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lemongirl 
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Location: Auckland
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 Posted: 26 October 2009 at 11:16am |
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Just popped christmas cake number 1 in the oven. Got another 1 or possibly two to do in the next few weeks!
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Rovic
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Joined: 14 February 2009
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Posted: 26 October 2009 at 4:58pm |
Every year we spend a few hours making marshmallow balls. I said last year that we weren't going to do it and everyone complained! lol. Labour intensive, but very yummy (and the marshmallow is full of air, so they're not that bab for your waistline - yeah right!). We have breakfast at my folks as thats where we stay in Wellington, lunch with IL's - this year we are doing the entree, so keep all the ideas coming, and then back to my folks place for tea. Mum does everything there, but hopefully this year we will oncvince her to let us do something.
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fattartsrock
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Joined: 01 January 1900
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Posted: 26 October 2009 at 9:23pm |
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oooh I love christmas!!!
There is usually around 7 of us here, we usually have it here, I am a control freak and like to do the whole thing cos christmas is my FAVE so I go all out!! Mind oyu, if we get invited elsewhere, we will go.
We do a seasoned boned rolled pork on the spit on our big bbq
Ham, chicken (hot or cold depends on weather) with cranberry, applesauce and gravy.
New potatoes from garden boiled with mint, served with butter
Baby carrots and peas from garden
Salad
Steam pud, trifle, jelly, mousse, pavs/birdsnests, strawberries and custard and cream.
Always have a platter out with crystillised strawberries, fresh marlborough cherries, nuts and roses chocs to pick at through the day. I also make "christmas puds" with mallowpuffs, spearmint leaves and jaffas
We have left overs for tea and boxing lunch and bbq for boxing tea. I freeze the leftover ham if we had it cold in usuable blocks (I only buy half legs anyway) and makes plates for guests to take home.
I remember when I was a kid we had the big sit down "christmas lunch" on new years day, too. Anyone else do that? We don't now! We usually head away for at least the day somewhere quiet on NYD for a picnnc and/or camping
Oh and we have christmas dinner also with family in nelson on the sunday before christmas with turkey and the works.
I start buying things a few weeks out, our new world has a big cardholder type day usually first week of december so I get alot if it then and cash in any xmas club vouchers I have. Excpet the pork, I get that a week or so out and freeze and get strawberries and cherries around the 22nd.
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The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P
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Paws
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Joined: 01 January 1900
Location: Auckland
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Posted: 26 October 2009 at 9:31pm |
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Oh boy....I have done nothing to get ready for Christmas, still unsure what will be happening....eep!! Plan for this week....start planning Christmas!!!
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Babe
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Location: New Zealand
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Posted: 27 October 2009 at 4:54pm |
Ohhh yummmmmmyyyyy.... all the food sounds soooooo goooooood :drools:
I did some cordial and a ginger beer starter over the weekend but DP and DS both had a crap time feeling sick, stepping on nails and so on so didn't get the quiches made :huff: then today I kept dropping eggs on the floor while I was making lunch and pikelets so now they'll havta wait for a coupla days so the chickens better get busy coz I'm cross!!!
LOL fattartsrock yeah I like being in charge of absolutely everything or absolutely nothing - no middle ground 
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lizzle
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Joined: 01 January 1900
Location: New Zealand
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Posted: 27 October 2009 at 7:35pm |
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ooh, that reminds me Babe - have to make some ginger beer. i have a geat cheap recipe if anyone wants it. speaking of wanting recipes - Annie - i want your jaffa marshmallow thingy and rovic, care to share yours???? i love xmas baking! I am making all the nieces and nephews presents this year (apron and cookbook), and going to attempt to make the grownup presents too. the kids are making paving stones for the grandparents (pour cement into ice cream containers and press in marbles).
We have the in-laws coming (although seeing they haven't booked tickets yet I'm not holding my breath)
Must start getting my xmas stuff with the groceries this week. Shortbread to be made....mmmmm
trouble is, I think once we start making the stuff at my house, it may "mysteriously" disappear. (i blame lewis)
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Babe
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Posted: 28 October 2009 at 8:41am |
ROFL!! Yeah it "mysteriously" disappears here too!!!
How do you make your ginger beer? I just use sugar, ground ginger and water oh and yeast int he starter. I'm making homemade lemonade too if anyone wants the recipe...
I've made the presents this year too lol I'm a cheapskate  I've made an origami wind chime for my granny, a patchwork type tshirt for my brother, a painting for my sister, merino pjs for my niece and I'll be making a whole lot of lemon stuff for my dad - lemon muffins, lemon slice, lemon fudge, lemon butter - coz he adores lemon!! I need to pay Kel a visit (or rather her fabulous lemon tree - sorry Kel don't feel used  ). Cant think of what to do for my mum yet but I super really love the paving stone idea so might steal that  and we've brought a little something for my inlaws coz they'd be rude about homemade pressies I think. Of course they'll all get a family portrait of us too poor them!
I don't see the point in spending a ton of money at christmas. Everybody has too much anyway and since its often the only time people make an effort to get together I think the emphasis should be more on making fun memories. We're planning a games evening where the 2 tots are either in bed or watching a dvd and us adults play board games like trains and stuff.
Anyone got a good recipe for popcorn balls??
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fattartsrock
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Posted: 28 October 2009 at 2:52pm |
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Liz these christmas puds are sooo blikin' easy but they look like lots of effort for none at all!!!
Melt some chocolate (white looks best, but I do both cos not everyone likes white choc)
Dip the top 3rd of your mallowpuff (or whatever mallowpuff type bikkie you use) in and let the choc run uneven down sides so as to look like custard on top of xmas pudding
Then add 2 spearmint leaves and a couple or three jaffas (before choc sets as it hold them on) to look like holly sprigs and bobs your uncle.
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The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P
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sottise
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Posted: 28 October 2009 at 2:59pm |
I usually bake about a gazillion cookies for Christmas: some years I get really organised and start the dough around nowish, but this year will not be one of those years.
Some of your plans / preparations have me exhausted just reading them!
I am so pinching the Mallowpuff xmas pud idea - sounds so much more appealing than the actual thing (or, heaven forfend, mince tarts  ) Thanks for that!
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MindyW
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Posted: 29 October 2009 at 4:44pm |
I make the marshmellow thing every year too! I really cant cook so thats nice and easy for me to do and even I cant stuff it up!
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myonlineself
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Posted: 29 October 2009 at 8:12pm |
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My first 'plan' is to have this baby and be home from hospital in time for Christmas, I'll be pretty gutted if I miss Christmas, its my absolutely favourite day of the year (its also my birthday which helps). There was a suggestion of us having Christmas lunch at our place till I pointed out the timing wouldn't be the best as we couldn't guarantee to even be there (due date 13th December!).
So - we have the usual Christmas breakfast at the ILs (my parents and bro often come too), french toast, fried ham, fried banana, maple syrup, yum!
Then its off to my parents house for late lunch/early dinner, we we have the roast vegetables and the ham and turkey.
Possibly back to the ILs later for dessert. I'm loving the idea of this candycane icecream, I think I could manage that lol! I love reading what everyone is doing!
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Nutella
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Posted: 30 October 2009 at 12:47pm |
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Well, I think we will be postponing xmas this year since baby is due on the 26th Dec! And worse, we will be staying 1.5 hours away from home, probably in a cabin in a camp ground so not exactly inpsiring for cooking a slap up meal. Plus there will only be me and DH (and baby inside tummy of course).
Pretty stink as I love xmas but not much we can do about it. My mum is coming over on the 28th so then once we go home we will open presents etc and have a special dinner - unless of course we can find somewhere good to go out for xmas dinner.
Probably won't even be all that excited about putting up xmas tree and in fact now I think about that, I am not entirely sure where it would fit anyway hahahahaha!
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Tastic
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Posted: 30 October 2009 at 8:48pm |
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ok so we FINALLY got a new oven!
now I need a list of what to make lol
tell me what I need to make lol
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Tastic
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Posted: 05 November 2009 at 3:45pm |
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BUMP!
help what should I be doing now, to make ly life easier in 5-6 weeks!
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Rovic
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Posted: 05 November 2009 at 7:39pm |
Lizzle have been looking everywhere for my reciepe for marshmallow balls but can't find it. Better have a big tidy up this weekend or we'll never get them all done in time. Will post when I find it.
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Babe
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Posted: 05 November 2009 at 9:00pm |
LOL Tastic first draw up a menu plan then post it so we can advise
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fattartsrock
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Posted: 05 November 2009 at 10:20pm |
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sponges for trifles and chrissy cake both freeze well, Trish. What are you having?
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The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P
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Babe
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Posted: 06 November 2009 at 1:30pm |
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Trish making a list of quick lunch type and snacky food is a good idea so you can just pull stuff out.
Knowing exactly what you're doing for Christmas is a good idea too!
Our plans changed slightly coz MIL was completely taken with our suggestion of a champagne breaky (bacon, eggs, pancakes, yoghurt and muesli, baked beans, toast and hash browns) so we're doing that then having a light dinner and having our bigger meal on Boxing day coz we decided 2 huge meals would be too much. I'll be glazing the chicken for the main meal on Christmas Eve (last day I get to myself) to pop in the oven on Boxing day morning, and mixing up the pancake batter for the champagne breakfast.
I'm spending this month doubling any munchy recipe I make and freezing half so we had tuna patties and homemade pizza last nght so theres a pile of pizza dough in the freezer along with a good amount of patty mixture which I can just haul out and cook as required, and theres already a batch of muffins in the freezer with another batch going in this afternoon when I get them out of the oven.
On Christmas Eve I'm doing up containers of sandwich fixings like cheese and onion, curried egg. sliced tomatoes, etc to pull out for lunches over the next week and we'll have muffins, biscuits and mini meatballs, tuna patties, etc in the freezer to pull out too. We're planning on buffet type lunches during the week so I wanted stuff that was easy and filling and nutritious still.
So yeah its really all in the menu planning - gotta start with that!!
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lemongirl
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Posted: 06 November 2009 at 1:43pm |
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DP just bought me a gingerbread house kit last night. Got my christmas cookie decorating class in 2 weeks.
Squeal!
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Babe
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Posted: 06 November 2009 at 1:54pm |
LOL cool! I havta do it from scratch but TBH I don't know if I want to haha nah but the kids will love it. Any cookie decorating tips you get feel free to post please
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Prepping for Christmas
Oct 11