Be Excellent To Each Other

So what are you going to have?

Here's the main stay of mine:





Malc

mmm... Turkey, veg, spud and pigs

I'm looking at that turkey on my phone and it's made it look like the Predators head.. Ace!

Quad bird

Chicken in an duck in a turkey in a goose.

Fucking A.

Sister that works at M&S and gets discount + Mum and Nana that are excellent at cooking = best Christmas dinners ever.

Steak.

Bloody welshers

It's not that - we're having Lamb. I think it may be a 'going shopping on Xmas Eve' thing... there wasn't a bird in all of Sainsbury's today. There's more game in the catfood than our fridge.

I've taken over Christmas lunch this year, so no pre-cooked roast potatoes and dry turkey.

Instead, we're having gammon and turkey, loads of veg, proper gravy and roasties cooked in goose fat. And stuffing, of course.

Hang on, chicken in a duck? Good luck with that.

Joey and Chandler would be horrified!

Not sure yet. Off to Aunt's house soon so I will know more then

Probably toast.

My dad is doing it and informs me it'll be another five hours. Turkey crown with the usual stuff.

I'm 'helping'.

Meaning I've got the channel4 food website open on the laptop in the kitchen, while drinking beer.

Food is ready soon.

There is chicken amoungst other things

Yum yum yum!

Starter is smoked salmon on bread.

Main is Gressingham duck, roast potatoes, roast carrots and roast parsnips. Broccoli and sprouts.

Dessert I've not been told about.

Then off to father in laws for similar, but with pork.

Chicken. Check
Roasties. Check
Parsnips cooked in parmazan and fat. Check
Peas and carrots. Check
Stuffing. Check
Mushroom stuffing. Check.
Pigs in blankets. Check.
Gravy. Yes!

Om nom nom nom nom.

There's vienetta for pudding aswell.

So,

Roast Chicken, Roast Beef and Roast Lamb (done by me)

Cauliflower, Sprouts, Cabbage and Baby New Potatoes (done by my girlfriend as I wasn't feeling well)

Garden Peas (heated in the microwave by me) with butter, mint sauce and salt applied liberally to everything.

Christmas Pudding and Extra Thick Cream for afters.

(also on offer: roast potatoes, croquette potatoes, pasta shells, Yorkshire puddings, stuffing, gravy, carrots, mashed swede and carrot and broccoli, some people also had custard with their Christmas pudding)

Despite not feeling particularly well, I really enjoyed the meal (which is by far my favourite part of Christmas)

Malc

Yorkshire puddings on a Christmas dinner. Yay or nay?

I did in fact have toast, but followed with Christmas cake.

Always have been on offer in my family (I don't really like them though)

Malc

Yorkshire Puddings on any meal ever: yay!

My meal was a bit of a letdown, unsurprisingly after I was left in charge. Everyone else enjoyed it, so perhaps I'm a bit too critical of myself.

fucking hell. I'm full. Still

I'm starving and I feel like shit.

Well today was filled with joy and sadness.

I mentioned my cousin Jo in the bits and bobs thread. She was the one who muchos damaged her ankle.

Well Jo's Christmas didn't really get any better when her dog who had cancer started having trouble breathing on Christmas Eve. They were hoping Harry would last until after Christmas before they had to say good bye to him but it seems the poor fella couldn't hold on. They had to take him to an emergency vet and have him put to sleep.

When they got back from the vet they got a phone call from the people in Milton Keynes (where Jo lives) who were feeding her cats. Lulu has died (a cat she's had years).

So as much as we were all very happy today Jo kept bursting into tears from time to time. Was really very sad

We all supported her, but there was even one point where her husband dissapeared for about ten mins. I think he went off to have a bit of a cry so he didn't bum any one out.

Very sobering really. Made us all feel very close together though. I suppose that's what family does best. So a really rather wonderful yet sad day, and one that reminded me just how important my family are.

Poor Jo My deepest condolences, there.

It's been really hard for her tbh. One thing after another

We had a great day though.. It was just when reminders came along she just fell apart.

Harry was a labrador, and of course (unless they're chocolate like her father's) they all look the same. That Andrex ad came on where all the puppies are there, that set her off. Then when we were done eating dinner she looked down and said "I forgot Harry was gone.. I was waiting for him to come and annoy me for scraps" and started crying again.

Very sad tbh. We all wanted to get her another puppy but her ankle is so bad she cannot put any weight on it (even in the cast) for 7 weeks. After 7 weeks they will give her a weight bearing cast. So getting a puppy now would be bad news.

I'm with Malabar, yorkshire pudding on anything, ever is a yay from me.

Really sorry to hear your cousin's news, JC.

Christmas brunch:

• Poached eggs
• Toasted crumpets
• Maple cure bacon (the sugar has caramelised -- hence why it's a touch overcooked)

Christmas dinner:

• Potatoes and parsnip roasted in goose fat.
• Pan-fried ribeye steak.
• Steamed carrot.
  
• Home-made chilli jam.
• Dessert: Danielle’s sugar cream pie with lard crust.

I love parsnips so much. I ate way too many yesterday. Mind you I ate too much of everything.

So I have had to go to the toilet three times already today lol.

Gaywood, I'm coming to your house for Christmas next year.

Cool. Bring ice-cream.

haha we should all turn up at Doc's house

Brunch was eggs benedict, truly a glorious invention



Dinner was at the inlaws and was the traditional turkey with all the trimmings. Got a few friends coming over for a belated Christmas on Sunday, which will be Beef Wellington if I can find anyone to sell me a decent sized fillet.

Nicely presented -- cracking (boom boom) shape on the eggs. Did you make the hollandaise too?

Yup. Hollandaise is incredibly simple.

I will have to try it one of these days. I really like eggs benedict.

Edit -- I remember why I haven't done it before now -- I don't have a blender or a food processor. And knowing my luck, trying to make it by hand would be a one-way ticket to Curdle Street, Splitsville, Ruined Food Town.

I don't use either. Making enough for two of the above consisted of four egg yolks in a bowl over a simmering pan of water. Whisk while slowly adding in half a pack of butter (melted in the microwave), then season, add a teaspoon of white wine vinegar and one of lemon juice, then just keep whisking over the heat until it's the consistency you want. I've never had it split.

Hmm. Ok, I shall try this.

I even gone done made a note of it.

Food.

My Christmas dinner was (half of)

THERE WAS SHERRY IN THE SAUCE IT COUNTS.
I checked with a variety of sources; the rules clearly state that the involvement of sherry makes it Christmas food.

Fucking awesome base, too - the recipe I put somewhere else, but stretched onto the stone I don't normally bother with, preheated to 240C; it basically exploded when I put it on. Ace.

We had a lovely traditional dinner cooked by Joans as I was still feeling under the weather and trying to entertain Chloe. We had the left over turkey in a few baps, turkey and sweetcorn soup, and we used it instead of chicken in Mimi's jambalaya.