Well Christmas has come and gone, after we celebrated it twice. Too much eat, drink and be merry and not enough sleep.

So my Christmas cooking started off with a pineapple boiled fruitcake.  This is my mothers favourite fruitcake, so I make it every year. It's also really easy to make. Most of the ingredients, pineapple, mixed fruit, walnuts, sugar, butter, bicarb and mixed spice are boiled for a few minutes, cooled, add some flour and eggs and cook. This is all done in one pot and one cake tin. So easy and tastes delish.

I also made dark chocolate tim tam balls and mint slice balls again because they are quick and easy to make and everyone loves them. My other contribution to Christmas lunch is a store bought Ray's plum pudding. My family has been eating these for Christmas for as long as I can remember and beyond. The plum pudding is the best thing about lunch as far as I'm concerned. So we ate ourselves into the usual food coma, rested up and came home.

Boxing day was a bit of rest, a bit of shopping (never again) and a bit more rest.

Saturday.  Our next Christmas Lunch.  This was at Lizzy Lou's place with her family and Number one son's father, father's  partner and family. Lizzy did the meal and I made dessert.
First off I pressed some biscuits to make caramel meringue tarts. I'm all about quick and easy to make things, and these fall into that category. Butternut snap bickies, can of caramel top and fill and a few egg whites and sugar whipped up into meringue.

I also cut up and cooked puff pastry to turn into what I call cream puffs. I fill these when its dessert time.

Next it was time to make trifle. I made the jelly last night so it was set and ready to go this morning. This is my easy peezy trifle, made with all store bought ingredients. Packet cake, packet jelly, tub of custard,can of fruit, some port because it has to have alcohol, and whipped cream, bananas and passion fruit pulp. Layer it all nicely in a bowl and refrigerate till ready. I don't put the banana and passionfruit on until I'm ready to serve though.

We ate lunch which was pork, ham, chicken, salads, baked potatoes and lots of garlic butter and sour cream. You cant beat a potato smothered in garlic butter with coleslaw and sour cream. Just don't come near me for the next week.
I then put together the cream puffs. I filled some with nutella, sliced strawberries and cream and some with raspberry jam and cream.Dust with icing sugar and serve. I finished off the trifle and served it too.

After eating, we went outside and played with the kids for a while. The others all went home but the man and I and the kids stayed on for tea.  Left overs.. We ate and left. And here I am, almost bedtime. The only thing I have left to show you is my toblerone ice cream which I made last week but wasn't set. Boy did it turn out. I wont be buying ice cream again that's for sure. I will be able to use the basic recipe and add just about anything.  Next time I reckon I'm making strawberry flavoured ice cream with strawberry pieces.

So that's me. See you next year.
Happy new year everyone.