Fa La La La La!

Hello there… did you survive Christmas unscathed?

The Granite Glen gang came through pretty well.

Completely sated really.

Food-wise, present-wise, loved-ones-wise.

We had a relatively low-key and quiet Christmas Day (which was kinda nice) and a rowdy Boxing Day with rellies (which I love). There is nothing better than sharing special days with special people, is there?

Even special pooches help make the day stand out…

We did try some reindeer antlers on Axel, but he was not a quiet study with lurid green fake horns atop his scone. Not this this old fella. Never mind. Tinsel was festive enough!

This is my favourite Christmas card – handmade by Dash.

I adored the meticulous work.

And the gorgeous pop-up figures.

Even the completely inappropriate weather depicted made me smile.

And here is my favourite gift – a set of pots from Mr Incredible.

He was a little horrified at giving me something so domestic.

But it was all I really wanted – besides a happy family.

And it was something I badly needed as illustrated here.

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A regular Canadian reader, Theresa from Alberta, asked last post about what Aussie eat on Christmas Day. (Besides cashews of course. They’re obligatory the world over, aren’t they?)

So I decided to share a little selection of the snaps from our day – illustrating what THIS Aussie family considers good holiday fare. Keep in mind that it was over 30 degrees celsius here on Friday – that’s over 86 degrees farenheit if my converter is working. Toasty. Sweaty. Tummies don’t really require much warming up, that’s for sure.

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And while the full roasted meal is often served on December 25 Down Under, “traditional” was kind of thrown to the wind in this household this year. This was partly ’cause it was only the four of us for lunch, and partly cause my kids don’t get into the whole roast thing too much, and partly because Mr I was under the weather. I see no point in slaving over a hot stove for one person. Especially when that one person is me!

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I shelved the lamb and chicken I was going to roast. And the Twice Roasted Potatoes I so love in this cookbook which lives on my kitchen bench…

(Bonus points for anyone recognising the famous Aussie in the recipe book behind Ree’s).

Reconsidering the needs of my little family, I instead cut open the foam icebox containing seafood I had picked up a couple of days ago while visiting my gorgeous niece. And I let it dictate our strange little menu…

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For those who have never been introduced to Moreton Bay Bugs check this site. It’s amazing – to me, the best of all seafoods. Anywhere. Seriously. I marinated this lot in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt before searing in a pan on the gas stove. And I whipped up a little creamy pesto side sauce. Which also goes well with the spinach and roasted pumpkin salad (with bacon and roasted pine nuts).
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And don’t forget the oysters. Kept chilled, then topped with bacon kilpatrick sauce and grilled. Mmmmmm.

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And of course, the fruit…

(Ignore the bananas – I try to. They are there because they are the ONE fruit Violet will deign to eat – in smoothie form only. I detest them. *shudder*)

However I just adore mangoes – they say ‘holidays’ to me like no other fruit.

And I have a serious crush on lychees at the moment.

Soooooo juicy and refreshing….

*groan*

Oh and that most traditional of Aussie foods:

Ferrero Roches.

(Yes, I know. European. Whatever.)

So… your turn for a Christmas review.

Your menu?

Your wild and crazy antics?