Chirp!:

    Tuesday, October 24, 2006

    Christmas Cooking

    Am I early ?

    It's that time of year I start thinking about the only menu I plan in advance / to such a degree. I do love it, but in the end, it will exhaust me so, and i'll be looking for shortcuts/omitting dishes/adapting others, I know.

    So this came about hunting down a recipe this afternoon after a meet-up today with Lazy Cow ( gee, I slipped that in there, didn't I .. ;)
    I know it's about here somewhere - it's a Luke Mangan cutting from when he worked for the Age. A Mediterranean Roasted Vege stack with mucho feta and basil. I've sort of made it from memory the last few times, but a real recipe would be nice to share, rather than my bastardised, slap-dash versions .. which .. following my non-penchant for a recipe .. tend to be a bit hit/miss :)






    The recipe I linked is close enough, I suppose, although I haven't tried it.
    Oh, but I love my veges though ... despite trying Vegetarian once and finding it lacking in meat ...

    So, during my search, I uncovered my boxes of "Delicious", "Good Taste", "Donna Hay" and all the rest, and started bookmarking, planning, mixing, matching.

    It looks like i'm hosting 2x events this year - the paternal family Kris Kringle Day ( although, this is an allocated item day, and as the host, i'll probably be allocated "soft drinks and coffee/tea", I think ? ), and Xmas Day .. which is generally a 10-person affair which I cater, which is do-able.

    As for Lazy, she was lovely, with an equally adorable ( and well-behaved ! ) son.
    Thanks for the invite to the park, we had a great time, despite my own offspring trying to 'feed' the ducks sticks ....

    "no bubby, ducks don't *like* having sticks thrown at their heads, really"

    :)

    12 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    I am terrified of having to host Christmas lunch... I've never done it (parents on both sides still take charge). I'm so impressed that you are already planning!

    nutmeg said...

    Here I am, I haven't done a runner :-) (Thanks for enquiring!)

    I really like the look of that vege stack - my mouth was watering. Thanks for the link.

    I'm so glad you and Lazy Cow got to meet. What a treat!

    lazy cow said...

    It was fun! The Boy promptly fell asleep on the couch as soon as we got home. Hope you and adorable Cal got a chance to rest too...
    I've been thinking about that roast vege stack since you mentioned it.
    And no, it isn't to early to start planning. We're going to my husband's family in the country this year, but i'm hosting my girls' Christmas dinner for 8 and panicking already.

    Wes said...

    You always sounds like the most awesome cook, but October is WAY too early to be thinking about Christmas. There's still 50 shopping days to go, isn't there?!

    caramaena said...

    "Oh, but I love my veges though ... despite trying Vegetarian once and finding it lacking in meat ..."

    hehe love it!

    Anonymous said...

    Christmas dinner always seems to go wrong for me if we have guests. I remember I year the turkey wasn't cooked propery and we had to serve the veg and potatoes without the meat. Oh the embarassement!

    Jorth said...

    Hey, that looks yum... must give it a try!

    My float said...

    Ah, a catch-up! How delightful. And the throwing sticks at ducks game? Know it well!

    I was interested to see you call your son, bubby. I do too, but people take me to task for it. "Sounds like a New York cop" is one comment I had. Honestly, like it's their business.

    Oh sorry, i'm raving on. that vege stack looks delicious. hmmm. may well make it for dinner tonight.

    Stomper Girl said...

    Can't go wrong with a Luke Mangan recipe featuring mucho feta and basil, yummo.
    I wonder what's wrong with me. Why does the vision of catering to the hordes make me sick and panicky?
    I think some of us are just born to be guests. You, clearly, are the hostess with the mostest!

    Anonymous said...

    no no..never too early to be thinking menu...I love it..I've already started too..pouring over the latest 'Good Taste' mag..all the home type mags are starting to come out with their Christmas issues...reminds me to get the Christmas cake going. This takes lots of grog and lots of time to bake, but the smell of it wafting through the house for the 3 hours+ it takes to cook is amazing. Plus my Nanna (age 94 and not out) is always so proud of my efforts, as she taught me to bake, so that makes it well worth the effort.

    Damselfly said...

    Wow, can I come for Christmas dinner?

    LBA said...

    em - Xmas is done my way, so I have nothing to live up to. People are just happy to get a free feed, I think :)

    LC - he took a quick kip in the car, and I carried him inside and dropped the keys on the floor with a resounding clatter. Ugh. I could have done with a nice rest, too ;)

    AD - we have a small family, and don't tend to buy many gifts at the moment, so I get out of all the hype relatively scott-free ! :)

    Carolyn - being the height of Australian summer at Xmas makes it easier. Think cold baked ham and seafood platters, lots of salads and al fresco dining ... i'm not sure I could cope with a proper cooked meal on the day !

    MF: I really should stop calling him 'bubby', but only because at this rate, he'll be embarrassed if i'm still calling him that when he's at school ! I also call other people's children 'bubby' too ... to add to the general confusion ...

    Stomper: I drink to cope. I also start with the best intentions, and then opt for shortcuts and cheatsheets as the date draws near, and pour myself another drink ...

    Pfft, Symone - works fulltime, and you go to her house and she's made you a banquet from scratch. I faff around fulltime, and you come here and you're lucky to get a vegemite sandwich ( but there's always a glass of wine ! :)

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