Well, Happy Holidays everyone, we’ve made it to yet another Christmas season. Phew!
It’s no secret that Christmas is not my favorite holiday (even Santa kind of freaks me out now that I’m an adult). Those of you who know me, know that my top three holidays are Thanksgiving, St. Patrick’s Day and My Birthday– not necessarily in that order. Christmas isn’t in my top 3, maybe it’s the months of build up and crazy people whipped up into a frenzy in the mall, but this year will be different!
This year, I am throwing myself into Christmas (sort of) and embracing it. The house is decorated, I’ve put up lights on the terrace, I’m listening to Carols*, I have sparkly red nails (for Christmas the manicurist said), I took a Christmas cooking class** and now I’m planning Christmas Dinner for 9.
What I haven’t done is finished my Christmas shopping (I sort of gave up in the middle after getting presents for the top 3 people on my list). I also haven’t set foot in a shopping mall– not even for the last minute couple of bits that I really should do…. Instead I’ve been focusing on dinner. Christmas Dinner. It’s going to be awesome.
A grown up, Christmas Dinner on fancy wedding plates with cloth napkins- and napkin rings. It’s weird, but this is the kind of thing that excites me. This is the type of event that may elevate Christmas for me into a top 4 Holiday. Cooking and eating. This could help me recapture the joy of Christmas and serve as the inspiration for Christmases to come.
So what’s on the menu??
Kingfish Crostini with Garlic Chilli Oil and Crispy Lemon Fried Olives (we learned these in class)
Cranberry Margaritas on arrival
Oysters with Champagne
Gazpacho
Donna Hay’s Poached Turkey Breast
Roast Potatoes (of course!)
Kale Salad with Pecorino (leave out the sausages for just a salad!)
Corn Casserole (it’s not a holiday without it!)
Christmas Pudding Ice Cream with Spiced Chocolate Cake
with Eggnog to finish
Phew! Luckily, I have 48 hours to pull it all together. Let’s get cooking! In the meantime, here are some of the photos from the cooking class that I did. I really meant to tell you all about it, but I got a bit distracted once I started planning my Christmas Menu. Oh and, here’s our little Christmas Tree as well!
Merry Christmas Everyone from both of us at He Runs, I Cook!!
*My Spotify playlist has some Christmas Carols on it, it also has quite a healthy dose of Jay-Z, The National, and Hozier– not exactly traditional but it’s not a bad compromise. Take a listen here if you’d like! christmas with the mahers
** It was Christmas Canapes and it was fantastic! I highly recommend it for next year. It’s put on by Victors Food in Sydney.
He Runs, I Cook 