Here is dear, sweet old Lucy[dog] awaiting New Year ! She spent most of 2011 in this exact spot and for her not much in 2012 will change. She will remain faithfully in position on my bed, snoozing. Like Lucy, I cannot see 2012 being much different from 2011 for me. Less eating and more exercise will be on my agenda but continued health and happiness for my family is top of my wish list for the coming 12 months. I sincerely wish the same for all - if any - readers out in the realms of blogland.
December 2011
12/31/2011
12/30/2011
Xmas Lunch Seafood
Being in Australia and having December 25 th fall mid summer means we have the opportunity to enjoy bountiful amounts of seafood. Not traditional by any means but prawns are very much an Aussie institution for most families at Christmas. We had prawns and butter fish too, all done on the BBQ. The prawns were marinated overnight in oil, herbs with thyme being predominate. The butter fish too were wrapped in foil parcels and left to infuse overnight with oil and a sprig of rosemary.
12/28/2011
Xmas Lunch Salad no 3
Now this was a big hit. Individual baby cos lettuce leaves were filled with a little dob of herbed fetta cheese. A parmesan cheese crisp adorned the little dob of fetta. This really was just a salad mouthful and I saw various eaters adding to it with a little prawn and then rolling the lettuce leaf up and biting into it and then rolling their eys in delight at what they had just consumed.
12/27/2011
Xmas Lunch Salad no 2
For as long as I can recall this salad has been made for Xmas lunch by my mother. It is requested every year and no one seems to be able to make it like she does. The little bit of the red radish skin among the greens makes it Christmassy, I think. It is called a Garden Salad and all the ingredients are finely shaved or diced and include iceberg lettuce, celery, green beans, asparagus, radishes and a mild, grated cheese. It is time consuming to make so that is why Grandma always gets it right as she has that little bit of extra time on her hands needed for the tiny dicing and shaving. it is dressd with a little light vinaigrette.
Xmas Lunch Salad no 1
Our big family luncheon on the 25th was a summery spread of mostly non traditional fare. I suppose a cursory nod was given to tradition with my baked, glazed ham being on the table. This quinoa salad is easy to do and delicious. A couple of cups of cooked quinoa were tossed into the bowl along with a slab of low fat crumbled feta. A big, big bunch of dill is then snipped into tiny feathers and added as is some tiny snippets of parsley. Squeeze a lemon very generously over the top, grate some of it's rind too and then season to taste. This same salad is just as great using risoni.
12/26/2011
Baking and Glazing
Mostly our meals are vegetarian but most of us still enjoy meat on occasion. I was given a ham before Christmas so decided to bake and glaze. I have done this only a few times in the past so was a bit hesitant approaching this culinary project. I researched various glazes and decided to go with a soy and five spice glaze and stud the ham with star anise. All thankfully went exceedingly well !! Very pretty too !!
12/25/2011
Christmas Day Al Fresco
We had a long and leisurely lunch kicking off at about 2 pm. I seem to have had small morsels passing my lips, then headed straight to my hips, since early this morning. I haven't had a meal all day but just been in a state of perpetual food consumption since opening my eyes, it would seem !! Happy Christmas to all those out there in blogland and I hope your day was as full of family and friends and love and caring as mine was - xxx
12/24/2011
12/23/2011
Trimming the Tree
I am not a fan of Xmas trees - they drop needles, they dry out and brown, they are prickly to wrestle with and they need to be dismantled and thrown out after the 25 th December. The dogs' tails swoosh off decorations and I have had dogs knock over the tree, wee on the tree, wee on the presents, open the presents and eat the contents including soaps, eat any homemade decorations and generally all this ensures that I adopt a very scrooge like attitude towards Christmas and the said tree. It makes me sad to see a lovely hefty branch lopped off a tree and then within a short period of time dumped unceremoniously out on the nature strip for the rubbish collection. I prefer to decorate a plant or large branch or even have a spruce in a pot that can be planted out in the garden. My children always want a "real" tree and I always capitulate as long as they take total responsibility for it. One guess who has swept up the moulting pine needles on a daily basis !!
12/22/2011
Holly, but No Ivy
No real red berries either, just fakes !! Holly is depicted on nearly every second Xmas card and decorates most of the puddings and cakes made and eaten here at Christmas. In reality, traditional prickly holly leaves and those rosy berries are a winter plant here in Australia. I saw today, at florist shops, bunches of holly leaves for sale. On sale seperately were bunches of artificial red berries to add to your holly , so if desired you can get that English look just without the quintessential robin red breast sitting in the holly branches. No snow either !! When I got home there was a vase of this combo to greet me on the hall table. Very pretty but it makes you realize that still our Australian Christmas is heavily steeped in British tradition.
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