Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas for 2011

I guess this is my first Christmas post on my blog, but don't worry, I'm pretty sure it won't be my last.....I'd just like to take the time to tell you all how much I appreciate you reading my blog. I have some very regular followers who have been here since the beginning...which isn't that long ago either, but I am coming up to my first anniversary in Feb too...which is also exciting.

If you are a lurker, now is the time to show yourself...leave a comment, and make yourself known. Given my blog stats, I know I have a huge list of lurkers who enjoy sitting on the sidelines, enjoying reading my blog. Don't feel obligated to show yourself though, it really is up to you and you alone. Although I would love it if you popped in and said Hi! No pressure....lol!

Christmas for me is a time to celebrate family and enjoy good food. Food that you wouldn't often eat, but more for a special occasion. I enjoy showing off my cooking skills at Christmas, and like to go the extra mile for a more complicated recipe.....although this year...I don't have anything complicated planned....but I know that my family will enjoy every bite.




I haven't even had time to (or remembered until now) to post about the beautiful Christmas Decorations both Mum and I received in the Down to Earth Christmas Decoration Swap.....


Mum received lots of lovely hanging 'gift' decorations from Lauren which are all handmade. They are stunning Lauren! Thank-you from Mum.

Just visible on the left is one of the
Origami butterflies....it's bright Orange.

My swap partner was Marnie...and I received a very complicated knitted stocking, along with a cute little house made from scraps of fabric....

Looking at all the photos, I didn't capture the Japanese Origami Butterflies,....but I know they are on the tree.....Thanks Marnie for the lovely decorations.

As you can imagine from your own household, things have been rather busy around here......As well as doing lots of baking for the freezer, I've been getting things done in the garden and doing lots of weeding, harvesting and planting too.....







I've even been too busy to publish my Gardening 101 for December post, but I did attend the December course, so I will make time soon to write that post....Sorry to those who have been looking forward to the December post, I will get to it soon after Christmas.

After hubby's flight being 5 hours delayed, I finally picked him up late last night....he had a huge day yesterday to get home for Christmas...the airport was packed to the rafters of all the workers trying to get home to spend Christmas with family and loved ones. I'm so grateful that we get him home for Christmas.


We have been busy tidying up, and I've been stocktaking in the garden to see what herbs I have for different dishes and salads....No herbs had to be store bought this year..which is fantastic!


Although I am organised with meat and other odds and ends...I can't help but look at more recipes......Yesterday, I found some more delicious recipes, and if I get time today, I might try a few of them out.

In the kitchen today I will do some of my salad prep for Christmas day.....All this stores very well for roughly four days in the fridge in press-seal bags....I use the bags, because they don't take up as much room as containers, and they can be stacked on top of each other: all being the same size....Some of my prep today will include the following:

• Cooking and draining two types of pasta
• Grating a big batch of carrots in the whizzer
• Shredding some cabbage
• Dicing spanish onions
• Making another batch of Universal Herb & Garlic Mix

Remember: any prep you do today, makes light of the time spent in the kitchen tomorrow. All these ingredients will go in bags and be stored in the fridge, ready to make up salads the next day....any prep I can do today, makes things easier and less of a fuss or mess tomorrow....I think I mentioned that....lol....I will also be:

• Boiling a dozen or so eggs to have on hand
• Making my potato salad...making it the day before adds to the infused flavours of the fresh herbs
• Mixing a French-onion dip for nibblies
• Cooking my Ham in coke...(see *)....

*Instead of making Nigella's Coke Ham this year, I've found a simple recipe for making a cola syrup to cook the ham in...I think I will double the mixture though....so I will be doing that today too......I think this looks far more delicious than the Nigella version....and a lot healthier too.

• Presents are all wrapped, and tonight I will get a small bag of pre-cooked turkey drumstick meat out of the freezer...along with stuffing balls and a few other bits.....all cooked over the last few weeks.....

Stuffing Balls

I've met many interesting and wonderful people since beginning my blogging adventure....and I appreciate all the comments and feedback...Some, I'm sure will be great friends for many years to come...To those who sent me a Christmas Card, I thank each one of you....I'm sorry, I didn't have time to do many cards this year. 

I take this time to wish all my readers, friends and family (and even the lurkers hiding in the background)...a very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous new year. To  everyone on the DTE forum; along with all the followers on Rhonda's blog too.......


If you are travelling; stay safe.
If you are out drinking; make sure you have a designated driver.
If you are out partying, don't do it alone, take a friend.

Stay safe, and enjoy your Christmas holiday....I look forward to seeing everyone back here after their holiday celebrations....and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

On my mind...Thinking of loved ones passed

Many thanks to Rhonda at Down to Earth for this concept.
This is a Friday photo feature that anyone with a blog can join. To take part, post a photo on your own blog, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to here from your blog by saying you're part of "On my mind". Please write a new post, don't link to an older one. When you've done that, come back here and add a comment below, with  a link to your blog. 


I warn you, reading this post, you may need a box of tissues.......
I was going to write about the beetroot I have preserved and the stuffing balls I have made....but after reading Rhonda's blog post today..I think this is more appropriate.......

Christmas is a time when we reflect...a time for celebration yes, but also in many households...a time for sadness. Sadness for the pain of missing a loved one....sadness maybe because you are not where you wish you could be at Christmas. My thoughts go to the people who have recently lost a loved one, or that have a family member who is not long for this earth. Christmas is a time for me, when I reflect how fortunate I am....fortunate to have two wonderful sons, fortunate to have a wonderful husband, fortunate to still have one parent alive....fortunate to have good food at the ready, and good protection from the weather with a warm cosy bed at night.

I am fortunate for the love I am surrounded by.

One Christmas holidays 11 years back, I lost two nephews in the short space of 2 months.

One to each of my siblings....Such sadness, such heartache........

First was new years eve involving my sisters youngest...aged 20; he fell asleep at the wheel while driving home from work.....died instantly in the crash and was buried 10 days before his 21st birthday......

We still miss you David...Your sisters both miss you very much...

You would have made a wonderful priest. 

Second was on the 25th Feb, when my brother found his newborn son with no life, in his cot.....they call it Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Donny was just 84 days old.....I guess angels are needed at all ages.....

Donny, your parents miss you very much, and so does your big sister....You have another sister and a brother now, who often think of you too.  

Having not met my nephew Donny until his funeral, I held his little hand....and whispered to him...."I'm your Aunty". 

Donny had a traditional Kiwi funeral at the house before being buried back in New Zealand beside other family members passed.

Growing up, Christmas memories have not always been the best for me...but becoming a mother has made many new and lovely memories which have replaced the bad ones......

I love my children, and am very appreciative that I have both of them in my life....We've had some extremely close calls where I thought my first born would be taken from me......having had a 'failed cot death' when he was just 2 months old, and a horrible skate boarding accident just a few years ago......

So yes, take time to reflect on your loved ones who are still with you.....and how fortunate you are....
But also give thought to the ones who have passed..........


Over the following weeks.....I will also be thinking about my niece and nephew in my husbands family.....who lost their father in a fatal car crash...at such a young age, not being able to remember him, not having the chance to get to know him........
I know you both miss what you could have had very much....Natasha and Zac, your father loved you sooo much.


Today, take joy in the family you have around you....you may come from a large family...or you may be an only child....you may have children, or you may not.....either way....somewhere.....you have family, because you were born....Think about the family that are not with you now.....especially the family you never met, because you were not born yet when they passed......


Take comfort in the family you do have around you.....
tell them each day, how much you love them......

5 roasts in 1 day & other Prep for Xmas

Dearest readers, please excuse my absence...I am having technical difficulties with my Internet, email and computer as a whole...sure they are fantastic when they are working, but have one break down on you repeatedly...and your in for a whole lot of trouble......like me at the moment. I won't be changing anything on my blog just yet....as time with an internet connection is valuable I would much rather write a post for my wonderful readers.


5 roasts in 1 day
I bet your thinking I'm mad,.....no, just organised.....lol.....For those who are planning ahead these festive holidays....you will understand my need for cooking ahead. I have great news, my husband is going to be home for the Christmas period, and I don't plan to be stuck in the kitchen half the time, preparing meals. I like to serve up cold meats, and salads.
Today's events in the kitchen went something like this.......

I planned on cooking roasts of Lamb, Pork and Silverside.....It's easy really....


*Prep two legs of Lamb and pop in the oven first.....I basted the legs of Lamb with my soup starter...It really is an all rounder...and you will see me use it quite often in my kitchen.

 *Then prep and put the two silverside's in the crock-pot........

*Then brown the Leg of Pork on the stove to kick-start the cooking of the crackling.......

rub a small amount of salt into the cut skin...
in a really hot pan, place the pork
turn until brown all over.

Almost ready to place in the oven.......

When the juice runs almost clear in the Legs of Lamb.....bring them out of the oven and let them finish cooking in their own heat...............I bake mine in oven bags. I find the meat stays lovely and moist.

Rub some of the herby soup starter all over the crackling of the pork you browned earlier......

*Now turn the heat up on the oven to about 210 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes to set the crackling nice and crispy...but don't forget to turn it back down.......
*Remove from the oven when the juice runs almost clear, like the Lamb....cut away the crackling and allow it to cool. When cool, store the crackling in an airtight container. If you are partial to the odd bit of crackling it wont keep until Christmas...but it would if you didn't eat it. Crackling stores pretty well. Now wrap the leg of pork in foil to finish cooking and cooling....
Ok, I confess, we had ours with tea tonight..but I will buy extra skin and make more crackling for the big day....I'm sure to have the oven on again before then.


We enjoyed half of one leg of lamb tonight for tea...and I put one in the freezer along with the Leg of Pork....Marked clearly of-course........

*At tea time I turned the crock-pot off and left the silverside's to cool overnight in the cooking liquor.....This makes the silverside lovely and moist for eating as a cold meat. In the morning, I will remove them from the pot, then wrap them separately and pop them into the freezer too.

And now I have 5 roasts cooked in one day! Told you it was easy....... 

*I also made herbed butter..using my "soup starter"......

One for the fridge to use now,
and one for the freezer to use later

Butter and my Soup Starter
blended well.

*I had to make a new batch of soup starter today too, so I made a huge batch which you can see in the very first photo. I picked bunches and bunches of herbs from the garden today for it too along with 3 bunches of spring onions. The soup starter gets used for almost everything these days....

*The herbed butter makes a deliciously yummy spread for salad sandwiches too....or use the starter straight to top savoury biscuits with homegrown tomatoes....A big Thanks for the red ones Rose.......Yummmmmm

I also popped some soup starter on the top.
A lovely flavour and another great way to use my soup starter.

*I pureed a huge Papaya I got from the markets over the weekend....2 for $5 was a good price, even though they had a bad spot on them. This will be lovely added to any fruit beverages I prepare.

Here are some other foods I have been preparing ahead of time and popping in the freezer:

*Mini quiches...in the same rectangular mini muffin/bread trays (above).....I plan on using these as a side dish or sliced in sandwiches. Sorry no photos, but I will take one if anyone wants to see them.

*I also have a batch of Beetroot and Chocolate Cupcakes which I had to hide in the freezer quickly before they all got eaten..........

*I've roasted 3 trays of sweet capsicums and de-seeded them before storing in Olive Oil in the fridge....these are delicious on a piece of toasted bread, or mashed into a dressing.....I wouldn't be bothered with a recipe if it called for them, but when I have them already roasted and bottled...Yep! you betcha I'll use them.

I learnt a valuable lesson here....prepare the sweet chillies before roasting them, it will be so much quicker and cleaner....after roasting, all I would need to do, is slice them possible in half and remove the skin. But nope...I did it the long way around.....but I learnt for next time which is what is important.

Roasted sweet chillies ready to add to Olive Oil
and pop in the fridge.

*I've also got biscuits ready to pop in the oven...Make a double batch...roll them all out into balls until you have no batter left....then pop them in the freezer. Once frozen, remove them from the tray and place in a plastic bag. Back into the freezer until you want a really quick batch of biscuits....They bake up just fine, but you haven't had the trouble of making the batter up.

There's plenty more where they came from....

Other things I would like to prepare...so my holiday is a holiday and I only have minimal salad prep to do in the kitchen include:

*I would also like to get another lot of Steamed Xmas Puddings into the freezer for those last minute gifts....there's only a few left in the freezer for now.

* Some more mini quiche...I think they will be very popular...so add eggs to the next shopping trip.

* I want to have a go at rising bread dough then freezing it....so again, most of the prep is done...Lovely fresh ly baked bread rolls in the oven on Christmas Day with half the effort....It can't get much better than that.

* I also need to prep my Ham, I'm doing Nigella's Christmas Coke Ham...It's delicious....but I plan on looking for a recipe for coke on the internet....so I don't buy the horribly sweet fizzy soda.

* I also need to buy my Turkey legs...we don't bother with the whole huge bird coming to the table...I'd rather have the meat off the bone long before that...and have it all bagged up, in the freezer....and thawed in small amounts at my convenience.

That's all I can think of at the moment...Oh I still have a container of that delicious Apricot Delight I made....so add that to the goodies too.


Are you doing any prep for the big day? Or do you like to prep for a few days or even a week or more, like I do? 
If you like something you have seen, or can offer me some great advice along these lines...even recipe ideas....I'd love to hear from you.....
Please leave a comment..........................

On my mind...Christmas Cake - Stage 2

This is a Friday photo feature that anyone with a blog can join. To take part, post a photo on your own blog, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to here from your blog by saying you're part of "On my mind". Please write a new post, don't link to an older one. When you've done that, come back here and add a comment below, with a link to your blog.

I've never made a Christmas cake..until now!
In the past......each time I have tried a fruit cake, I have found them to be dry, or very strongly flavoured....so I have never thought of making my own.  Over at the Down to Earth Forum, Rose got us thinking about Christmas and being prepared...by making our own Christmas Cake ahead of time....

So why not!.... I'm giving it a go!

On the side of caution, I decided to share the cake mix over two smaller tins...Had they been even smaller, they would have been thicker....but I kind of like the idea that they are thinner...I mean, at Christmas time who needs a big slice of cake anyway?...with all that extra food around...lol...

This way we get to have cake at another time....which is right down my alley.

I soaked my fruit way back over 5 weeks ago...and I have been stirring it every week, saying a quick hello.
I first wrote about soaking the fruit here... and you can also find the rest of the recipe there as well.

Today I need to feed the cakes again with Brandy...I'm not sure I want to do too many feeds though.....


Have you thought about making your own Christmas Cake....This is my first time...Will it be your first time too? Or have you been making them for years? Is it a tradition in your house?

Christmas Cake Stage 1

Today is the day that I join in on the 'Christmas Cake Bake Along'...at the Down to Earth Forum......

This is the first time I will be baking a Christmas Cake....Until my Nan passed away, family members were all given a steamed Christmas Pudding from her....I can remember her having them hanging everywhere...even in the old laundry...If you know Nan, you will know where I mean.


If you would like to join in, please do so...You can view the three steps in the following links....

Step 1: the fruit soak......

Step 2: make the cake.....

Step 3: feeding the cake.....

As this is the first time I have baked a Christmas Cake; I really have no expectations, but looking at the recipe, I'm sure it will be lovely and moist.....

There is a lot riding on this cake; as next year I will be starting a new tradition within the family....I will either be making this Christmas Cake or I will be making Steamed Puddings.....the way Nan used to make them....hanging in the cloth for a few weeks leading up to Christmas......Either way, I wan't to be able to make individual ones to share out to family members...It's what I do!

I have started the Christmas Cake bake off; 
but I did change a few things in the recipe to suit us. 

Fruit soak:
55g (2oz/ 1/4 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
55ml (1.75 flz oz) water
160ml (5.25 fl oz) brandy
90g (3.25oz/ 3/4 cup) sultanas (golden raisins) (I like to scan through and remove any stems left behind)
80g (2.75oz/ 1/2 cup) currants (I like to scan through and remove any stems left behind)
80g (2.75oz/ 1/3cup) pitted prunes, chopped (I replaced these with dried apricots)
80g (2.75oz/ 1/2 cup) fresh pitted dates, chopped
150g (5.5oz/ 1.25 cup) raisins (I replaced these with dried cranberries)
55g (2oz/ 1/3 cup) mixed peel (mixed candied citrus peel) (I replaced these with dried apple)
135g (4.75oz/ 3/4 cup) chopped dried figs

Here are some photos of the beginning of my Christmas Cake fruit soak....Day 1.

Left to Right: Currants, Apricots, Figs with the stems removed too, the fruit mix which I moved to the side in the dish so you could see the brandy, and the mix sitting on the kitchen cabinet...Yes, under the doily is plastic wrap...it's sealed well.

Here you can see I am sorting and picking out the stems....
I hate picking them out of my mouth...so we get rid of them before baking

Cutting the dried apricots up with scissors

It pays to check the packaging....you never know...
you may find a really great recipe...I'm off to email them.

More stems being removed off the dried figs,
before cutting them up with scissors too.

What lovely colours....
I pushed the fruit to the side, to show the brandy

Pride of place....see you tomorrow!

Yes there is cling wrap beneath the doily...
but doesn't the doily look much better.

Now I will stir it everyday for the next week.....then I will allow the fruit to soak for another 4 weeks...stirring the fruit mix once a week. 
Are you going to follow along and join in this bake off.....? 
Do you make a different Christmas Cake? if you do...and you blog about it...come back and leave a link to your Christmas Cake.