CHRISTMAS IN JULY
We have great neighbours. We meet several times during the year at one another’s houses and catch up. We meet one another in the street in the street, or drop in for coffee or sometimes meet at the shops, but these planned catchups are a chance to eat and chat together. Everyone brings a plate of food to share and usually their dogs.
We’d invited everyone to a Christmas In July get together. I’d had plans to decorate and really get in the swing of things, but other events intervened. My husband made a slow cooker of glühwein and the gorgeous scent was still in the air the next morning. We had a delicious quiche, a poppy seed cake and a bowl of strawberries and raspberries, plus a grazing platter and sausage rolls. I heated and lit a plum pudding. Such a lovely evening.
The glüwhein smelt and tasted very good, especially on a cold night.
Many Christmas traditions followed in Australia originated in Europe. Winter in the Northern hemisphere is cold and there might be snow. Christmas in the Southern hemisphere in in the middle of summer and temperatures in the mid 30ºC and higher are common. Despite the heat many people continue to have a leg of ham but serve it with salads and seafood. The food served at Christmas time is changing. Summer fruits, such as watermelon, rock melon, pineapple, strawberries and stone fruit are in season and popular Christmas foods. We always have cherries!
planning
A report on the TV news the other night was urging us to get our Christmas gift shopping done. It’s still six months away! Supplies are slow to arrive. Due to the unrest in Yemen shipping routes have changed. Ships cannot use the Suez Canal and are going around the Cape of Good Hope, a much longer journey . Shipping costs have increased by at least 50%. Someone actually told me last week that she’d already bought all the gifts for her grandchildren and was giving gift cards to the adults on her list. I was very impressed! I’ll think about it soon. Maybe.
This is one wall of two walls of built in bookshelves in our upstairs sitting room. I keep suggesting an audit ( reducing the number of books) but the idea is not well received. Many of the shelves have books two layers deep. I try not to think about the dust.
Luckily we are a family of keen readers. It is wonderful to have a pile of new books to read as soon as Christmas Day is over. Usually we select our own books. I wrap them all. A few years ago I bought some pretty, printed fabric draw string bags to use instead of wrapping paper, then forgot all about them. Found them recently and have put them with other Christmas paraphernalia.
cooking
Our neighbour will be coming home from hospital tonight or tomorrow and will need to rest. Her family will be in and out, so I’ve made a lemon slice to take in when it’s cool. I actually made two because we have so many lemons this year and we really, really like this slice! Recipe (here)
Also made some Asian Fish Cakes. I tore the recipe out of the Sunday paper and assumed it would be online on their site. It’s not! I was attracted to the recipe because it used smoked salmon and we had quite a lot in the freezer. Apart from coriander (mine has gone to seed) I had everything else on hand. Strangely, the recipe stated one of the ingredients as ‘store bought mashed potato’. I’ve never actually seen mashed potato for sale, but I haven’t looked, either. I peeled and boiled some potatoes and used that instead. I hope the bought potato didn’t have some extra ingredient or flavouring, but the fishcakes I made still tasted very good.
Last week a friend expressed surprise that I used bought salad dressing on a salad I make regularly and had just written about in my blog. It set me thinking and I decided experiment with my favourite (currently) salad dressing. I grow shallots just to make this dressing! So, here it is….
DAVID LEBOVITZ VINAIGRETTE
Whisk* one tablespoon of Dijon Mustard and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Then gradually add 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until emulsified. Add one tablespoon of finely minced shallot, a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. It doesn’t separate or split.
*After I made this for the first time, I couldn’t be faffed whisking. Now I put the mustard and vinegar in a jar, shake, add the oil a tablespoon at a time, shake, add the shallots, salt and pepper, shake. Use immediately or store in the fridge in the jar. If it becomes too thick dilute with more EVOO.
Very good dressing.