“What great achievement has been performed by the one who told you it couldn’t be done?”
– Melvin Chapman
It’s a slow start to the day and I feel oh-so-shabby! I definitely have a touch of the morning-after-the-night –before! I get up but only because it feels marginally better than lying down and watching the room spin round… and round and round. There’s no better hangover cure than a bit of baking so I set to work in the kitchen labouring over some Chocolate Shortbread Stars.
Ryan, Kari and the kids are coming over for a yuletide tea at 10am so there’s no time to waste. By the time they arrive, I’m feeling almost human, and we’re very civilised eating the chocolate shortbread and Donna Hay’s Peanut Butter and Almond Cookies. I took the latter out of the freezer just before my guests arrived, and heated them up in the oven for about 10 minutes and they came out corking!
Christmas is for kids, right? I know I’m biased but my niece and nephew probably the cutest kids in the world and were suitably awestruck with their presents, and, by the tree – too charming! Kari is a travel agent, specialising in cruises and they got us the P and O cookbook Holidays which is a compilation of recipes that are cooked on board! They look yummy and very make-able. I can’t wait to try some of the recipes out, they’re made to make your mouth water. A taste of cruising coming to my kitchen sometime soon!
Then we go out for a very late breakfast – my hangover needs feeding – before doing the rounds at the supermarket for groceries. When we come back I get started on Donna Hay’s Ultimate One Bowl Chocolate Desert Cake – I’m taking dessert for our festive feast with friends tonight. I cook it for 40 minutes as specified but it still looks soaking wet so I err on the side of caution and cook it a bit longer. The problem with cooking a whole cake is that you can’t cut into it for a sneaky peek to see if it’s fit for human consumption, not without being rude anyway! I leave the cake to cool in it’s entirety in the fridge so it can set “fudgey” but I pack a few mangoes in my bag just in case it’s a disaster. I can always make Sweet Lime Mangoes if it all goes cake-up!
The non-stop festive feasting is all well and good but it’s really taking it’s toll on my waistline. It’s a beautiful day so no better time to beat the bulge – I head out and pound the pavements for a 5km run! Apart from the fact that I feel like my legs are going to drop off, it feels real good!
Later we head off to Pippa and Colum’s for a festive feast. This involves beer, a big barbie, (a massive more-ish meat feast), some super salads and giant gin and tonics. It’s a top night and the cake goes down a treat. My mangoes live to see another day!
