to marry Charles Brandon’s widow. Fortunately for Katherine, Henry’s mind changed and when they came to arrest her, Henry pretended to be outraged over the warrant and acted like he had no clue it even existed. I imagine that Katherine was rather relieved by Henry’s death and grateful that she managed to keep her head.


Six months after Henry’s death, Katherine married the man she loved, Thomas Seymour,
who happened to be the uncle of Henry’s only legitimate son. On 30 August, 1548 Katherine gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Mary. Six or seven days later the former queen died from what appears to be complications from childbirth.
Katherine had managed to escape the executioners blade only to perish not even two years after the death of Henry. According to historical records, any mention of Katherine & Thomas’ daughter Mary cease to exist after two years and it is believed the child died.


Shibhon ask: What does a maid of honor tart have to do with Henry 8?


It’s funny that you ask this question as Maid of Honor Tarts are one of my favorite Holiday desserts to make.
For those of you who do not know, Maid of Honor are tarts with a piecrust bottom, a jam center, and a cake like top. The are absolutely scrumptious.


According to tradition, Maid of Honor cakes, or Richmond cakes as they are also called, are responsible for Henry VIII falling madly in love Anne Boleyn. They said that when Anne was Catherine’s Maid of Honor Henry happened to catch Anne eating these cakes from a silver dish.


Tasting a tart for himself, Henry deemed the treat delicious and had both the recipe and the creator of the recipe locked up in Richmond.


While no one actually knows if the story is true, one thing is for certain, Maid of Honors are deliciously sinful.


What to make a dessert fit for Henry VIII? Try my recipe for these tasty treats.


First off and most importantly USE ONLY JAM. If you use any other filling it will run over in your oven leaving a bubbling mess of goo for you to clean up. Trust me, I speak from experience.


1 9 inch pie dough. (I use pre-made pie dough that comes in rolls)
1/4 cup jam
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds.
(Double the recipe for 12 tarts)


Place over rack in the center position and preheat the 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Lightly grease a cupcake or muffin tin.
Cut out 12 3 inch circles and place one in each cup of the cupcake tin. Fit to the bottom, but do not press completely down.
Add one teaspoon of jam to the bottom of each shell.


Batter:
In a medium mixing bowl, cream together softened butter or margarine and white
sugar until light and fluffy.
Mix in egg. Add flour, baking powder, almond extract, and chopped almonds mix
until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.


Top with 2 tablespoons of batter.
Bake for 20 minutes until risen and firm.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes then remove from tin.



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Today’s Giveaway is:


The Boleyn Pack:


This Pack includes:


1 Anne Boleyn Scarf kindly donated by The Anne Boleyn Files
1 Copy of The Lady in the Tower by Alison Weir
1 Copy of The Other Boleyn by Philippa Gregory
1 Copy of Mary Boleyn by Alison Weir
1 Copy of Jane Boleyn by Julia Fox


The books were kindly donated by a small bookshop called “Write To Read”


Today’s Rules:


1. Leave a comment with your name and an answer to the questions:


Who is your favorite Tudor?


Tudor Trivia: Do you have a Tudor-related question? If so, then this is your time to ask it. Questions will be answered in the remaining posts.


2. Giveaway Worldwide.


3. You do not need to leave your email address as the winner will be announced the next day. The winner will also be announced on the right side of the blog under the Royal Winners banner. You have until the 23rd to respond with your shipping address. You may want to subscribe to Royal Reviews via feed burner which is located in left side of the blog so that the winners and new giveaways will be sent directly to your inbox.


4. Followers will receive an extra entry so make sure you let us know if you follow us. You will also receive an extra entry if you post about the giveaway.

27 comments:

Literary Chanteuse said...

My favorite Tudor is Elizabeth. I think it's just amazing that she reigned for so long and never married. I think she had to be one a tough cookie! lol!

I'm a follower and thanks for these Tudor days giveaways!

petite said...

Katherine Parr was well educated, fluent in languages, and a patron of the arts and music. She eventually married Thomas Seymour. Her abilities, forcefulness and strength allowed her to live the life she wanted. She would be my favorite Tudor. A strong-minded, well educated woman.

traveler said...

Elizabeth was a unique and special individual whose strength of character was exhibited many times. She had convictions and was my favorite Tudor.
I am a subscriber.

Phoebe's Sisters said...

I was always quite fond of Elizabeth and I remember always being interested in learning more about her. I greatly admire her, not least because she never married :-))

Colleen Turner said...

My favorite Tudor would have to be Catherine of Aragon. She came to a foreign country to marry Arthur, then when he died had to live on so little until someone....either her father or Henry VII....decided her fate. She was steadfast and did her best to be a good wife to Henry VIII.....and we all know how that ended :).

Thanks for this Tudor fun! I am a follower.

candc320@gmail.com

Jan said...

I think I'm going to go outside the box and pick Lady Jane Grey as my favorite Tudor. This young lady was chosen by Edward to succeed him to the throne. Her tightly held religious beliefs and intelligence are to be greatly admired. I believe that she went to the scaffold very calmly and very bravely, much more so then I could have ever done.

Gigi said...

My favorite Tudor was Elizabeth!! She reigned much much better than her father! I have another Tudor Question: I know that Elizabeth never got married but is there any information about if she at least once, fell in love?

I'm a follower!

Unknown said...

Anne Boleyn is my favorite. She may not have always been right, but she stood up for what she believed in! I believe that Elizabeth inherited some of her mother's traits and became a forceful ruler.
I follow you!

Yinx said...

My favorite Tudor has to be Elizabeth.
she has some great character in her

brokenteepee said...

My favorite Tudor is Elizabeth I. A strong woman, a great queen and a fascinating history.

thank you
I am a follower

Celticlady's Reviews said...

My favorite Tudor is Elizabeth I.. a very powerful woman in her time is a rarity... and I am sure she had a lot to prove in a world dominated by men. I am a follower.
Happy Holidays!!

Maureen said...

Although I don't have a tremendous knowledge of her I do pick Elizabeth I because of her ability to rule on her own for so long.

Wendy said...

While I have long-admired Elizabeth, I have much respect for Mary Tudor. She showed tremendous courage and strength when claiming the throne, and held strong to her convictions.

I'm a follower! Thank you for the entry!

Wendy

Anonymous said...

My favorite Tudor is Henry VIII. If it wasn't for him we wouldn't be still takling about them today!

Happy Christmas

Beth

Jennifer f said...

My favorite Tudor is Henry! I love Henry because of all the stuff he put everyone through and still came out on top! He broke away from catholic church when no one else would stand up he did the opposite of everything. I love him because he wasn't ever meant to be king he was. Ever trained to be king or taught because his brother author was always the "chosen" one! I love the history of him and his many wives and children even the bastard ones! My favorite wife was Anne B. because of her impact on him and the influence she had over him.
I follow u at twitter @jcause14

Liz said...

My favorite Tudor is Edward, probably because he did not live long enough to be like his father.

Do you think Edward's death was natural?

Rachel said...

My favorite Tudor was Arthur- who knew what kind of king he would have become if he had lived? Then again, we wouldn't have Henry and that would be sad.

Thanks for the giveaway!

Rachelhwallen@gmail.com

penney said...

I love the recipe thank you for it.
My favorite Tudor is Elizabeth I just like the way she was and I read a lot about her back when I went to school, I was always interested in reading about the Kings and Queens of England.
Merry Christmas!
Penney
I'm a follower always!

Curling up by the Fire said...

My favourite Tudor has always been Elizabeth. I have been fascinated with her life, passions, political acumen and her love life since I was 12.

Old follower.

Cheryl Esselman said...

My favorite Tudor is Catherine of Aragon. She was strong, well-educated, cared deeply for her child, loved Henry when at times he was less than loving. She endured so much after Arthur's death. The people of England loved her. She may have lost her title in Henry's eyes but not the people's and was queen of their hearts much like Diana.

Question: Do you think Princess Mary was mentally unstable during her reign as queen?

Thank you!!

misskallie2000 said...

Elizabeth has always been my favorite Tudor and I have read many books about her. She was a strong woman to be able to hang in there for yrs.

I am an old email subscriber

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

Elizabeth is my favorite. I admire her because she ruled so well in a man's world. Anne Boleyn is also a favorite, I think because she was Elizabeth's mother and because I think she was also a strong woman and I feel sorry for her because I think she got the shaft.

I follow via GFC and email.

Thanks!

Carol L. said...

I'll say Elizabeth.Being a woman back in those days was no easy task and she ruled for so long. I think she made a choice and it was England over her own desires. I wonder if her and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester were ever involved or were in love ? Thanks for the recipe it sounds amazing.
Carol L
Lucky470 (at) aol (dot) com

Carol L. said...

Forgot to say Congrats to the winners and I'm a follower.
Carol L
Lucky470 (at) aol (dot) com

Carolyn said...

My favorite Tudor was Catherine of Aragon.She held fast to her convictions despite the horrendous consequences. I am a follower. Thanks!

Linda said...

My favorite Tudor is Henry's sister Mary - her experience with marrying the French king, while bargaining with Henry to later marry her sweetheart Brandon. Such an interesting proposition.
Thanks for the wonderful giveaway. Of the four Anne Boleyn books, I've only read one of them, and am anxious to read the others.

Extra entry - Google follower.

Mystica said...

Katherine Parr for me!

I follow you and thank you for the many giveaways.

mystica123athotmaildotcom