Are you cooking for the big family get-together? Something elaborate or something simple? You probably won’t believe what we’re having.
I know you’re busy. It’s two days before Christmas and you must have a hundred things on your mind right now. It’s probably not the best time to read a newsletter, but I don’t want the year to end without sending my warmest holiday greetings to you. I will be travelling between Christmas and New Year, and I might not be able to send another issue of the newsletter before the year ends.
So, happy holidays! And let me just share our plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
The thing about planning a menu is that plans change all the time. No hot pot and no tabletop grill for Christmas. We’re keeping it light and simple on Christmas Eve. Pan de sal, kesong puti (a soft white cheese made from carabao’s milk), chicken embotido, tiramisu for dessert and a nice wine on the side.
For brunch on Christmas day, we’re having something heavier. Roast pork ribs (marinating as I write this), poached chicken, a soup (probably leek and potato soup), rice and vegetable side dishes. With hot tea on the side.
For dinner on Christmas day, we’ll have leftovers from Christmas Eve and Christmas day brunch. With wine, of course.
Simple, right? But not what you’re expecting from someone who writes a food blog? Well, you see, I don’t want to labor over so much cooking that, by the time I sit down to eat with my family, I’d feel too exhausted to enjoy the food and company. So, a simple and doable menu makes sense.
What’s new in the blog?
Garlicky sausage mac and cheese – Store bought garlicky sausage meat is browned and combined with Mornay sauce before cooked pasta is stirred in. Fast and easy snack or a filling lunch or dinner. Get the recipe.
Stovetop soda braised pork ribs – I’d call it 7-Up pork ribs but Sprite was used here. Almost any soda drink can be substituted but I find that the citrusy ones are best for marinating and / or braising meat. Get the recipe.
Tawilis, Taal and a book by Thomas Hargrove – This is a story about a fish that can be found in only one lake, and that lake is in the caldera of a volcano. But to tell that story, I first have to write about a book I found lying around in a house overlooking the lake and volcano. Read more.
