Christmas has now officially arrived in our house with the Christmas tree going up yesterday. All I had to do this year was put on the tinsel and lights, the kids did the rest. It was great watching them add all their favourite ornaments, including ones they have made over the years. I must say I think they did a great job – here it is:
Our Christmas Tree 2009
Christmas cooking is in full swing and going along nicely except for one hiccup. When cooking the cake last week, I was also cooking some Nectarine Chutney. Juggling two recipes and 3 little helpers in the kitchen, things got a little crazy and 1kg instead of 1 cup of brown sugar was added to the Christmas cake. The 1kg was meant for the chutney but the cake did seem to survive, although it is a little ‘sticky’. We’ll just eat small pieces at a time otherwise the house could become a hive of hyperactivity!
On the weekend I did an Indian Cooking Course where they covered making Indian breads, curries, samosas and pakoras. It was really interesting to learn that a lot of the curries start with exactly the same base of ingredients. From this base a plethora of different curries can be made by adding varied ingredients including meats, vegetables and additional herbs, spices and flavours.
The other great thing was that the Indian breads are really easy to make at home with no fancy equipment required. Keep an eye on the blog for recipes as I work at recreating them all at home.
With plenty of end of year events and celebrations going on, the menu is pretty simple this week. We also have another market run so am looking forward to more great summer fruits.
Monday – Chicken Schnitzel Caesar Salad
Tuesday –Mini quiches, honey soy chicken legs (Picnic at School Christmas Carols)
Wednesday – Chicken Pasta Bake
Thursday – Lamb Stir Fry
Friday – Pizza using Easy Pizza Dough
Saturday – Barbecue
Sunday – Butter Chicken and Indian Fried Rice
Extras – Christmas cooking
Have a great week!
