httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33wHvn_Pjv8
Ho, Ho, Ho, it’s Christmas … wha?
Well, not quite, cause you see I missed out on Christmas dinner back in December with Helenka but, not wanting something like *facts* get in the way of life, we decided why not do it anyway!
I must say I really enjoyed being surprised at what she brought. We really had a great time together and even the kitchen pixies helped with the whipped cream for dessert.
I do love editing these videos and have a lot of fun doing them, and I think you’ll see we did get a bit creative. We did film this episode originally in April 2010, although it will be June by the time you see it (yup, we have production values, and try to have as many videos in the can as it does take quite a bit of time to edit them down to 10 minutes; hmmm, I think I got my workflow down to a fine art now).
I’m leaving my notes this week on the short side so that you can fully appreciate the details Helenka has written about her dinner.
Have yourself a GREAT week!
Enjoy!
B&H =:)
Helenka’s Notes:
Brian and I did not spend Christmas together in 2009 because he ::sniffs:: went away (out of town). Yes, yes, I’ve gotten over it. I think. So, instead, I entertained at home, inviting my chosen sister and my other chosen brother for two separate Christmas dinners. As you may have gathered already, my fingers don’t work as well as they once did, so I adapt things to suit my ability and comfort levels accordingly.
Before Christmas, I had wanted to roast a turkey. Well, not a humongous, traditional one, but certainly I’d looked with longing at the President’s Choice frozen Turkey-in-a-Box that comprised a boneless cavity filled with stuffing along with the attached pairs of legs and wings. I believe the weight was 1.4 kg. But the price was prohibitive (around $40). Still, I couldn’t help but be captivated by its sheer bonelessness. When I used to organize and host Christmas day dinners at my church (the first source for my chosen family) in the 1990s, a butcher nearby used to donate a large frozen turkey every year. One year, he decided the quality wasn’t adequate and donated two smaller fresh turkeys. The volunteer I’d asked to roast the birds did something spectacular. Yes, he boned them. Himself. And surprised all of us at the dinner with the most succulent turkey I’d ever had. Because, personal sekrit revealed, I don’t even like turkey. So you can see why I was tempted. But, to spend many hours roasting the thing seemed to be foolish, especially as there would be only two dinners with two people at each. I’d also prepared a turkey breast in the past, either plain or stuffed. But that still seemed like too much work. And I tire very easily these days, no matter how much Brian nags me about mind over matter.
Luckily, when I went food shopping in early December, I found two vacuum-packed pouches of Cooked, Seasoned, Sliced Turkey Breast from Lilydale. I’d already bought this product previously and had been quite impressed by the quality, taste, texture, etc. Please keep in mind that I still don’t like turkey which makes my reaction even more impressive. So I snatched up the pouches and froze them to retain their freshness.
Okay, so I had turkey. What else was I going to serve? There had to be gravy. So I picked up a couple of cans of mushroom gravy, as well as two packages of regular sliced, white mushrooms. I’m always surprised that the pre-sliced ‘shrooms are whiter, fresher and cleaner than the whole ones in general.
I also had two cans of whole berry cranberry sauce. I planned to add a splash of Grand Marnier (orange liqueur) prior to heating.
Of course, I was going to have stuffing, so I used two commercial brands. One was the traditional type, while the second had dried cranberries in it.
When it came time for me to make each dinner, this is how I did it. I sautéed one package of mushrooms before adding to the mushroom gravy and cooking in the microwave until very hot (two minutes on high). Then I added 6 slices of the defrosted, sliced turkey and continued to heat for 30 seconds only. A cover went on the dish and it was placed on my shiny heated serving tray (the first time I’d ever used it: woo-hoo).
I prepared the stuffing mix, once again in the microwave according to package directions. It, too, was covered and placed on the tray.
I heated up frozen President’s Choice petits pois (baby peas) in the microwave, according to directions (a couple minutes on high), added a pat of butter, covered the bowl and it joined its companions on the tray. [Helenka’s apology: Oh, Brian, I forgot ALL about the peas – and you know how much I love this brand. Will you forgive me?]
Finally, I emptied the can of cranberry sauce into another matching bowl, added the splash of liqueur, stirred and heated it in the microwave for a couple of minutes on medium heat. And, yes, it joined the other dishes on the tray.
I could hear the liquids bubbling away and was very, very, very pleased to know that all the foods would remain piping hot while I placed several cut-glass bowls on the table filled with cherry tomatoes, black olives and other little taste sensations. For dinner with my chosen sister, I’d bought a bottle of Strawberry Zinfandel (because she’d specifically asked for strawberry wine coolers) and, yes, it was quite strawberryish.
As the serving tray was less than two feet away from my left elbow when I was seated, it was very easy to serve and to offer seconds. So I loved the fact that I could entertain without having to keep running into the kitchen constantly (and that had been my express intention for purchasing the serving tray).
Desserts were purchased baked goods (mini brownies and mincemeat tarts with whipped cream) and clementines, a traditional Christmas fruit.
The only change with the second dinner was that I roasted the sliced ‘shrooms drizzled with olive oil for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven because I was simply too exhausted to stand over the stove to sauter them. In retrospect, I should have given them 30 minutes. And I goofed with the turkey, heating it together with the gravy for two minutes on high. But John, my other chosen brother, said it tasted fine. I served an organic Merlot which was very mellow. And, as we were both stuffed (and tired from the days around Christmas), we didn’t even feel like eating clementines for dessert.
The only dishes I didn’t include in either dinner (though it had been on the menu originally) was ham that I’d baked earlier during December in the oven with rye whisky, that Brian then sliced and I’d frozen in small batches. I’d intended to make a rye-sugar sauce but never got around to it. And I’d also thought of making scalloped ‘taters. But, seriously, there was more than enough food to satisfy all three of us. And the serving tray could hold only so much.
In any case, I’m very proud of the fact that I could make and serve a very nice dinner without any assistance. Because, oh, I should tell you about the special combined Titanic/Buckingham Palace dinner party where I had both my chosen brothers in the kitchen in 2007 trying to pick up the slack when I’d run out of gas. But ::giggles:: that’s a story for another day.
Recreating Christmas in April:
Well, as I had a younger and sturdier chef to cook while I was perched on my throne being all imperious and giving instructions (though Brian certainly has his opinions on not cooking in microwave ovens, so I let him do his thing). I’d provided him with a few sorry stragglers of sautéed mushrooms I’d done earlier and he heated them up in a saucepan together with the can of ‘shroom gravy. He also added dried thyme which enhanced the flavour. I’d also prepared the commercial stuffing mix in the microwave just before he picked me up. So it went into a warm oven with a spoon or two of water to keep it moist while he cooked. The cranberry sauce went into yet another saucepan along with the Grand Marnier.
He’d chopped up the ingredients for the salad before taping, so he then combined half a medium thinly sliced red onion, a few vinestalks of cherry tomatoes, three sliced green onions, a chopped, small, very firm red pepper and several crisp leaves of heart of romaine. I decided he should make a salad dressing, using olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey dijon mustard. He’d decided that the turkey didn’t need any additional heating up, as it was already defrosted.
As this was supposed to be a family dinner, I wanted him to showcase all of the food on a large platter. He arranged the 6 slices of turkey in the middle (and I still can’t believe that 1 portion or 3 slices = only 70 calories), poured mushroom gravy over them, placed scoops of dressing in the corners covered with the rest of the gravy, and decorated with a bit of cranberry sauce and cherry tomatoes. I carried the rest of the cranberry sauce to the table as well as the salad that was in a huge glass bowl.
He served me a plate covered in yummy, traditional goodness onto which I drizzled cranberry sauce all over. And I’m saying that with much glee! I served myself some salad. And we had our drinks (a little rye whisky, Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve from John T. Hall, the owner of Kittling Ridge Winery, and ginger ale). Here’s what Wiki has to say about this whisky.
QUOTE:
Forty Creek Barrel Select is a blended Canadian whisky, 40% alcohol (ethanol) by volume, 80 proof. It is made with rye, barley and Indian corn (maize). Each grain is fermented, distilled, and aged separately to produce a “méritage” of single grain whiskies. After distillation using a small-batch, copper pot still, the whiskies are aged separately 6-10 years in small cask 40-gallon white oak barrels of varying toasting levels. Vintage sherry casks round off some of the aged whiskies after they are blended, for an additional six months.
UNQUOTE
I purchased this on the recommendation of a very helpful (come on, Brian, I want an echo from you, because you were there at the time) LCBO clerk in December, 2008. He said that this was a very smooth tasting whisky and contained a higher ratio of rye as opposed to corn which is a cheaper grain. The clerk also sold us Creme de Banane and said that, if we mixed it with Sprite, it would taste like an alcoholic Creamsicle dwinkie. Thank you, very nice and helpful clerk.
Finally, even though we were pleasantly stuffed (from what else but stuffing), Brian brought out our desserts. Whole strawberries, stems still attached, with lots of freshly whipped cream to which Brian had added Grand Marnier (gee, we really got some good use out of that tonight) and sugar, topped with his surprise, brownies he’d baked. Okay, time out for mmmm-mmmmmm-mmmmmmmm. Walnuts and chocolate and brownieliscious goodness. Certainly a terrific ending to a meal. And, of course, I left him with his wee loot bag (okay, so it was Halloween themed) that contained a bar of Hershey dark chocolate, a bag of plain M&Ms, a Tootsie Roll and a tangerine.
I’m just thrilled that we got to celebrate Christmas together, because it’s the togetherness that’s the most important thing and not the actual date on the calendar. Oh, and the shocking fact: we didn’t even use any salt from the Salt Chest. But we did grind some pepper onto our dinner plates.
Pictures Below Courtesy of Helenka
