The Christmas Foodnanza!

This year I've decided to take charge of the Christmas meal.  Too many years of cold ham cuts pitifully spruced up with some cranberry sauce, accompanied with not potatoes, not roast vegies.. but...  rice!?! (asian-fusion-fail!) Too much odd food combinations in odd quantities.  Last year, our family trio attempted to consume a 1kg Pudding Lady Christmas Pudding. Needless to say, the last of the pudding was finally consumed 9 months later...


So ok, this year, I have high hopes to serve our family with a warm, delicate meal with a few traditional dishes, and few not. There's something quite romantic about the idea of a group of people coming together over a bountiful meal, united by the celebration our Lord's birth 2000-and-something years ago! A day of good news! For the grown up Jesus (yes, folks, Jesus did grow up quite unlike the way Hollywood portrays it) tells us in Luke 4:18-19

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.

Jesus was quoting an Old Testament passage - Isaiah 61 - (pretty epic stuff - joyful stuff!) and telling the crowds how he fulfils that prophecy! (see Luke 4:21) The super good news is that this 'freedom' Jesus offers is the greatest and most important freedom of all.  Though he uses the poetic imagery of a prisoner being set free, he is in fact referring to the pardoning of our sin (aka. rebellion against our God) which is and should be treated as a big deal.  Through trusting in Jesus as the only person who can deal with our sin-problem (don't kid yourself, sin's a huge problem), i.e. as Saviour and as the rightful Lord of us all - we are free from the slavery of sin!  So you see, my friend - Christmas is SO exciting, SO joyful, SO hopeful for this reason! (And also exciting for the food, people coming together, gift-giving, carols, ahh.. the festivities!)

We were talking about food, yes? Righto! So, I'm super-pleased to announce that this year the Family Christmas Menu!! à la Charmz-style (...and in true French style.. as you will see.. right about .... NOW!)


Entrée
I give you.. some Fruits of the Sea (Les Fruits de Mer - the French are funny..) aka. Seafood
~ Smoked Salmon
~ Crackers & Cheese


(.. you know, something light.. something to tease the appetite.. nothing too flambouss!)


Main
Aha! Here it is - We're getting warmer on the French-scale!
Rolled Roast Pork Loin with Apple and Chestnuts [The chestnut stuffing thing - is oh so traditional in France!] The recipe can be found here. [Thanks to Gourmet Traveller] 

from Gourmet Traveller

If you read French, or would like to give yourself a pre-Christmas linguistics adventure, click here! (I think it's similar.. :S)


Side note: However, en France, the traditional thing is to stuff a turkey with chestnuts! The dish is called Dinde aux marrons [Marrons = Chestnuts in French]

Voila! Dinde aux marrons

from larecette.net

avec some Honey-Mustard Roasted Vegies (Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Carrot, Zucchini, Haricot or Green Beans) - trying to replicate the ones you can get from Chargrill Charlies


Dessert
Woohoo! I can't wait to tell you!
I'ma gonna be making Kumquat Bûche de Noël! (Thanks to Béa from La Tartine Gourmande ) Accompanied with some hearty Eggnog! *Kumquats courtesy of my culinary friend Antoine de Anton who has a lemon tree.. and a kumquat tree.. he practically lives on a farm. 


I got so excited about cooking this up that I wrote myself a Cooking Schedule beginning 20th December 2010. Year 2010 - the year I get my organisation on!


So my friend, What will you be doing for Christmas meal?

Bienvenue! Wilkommen! Welcome! and the like...

"This Is A Food Blog. You Like?" is essentially a place for me to keep tabs on what I've been cooking, what I've been exploring down the matrix of food-lanes.  The only thing is, I'd like to share these adventures with you!

However, more importantly, at the heart of this blog, it's about giving thanks to our loving God who provides ALL our needs. (1 Timothy 4:4) And in this context for giving us the enjoyment of food, and the ability to play around with it. Food isn't meant to be 'decadent' or 'sinful'. Food has been provided by God, and we are called to rejoice in that! So, my friend, rejoice and give thanks for whatever He has provided for you!