Turkey, stuffing and a very merry Christmas
So that’s it, then. The big day is shortly upon us and I’m looking forward to a small family Christmas (just us, English Grandma and maybe Mad Uncle Ali in the afternoon) at our new little house in Hertfordshire.
Wherever you are and whoever you’re with, I wish you all a wonderful, indulgent Christmas.
And as always, remember to chill out, have fun, stick on your glad rags, enjoy your precious loved ones, have a few cocktails, don’t shout at the children (or at least count to ten first), don’t worry about your waistline, don’t drink and drive (I need you!), do give someone everyone you love a kiss under the mistletoe, say you love it even if you hate it, carry a hankie, say please and thank you, keep your hand on your ha’penny… and have a glass of champers on me.
Now, let me think what you might need:
Firstly, of course, you’ll need a really good festive cocktail recipe. This little beauty was sent to me by naughty ol’ Maxi Cane. It’s called ‘A Mouthful of Maxi’:
1 regular spirit measure (35ml) of Peach Schnapps.
1 dash (15ml approx) of orange liqueur (Triple Sec/Cointreau/Grand Marnier)
1 dash of Crème de Cassis liqueur (blackcurrant)
1 dash of Crème de Banane liqueur
200 – 250ml (depending on your taste) of cranberry juice
Shake well over crushed ice and take it easy – these babies are evil!
Now, if you can still stand up, to the dinner:
If you need any help with the turkey, just click here.
Remember, once the turkey’s cooked it’ll sit happily for at least an hour, covered in foil and tucked snugly under a couple of teatowels, while you cook the roasties, etc.
If you don’t like Christmas pudding, I can heartily recommend my chocolate fondants, and finally, if you need stuffing (ahem), then you can’t do better than my easy peasy apple and red onion stuffing (serves 4-6, double up as necessary):
1 tbsp butter
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 dessert apple, peeled and finely chopped
225g pork sausage meat
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 Preheat the oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5. Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the onion and fry gently until soft. Add the apple and cook until softened. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
2 Stir the sausage meat and breadcrumbs into the onion mixture along with the herbs and lemon juice. Stir until well combined. You can put a little in the neck end of the turkey (I’m not a fan of stuffing the main cavity – I think it stops the hot air circulating), or squish it into a buttered oven-proof dish and bake for 25 minutes.
Off you trot, then. Big hugs, even bigger wet kisses and lots of love
xxxx
‘And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?
It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?’
29 Responses to “Turkey, stuffing and a very merry Christmas”
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Also, “keep your hand on you Ha’Penny” is that a euphemism ????
Love you all xxxxx
Haha
ha…
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/12/happy-festivus.html
xxxxx
[...] December, then, finds us back home in Hertfordshire. I’m pleased to be back with all our family and friends, but have struggled with the move, wondering exactly where I fit in. Still, Christmas was wonderful, with masses of champagne, Christmas baking, turkey and stuffing. [...]