Food Friday – it’s Christmas!

So here I am again. Finished the last couple,of items on the to do list (I had two or some reason, both saying the same things) and am now chilling. Hubby is chilling with mindless tv (something I’m not fond of) and this is mine.
So I got baking again today. I miss days like this where I get to just play in the kitchen and have something cool to show at the end of it.
What was I baking today? The main plan was the triple layer stuffed-full-of-goodies ice cream cake.
That was fun, soft ice cream, bashing chocolate with the rolling pin and then hoping like hell it will all fit in the pan I had. Only just. A little deeper would have been nice, but I can’t own every pan there is, well, not just yet anyway.
I changed it a little, but the layers go like this, chocolate ice cream with Oreos, vanilla with honeycomb and strawberry withpink with strawberries in sauce. It mixed nicely, and is in the good fridge meaning it will actually be frozen.
The start of my cake – chocolate ice cream with Oreos.

As I had to wait 30+ mins in between layers of ice cream I decided I would try something else. A sweet nibble for afterwards with coffee – if we have any room left.
My choice, an easy white Christmas tartlets.
Marshmallows, rice bubbles, coconut and melted chocolate in biscuits/cookies that have been softened and made into tart ‘cases’. Mine are not so cases as plates, but I tried one with the extra topping and it was pretty yummy!

While I was at it, as if I didn’t have enough to do, I figured I should cook the rhubarb I was given during the week. I lurve rhubarb, and it will a tasty extra with my cereal and yoghurt for breakfasts. Rhubarb and apple, rhubarb and strawberries, stewed over ice cream, muffins, inside down cake… anything you can put fruit in really I spose.

Christmas in Australia. Christmas in summer. Some of you wouldn’t be able to envisage it, others have experienced it and now have winter Christmases (something I’d love to do one year), par for the course here. Hot, sticky, maybe wet and windy, but no snow. Although there was one year it was snowy, not the nice kind either.
Anyway, being summer the menu is usually pretty casual. Cold meats, seafood, bbqs. Some people love the whole hot food feast, and who knows what the other half do. We had an exchange student one year, and she was disappointed (and vocally critical) of our set up. There were no fancy Christmas foods, just everyday things. This is true. An a multicultural country we choose what we want to follow, but the climate dictates as well. Some foods we only ever eat at Christmas – like a full ham on the bone, and prawns (but that might just be us).

So what’s on our menu tomorrow. To share what is our typical Christmas meal.

Starters – cheese platter, cabana, stuffed peppers, pear slices and a dip or two. I’m making a pea, mint and feta dip. I found this the other day and it looks scrummy.
Mains – ham (glazed & cooked or sliced cold, we prefer cold) roast turkey breast, prawns au naturale, and a chook.
Then there’s a green salad and maybe another, new potatoes, (re fried with bacon, and boiled), runner & broad beans and snap pea salad. Cranberry, apple and tartare sauces, mustard (a nuts for ham), mayo and vinaigrette.
Desserts (the best bit) – my ice cream cake, trifle, fresh raspberries, a chocolate pudding (so far a rumour, but hubby has fingers crossed), custard and way too much cream (but that always happens doesn’t it?)
Afterwards when we really don’t feel like eating anymore, there’ll be slices of Christmas cake, and my tartlets with coffee (or tea).
Dinner, well, if anyone feels like it, take a pick from what’s left over from the above list.

On the 25th while hubby is fed at work, the kids and I will be at mr 17’s GF’s house. And because he has his licence I can take my bottle of wine. Don’t worry, I rarely get drunk but a few on occasion is nice.

Have a great weekend!
Jen 🙂