May have to research that fig and Stilton cheesecake. Could it have a hovis biscuit base? It's sounding quite nice, but then maybe that's the part of me that's desperate not to waste. Certainly a cheese sauce will be created and frozen as there is a lot of blue cheese - bought in a panic of Armageddon proportions. What if they run out? It was beautiful last year, we need double this year. Maybe triple. Goes out of date on January 3rd? Not a problem to us. I over-estimated even out glutton. Oh dear.
So, let me go through what I've eaten in the last few days - ashamedly I have put on a 'few' pounds and will put on more before the sobriety starts. I believe it all started on Christmas Eve with Baby Big Girl's birthday party, an inspired 10am beginning with platters of cut fruit, two bought Spanish Omelette's with garlic mayo (well done again, Husband #1) and some Sainos Blueberry Mini Muffins. It all went down very well and guests were expelled at 12pm. Fish and chips, pork pie and various pickles provided energy for the rest of the day.
Christmas started at 8.10am, waking up both children (wow!) and going downstairs for croissants and brioche. Then came Kathaleean's Christmas Dinner - never a meal to be missed. Turkey, bacon covered sausages (called..?), sausage stuffing, sage and onion stuffing, chestnut stuffing, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, sprouts, roast potatoes and mash. Oh, I forgot bread and cranberry sauces. I ate it all apart from the mash (a little excessive, Kathaleean?) and then moved onto the leftover sprouts, chestnut stuffing and parsnips. Excellent. Christmas pudding was also good with brandy sauce and custard - I've never been one to make up my mind. Tea wasn't necessary,
Boxing Day is my big one and it was tough - by 8pm I was laid out on the sofa pathetically unable to even lift the TV control. Serious fatigue. But the afternoon was good. Twenty noisy, hungry and thirsty guests (including a Meat-Eating Vegetarian, the Gluten Free Sister and the Child Who Eats Nothing) were all happily catered for. Starters were nibbles, put out as and when I thought of them - bread sticks, crisps, dips, squid in ink sauce, capers, gherkins, saucisson and plum tomatoes all appeared and disappeared nicely (eleven year old nephew - a treat to feed and upon whom to administer new tastes!). This was all followed by chicken in cider sauce with leeks and carrots and optional, separately roasted chorizo. An adaptation of (Sir) Rick Stein's Spanish dish due to the Gluten Free Sister, but tasted good and was easily done. Then for the Vegetarian who has become the Meat-Eating Vegetarian, I'd made a Mushroom Stroganoff. In fairness I've made it a few years running now and everyone likes it, so it isn't especially for those with morals, just those with taste - but imagine my surprise when the Meat-Eating Vegetarian took a slice of ham to go with her Veggie Stroganoff and then polished off the Child Who Eats Nothing's chicken...
So to dessert: white chocolate and lemon mousse, which didn't set properly but tasted well so who cares? - and an Ina Garten Tarte Tatin, executed delightfully by Husband#1.
It was all good - but good enough to be absolutely physically spent by 8pm? Not sure. Will I be a professional chef? No. Will I cope if I owned a nice little café? Probably not. Will I do Boxing Day next year? Probably...
And so back to the future. My pizza is ready (it IS Friday after all) and I sit here researching what to do with Stilton. Answers on a postcard are very much needed.
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| Kathaleean's Turkey Soup - 2nd Best Meal at Christmas |
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