CHRISTMAS DINNER 2018

    I keep myself less busy this year , just a few simple items on the dinner table. Christmas is supposed to be relaxing , don't really want to stress oneself by doing too much and spoil the holiday spirit.

   The bird is 7 kg , larger than usual for our family, stuffed with my fruity stuffing.



  My Christmas vegetable soup (it actually has meat in it)  with purchased cocktail shrimp and cooked ham.



Regular meshed potato with something foreign on it. I hope no one double-dipped it.



 I came up with this at the last minute. Didn't know what to know with the scallops. This is my ad-hoc receipe of baby scallops on bacon bits.




  Lightly seasoned roast beef with gravy (not shown), tastes more tender than it looks.I wonder if this small portion would feed King Henry VIII!?




  Cranberry sauce for the turkey.



    This is my Christmas meal (veggie soap, turkey drum stick/ small slice of turkey breast and stuffing ,cocktail shrimps, roast beef with gravy, meshed potato and scallops ,  no ham (leave some room for dessert). I am not a big eater , I personally prefer the feeling of hunger over the feeling of overly-indulging myself.





  This log of something is for dessert. A ribbon makes everything look elegant!



   The log is a chocolate case for an assortment of chocolate candies .







   This year , I delegate the job of bakery to one of my nieces who is more expert than me in that department. A simple lightly sweetened sponge cake. I am not a fan of heavily sweetened bakery, this is just right for me.

    The holes are for toothpicks holding up some food wrapper acting as cover for the cake.




  This is my dessert: Cake with some chocolate and a cup of freshly brewed Japanese green tea (again, I like light drink). Honestly, even a cup of hot water would be fine for me to digest the meal.




  Presents from one of my nieces. Yes, I am keeping the ribbon. I am a sucker for ribbons.



   Haven't read Stephen King's works for years, these are very good presents for me.

This will be the second book I read titled The Outsider. The other one is by S.E. Hinton (not horror).




   The second novel I got is written by Stephen King and his son Owen King. I have not read Owen's works, so this is also a very good present for me .



     My niece asked me to tell her if they were any good after reading them. I told her to ask me in a few years, knowing my speed in reading novels (as if I am slowly digesting each word in the novel), that would be approximately the time I require to finish reading them........

     ........but this year's best present for me is the fact that my mother can be off the med she has been taken for her "illness" in a few months if her current condition holds. I hope "IT" doesn't return and I don't wish it on anyone. I wish I could just transfer my health to my mother............