Christmas Yum

My first Christmas cook-fest. Now a pleasant memory. Thanks Donna Hay. The hour-by-hour countdown was great - but I needed more time for the unwrapping, and for a yummy breakfast cooked by the 8 year old.

No stress. Just our little (?!) family plus two. A big change from our usual big family gathering, but it was lovely to wake up at home this Christmas.

And how on Earth do you 'carve' a Pork Belly? (The scored and spiked apples were seriously cute - and perfectly mushy - I may never use apple sauce again.)

Served with crunchy roast potatoes and fennel and pear salad.

And when I stopped pouring the brandy syrup on the salad and saved it for the semifreddo things improved dramatically.

(Actually, these mini puds aren't Donna's - they're from a 2001 Mitre 10 magazine! And they're SO yum. I'll post the recipe next year. Now that's a cliffhanger!)

And that was that. Another Christmas done and dusted. So many things still on my 'To Do' List. Maybe next year....

Hope you had a lovely time with your friends and family. I am counting my blessings.