Tis the season to eat, and eat and eat! 3 recipes for you.

Like many of you, at this time of year, I seem to do a lot of cooking and eating.  Because in Australia the 25 August signals the end of the school and working year, the beginning of the summer holidays and Christmas Day, the weeks beforehand are full of shopping, cooking, catching up with friends and family, eating out and at the homes of others, having friends and family to stay, drinking and stress!

This year, because of the move and because I managed to develop a doozy of a chest cold, I added a stressor but removed some of my usual activities.  Normally, I would use fruit soaking in alcohol to make fruit cake and chocolate balls.  I would make shortbread biscuits, panaforte, nougat,  white Christmas, mince pies, almond biscuits and lots of other goodies for gifts and to offer visitors.  This year, I only managed cathedral cake and rocky road.

Rocky Road

Ingredients:
100 g macadamia nuts
200 g marshmallows
1/2 cup cherries
600g chocolate

Method:
Line a cake tin with baking paper.
Mix the first 3 ingredients together.
Melt chocolate in microwave, then pour on other ingredients and stir together.
Pour into lined cake tin and smooth.
Put in cake tin infridge to set while you lick out the mixing bowl.

When cool, cut into chunks with a sharp knife

Gluten free Cathedral cake.
(if you want to, substitute plain flour for rice flour)

Ingredients:

5 cups mixed nuts (brazil, almonds, pecans and cashew)
5 1/2 cups glace fruits (cherries , pineapple, peaches, apricots, angelica, mango, pelon, pawpaw, canteloupe, oranges)
2 cups dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currants)
4 large eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanella essence
1 1/2 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
alcohol( rum/brandy/whisky)

Method:

Heat fanbake oven to 120 degrees .  Grease a loaf pan. and line with baking paper
Cut larger pieces of fruit into chunks.
Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour, baking powder and slat until smooth.  Add fruits and nuts,thoroughly.
Press even into pan and mix.
Bake 2 to 3 hours until firm when pressed.
Remove from oven and cool. 
Then, remove from paper and pan and brush with alcohol and then oil.  cut in slices wth serrated knife.

But, I have cooked a number of nice meals : a Japanese style dinner for my son's birthday.

By the way, the blueberry cheesecake his girlfriend made tasted as good as it looks!

and chicken " ribs" and potato wedges:

I also cooked my mum's Jamaican chicken recipe (sorry, but the photo didn't turn out), which, as usual, I have given my own twist:

Jamaican chicken

Ingredients:

Chop a whole chicken into pieces and marinate overnight if possible
in
Soya sauce( enough to cover and colour the meat, but not make it too salty)
Sugar, 1 dessert spoon.
Stones Ginger Wine, about 1 slosh
Garlic, 2/3 chopped
Ginger, about a knuckle size, chopped
Black Pepper
2 Onions sliced

Method:

Take chicken pieces from marinade, reserving marinade
Brown pieces in oil, then add marinade and extra water if needed.  Bring to boil then simmer till tender.  Thicken with cornflour if desired.

I usually serve this with rice and peas/

 

However, the best meals were made by others.  We had guests over and my husband created this amazing seafood paella:

They provided the salads

chocolate shortbreads filled with brandy cream and strawberries

and raspberry jelly

and I contributed a pavlova.

On Christmas day,  we had pippies

 

 as well as chips and antipasto olives and sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes.

 

My daughter cooked the ham with an amazing sauce:

My husband cooked the turkeys that I had stuffed with sausage meat, pork mince, cranberries, pinenuts and seasoned breadcrumbs:

 

I made the candied sweet potato 

and we also had salad, baked potatoes, peas and mint.

After opening presents, we had fruit salad:

Plum pudding, upon which my husband poured rum for the annual flaming

and ice-cream cake

as well as custard and chocolates.  No wonder we are all starting the new year with a desire to lose weight!