N is for New Year

Phew!

Christmas is done! So happy.  Eaten far too much (as usual) and had much fun and many laughs.

Today is a furious day of activity as we have one set of guests leaving and the next couple of days will see the next set descending.  I love it!

And I'm turning my sights towards New Year's Eve.

So I'm digging out my various clocks from around the house to dot around the dining room, and printing Auld Lang Syne sheet music as the backing for A5 menu cards that are placed on people's places to keep everyone to my seating plan.

Am also dusting off the board games in case there's any time between the meal and midnight when we mark the occasion with fireworks in the garden, wave around sparklers and toast each other with champagne around the patio heater.

And the menu's designed to auger in the brand new year and is broken down into more courses than usual to keep it relaxed and keep people at the table as long as possible.  This year sees:

• Chicken Liver Mousse
• Stilton Pâté
• Crostini (bought or made in advance)

• Roast Leg of Lamb
• Potatoes Boulangère (with finely sliced fennel added)
• Mixed Greens (Kale, savoy cabbage, de-skinned broad beans, peas)

• Lemon Bars with thick double cream quenelles

• Cheese course (Brie, Comté and Stilton with grapes and crackers)
• Petits Fours (bought in) 

The lovely thing about ALL these dishes is that I can prep them all in advance and they don't take much stove time on the night so I can enjoy being with guests.  Depending on how energetic I feel I can make OR buy in the stuff. This is why the menu includes the chicken liver mousse, the crostini and the Petits Fours.

Last, but not least, I'm just need to print off my quiz which I use before the meal to get everyone's brains into gear after sofa slobbing so much in the last few days and kick off the table conversations.  Fingers crossed that no-one reads this before I hand it out on the 31st!

H is for Ham

If there is anything you do because you've read this blog, this should be top of your list.

This for me is a life saver over the festive period.  

It provides for continental breakfasts, sandwiches for my ever-hungry step-sons, chunks for pea and ham soup, and even a dinner when it first comes out of the oven.  And if I do have any left (and this is unusual) then I slice up the remaining joint into really thick slices and freeze it between layers of greaseproof paper to use as needed.

Gather:

• The largest joint of unsmoked gammon that will fit in your biggest pan
• 1 large bottle of full sugar cola (no need for a brand)
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped into quarters
• 1 carrot, scrubbed and snapped into two
• 1 stick of celery, cleaned and snapped into two

• 150gms packed light brown sugar
• 2 tblspns English mustard
• 2 tblspns whisky / bourbon / orange juice

Then...

1. Put the ham (still in its net) in a pan and cover it with cold water.  If it doesn't quite then it's fine
2. Bring to the boil on the stovetop
3. Once it's boiled, drain off the water and make sure that there is no remaining puffy scum left on the ham or in the pan
4. Replace in the pan and if necessary pack out with the onion, celery and carrot.  If they don't fit in the pan, it's not a problem
5. Pour over the cola to cover the joint* and bring the pan to the boil again
6. Once it's boiled, turn down the temperature to have the liquid simmering as gently as possible
7. Leave to simmer for 40 mins per kilo MINUS 35 mins. You may need to top up the cola every now and then.  If you run out of cola, water is fine
8. In the meantime, line a baking tray with multiple layers of tinfoil so it doesn't tear (this is important)
9. At the end of the simmering time, heat up your oven to 240°C
10. Take the ham off the stove and leave to cool for 10 mins so as to be able to remove the net, the rind and most of fat**
11. Skewer the ham through the middle in a cross using two BBQ skewers otherwise the ham will unfold during the oven time.
12. Mix the sugar, liquid and mustard together until it is completely smooth and there are no lumps in the sugar (otherwise these will burn and cause unsightly black spots on the outsife)
13. Put the ham carefully into your lined tin (taking care not to tear the foil with the skewers), rind side up and score into a diamond pattern / stud with cloves as desired (I never bother)
14. Spoon over the glaze making sure all the outer surfaces are coated
15. Put the ham in the oven for 35 mins
16. Take out and leave to cool^ before moving the ham onto a carving plate and pulling out the skewers
17. Fold up the tin foil around the now black/burned sticky glaze in the bottom, bringing the edges together to form a tight parcel that won't see any of the glaze leak out. Lining the tin means no washing up...and trust me...trying to get off that burned glaze is quite a task
18. Once cool, you can leave the ham in the fridge covered with a foil tent for up to 10 days, carving slices/chunks off as needed.

* If your ham is taller than your pan then rotate the ham while it's simmering to ensure the ham cooks throughout
** It's at this point that you can decorate your ham with diamond scoring and cloves. As ours is used for breakfast, I don't bother, but it's up to you...

^ As I'm bringing it out the oven and if we've done this when guests are arriving the next day, I'll often carve off a couple of generous slices and serve with Mac'N'Cheese or a poached egg and chips for an easy supper ahead of the chaos.

D is for Decorate

Each year sees me expand my collection of Christmas decorations.

This is partly because each year I want something different, something new to greet guests.  But also because I am really quite the shopaholic.

But I do try to buy quality items though that will last as I recognize that I will (a) run out of space to store all these decorations at some point...probably quite soon...and (b) my husband will run out of patience with me...almost definitely sooner.

This year's purchases include:

These darling little birds from Frolic & Cheer courtesy of NotontheHighStreet.com, which I will clip onto the tree with all my other little birds.

These metallic glass pine cones from M&S, which I bought in store as their online service is pants.

And these apothecary jars via Etsy which I will fill with sweets, brightly coloured baubles and the trinkets from Christmas Crackers past that otherwise clutter up cutlery drawers, bedroom drawers, random places around the house etc. 

Did you buy anything new?

S is for Sinterklaas

Tonight and tomorrow will see the Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas or the Festival of St Nicolas.  He's seen as being the original Santa Claus. although today the Dutch celebrate the 5th and 25th.

Boating it over from Spain with at least one servant, Zwarte Piet, in tow, to arrive by mid November, it's not until the 5th December that he fills the shoes of little children (who will have strategically left them outside their bedroom door as they go to bed) with sweets and small presents.

And the adults aren't forgotten either.  Colleagues, family and friends often give each other big chocolate letters of the first letter of their first name.

And there are always plenty of Kruidnoten (small, round gingerbread-nut cookies) around to snack on.

What a nice tradition for us to copy!

B is for Black Candles

During my recent Halloween Party, I had some black candles burning on the table.  And they just seemed to disappear as you looked across the table.

I thought it was the spirits (both types) playing tricks on my eyes.  But no...apparently not!

In a recent article (which now typically I cannot find), the homeowner of a New York house designed by Markham Roberts agreed with me.  But even without his commendation, I'm definitely using them again.

T is for Tulips

Ever keen to get ahead, now is the time that you need to think whether you want tulips on your table in Spring!  Unlike most spring bulbs, tulips should be planted now (after a few frosts) as the cold kills off any tulip blight in the soil.

I buy loads and so tend to buy them from J Parkers Wholesale, but if the bulb numbers freak you out then you can just buy from their regular site. There are also some extremely pretty and unusual varieties from Sarah Raven, but they are relatively expensive.

My soil is mostly claggy clay, so I dig a trench about 10"/25cm deep, and cover the base with a couple of inches of rinsed sharp sand.  If you have sandy / well draining soil then you can skip this step and dig to 8"/20cm deep.

This is relatively deep, but by doing so you (a) can plant summer annuals over them when they finish flowering (b) the flowers don't flop over and (c) they flower year-after-year as they don't develop 'daughters' i.e. side bulbs that will stop the bulb flowing that year.


I then place the tulip bulbs pointy-end up, about 3"/8cm apart and backfill with soil. Once you've covered up the bulbs with a layer of soil, you can always add in a second layer of bulbs. This works well if you've got both early and late flowering varieties as once the first lot fade, the others start to bloom. Note that the later flowering ones will be the ones that you plant first and deepest.

Tulips work well in pots and here to get the displays you see around in garden centers, at stately homes or on the telly, layer lots to create a bulb lasagna, where the pasta is a 2"/5cm blanket of soil and grit. Again the latest flowering bulbs go in deepest although you have to also make sure that the larger ones go in sooner to ensure they have enough soil, then plant the earliest and smaller ones at the top. Obviously the more multiple levels of bulbs you plant then the more space around the bottom ones is needed so they can come through.

P is for Planning

There are 48 days to Christmas and while this may be to many a ridiculously long time ahead to start prepping for the festive season, experience has taught me that it's worth getting ahead a little so that December won't be too manic.

So this is what I'm doing this month (across the whole of it):

• Set a budget; work out what you can afford to spend on presents, as well as food and drink
• Start a master gift list
• Draw up a Christmas card list, ensure you have enough cards and postage stamps
• Buy any extra cards and postage stamps needed
• Ensure you have everyone's (postal) addresses up-to-date
• Get out the emulsion and paintbrush and touch-up any areas that have suffered over the year e.g. banisters, around the front door etc.
• Plan the holiday menu; and set out an ingredient list
• Try out any new recipes.  They may sound delicious on paper but be far too stodgy in reality
• Go through your cupboards, freezer and pantry and make a list of what you need. Check cans and spices for sell-by dates; ditch any that are over the date by more than a couple of months
• Make and bake the cake 
• Make and steam the pudding
• Draft a Christmas letter if sending
• Begin shopping for gifts, collating gifts from suppliers where possible to save on P&P
• Feed the cake with brandy by making holes over the cake with a large needle and (using a pastry brush) brushing the top and sides with the alcohol
• Write your cards, stuff them in the envelops (but leave unsealed at this stage)

There...that wasn't too much...was it!?!

D is for Day of the Dead

Tomorrow is the Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos in Spanish), a primarily Mexican holiday that celebrates the lives of the deceased through food and drink, music and activities that the (dead) relatives enjoyed during their lifetime.

To put together your own party, concentrate on decorations that are skeletons and skulls.  And while this sounds morbid, being Mexican these are incredibly colourful and beautifully decorated.

And for just £3.10, you can buy a party pack to download and print to hold your own, more international version of a happy Halloween!

Given I've just put my own family and friends through a big party, I won't be celebrating this year but...watch this space...it's too good a celebration to miss!

H is for Halloween

I'm having a party!  It's a bit of a big birthday this year and rather than hide away, I've decided to throw a party and make sure everyone knows I'm 30...ish...well...maybe 30 + 10!

And with 26 guests saying they'll be on they way for 26 October, I've got to decorate my rooms and cook up a feast.

And given I want to be able to spend time with my guests, we're having curries.  I can cook them all a couple of days in advance, keep them in the fridge, put them in the oven with the timer set to turn on as guests arrive to warm them back up. The rice is cooked in the rice cooker.

However they need to be themed up a bit, so I'm giving them new names.  My menu therefore reads as:

• Swamp Dip & Crisped Dragon Skin (Raiti & mini poppadums)

• Curried Manticore (Lamb curry)
• Pumpkin Brain (Cauli & squash curry)
• Batwing Slime (Thai chicken)

• Lice with Dead Flies (Saffron rice with sultanas)

And for pudding:

• Mini mummies (lemon drizzle cupcakes)
• Worms in slime (jellies with fruit snake-shaped sweets)
• Cobweb cake (chocolate cake)

When serving the curries, adding food tags to sit next to the dishes will be enough.

But for the puddings, I needed to decorate the cakes, buns and ensure that the fruits sweets really snaked their way out of the jellies as they set and ensure they were suitably spooky.

The lemon cupcakes therefore had strips of ready-rolled icing cut to size to cover the top with a couple of sugar eyes set on each bun.  Meanwhile the chocolate cake was covered in dark chocolate and a web piped in white chocolate over the top.

And I had a lot of fun raiding eBay for suitable decorations.

For extra support and/or if my ideas for recipes don't appeal, check out Martha Stewart's Halloween party planner.

V is for Vegetarian

Since 1977, this day has marked World Vegetarian Day according to the North American Vegetarian Society.

And while I have to admit that I am much more of a carnivore than even an omnivore, two things have pushed me to serving up more vegetarian food than before.

The first is the impact on the environment.  While we all talk about climate change, you personally can make a bit of a difference by eating less meat (as well as the obvious use of public transport etc.).

© Bloomberg.com

The second is the creation of this delicious recipe.  Yum!

Gather:

1 cauliflower, leaves removed
1 broccoli
350 grms macaroni pasta
50 grms croutons
300 mls crème fraîche (full fat)
150 gms grated cheese (veggie friendly of course)
1 teaspn English mustard
Pinch grated nutmeg
Knob of butter
S&P


Then...

1. Heat the oven to 180°C.  Bring a pan of lightly salted water to boil.
2. Cut a star shape out of the base of the cauli, leaving the head whole, and stand in the boiling water.
3. Turn down the temperature and simmer for 4 mins.  Cut the broccoli head into 2-3 pieces leaving florets whole and slot in (base down) around the cauli in the pan. 
4. Simmer for a further 2-3 mins.
5. Drain all the water off the veggies, cut off the florets and tip them into a buttered ovenproof dish.
6. Cook the macaroni pasta as per the packet BUT only cook it for 4 mins.
7. Meanwhile mix the crème fraîche with the mustard, some S&P, nutmeg and 100 grms of the cheese.
8. Drain the pasta, reserving a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water, and add in the crème fraîche mix.
9. Add that to the veggies and add in the pasta water to loosen the mix if needed.
10. Scatter on the croutons and sprinkle on the remaining cheese
11. Bake in the over for 10-15 mins until bubblingly brown and when the pasta/veggies are tender to the point of a sharp knife.

Served hot, it feeds four.