Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Chatting on the Plot => Topic started by: sunshineband on December 23, 2017, 19:10
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Unexpected change of plan so son and family with us for Christmas Day... unexpected so have made no cake, no pudding, but have lots of veggies and have now got a joint of beef from my brother yesterday, plus a turkey crown.... have written out a timetable to ensure everything arrives at the table together, so can relax (apart from the small issue of no dining room floor yet.... still tomorrow to do that ;) :wacko: Plus of course the red cabbage & apple, sage & onion stuffing, cheesy leeks and a mincemeat and satsuma almond-crumble topped tart to make ahead of Monday :lol:
Do you have a schedule or does your lunch/dinner arrive as and when?
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I think you need a plan of action to ensure that Christmas day is stress free. I have my minutes of cooking planned to a T. Other wise things will be missed or under cooked, or over cooked. I could not stand the stress of cooking for others without my list. ::)
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I find its just like any other roast but with more veg.
we all go with the flow with timings its usually all down to how the bird is cooking.
its my day off and I try to make it as leisurely as possible.
if its not good enough someone else can have a go!
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Our routine is the turkey goes in early 6am with bacon on the top,which we will eat for breakfast yum,then the turkey is cooked out of the way it will come out about 11am,that only leaves the roast potatoes,veg and gravy easy,make the bread sauce and we are done.
The thing is there is only 2 of us now,but we do it this same way if there are more people.
We also do a small dinner for the dogs the only time they get human type food and they love it.
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My list/schedule started on Thursday :wacko:
Tomorrow is a bit more baking, remember to get meat out of freezer to defrost, then a quick hoover up, plus the last of the present wrapping.
I'm out on Monday but I will be cooking a family dinner for 9 of us on Boxing day that will be planned to the minute - that schedule still needs tweaking, but will run like clockwork once timing starts..............UNTIL people start arriving and expect me to hold a conversation, provide and share drinks etc while I need to be cooking :lol: :lol:
So everything ends up a bit later than planned, but we get there in the end. It won't be perfect but we will have fun, cos family is what it's all about anyway, isn't it :lol:
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Our routine is the turkey goes in early 6am with bacon on the top,which we will eat for breakfast yum,then the turkey is cooked out of the way it will come out about 11am,that only leaves the roast potatoes,veg and gravy easy,make the bread sauce and we are done.
The thing is there is only 2 of us now,but we do it this same way if there are more people.
We also do a small dinner for the dogs the only time they get human type food and they love it.
How big is your turkey if it needs 5 hours?! Mine takes under 3 and it easily feeds 6 with lots of leftovers.
I do have a rough schedule. I can cook a large roast with no schedule at all but I find there are too many distractions on Christmas Day and it Is easy to forget to put something in the oven
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Christmas Day is the only day of the year we drink alcohol before tea time (usually a G&T or two as we open our presents - seems to work. ;))
That does tend to mean that cooking the dinner is usually done more or less on autopilot, which also seems to work (or possibly we are too far gone to realise the culinary shortcomings by then! :lol:)
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I am having a relaxed dinner tomorrow. Just 2 of us for lunch and we are off out later. I let OH loose with my gift vouchers from work to pick the roast and he's gone with beef, so in some ways that is easier, as less trimmings needed.
Off to the plot to pick some veg in a bit, pressies are wrapped, 2 days off work and I may just take up that offer of a G&T JayG :lol:
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Our turkey is cooked low and slow,we put a unpeeled spud in the cavity,so as it cooks it steams the breast meat,the white meat is never ever dry.
Sorry did i type 11am i ment 10am,so the turkey has 4hrs.
As we have bacon on the top we take that off eaten for breakfast :) then replace with foil to cover the turkey.
Our turkey is 14lbs,yes that is for the 2 of us :)we like turkey a lot :lol:.
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Off to the plot to pick some veg in a bit, pressies are wrapped, 2 days off work and I may just take up that offer of a G&T JayG :lol:
You'd be very welcome New Shoot - if you prefer it the alternative is usually whisky mac (scotch and green ginger wine), which puts the Christmas dinner in even more jeopardy!
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I do like whisky mac, but I think one before tea-time would most certainly be the end of me for a few hours and everyone would go hungry :lol:
I'll stick with the G&T - heavy on the tonic. I remember the year one of the neighbours insisted we come round Christmas morning and then pressed a large sherry on me. I don't even like the stuff, but I forced it down and could barely find the oven an hour or so later :lol:
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I usually write a list to remind me of things to do but it has some caveats:
1) I shouldn't write it when I've had a few tipples as I can't read my writing the next day.
2) Write another one when sober and put it in a safe place which I should have written down on the list except I need another list to tell me where I put the first one.
3) I place it on my side table then forget the cats sometimes jump on it during a night scuffle so it vanishes into thin air until I find it and it's usually too late to be of any use.
4) I have another list due to a hip operation which means one leg is half an inch shorter than the other. To compensate for it I select wines that make me list the other way.
5) I can memorise things so don't really need a list. All I need are the connections between the words or images I put into my brain to help me remember!
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Well I’m normally an avid list maker but it goes into overdrive for Christmas, but with family illnesses for the last few weeks(nothing major) I was a bit distracted, then our son had a major push on to get his new loft conversion finished to move into for Christmas,cue mum painting for 6 days. Then I succombed to a cough & cold that I’d never seen the like of. So my lists were a bit scanty. Then a trip to A&E yesterday at 5 am for what is now being treated as an asthma attack & I’ve been put to bed.
So hubby, son & daughter are in charge. I’m sure it will be lovely whatever we end up with & when. If I’m still coughing uncontrollably I’ll have mine in bed so as not to put the others off
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I hope you recover quickly, Snowdrops, and enjoy your Christmas.
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Bad luck snowdrops, hope you are feeling better soon - my daughter has gone down with a bug as well :(
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Oh Snows! So sorry you've been poorly especially at this time. :( Rang our rellies in Oxfordshire and they've been struck down by a most awful 'flu' bug that's going round there. One of my dear friends is also ill, my OH is trying to work through a flu-like thing and I'm not feeling too clever at the moment either. The main thing is we're ok, had some lovely presents, and now going to snuggle down by the fire with some good DVDs. Snows - do as Goosey says and don't you DARE get out of bed (or if you do) take it easy! xxx
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I hope everyone's list went more or less according to plan, depending on how many sherbets were consumed, and when :lol: :lol:
Our dinner was lovely... here are all our veggies assembled beforehand, with the cranberry jelly that our 12yr old granddaughter made :D :D
And I do hope you feel a bit better now Snowy
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Thanks everyone, getting a bit better day by day. Dinner arrived on time, everything was there & everyone said how lovely it was & I agreed, in truth I couldn’t taste it but that didn’t matter, I was only up to a very smal portion. It was lovely that they all got on & pulled their fingers out, just goes to show they can( & will again,cue evil laugh). It was made all the more special by our super cute 22 month old granddaughter.
Sunny that harvest looks great,well done.
Hope everyone else had a lovely day too
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Pleased to hear you are on the mend Snowy... nothing like a little one to share a cuggle or two with, is there? :D :D
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Poor Snowy! And all the others who race to the finish line at work, kick back for a few days off, and promptly go sick. Coughs, colds, upset tummies and the rest - it is as if our bodies are finally getting a look in and their revenge.
Thinking about lists, back when I was very junior in management and getting stressed by all I had to do and remember, I was taught on a course to write it down - if you write it down, you won't forget and you can prioritize. That was the beginning of a lifelong list habit. I dont remember anything else from that course .... but it has got me through some major crises and lots of minor ones, like Christmas. Power to the list makers! :) :)
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Thanks MC, I’m on the mend now I think, review with nurse at the drs yesterday no infection but referral to the asthma nurse to see if it is that. Antibiotics now finished.
Although Christmas was lovely done by hubby & children, I do feel id have coped better if my list making had been up to the mark as normal & also my present buying & wrapping had been done early as usual. But it taught the family how much easier it is if it’s done in an orderly fashion with lots of lists haha
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That sound positive Snowy. If you do have asthma, for most people it cana be well controlled and life goes on pretty much as before.
I used to be an obsessive list-maker, but now restrict myself to fewer. I no longer have a pencil and paper by my bed to write things down when I wake up in the night so I remember them in the morning. Life is more laid back these days... usually!