ours was quite nice :)

what was on your menu?

this year i did:

for teacher gifts:
sugared almonds
chocolate bark with christmas M&M's

and for a friend i also made choc-orange-hazelnut fudge :)

I also did a fruit cake for my dad and our neighbours

on christmas day we decided to take one course each to provide (in retrospect this wasn't the best idea as ryan ended up with nothing he wanted to eat) and I did antipasto for starters. after totally overcatering with cold meats and crackers, I also made
a cream cheese & herb roll (though it was too soft to roll properly, but very yum) i cna't find this recipe, can't remember where i got it :(
and a roasted beetroot dip

I also had made a gluten free asian noodle salad for our christmas eve party (which we did with our neighbours this year). our neighbour made the most divine gluten free strawberry torte *drool* it was so light, full of ground hazelnuts and almonds.

i'm on holidays!!! hopefully i will get a bit more cooking and blogging done and maybe even find some mojo for next year ;)

this morning i cracked open the 4 ingredients gluten free cookbook, which i'd owned for a year and never used. i made the almond pancakes from the breakfast section. what a shame i doubled the mix as it was a dismal failure and my kids won't eat them :(

the pancakes break / crumble easily, take ages to cook and then burn (yes, i had it turned down way lower than for normal pancakes). they are quite dry too.

quick and easy but surprisingly nice!

green beans, topped, tailed, cut into 2" / 5cm pieces and steamed or boiled until green and starting to soften
1 red capsicum, finely diced
1/2 green capsicum, finely diced (optional)
1 stick celery, finely diced
1 rasher bacon or 3 shortcut bacon, fried or grilled til crispy, crumbled or finely diced
black pepper, freshly ground
balsalmic vinegar *, a drizzle
olive oil, a drizzle

suggested additions:
handful of toasted pinenuts
1/2 red onion or 2-3 shallots (green onions), finely chopped


* googling informed me that balsalmic vinegar is Gf, please check for yourself

mix and chill before serving