Wednesday, December 21, 2005
The Festival of Food
Feeding people apparently fulfills some deep rooted need in me to be content.
I have a houseful. I have a fully stocked fridge and freezer, so I'm happier than a pig in shit continually serving up snacks etal whilst we play cards, games, or do jigsaw puzzles.
Three of my favourite snackables are, Ham & Asparagus roll-ups. Cheeses and deli meats/sausages. And smoked salmon capers and cr cheese. yummmm. another quick and easy appetizer is those pre cooked meat balls and then just whip up a soy/brown sugar sauce and bake them. Of course there's also a gazillion 'throw in the oven' type hors d'ouvres out there as well.
And let's not count the amount of wee bowls scattered about the house containing nuts, trail mix, chocolates, cookies etc. LOL I love feeding people.
I'm beginning my Christmas Dinner menu, but apart from deciding on a buffet, which animals we'll be having for the ritual sacrifice, and a few pies, I'm drawing a blank. So far the head count for Xmas Dinner is 12 confirmed, that of course doesn't take into account whatever Christmas orphans may wander in at the last minute. Not a problem. Lack of food is not even a consideration. It's what food to serve?
So far I have.
Smallish Turkey w/stuffing and gravy
Ham
Middling sz Roast Beef (this is for me... not keen on two turkey dinners so close together)
Tossed Green Salad?
Honey Glazed Carrots
Cherry Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Butter tarts
Christmas Pudding (also for me. hey, it's my culture, man.)
So what Veggies do you serve with your festive meals? any ideas would be appreciated.
X
I have a houseful. I have a fully stocked fridge and freezer, so I'm happier than a pig in shit continually serving up snacks etal whilst we play cards, games, or do jigsaw puzzles.
Three of my favourite snackables are, Ham & Asparagus roll-ups. Cheeses and deli meats/sausages. And smoked salmon capers and cr cheese. yummmm. another quick and easy appetizer is those pre cooked meat balls and then just whip up a soy/brown sugar sauce and bake them. Of course there's also a gazillion 'throw in the oven' type hors d'ouvres out there as well.
And let's not count the amount of wee bowls scattered about the house containing nuts, trail mix, chocolates, cookies etc. LOL I love feeding people.
I'm beginning my Christmas Dinner menu, but apart from deciding on a buffet, which animals we'll be having for the ritual sacrifice, and a few pies, I'm drawing a blank. So far the head count for Xmas Dinner is 12 confirmed, that of course doesn't take into account whatever Christmas orphans may wander in at the last minute. Not a problem. Lack of food is not even a consideration. It's what food to serve?
So far I have.
Smallish Turkey w/stuffing and gravy
Ham
Middling sz Roast Beef (this is for me... not keen on two turkey dinners so close together)
Tossed Green Salad?
Honey Glazed Carrots
Cherry Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Butter tarts
Christmas Pudding (also for me. hey, it's my culture, man.)
So what Veggies do you serve with your festive meals? any ideas would be appreciated.
X
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Beets! They're so gorgeous. Wash them, bake them for about an hour on a cookie sheet lined with foil (they bleed), then remove, cool and peel. Grate by hand or in food processor. Put puree in pot on stove, and add a small pinch of salt, a large pinch of sugar and a splash of lemon juice. Heat through. Yum. Goes with all hearty meats.
From a recent Cooks Illustrated, I've been delighted with their recipe for roasted green beans. You toss green beans with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast them fairly hot (450?) until they're wilted. The flavor is amazing. They give a variation with sesame seed oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds, but the basic recipe is better, IMO.
My yam recipe is very simple. Half stick of butter, good pinch of salt, and about a half a cup (or more) of brown sugar. I melt everything and add big fat disks of yams. The yams give up enough liquid to dissolve the sugar (but you do have to be careful early on -- add a tablespoon of water at the beginning, if you don't want to watch it too closely). Simmer, covered, until tender, turning the yams frequently so that they get candied evenly.
I treat apple wedges the same way -- great side course for pork chops or ham.
My yam recipe is very simple. Half stick of butter, good pinch of salt, and about a half a cup (or more) of brown sugar. I melt everything and add big fat disks of yams. The yams give up enough liquid to dissolve the sugar (but you do have to be careful early on -- add a tablespoon of water at the beginning, if you don't want to watch it too closely). Simmer, covered, until tender, turning the yams frequently so that they get candied evenly.
I treat apple wedges the same way -- great side course for pork chops or ham.
Hey X
I've got a housefull too, lucky we have the new house which is big. It's a bit scary when you do a head count just for my family and you get 20 people. Ay Ay Ay!
We are having a combination of vegies and salads, but I guess your climate doesn't proclude salads. LOL
But our vegies are boring Rosemary Roasted Baby Potatoes, Carrots that are cooked in Butter and Chardonnay, and spicy pumpkin.
Jamie Oliver has some great recipes for vegies that are a bit out of the norm. Not sure if you can get any of them on the net though.
I'm taking on the challenge of doing it all myself, looking forward to it.
Have a great day!
I've got a housefull too, lucky we have the new house which is big. It's a bit scary when you do a head count just for my family and you get 20 people. Ay Ay Ay!
We are having a combination of vegies and salads, but I guess your climate doesn't proclude salads. LOL
But our vegies are boring Rosemary Roasted Baby Potatoes, Carrots that are cooked in Butter and Chardonnay, and spicy pumpkin.
Jamie Oliver has some great recipes for vegies that are a bit out of the norm. Not sure if you can get any of them on the net though.
I'm taking on the challenge of doing it all myself, looking forward to it.
Have a great day!
My mom does a turnip/apple casserole that I've only recently learned to enjoy. It's one of those 'hand-me-down' classics from my grandmother. I don't know the recipe off by heart, but I can get it for you, if you want. :)
BTW, I'm hungry. Can I come hang out at your house? ;)
BTW, I'm hungry. Can I come hang out at your house? ;)
There's the ever traditional green bean casserole, honey glazed carrots (prev. mentioned I believe), and recently I discovered the Boston Market recipe for their spinach casserole that was soooooo popular at Thanksgiving we had no left overs.
Then again, there's always corn.
Then again, there's always corn.
Oh, and you could make latkes, too (potato pancakes). If anyone asks, tell them you're converting, "Just like Madonna."
First day of Hannukah = Dec. 25 this year.
Latke recipe near bottom of post.
First day of Hannukah = Dec. 25 this year.
Latke recipe near bottom of post.
good blog - hope you had a great holiday, Christine. (we had roast beef, too - wasn't in the mood for turkey)
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