JINGLE BELL ROCKS.........

JINGLE BELL ROCKS
Christmas has arrived.............I just love this time of the year. The festive spirit of everything getting started, buying gifts, wrapping gifts, making home made goodies to gift, buying and decorating the Christmas tree, the house wafting with smell of cinnamon, orange and vanilla. Each and every year I am equally excited for Christmas. Christmas has been a very very important festival for me. For me Christmas is just not about party and dinner it's about prayers and  family gathering too. I love the sound when the church bell rings, when the quire sings, the mid night mass, the fire work and people wishing each other in the church when it strikes 12 at night and just after the mass coming home and gathering with friends for drinks and dinner. There are families who start preparing for the dinner prior to a month or two. Preparing the glazed ham, turkey, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, ginger bread turkey filling, brandy cream, Christmas pudding, short breads, ginger bread man, mince pie...the list wont stop. Festivals are for food and gatherings and both are things which I just love to do, cooking for friends and family and having a nice gathering. When I cook I love the whole idea of laying the table with variety, with heaps of food with different choices and Christmas gives me the reason to do what I love.


As a child I remember that each year for Christmas I use to force my parents to take me to the shop to buy Christmas cake as I was the only one in the family who wanted to celebrate Christmas as my family is Hindu. But with time and years passing by I made Christmas a quintessential affair in my family. Now when I am not there in India with my family they still follow the ritual of getting the Christmas tree and going to the church. I remember me and my mom use to buy gifts for my younger brother ad sister because I made them believe SANTA :-) Me and my mom use to keep the gifts near their bed and in the morning the joy in their faces we use to see were priceless. Christmas is such an innocent and beautiful festival. I don't know why some people waste it by going to night clubs and spending this wonderful festival in that crowded and noisy place. Christmas is about experiencing the good food at home, friends and family coming over, the Christmas carols, laughing and eating in a serene place like "HOME"        


Sitting thousands and millions of mile away from home at this auspicious occasion I still want to keep up the ritual. I miss my family very dearly at this time so I am all set to bake a cake tomorrow. My rocky roads and chocolate mousse has been made and kept in the fridge to set. Chicken is marinated and kept in the fridge too. All i have to do is make a nice Fattoush salad and cous cous for tomorrow night. You must be thinking why did i left the baking for the last minute well it's all my room mate's fault as he assured that that are plenty of flour to make the cake and at night when all shops are closed what do i see!!!!  OH NOOOOOOOOOO..........there is no flour at home :-(  anyway I will manage. But I suggest never to leave anything on your friends.......n last minute.


As, you all can see that this blog has got delayed so without any further waste of time i'll start with the recipes.

CHRISTMAS CAKE  

12oz plain flour

• 1tsp mixed spice
• 4oz ground almonds
• 8oz currants (although I changed this to chopped dates)
• 8oz sultanas
• 8oz raisins
• 4oz cherries
• 8oz butter
• 8oz soft brown sugar
• 6 eggs beaten with 8tbsp milk 1 tbsp black treacle

Mix flour, spice and ground almonds together. Mix fruit ( I let mine sock in a good glug of brandy for about an hour). Beat butter and sugar to a cream, beat milk and eggs together. Mix together all ingredients. Add the fruit last. Bake for 2 hours. First hour 180C (Gas 4), then slowly 150C(Gas2)

CHOCOLATE MOUSE:

150 gms mini marsmellows

50 gms unsalted butter

250 gms chocolate (dark)

4 tbls water

METHOD:

Melt them all together.

Beat around 280 ml thick cream with vanilla essence 

Fold in with the chocolate and marshmellow mix.

Pour it in separate cups or dishes

Put it i the fridge till it sets

When ready serve with little white chocolate shavings on top.

CHICKEN ZA'TAAR:

500 gms chicken breast/drumstickes/ thigh fillet

Olive oil 1/2 a cup

Parsley chopped

salt

Za'taar powder ( a middle eastern mix of spices)

2 onions cut into 4 pieces.

Marinate everything together and put it in high oven for 20- 25 mins 

Serve with Fattoush Salad.

Fattoush Salad:

Oven crisp the pita bread

Chop tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, mint.

Snip the crisp pita bread in the salad 

Put lemon juice, olive oil and salt on top and toss.

Sprinkle little Sumak in the salad if available.

   Here I sign off and wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.............I have to take a good sleep as I have got a long day tomorrow. Merry Christmas.