Christmas Cooking

Making food is my favourite part of Christmas and I have been planning the wood I will make for Christmas day this afternoon.

I haven't talked to Mum yet but I have already decided I will be in charge of salads and the vegetarian main as I am the only vegetarian, though usually everyone else eats some of it too, which is how it should be.

Plans so far

Mango and rice salad

I have made this a few times lately as I have been having a bit of a mango binge this year after not really liking them at all before. I think I smelled a mango at the Vic market a month or so back and just wanted one or six. The salad also has capsicum, red rice, white rice and green herbs and therefore fulfils my mum's desire for lots of different coloured foods (she is obsessed with this).

Green Bean and Pea salad with tarragon

Often someone makes a boring green salad and it upsets me so this year I will make one full of herbs and a few spices too.

Toss up between a cous cous salad and a lentil salad

I am leaning toward lentil as cous cous is similarish to rice. Will probably roast some tomatoes to go with the lentils and add herbs and maybe a cheese of some kind.

For the vegetarian main I am tempted by this broccoli and gorgonzola tart, though broccoli isn't necessarily great at the moment so another option is to make this surprise tatin, which I made before and looks pretty and includes cheese, I always make something with cheese in for my vegetarian main becuase I love cheese.

Even though desserts and sweet things are my favourite to make my brother is happy making dessert so I usually leave it to him. However, I will also do some baking so I can eat biscuits every day between whatever day I bake this week and New Year's day. I just found this article from the Guardian with recipes for Nordic biscuits and I think I will definitely make some of the ginger and pepper biscuits, and maybe the Vaniliekage too.

I might also make some honey biscuits with an old butter stained recipe I have had since I was a kid, you can even hang them on the tree as ornaments and they soften up and become tastier over the space of a week or so.

What are your cooking plans for the festive season?

Christmas

Had a lovely day yesterday, despite feeling stressed in the morning. Last year I remember being so stressed all day. But this year I just relaxed and discouraged my inner perfectionist. I often get anxious cooking with others as I like to do things MY WAY. But it doesn't really matter at the end of the day. Anyhoo I obviously took photos, mainly of food.

My wrapping, I honed my skills at David Jones c. 2000. I love wrapping presents. This year I also remembered to buy loads of ribbon (9metres) I usually only buy about 2m as, you know, that sounds like heaps but you often need 1m per present. My other tips are to fold the cut edge under, use double sided tape and use less rather than more paper. I also buy bags of offcuts of pretty paper from art shops (I got some from Melbourne Artist Supplies in Lt Latrobe St).



Time for champagne and present opening. I got some lovely gifts, many of them were food oriented. NOM. I also got books, love books. Will post about some of my summer reads in a few days.
Mum is laughing at that dog under the tree, it sing and flaps its ears. It is hilarious. You can also see the lovely tree, it is about 3 years old now and has been growing quickly. I pruned it last January as it was getting lopsided and it has grown into a lovely shape, so naturally I feel very pleased with myself.
Hamish wasn't allowed to come in to open presents so he slept in the sun (he got a nice lamb shank later though).
The bbq is fired up. For a house full of feminists it was all rather divided down tradition gender lines. Men at the barbie, ladies making salad in the kitchen.
Mum and Dad's fantastic 70s tablecloth in the dappled sunlight.

Hamish helping out.

Fish and sauasages.
Home made pumpkin bread from my uncle.

Pumpkin bread made by my uncle.

Prawns and scallops.

Snapper.

Fennel and white bean salad.

Strawberry, almond and spinach salad. So delicious, must get the recipe from my sister.

The spread.

'Hey guys do I get some ham?'

My amazing cheesecake, a recipe from my nanna and a Christmas classic.

Platter of fruit, apparently it is summer fruit but I could have sworn my brother said he was bringin 'sumo fruit' so I had a mental image of fat strawberries in nappies wrestling. Nevermind.

Christmas shoes!

I am off to the city now, perhaps unwisely but I heard a rumour that Kit has nail polish on sale.

Busy busy bumblebee

I have much to do today so I think a list is in order.

- Buy final presents, it wouldn't be my Christmas without some mad shopping in the city on Christmas Eve. *remember big stick.

- Buy something to festive up the apartment, something like the loverly Lady Melbourne has done would be perfect.

- Wrap above presents (that reminds me I need ribbon.)

- Make caramelised onions.
- Make biscotti.
- Make cheesecake.

- And some bloody footnotes and editing.