Dejah

This year, our Christmas Day featured prime rib, which used to be for Xmas eve when all the families were home. The 7-rib roast was trimmed down to a 5-rib one, with the remainder for the big family meal on the 28th, along with crab legs... The Yorkies were perfect. Eaten with baby tater, brussel sprouts, and carrots.

Our traditional whole family is a bit fractured this year... Dec. 24, only our daughter and s-i-l for supper, so we had a hunk of boneless lamb. It was really tender and juicy, very important as I had some dental surgery on the 22nd. But, everyone knows a few sutures ain't going to stop me from eating! As it turned out, my periodontist does fabulous work and I had no post-surgery pain and can chew easily on one side! The lamb, coated with whole grain mustard, pepper and "stuffed with rosemary. Roasted at 350F to 120F, tented and rested for 30 minutes. Eaten with minted baby taters, peas, and fresh mint sa Dessert was a fabulous assortment of baking from my niece, the family dentist Tonight, our older son and three little ones will join us for prime rib, yorkies, etc. The 28th will be the whole family when our younger son and two little ones will join us for a crab feast and our traditional trifle!

Just finished making my traditional "nibbles": Moroccan Spiced Cigars and Curry Chicken in Puff pastry. These are now added to the "outside larder", along with 12 doz handrolled shortbread cookies (gave out 12 doz), and 3 9x11 trays of Birdseed Bars. Now onto mince meat pies and butter tarts...

Char Siu Pi-Gwut: Pork ribs marinated in Hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, 5-spice powder, etc - same as the char siu pork butt I made earlier in the week. Eaten with mung bean noodles ( fun see) with fuzzy melon and slivers of char siu. Would have preferred ha mai (dried shrimp) but forgot to put it to soak earlier. Still a favourite.

Hoping the warmer temps will return so I can get out to try making naan again in the Big Easy...Miss my naan..................

Thus the pork butt... Love the fatty parts AND the grisly bits...

I usually hang the chunks of pork in the oven to roast, but this week, the oven was strictly for Xmas baking. It was a large boneless pork butt cut into thick chunks and pricked with a fork to allow the marinade to get into the meat.. The marinade is hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese rice wine, red food colouring, honey, 5-spice powder. The pieces were marinated for 2 days, turning over a few times then cooked in the BBQ at 300F...got some nice char pieces.

This is about as traditional Toisanese comfort food as it gets! Fermented wind-dried salted fish (ham yeu), steamed with ground pork and loads of ginger. Finished off just before serving with smoking hot oil.

Found some lovely thick pieces of cod today, so we had fish 'n' "chips", which were cut up pieces of baby taters. Batter was just flour, rice flour, 1/2 tbsp baking powder, 1 tbsp vinegar, and enough soda water to make a smooth batter. Did up some Chinese Char Siu on the BBQ today to make baos for when kids all come home for the holidays.

Have never tried freezing as we usually finish it all! Recipe is from Jeanne Kelley from Fine Cooking Issue 115 The recipe is set for 2 four-lb chickens, but I just used drumsticks this time. 4 large lemons 2 large oranges 8 medium cloves garlic, chopped 3 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano (or 1 Tbs. dried, crumbled) 3 Tbs. soy sauce 1 Tbs. honey 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Oil a roasting dish with 1/4 cup olive oil. The marinade is : 2 /3 cup lemon juice and zest of one lemon. Tuck some wedges of lemon around the chicken pieces. 1/2 cup OJ, and zest of one orange. Tuck some wedges of orange around the chicken. Mix the above with the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the chicken, cover and let sit in the fridge 6 - 12 hours. I pieced the chicken pieces. Pre-heat oven to 425F Turn the chicken so all the pieces are skin side up. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 375°F and continue to roast until the chicken is golden-brown and cooked through, about 30 minutes. I have cooked the two chickens, and the leftovers are just as delicious. The other quick recipe I use is coat drumsticks with 6 tbsp marmalade mixed with 3 tbsp whole grain mustard. Roast at 375F, spooning the marinade back onto the legs about half way (20 min) and roast for another 20 minutes. I score the thickest part of the legs to help the marinade stay on better.

Taught my last Drums Alive exercise class this afternoon, and again, I was happy I had chicken prepared...just put the whole thing into the oven, cooked some green beans and jasmine rice, and had a nap before supper!

Quick meals...don't know WHY I am so busy! Mac & Cheese moat with creamed salmon & mushrooms And Marmalade and Whole Grain Mustard roast chicken legs and sweet potato medallions (sprinkled with chili lime flakes)

Lunch was wonton soup with shrimp and char siu: Supper: Steamed beef with preserved vegetables: zai choy and mui choy with chopped fresh jalapenos for heat, stir-fried Shanghai Bok Choy, Jasmine rice.

Liuzhou: Love bitter melon this way, especially on top of a plate of ho fun (rice noodles)! Didn't have any tofu sheets, so I wrapped ground pork, shrimp, waterchestnut in wilted siu choy. Eaten with green beans stir-fried with fuyu.

I think huiray would be the only one who would consider those dishes as ONE meal...

Good grief No! Meals from the weekend and this week. And the fried rice was collation of several meals, to use up leftovers so I can "fresh"...

School's out...school is OUT until Jan.5th A couple of meals: mainly throw together using up bits and pieces in the fridge: Marmalade Whole Grain Mustard Roast Chicken - 45 minute meal Jumbo Shrimp in Sweet Chili Sauce, Rice Noodles Everything Fried Rice: Leftovers: peas, corn, chicken and Chinese mushrooms (from a sandpot meal), egg, char siu, and fresh beansprouts.

I grate cauliflower in my food processor, cooked in the microwave without ANY

Thanks, Shelby for your compliment on our Thanksgiving turkey. Tonight: "Double Decker" chicken in the Big Easy. I recall someone once mentioning about adding potatoes to cook in drippings. I think it was when I made Chinese BBQ duck in the Big Easy. So, tonight, I thought I'd try that with the chickens. They turned out well - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside ( of the potatoes, that is!) I tucked springs of fresh rosemary under the skin on one chicken, and just seasonings and lemon wedges in the one on top. The top bird got crispier than the bottom one, but both were great - done in 1.15 on full blast.

dcarch! That kobocha will push me to try cooking one! And Shelby: Love the idea of mac 'n'cheese stuffed peppers.

eGullet always serves me well when I am looking for inspiration, especially when I am sick. Many I couldn't begin to replicate, but some are doable! Thank you everyone for sharing! After seeing patrickamoray's marmalade chicken, it gave me the perfect supper when I was down with a cold and feeling lethargic...I used a mix of orange AND ginger marmalade. The marinade kept sliding off the chicken even after I scored the legs, so I spooned it a couple of times. It turned out lovely. Thanks, Patrick! I was trying a new spicy chicken / fish breading - Lefty's. Woooweeee! Had no idea it was SO spicy! Great coating and still tasty, but it was not the right coating for delicate pickerel...

Thanksgiving over and the leftovers went home with the kids. Had the day off, so I made up 2 meals: Tonight, we had cumin beef a la Fushia Dunlop, with baby bak choy, Jasmine rice, and a diced tomato. The tomato is not usual accompaniment, but I wanted it and it was great with the beef! I also prepped and simmered some off-the-bone beef short ribs for Beef Rendang - for tomorrow. It's a long process and kinda ties you to the kitchen with all the stirring, but I won't need to do much tomorrow after work to put supper together!

Thanksgiving turkey! 9.36 kgs. Brined and was done in 2.45 hours! Stuffing was made in a roaster under 5 turkey backs and necks. S-i-l had made lots of stock from 3 turkey carcasses ( from collecting the legs and wings)e ha for the gravy. Great intense flavour! We leftovers as we gorged on smoked turkey legs and wings at lunch.

The start of Canadian Thanksgiving! Lunch: brined then smoked for 4 hours turkey drumsticks and wings over crab apple wood and lump charcoal... Lettuce and avocado vegetable wraps - made by one of our local Sobeys sushi ladies.

Picked up a 4-rib pork roast on the way home from work. Inserted skewers of fresh rosemary, slathered on whole grain mustard, and a sprinkle of Montreal steak spice. Hooked a half rack onto the middle of the basket and "fried" the roast on high for 1.15 hours. Crust was lovely, as were the small bones. Eaten with peas, ancient grains, and apple sauce (store bought). Even though the meat was juicy, I still made a thin gravy just 'cos...