Friday 1 January 2016

Post-Christmas Family Meal

Precisely one year ago, on January 1st 2015, I posted here about a family meal which, for a change, was hosted by me and not my parents. Easy to do, too, as I only invited the "inner circle" - meaning my parents and my sister, unlike the meals at Mum and Dad's place where there are rarely less than twice as many of family and close friends gathering.
My kitchen as it looks every day. Two always fit at the table in the corner.
The table moved out of the corner and two more chairs added, just comfortable enough for four.

The meal was not held today, though. It was the Monday after Christmas, the 28th. While I hardly ever cook for just myself, I do enjoy cooking and baking when I have a reason to do so, i.e. when I know the food will be shared with and appreciated by others.

This certainly was the case on Monday, when the menue was as follows:

Salad of field lettuce, radicchio, tomatoes, spring onions 
and bits of Wensleydale cheese with cranberries
* * *
Venison steaks with Yorkshire puddings, carrots, brussel sprouts and a creamy sauce
* * *
Star-shaped vanilla icecream on dark chocolate base 
topped with cinnamon and cocoa powder (same as last year)

I did cheat on the sauce (that was a ready-made one) and the dessert (bought at Aldi's), but I made the Yorkshire puds and everything else myself. And it really was good, with exactly one portion (the plate you can see in the picture) left over. That made a nice lunch for me on Tuesday.


Last time I made Yorkshire puds, there were more left. Not because they weren't as good then - they were just as good as they look here, both times. But this time, I was a little more clever and did not offer roast spuds with them, as they are so filling without the additional carbs from the Yorkshire puds.

It was a nice few hours spent with my family, and my Dad was so sweet - he brought me this bunch of yellow freesia! Freesia always remind me of spring, since they were the flowers (only white ones, not yellow ones) I wore on my little black taffeta jacket for my Confirmation in 1982, when I was 14 years old.


Spring is still a long time off, we haven't even had snow yet, but it will be there eventually, I promise!

18 comments:

  1. Hello and have a wonderful year ahead, best wishes!

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  2. That looks like it was a delicious meal!! We cooked for quite a few people on both Thanksgiving here and Christmas, so for New Years it was just the two of us. Well...and our critters! Happy New Year and a fantastic year ahead! xoxo

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    1. Thank you, Silke, and the same to you!
      We spent New Year's Eve with friends and had cheese fondue there.

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  3. I love the glimpse into your kitchen! And that meal looks delicious. I've never had Yorkshire pudding but I think I'd like it, and I love Brussels sprouts for a winter vegetable.

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    1. When I was little, I liked nearly all vegetables but wasn't fond of aubergines and Brussels sprouts. But as I grew up, I began to really like both.

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  4. Such a lovely party for your family! The meal looks so delicious and freesias are my favorites (among others). I love flowers with a sweet fragrance! I hope you will enjoy the year ahead with all your family and friends.

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  5. Happy New Year! You luncheon looks delicious! I think it's amazing that you can still fit into and wear clothes from when you were 14! LOL

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    1. Not exactly, Mary :-D
      I don't have that lovely taffetta jacket and skirt anymore. It was hand-sewn by my Mum's godmother (I think), and she wore it at her Confirmation in the 1950s already.

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  6. Happy New Year! Your meal looks absolutely wonderful and I'm sure it tasted the same. The flowers are lovely. How great to be able to share the day with your family.

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    1. Thank you, Kathy!
      I am lucky in that my parents and my sister live close by - about 10 minutes on foot for both their places - so that we can see each other often. It is nice though to have some extra time to spend together.

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  7. A blessed and beautiful Happy New Year to you and everyone you love!

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  8. Happy New Year to you. The flowers that your dad brought are just beautiful as is your picture of them. I think the lamb roast and the yorkshire pudding that I made this Christmas day was the best I ever did. At least my son-in-law thought so.

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    1. Nice to know you, too, made Yorkshire pudding :-)
      The flowers are still (mostly) beautiful now, almost a week later. I'm afraid my pictures have come out blurry, which is entirely my fault and not the camera's.

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  9. Mmm, looks delicious, and your kitchen is so tidy. Did you know that in Yorkshire, sometimes this is eaten as a pudding with jam? Most people eat it with roast beef though. I've never eaten venison.

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    1. Thank you, Maggie. My kitchen is always like that, and it is easy to stay that way since I do so little in it ;-)
      I've not yet seen anyone eat Yorkshire puddings as a pudding with jam, only as part of a main course, or the giant ones as "toad in the hole".

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