Christmas Countdown - Part 3

Okay well only 24 hours before the first Christmas celebration at my house. My best friend and her family are coming over for lunch tomorrow (Saturday). Then I have Christmas Eve here with my immediate family as well as my ex-hubby. My children enjoy spending time with both their parents together. Fortunately as I have shared custody of my children I remain on good terms with my ex. I know this is not always the case, but I decided from the beginning that it was not my children fault that we divorced, so they should not have to suffer as a result of it.
Anyway enough about me, back to my updated list - today is going to be busy:

- leg waxing appointment
- drive ex-hubby to city for day surgery- picking up children at same time :)
- stop off at bunnings on way home to get heat beads/fire lighters (none of my local shops have the brand that works best)
- stop off on way home at gift shop to buy secret Santa gift for work mate (saw item the other day so know what I am buying)
- feed children lunch once we get home
- clean house like a mad woman, with a little help from my children
- defrost and marinate chicken for lunch tomorrow
- defrost mince for lunch tomorrow
- make 3 x cookie in a jar mix
- bake more peanut butter cookies
- make baileys
- make peanut butter cheesecake
- make fudge/shortbread if I get time
- using rainwater give back verandah a wash
- sort out table decoration for Saturday/Monday and put storage tubs away till after Christmas :)
Okay that just about does it for today :)
Not sure I will get it all done, but no doubt I will rope my boyfriend & children in to assist with some items.

A few items I can cross off:
-hunt down Christmas present for my parents (in progress - waiting for response from my sister)-
- start shopping list for 3 Christmas meals, now menus has been finalised
-Op shop for some trays/baskets/bowls (for gift baskets)

My next update will be on Saturday night or Sunday morning and I hope to post some photos of our first Christmas function.

Christmas Countdown Part 2

Here is my new and updated list - I am slowly crossing things off as I add more!

- mow lawn/weeds/dust bowl (done tonight after work - have blisters to prove it!)
- start to clean up back verandah in preparation for Christmas eve dinner here (in progress)
- collapse in a heap/relax (have done this tonight while I am blogging)
- hunt down Christmas present for my parents (in progress - waiting for response from my sister)
- buy ingredients and make beetroot relish (for gift baskets)
- make & bottle home made Irish Cream (for gift baskets)
- make and freeze more biscuit dough (for gift baskets)
- freeze ham bone and make soup after Christmas (doing after I finish this post)
- finalise menu for BBQ this Saturday with Cathy, Zoe and families (finalised today)
- move Christmas tree
- start shopping list for 3 Christmas meals, now menus has been finalised
- make Peanut Butter Cheesecake (and you though the honeycomb one was bad Pam!)
- post recipe for above Cheesecake
- Op shop for some trays/baskets/bowls (for gift baskets)

Okay stopping now - starting to scare myself!
How are your lists going?

Homemade Irish Cream

Stephanie from Stop the Ride requested this one! Be careful who you give it to as once you start making it at Christmas, people expect it every year. Having said that it makes a great gift! I have a small collection of Grolsch beer bottles (the ones with the swing top lids and a rubber seal). I think they hold about 600ml so they are an excellent size for a gift. Also I tell the recipients that if they don't return the bottles they won't get any next year!

Irish Cream

2 x 400g tins condensed milk
2 x 400g tins evaporated milk
600ml pouring cream
300g milk chocolate
1 tsp coffee granules
700ml bottle of whisky

Melt chocolate in condensed milk, stir in coffee while still warm then allow to cool. Then mix together remaining ingredients, ensuring everything is well mixed. Decant into bottles stirring well in between filling each one. Store in the fridge. Shake before using.

I did try to find conversion charts for all of these, but then I wasn't sure which countries to do them for in the end. All mine are in Australian weights and measures so hope that helps!
Enjoy in Moderation!

Apron Swap

Rhonda at Down to Earth hosted yet another swap, this time for aprons. My swap partner was Tracy from Sunny Corner Farm - cute name huh? The link shows a picture of the aprons I sent her. In return I received the beautiful double sided apron pictured. As well she included a hand made jug cover and the cute card you can see pictured. Thank you Tracy, your apron is already getting a workout with all the Christmas baking I am doing :) Oh and the apron says "Life is just a chair of bowlies". Cute!

Happy Birthday Dad!

My dear sweet Dad turned 78 on Sunday. He loves nothing more than spending time with his children and grandchildren. So I organised to go over for afternoon tea. My Mum made some of her beautiful homemade scones, she bought a cake from the local bakery and I made these fantastic peanut butter cookies - I'll confess I ran out of time so I went with the traditional style criss-crossed with the tines of a fork. Sorry! But they were yummy :) I did have enough time to make extra dough and freeze the rolled balls in my freezer, to be baked for my Christmas hampers. I might try to do the chocolate drizzles on the next batch. Here is a picture of them in a jar as presented to him on Sunday.So what else do you get your Dad? A six pack of one of his favourite beers (Grolsch), a jar of home baked cookies (as above) and a CD of some of his favourite German music (thank you Steve for digitising some of Dad's old records!) He was truly chuffed with the whole afternoon and even had a bit of sing-a-long to a few of his favourite songs!
Love you heaps Dad!

Christmas countdown - part one

Here's my updated list. I didn't get everything done, but then i didn't expect to. By writing it all down this week though I hope to give you all an insight into the next 8 days, in my lead up to Christmas day.

Update
- Bake biscuits for Dad's birthday cookie jar (yes, I'll photograph it)
- Help boyfriend move more of his stuff to his new unit
- mow lawn/weeds? (only if I get time)
- go to afternoon tea with my Dad for his birthday
- start to clean up back verandah in preparation for Christmas eve dinner here (in progress)
- finish sewing my new apron to wear when I do all my Christmas preparation recipes. (taken off the list as I know I won't get time)
- sew mesh bags for fruit and veg (yes, I still have not managed this) (also deleted till after Christmas)
- collapse in a heap (did this last night while installing my new printer/scanner)
- hunt down Christmas present for my parents (in progress, have two options so far and need to consult with my sister as to her preference - since she is paying half)
New Items
- buy ingredients and make beetroot relish (for gift baskets)
- make & bottle home made "baileys" (for gift baskets)
- make and freeze more biscuit dough (for gift baskets)
- make and freeze pea and ham soup (from ham bone) or freeze ham bone and make after Christmas (suspect I will do the latter)
- finalise menu for BBQ this Saturday with Cathy, Zoe and families.

Okay that should just about do it for the moment I won't add anything else till I can cross a few more things off!
How is everyone else doing???

Christmas Preparation

How is yours going?

I got the children to decorate the tree this year. I told my workmates that it looks a bit like someone vomited the decorations onto it. this had them all rolling on the floor laughing a lot. Will photograph it when I move it tomorrow.

My to do list looks like this for Sunday (working today, scrapbooking tonight):

- Bake biscuits for Dad's birthday cookie jar (yes, I'll photograph it)
- Help boyfriend move more of his stuff to his new unit
- mow lawn/weeds? (only if I get time)
- go to afternoon tea with my Dad for his birthday
- start to clean up back verandah in preparation for Christmas eve dinner here
- finish sewing my new apron to wear when I do all my Christmas preparation recipes.
- sew mesh bags for fruit and veg (yes, I still have not managed this)
- collapse in a heap.
- hunt down Christmas present for my parents

Maybe some of this will not get done? Do you think I am being a tad ambitious?
What have you got to do this weekend?

Menu Planning

Life still hasn't slowed down for me, so I am working on easy meals this week.

Friday - Ham rosti with salad
Finely grated potato, egg and ham lightly pan fried into miniature patties served with a tossed garden salad.

Saturday - Steak cooked to your liking and served with an assortment of seasonal steamed summer vegetables

Sunday - Corned Beef
Lightly salted beef, lovingly cooked with brown sugar and other seasonings. Served with a creamy mash of potato and pumpkin and lightly steamed broccoli and zucchini.

Monday - Hamburgers
Homemade beef and vegetable patties, presented in a fresh bread roll with baby spinach, tomato, avocado, cheese and beetroot relish.

Tuesday - Chicken stir fry
Delicately sliced & marinated strips of chicken thigh, stir fried with seasonal vegetables and served on a fluffy bed of rice.

Wednesday - Chickpea and Lentil Burgers - recipe is here.

Thursday - A selection of pre-cooked frozen meals from the cold pantry
(leftovers from the freezer)

What's for Dinner?

I shop on Friday so I am a Little late in posting this. Hope Lightening gets some inspiration from this list!

Friday
Tender portions of chicken leg, marinated in a plum soy mixture and oven baked till golden.
Served with a medley of seasonal vegetables & delicate strands of egg lovingly mixed through fluffy rice with a light soy flavour. (plum marinated chicken drumsticks with fried rice)

Saturday
Organic shaped fluffy tortillas served with delicately pan fried chicken, garlic and zucchini. Presented with a platter of seasonal salad vegetables. (chicken strips, tortillas and salad)

Sunday
Tender minced beef simmered gently in a tomato and vegetable based sauce and served with a mixture of wholemeal and wheat pasta. (spaghetti bolognaise)

Monday
Delicate balls of mince, vegetables and oats pan fried and served with creamy mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. (rissoles with mashed potato & veg)

Tuesday
Prime beef steak and gourmet sausages served with crispy oven fries and tossed salad.
(steak and sausages with chips and salad)
Wednesday
Finger sized strips of chicken, lightly crumbed in fresh breadcrumbs and pan fried. Served with cheesy potatoes baked in a creamy sauce.
(chicken schnitzel strips with cheesy potato bake)
Thursday
Gourmet home made pizzas served with your choice of toppings.
(homemade pizzas with whatever we can find)

What's cooking this week at your house?

Shoestring Sunday

Things don't really seem to have slowed down since my weekend in Melbourne. The shopping was great at the DFO @ Essendon although getting there was a bit of nightmare - the closest public transport was a twenty minute walk away! I must thank Sue & Frank for putting up with me for the 3 nights/4 days and Henrietta for her hospitality and helping me get reacquainted with the Melbourne Tram network. A big thank you to Zoe's mum (Cathy) for taking me with her! It went all too quickly but it was nice to get away.

Now as the school year grows to a close I am madly doing the following:

WRAPPING Christmas presents in newspaper with cute red ribbons (not my original idea saw it under a tree on a Christmas TV special last weekend) - thought it was a nice green alternative as it will all get recycled -plus I couldn't find any recycled wrapping paper this year in the stores.

BAKING various recipes to make sure they are okay in my Christmas hampers. This past week I have made refrigerator biscuits, cookies in a jar mix and some chocolate biscuits that my family have christened "Uncle Ronnie biscuits". (Will post recipe separately).

MENU planning; again something I will post separately.

FREEZING excess cookie dough, already rolled in balls. I read this on someone Else's blog, but sorry to say I can't remember where, but it is a good way to have a nice mix of cookies; by freezing some dough from each batch you make, as well as have some on hand when you need to bake in a hurry.

READING magazines and books from the library. Mainly at this time of year Christmas themed articles. Still haven't finalised the Christmas Eve/Christmas Day menus.

OP-SHOPPING for some baskets to put my Christmas hampers in.

A few links that I thought might help over the holidays when you run out of things or have more time to make it yourself.

Make your own brown sugar by thrifty mummy.


Yummy beetroot relish courtesy of the ABC website. (This will also be going into my Christmas hampers).

Homemade pancake mix - cook breakfast in a flash or whip up a batch when visitors appear on your doorstep from the Family CEO.

Home-made crackers and cheese ball would make a great snack anytime you are entertaining over the holiday season courtesy of the Common room.

What has everyone else been up to the last few weeks? Why not share in the comments (haven't got Mr Linky working tonight) or are there some great holiday idea links you want to share on your blog?
Have a great week
-hugs-
Lis

Refrigerator Biscuits (cookies)

I'm sorry I can't remember when I found this recipe, but it is simple to make and the variations are endless. I have been working through a few different recipes to test drive them prior to putting together my Christmas hampers. (Part of this years Christmas gifts).

1 cup (250g) butter or margarine
1&1/2 cups caster sugar
2 eggs
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time, then flour and vanilla. Roll into 3 long snakes. (I ended up making 4 as mine were about the thickness of a 20c piece). Wrap each in alfoil (I prefer to use cling wrap) and then freeze.They will keep in the freezer for about a month.
To use: Still frozen, slice cookies off the snake onto a greased tray; bake till very pale gold @ 200C. Remove from try while still warm. Store in a sealed container when cool.

A few flavourings:
Chocolate: add 2 tbs melted chocolate to the mix.
Orange or lemon: omit the vanilla and add 2 tbs grated lemon or orange zest.
Ginger: add 1 tbs ground ginger
Jam: put a splodge of jam in the centre of each cookie
Nut: add chopped nuts - about 3/4 cup tot eh mix. They must be chopped or the mix will crumble when you are trying to slice it.
Oatmeal: substitute 1 cup rolled oats for 1 cup of flour (ginger with this variation is apparently nice too!)
Choc chip: add 1/2 cup coarsely grated chocolate - must be grated not choc chips as mix will crumble.
Coconut: add 1/2 cup of coconut; this is also good with orange zest or the jam splodge or both instead of the vanilla.

From what I have read about these types of recipes if you only refrigerate, but don't freeze the mix you can add chunkier ingredients. This would also work for the jam drop type ones as you could make the little indents int he top to make then look more like jam drops.

The longer these biscuits are in the oven, the harder they get. I found about 12 minutes was enough in my oven - keep an eye on your first batch and go from there. If you only refrigerate but don't freeze maybe try then at 180C. I'll be interested to read your feedback :)
Back to my regular blogging soon I promise!

Time Poor

I can hardly believe it has already been a week since my trip to Melbourne, this time last week I was zipping up my bag and heading off to the airport. The weekend seems to go so quickly when you only have one full day off. Yesterday wasn't very productive, but was just a fun day. I spent a bit of it laying around reading a few of my overdue library items! In the afternoon we rode our bikes to the library to return my overdue items, as well as borrow some new ones. We also went into the local supermarket to pick a few items that I needed for dinner. I haven't menu planned or shopped for the week but I decided to try and use mostly what I had on hand to make dinner. I ended up making Lentil and chickpea burgers, I had frozen pre-cooked chickpea in the freezer and all the other ingredients on hand. At the supermarket I purchased a few mushrooms, an avocado and a bag of capsicums to make up a side salad/dish to have with the burgers. Given the prices of groceries keep going up I am going to try and cook at least one meat free meal per week.
Back to work this morning and I am not taking my car today or tomorrow. Bus to work and then train + a ten minute walk home. Must scoot as I have washing to hang out and need to put together some lunch!
Have a great day :)