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Christmas Cooking Plans

I’m so excited that school finishes a little earlier this year than it sometimes does. I get a full week at home after we break up, and I’m looking forward to a little Christmas cooking, so I thought I would share with you some of our plans.

The first Sunday of the holidays is our annual village carols. We all take a plate of food to share before we begin the carols and the spread is always superior (lots of fabulous country cooks). I’m thinking I will make some mint meringues, but pipe them into Christmas tree shapes, and top with a few sprinkles.

In the days leading up to Christmas we try to make some special treats to have on Christmas day, and then afterwards at the beach with our family. I am thinking a batch of gingerbread biscuits will be fun. Expect cute pics of gingerbread on social media! Meg want to use her choc mint weetbix slice recipe, but instead of popping it in a tin, she is going to roll the mixture into small balls, and drizzle a little white chocolate over the top to make them look like mini Christmas puddings. She had a practice go a few weeks back and they looked super cute. I may also try to make some of my mum’s traditional chocolate log. She has made some every Christmas for as long as I can remember, and it is one of those foods that brings back my childhood.

Christmas Cooking Plans 2015-2

One of our good friends has a smoker they need to try out, so we may try to smoke some meat during the week too. If it turns out well, we’ll have some smoked chicken for Christmas as well. I’m also thinking of smoking some garlic, and possibly some salmon too; the girls have requested smoked salmon for Christmas lunch.

Christmas day itself is going to be spent at home (bliss). Lunch will be some smoked salmon (maybe even our own), and ham with some salads. Hannah has suggested a potato salad, while I’m thinking a few lighter ones would be good. Dessert will be our traditional triple choc raspberry pavlova. A late afternoon cheese platter with some of the last plum paste for the year will cap off the day nicely.

Boxing Day is always a relaxing day filled with leftovers. Maggie Beer’s Christmas book suggests toasties which are often bought out, as are our Post Christmas fritters. Super easy.

Christmas Cooking Plans 2015

We picked our sour cherries last week, so I am going to make some sour cherry preserve that goes beautifully with ham, pork, turkey and duck (OK – I eat it with any meat – delicious). Ham and cheese toasties are a just a little more special with some cherry preserve.

Christmas Cooking Plans 2015-3

So are you planning some Christmas cooking? What are you serving for Christmas lunch?

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Comments

  1. Dee says

    December 20, 2015 at 2:35 pm

    A couple of years ago I brined and smoked chicken breasts and pork belly to make bacon, both were very nice especially for a first attempt. Smoked semi dried tomatoes are a nice addition to winter meals too

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      December 20, 2015 at 8:09 pm

      Oooh they all sound delicious! I hadn’t thought of the smoked semi dried tomatoes!

      Reply
  2. jan2132 says

    December 14, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    Is that a Muurikka smoker? I bought one last year and love it. Do it outside to save heating kitchen. The salmon is delicious although it is not the same as commercial smoked Tasmanian salmon. I find that every time I use it, it is different but even the very first time was delicious. If you search something like Muurikka recipes you will find a PDF that you can download or printout or even just get ideas from. I bought my son the big smoking pan and he uses it on both stovetop and big weber BBQ. While he does not raise his own pork, he buys and cures pork belly and makes what both he and his 10 year old son call the best bacon in the world.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a few presents, an afternoon swim and dinner on the veranda as the sun set. Time to stop and be thankful for the many blessings of the year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!
We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
Team work makes the dream work. We were asked rec Team work makes the dream work. 
We were asked recently whether we “make” our kids work on the farm. The answer is of course not. Having said that, all three love to help out whenever they can. They all work hard because they want to; because they take pride in working hard and contributing in a meaningful way to our family life; because they love living on our farm and don’t remember life before we moved here. Whether it be planting trees or doing sheep work or feeding animals, they all want to be involved. As a parent, nothing is better than watching them grow in skill and confidence as they work along side you. We’re so glad that we get to spend time with our three, working together.
We’ve had an unexpected addition to the family ☘️🐑. She is a lot easier to look after than the other family members but she does try to escape her yard and head butt people. Poddy lambs are super cute but they tend to think they are a human. Clover the lamb is sure that Meg is her mum. Can’t think why… 🤔🤣
The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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