Christmas Cheer!

Christmas is upon us once again. It’s always a wonderful time of year; presents and food, what’s not to love about that?

I am always mindful that Jesus is the reason for the season and don’t get caught up in the extreme commercialization that has taken over Christmas, so I try not to get sidetracked too much. I did send a box of pressies home to my sister and nieces which I loved doing. Giving gifts always makes me so happy. Receiving them isn’t bad either.

I managed to weasel my gift from the Colonel already. I couldn’t wait until the 25th. As December’s birthstone is Turquoise, I have always been fond of that stone. It’s hard to find it in designs I like because mostly it’s set in silver, Native-American style. No offense to anyone, but I flipping hate that type of jewelry. Southwestern style and all that—it’s ugliness makes me gag. I like my turquoise in gold thank you very much. I had a pair of 18kt gold roman coin style earrings with robin’s egg blue turquoise years ago, a gift from a wealthy aunt in Italy. I lost them. They were perfect and I am still upset 20 years later about that.

My new ring is a Carol Brodie and as a Brodie piece it is perfect of course. The stone is set on a hand-carved Philippine wood, genius! I am now nuts about wood rings—the comfort and feel is amazing. As usual, Brodie has excelled herself. I love my Christmas present.
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I made some Christmassy florentines yesterday. I have made them before using cornflakes, but this time I followed a Nigella Lawson recipe which used chopped almonds instead. They are exquisite. I have knocked off most of them myself, in fact I had 2 for breakfast today. How naughty.

Nigella Lawson always comes up with recipes that even an idiot like me can make work. I added a whole lot more glace cherries than the recipe called for, simply because I love them. The result is biscuits that look like a technicolour yawn. They taste scrummy though.

I have to work Christmas Eve and Boxing day at an (expletives deleted) retail store. Can you believe the misery? Oh this working in retail caper was meant to be a nice break from teaching. A lovely low-stress job for a bit of fun; a way to get out of the house and meet people, but as far as management are concerned, the song "Ship of Fools" keeps coming to mind.

Nigella’s Florentines.

4 ounces whole, blanched almonds
7 tablespoons mixed candied peel, in
Whole chunks, not ready chopped
1 ½ ounces glace cherries
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (dark)
4 ounces white chocolate
2 baking sheets, greased.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Chop the almonds so that you have some fine pieces and some chunks of nut. Chop the candied peep and cherries into fairly small, even pieces. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter and sugar without letting it scorch. Add the flour rather as if you were making a roux for a white sauce; it should form a ball of paste. Take off the heat and whisk in the cream. The mixture should be smooth, so put it back on the heat briefly to beat out any lumps. Stir in the fruit and almonds.

Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of this Florentine mixture onto the greased nonstick baking sheets. It will look quite liquid and will spread, so leave generous space between the blobs. Place the sheets in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. They’re ready when they’ve spread into larger circles and the edges are golden brown. Take them out of the oven and leave for 2-3 minutes to firm up; at this point you can ease them back into shape if you need to, as they will be very malleable. When you feel they can be lifted, slip a metal spatula or palette knife underneath them and transfer to q wire rack to cool, ensuring you leave them flat.

Melt the dark and white chocolate in separate bowls in the microwave, and paint the flat side of each Florentine; I used a pastry brush for this. Be prepared to paint over and over to get a good thick coating.

Using a fork make wavy lines on the chocolate on each Florentine and leave to dry.

Makes 30.

Recipe taken from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess.

Thanksgiving

Norman Rockwell's 'Freedom from Want'.

"There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American." - O. Henry

Thanksgiving day 2009, and it's been a day to be very thankful for. The weather is lovely and cool, what a luxury, but mostly I am thankful for elastic waistbands. Second helpings anyone?

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It's a great concept, the idea of being thankful is admirable. Such a positive and uplifting message and it comes with the notion that it is almost one's patriotic duty to indulge in gluttony so I can't fault this festive holiday.

"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues." -Cicero

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Taking some excellent cooking tips from Miss Patrice, who is able to cook the most succulent birds ever, the Turkey skin was piereced and glorious golden butter was rubbed onto the flesh. Some of Nigella Lawson's maple syrup baste was put under the skin also. It turned out moist and tender instead of dry and tasteless as if often the case with Turkey.

We indulged in sweet potato mash, corn on the cob, gravy, stuffing and all manner of delicious comestibles. The Colonel is no fan of pumpkin pie so we had a Raspberry Crostata instead as I am such a fan of the raspberry.

"Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants." -Kevin James

We even made sure it was a very Runty Thanksgiving by making up a small plate for my little Prince after we had finished our meal. We set it at the table and let him feast to his little heart's content. He is so spoiled and we are far too indulgent.

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Memorial Day

Today is Memorial day in the USA. It's the time the nation celebrates and remembers the men and women who died in service. The event was begun during the Civil War and has since gone on to commemorate those who served in all successive conflicts. It's the American equivalent to Anzac day, but disappointingly it lacks the ceremonies of Anzac Day. I miss the parades of the old diggers through the city streets, and the televised Dawn services. Turner Classic Movies has been playing old war movies all weekend as a homage to the troops, a fitting tribute.

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We had a BBQ with some of The Colonel's work friends and a lovely Aussie lady I met at the Anzac Day service.

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The Colonel's gas grill.

The Colonel is an amazing cook and did a great job with all the BBQing. He made something called chevapchichi, a Serbian ground meat concotion that is scrumptious and didn't last very long. I am quite partial to this Serbian treat and made sure I had a few on my plate. OM NOM NOM NOM NOM.

Chevapchichi.

My Tuna Dip was edaciously consumed by all, including myself. I like to use it as a sandwich spread as well as a dip. My sister in Australia really likes this recipe and I always think of her when I make it.

Tuna Dip

1 or 2 small cans of Tuna
Olive oil
2-4 oz Cream cheese with homegrown chopped garlic chives

Lemon juice.

Process in blender until smooth and creamy.

It was a really nice way to spend the day. I had a great time, but kept thinking about my family back in Australia and how much I missed having BBQ's with them. We did have a special guest of honour today, our friend's dog.

Atticus was recently adopted after spending time at the Humane Society Shelter here in Tampa. I love people who rescue dogs in need of help. I think that a true sign of a good person is to see how they treat the weak and the vulnerable. I tend to judge people as good or bad by noting whether or not they like dogs, however I hear that Hitler liked dogs, so that has thrown my theory into some confusion.

Atticus

We ended the meal with a no-bake cherry cheesecake, from a Nigella Lawson recipe. It tasted great but the presention left a lot to be desired, I forgot to grease the springform pan so the whole thing kind of stuck. While it looked like something the cat vomited up, it tasted pretty good.

Cherry Cheesecake

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons soft butter

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

10 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup heavy cream

1 jar of st Dalfour Rhapsodie de Fruits black cherry spread, or cherry conserve

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Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the butter and sugar until the mixture coheres.

Press this mixture into an 8 inch springform pan; press a little up the sides to form a slight ridge.

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.

Lightly whip the cream, and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.

Spooon the cheesecake filling on top of the graham cracker base and smooth with a spatula. Put it in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to seve the cheesecake, unmold it by removing the sides of the springform pan and spread the black cherries over the top.

PS, I gained a kilo after the day's festivities. Bugger.