I am writhing in agony, and it’s not just because I’ve taste tested my white chocolate and macadamia rocky road one too many times.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
I can’t decide what to include on my Christmas menu.
So, I am blissfully pouring over my collection of favourite magazines and cookbooks and agonising over my decisions.
Mum is bringing the pudding and turkey and my sister-in-law is preparing her famous banana salad and a seafood platter.
I always do the trifles, and my sister Tammy is happy to fill in any gaps, but I don’t know what they are yet.
I think I’ll glaze a leg of ham again, because then we can live on that for days afterwards.
And who doesn’t like a house filled with the fragrance of roasting meat basted with apricot conserve, brown sugar, white wine and cinnamon?
What to serve on the side though?
My potatoes have become a bit of a tradition with my girls in December.
You can’t serve crispy-on-top potatoes swimming in butter, cream, lemon thyme and garlic every night of the week.
But extravagance is the order of the day at Christmas.
I’m very drawn to pumpkin, red onion and baby carrots in maple syrup and orange juice as well.
Though if I bite off more than I can chew, my day will be a drama rather than a dream.
I’m ordinarily a dessert addict, so the hazelnut and brandy forest cake with cream cheese icing is looking likely.
I probably won’t stick the little gingerbread men in the icing on top though, but the sprigs of rosemary made to look like Christmas trees are cute.
We’ve done the whole gingerbread house thing before and absolutely loved it.
But I don’t have a day to spare this year, so vanilla shortbread dusted in cinnamon sugar might have to do.
I feel as though my chocolate panforte slice is essential though.
Stuffed with dark chocolate and nuts, it contains enough goodness to keep a busy woman alive for days, especially when she doesn’t have time to sit down and eat a proper meal.
Let’s face it, missing a few meals in the lead up to Christmas is not a bad thing, considering the amount of feasting that will follow, resulting in some very real, belt loosening, agony.
Yolande Grosser