Countdown to Christmas 2017

[SideOrderofSprouts]

365 to go

Cooking there was a lamb recipe in the latest edition of the Tesco magazine, could be worth a gander?

realfood.tesco.com/gallery/10-stunning-easter-lamb-recipes.html

They have loads actually!

NB: I am not a meat eater and these could all be very horrible!

I bought some beautiful Christmas mugs in Sainsburys last week, reduced to clear for 1.75 each! They have red trim around top and bottom and say Mrs in red script with a little Holly leaf and berry on the top of the M. Thinking of mum and SIL for Xmas, although might end up keeping one for me!

Ha ha!!

I tend to mix a slurry of olive oil, chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, salt, pepper and maybe a dash of balsamic vinegar. Pour that over lamb. Pop into the oven at 160 degrees, and leave to cook for 4+ hours.

Turn up heat for last 45 minutes and add potatoes that have been parboiled and tossed in goose fat/duck fat/olive oil.

Last 30 mins can be meditteranean veggies into the oven, or something like French beans in a pot on stovetop.

There are lots of more technical recipes - but I have tended towards much lower temps and looooooonnnnnngggggg slow cooking for melt in the mouth meat.

255

Saw some of the christmas Portmeirion dinner set in my local JohnLewis knocked down to half price, only a few bits and bobs mut might be useful if you are looking for some replacement pieces. My own mad wonderful mother picked up the whole dinner service for 8 last year at TK Maxx and she puts away the "normal" plates on Nov 30th until 12th night. She even has the christmassy lasagne dish!

We still eat off their wedding service for actual christmas dinner though!

That's good going, Hairspray. I think my dad obliterated their wedding service after 15-20 years! 😂

They only use it on very special occasions so I think that is why it has lasted 25+ years!

I think my mum has bought more of it as the family has expanded as well which is lovely!

Thank you for the recipes - definitely trying lamb on Sunday.
Hairspray your mother sounds fab! She should join this thread.

I love Christmas and I'm just popping in to say that I am so hoping that we manage to get our house renovation done by Christmas. We only moved in last year and it needs remodelling but we are yet to find a builder to quote so we don't even know if we have enough money. But my dream for this year is that we get it done and by Christmas it all looks how we want it to and we can get the tree up and be cosy!

Yes she is who I inherited my love of the season from, and my aunt, and my grandmother, basically that entire side of the family.

Dad isn't so keen and thinks we are all a bit mad but he always gets into the spirit and enjoys it in the end!

Ohhh! good luck with your renovations pippa

I wonder if Christmas is carried down the female line. My mum loved Christmas when she was younger and used to save all year to create a magical week. DH thinks I am weird, but DD occasionally drops the teen attitude to love everything Christmassy and buys me things for my collection of Christmas essentials. Even DS insisted that uni bedding included a specific Christmas quilt cover for December

Mine certainly doesn't originate from my Mum who did minimal at Christmas (though as a child in the early 1970s , it was very low key. There was the Meal which was a roast chicken and veg with pudding , a tree ( fake with fairylights) and some things in town) but that was what everyone did so no-one knew/did different.
When we got to teenage she palmed off everything from decorating , shopping ,cooking to everyone else and said "I wish I could go to sleep and wake up when its all over"

My DD has inherited my Love of Christmas She embraces the Traditions and Rituals and Yes, the Christmas Bedding that she wants the day after Hallowe'en.

She plans to send her DC to my house to sleep in her old room , so i can do it all again with them. (Though she's only 14 , nearly 15 so this will -hopefully- be a while. I can see her out partying while her DC sleep In Mummys old room in her Christmas fleece blanket)

I took my BHS ivy dinnerset to the charity shop last week, I haven't used it in the last 4-5 years. The plates are too small to fit a full Christmas Dinner on , I have white plates for everyday (round and big oval) and random Portmerion and Spode to add festivity.

So someone , somewhere will have my Ivy plates and hopefully enjoy them.

My DM is like 70's. My dad was the driving force behind Christmas when I was young and since he died 25 years ago she hasn't bothered - never put the Christmas tree up, sends money for us to buy our own presents and grumbles about cards and "fuss".

My DDs have already said that they are coming here for Christmas when they have homes of their own, whatever the wishes/traditions of their other halves. I'll be waiting with baited breath for the AIBU threads about not wanting to go to their MILs...

254

Ahhh Good Friday.

We traditionallly spend the day gardening (if its nice) ,
I need to buy Fish Fingers (for the DC) , I have Quorn Pretendy Fish Fingers for DH and I .

I need a few days to recover, I've been struck by the lurgey that's been sharing itself , of course they're all better, I got it last so no sympathy left over

At least I have my Easter Tree (and very snazzy it looks, if I say so myself )

Afternoon! Hope you're all having a peaceful Good Friday🐣

I'm baking up a storm while waiting for the little monster to wake up!

We're going to do some Easter Crafting this afternoon - I say we...Obviously I mean me! Martha's easter bonnet is going to be epic

253

I've made a spinach quiche tonight

I'll whip up some chocolate crispy nests tomorrow (I would make cakes but I know that no-one will eat them except for DS eating the RawCake )

We will need a new thread before May I reckon.

My love doesn't come from my parents. But I've passed it onto dd1 so far!

252

Happy Easter Everybody

I made a quick swoop on M&S to buy some dinner bits , I did think as I wafted along "Would I want to buy my entire Christmas Dinner from M&S" (see even at Easter, can't switch off)

The answer , I think , is No.

I've just been given a £75 M&S gift voucher for buying life insurance via a comparison site, so I think that we are going to buy a good few bits there this year.

We had an all-day buffet last year (with too much food; need to tone it down this year!) and I think that's going to be our tradition going forwards, with a roast on Boxing Day instead. It suited us, anyway!

Happy Easter, everyone! 🐰 🐣

Happy Easter everyone! Next stop Halloween! Only 199 days till halloween

Happy Easter everyone!
That's good news about Halloween Sprouts.

Happy easter everyone 🐇🐇🐇

198 days till our Xmas trees go back up!

I don't think our tree would survive indoors for 2 months. It's given us 2 years so far and has had a re-pot and appears to be heading nicely towards its 3rd year. It may be huge this year as apparently they grow to the size of the pot, and I accidentally bought a HUGE pot for it! We shall see! 😁🎄

It's HH with a NC, by the way!