I'm dreaming of a HOT Christmas

Milk and cookie for Santa:

It has been a packed few days. I was super busy in the days leading up to Christmas, preparing gifts and knitting and mailing and etc. etc. etc. On Christmas Day I spent the morning at the Lee house, and went to Jono and Jo's stepdad's family's house for Christmas lunch. It was tasty foods, and Jo and I went a little crazy decorating the sugar cookies I'd baked the night before.

Then, the three of us went down to Bondi Beach on the train (then the bus). We weren't sure how it was going to go. Thankfully we got there at around 5pm, so the weather was very comfortable, and the crowds were totally manageable. Just as we got off the bus, it seemed as though there were going to be way too many people. But as it turned out, security personnel were checking bags to make sure that no one brought alcohol onto the beach itself, so all the drunken revelers were on the grassy area between the sand and the street. There were many people, tourists and Australians alike, in swim suits and santa hats, and we had some good times splashing about in the ocean.

On Boxing Day, I had my friends over for a potluck and a swim. I had a really good time. We swam, sat in the jacuzzi, and then enjoyed the sauna for a bit. Then we ate leftovers and tasty foods, drank homemade egg nog (I am going to perfect the recipe and make it a holiday staple - SO delicious), and opened our Secret Santa gifts. And had Christmas crackers! I invited Mary, Amy's friend from studying abroad in India, who was totally cool. I love pool parties.


The next day I went with Jono and Jo to another pool party, and have been having a very summery time. I have a lot of plans of things to do this week, and will update as they happen. Last night I went to Govinda's and saw "The Wackness." I have to update my other blog about the movies I've seen in theatres lately, but I've been weirdly busy! And I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing for New Year's Eve!

Lamington Cupcakes!

One thing I love to indulge in here in Australia, that we don't have in the U.S. (along with Tim Tams and meat pies), is the delicious lamington. It's a spongy yellow cake with chocolate and unsweetened coconut, and sometimes cream and jam. I made lamigton cupcakes! They're from a mix I found at the store, but I cut one in half to add cream and jam and it was so tasty.


Also, here is my tiny Christmas tree:

Springtime for Turkeys and Stuffing!

(sung to the tune of "Springtime for Hitler")

I am way way behind on blogging. But I will try to make up for it with photos of the Thanksgiving feast! I spent about a week preparing (getting recipes in order, cleaning, prepping, shopping), and two and a half days cooking. This was such a fun Thanksgiving. Previously, I think my favorite Thanksgiving dinner was spent eating samosas in the Sainsbury's department store food court in London, but I think this one has taken its place. (Right-click on photos to view full size.)

Here is the Thanksgiving dinner/coffee table.

With place-settings made from stickers sent by Mom!

Window decals! And see the "Happy Thanksgiving" banner in the reflection!

What is an American holiday without honeycomb paper decorations?

The dinner table centREpiece, sent by Mom.

Truly a thing of beauty. A 3.6kg turkey stuffed and surrounded with onions and celery. The skin is rubbed with olive oil and an assortment of Italian herbs. Delicious!

Clockwise from top left: cornbread muffins made with polenta, bowl o' turkey meat, green bean casserole, salad with baby corn & craisins & almonds & balsamic vinaigrette, stuffing with craisins & nuts & ham, sauteed mushrooms, pan gravy, cranberry sauce, and candied yams

And while I finished up with the cooking, I had my guests make hand turkeys! Behold, in all their glory:


My guests let me borrow a pie pan, a salad bowl, and a meat thermometer, and brought some wine and incredibly lovely flowers. I think the meal was a big hit, as it's pretty hard to hate a holiday based around gluttony. I also made mini quiche appetizers, which I sadly did not photograph. They were made with pie crusts, egg, onion, garlic, parmesan, mozzarella, and ham. And I put mini American flags in them! Wooo! Also I mixed together orange juice, Sprite, and cran-apple juice for some punch.

Dessert was a pumpkin pie (with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream), leaf-shaped shortbread cookies made with brown sugar and spices and orange vanilla frosting (and Autumn-shaped sprinkles), and way too much homemade egg nog. I think the egg nog went over well though, so maybe I'll make a smaller batch for Christmas. Sadly, I got no pictures of dessert. Sorry, mom and dad.

It was very sweet to hear what all of my guests were thankful for. Gainful employment, accomplishments in the world of academia, and romance. I was thankful for the exchange rate between the USD and AUD, but remain sympathetic to my Australian friends in their American travels. I have to give a big booming internet shout-out to my dear Jono, who was an invaluable help with the Thanksgiving meal. He came over early on Saturday and kept me sane and ahead of schedule while the yams needed candying and the green beans needed casseroling, and carved the whole turkey for me when I decided it was not something I wanted to do. And if not for him, there would probably still be a half-eaten turkey carcass sitting on my kitchen counter, as he did the lion's share of the after-dinner cleanup. I am thankful for him.

And very thankful to my parents, without whom I would not be here, and I would not be here, enjoying this incredible time in Australia. Thank you for sending me decorations, and giving me advice with the recipes and the cooking, and for being so nice and supportive over the phone and on the other side of the internet when I was stressing out about the meal. You've made it very comfortable for me here with my family on the other side of the Pacific. I look forward to making a Thanksgiving meal for/with you in the future. I'll try to do a better job of keeping up the blog.