It's Christmas Dinner, so....

Thats fine James, plenty far enough away.

I love to see your wife doing the 'hot-pot' along with my Uncle Bob! Lol

Roasted potatoes and carrots and onions and Yorkshire Pudding Ron..get the gold like metal coins full of choclate for the Plum pudding or sprinkle them around the bottom as decoration and "flame" the Plum Pudding"...yep that sounds good to me, but I'm still on Thanksgiving right now...trying to afford the Christmas Shopping...say you all know about going down to the local river an getting smooth rocks of different sizes...some tall an humped..others squarish and so forth..then you bring them back, clean them up and paint an English village on them...rocks are the buildings, the church, etc..then you can go to any store for the little people..or make clothes pins dolls. . No you guys...your not going to ruin this by buyng the militray figureines and "storming"the village!!!  I can see Ron and James going into some "battle" in an pub right now with little plastic military people.

Ok, local thrift store organization...whom knows me helping others to the hudnreds and thousands of dollars by now...always seems to get me what I need. They put their whole store on sale at half price...everything in it. My sister got her an rememant of an new sofa this morning for very liitle money..we helped her go over there to get it..had to buy it they woulnd't accept her check...so I deducted $10 and she gave me an check for the balance, pu ton my credit card...in the meantime the Goodwill had the rememant of an sofa hammock...I bought that for the kids yesterday...no price on it...I think so no one else would buy it but me maybe. ..placed down in an bunch of other stuff. I was expecting..to pay more... but so glad they were kind to me. So you know what..I'm not kidding about this either..."nick" was our Cashier that looked like "jesus" in his youth...I said..."Nick... heh?...he says yep...kind of like "St. Nick"...with an grin from ear to ear. But I tell you I think I ran into the real one one year at the store working my fingers off down to the problems I have right now...when Iheard this boisterous happy man talking to everyone...wishing them an Happy Holiday and he steped up and I rand his stuff in and I said politely...Have an Merry Christmas!....and he grabbed my hand and he held it said ever so tenderly to him and said soul wise to me...And YOU..Have an Merry Christmas young lady!. then off he went spreading his Happy Holiday message and I just knew there had to been more to this guy besides "mortal" man in the world. Sometimes in the least of times I feel such an "Love" take me over it brings me to tears... and takes me to my knees sometimes. It comes at some of the most rediculous, simple and "humble" times in my life...sometimes "JC" makes me laugh also. Not many people can do that these days. My freind has told me for years now that I was taking on to much of the world's cares...and that was some over 30 years ago. But someone has to do it..and we all have to do it with what we have available. With "love" comes sharing and with real sharing comes "peace". If but tonly for an moment in time...it makes an memory.... that your soul can take with your wherever it goes.

I'll see what I can conger up here soon as to Christmas..I did find an most unsusal receipe though...this is cabbage/saurcraut (spelling)? with canned corn beef "pasties"...or meat pies...now in the land of "Hot Pockets" you can't buy them. I thought about sending the receipe to Peter Evans as he like his beef pasties. I will ha ve to find the receipe again.

As for Chirstmas gifts...the last one is the most expensive...and I'm being made to pay for Christmas with "cash" this year. This is to give the kids some "heat" if they lose electricity out in the rural country setting they are in with no fireplace of any kind. You know its bad enough in the city...but you can ususally in the city take public transporation to get to my house with an couple fireplaces..one with an wood stove. I can't imagine someone out that far having an rental with no secodnary heat source for beign snowed in possibly...maybe they never get snowed in...I kind of doubt that one. I am thinking an propane heater though..an larger one...but not residentual size..if not two of them. We do have an smaller one here...but I need that one I think for my sister's apartment...just in case. Then I'm kind of done on the important stuff to be giving this season and the rest is what's on sale for how much. I got some other stuff to share...so off to make an new thread...James...Ron...you scoundrels of the pub...if I ever had to drink... or if I ever had  to take drugs...to believe that things I see as people, as I described above...I could never have the faith and beleive as I do in the "living life" on the other side...guardian angels and an benevolent creator to the world. 

Shirley says>>>James...Ron...you scoundrels of the pub...if I ever had to drink..

Lol at Shirley. But you know it's that James who started it!!

Ok guys..I slept on this overnight....my suggestion for an "it was the

best of times,..it was the wworst ot times Christmas Menu...

Adults....Green Salad and French Onion Soup made with wine and topped with an baguet with melted cheese on top  Skewered Tips and Tails....this is sirloin beef tips and medallions of Lobster served on an golden rice Pilaf...with butter and beef sauce on the side to dip your meat in.....with that goes oval potatoes...new potatoes cut down small like fingerlings...and sauteed in oil and herbs and then the pan placed in the oven and are roasted...this goes with steamed green beans as an side dish...alll that's left is the 4 ozs of Salmon poached  and topped with an fruit slalsa......dinner roll. For dessert

I suggest an dramatic "Cherries Jubilee" aflame over ice cream...or Plum Pudding....and an assortment of decorated Christmas Cookies and you choice of beverages.

The kids menu can be veggie sticks with beef barley soup and an dinner roll..and crisy batter fried chicken nuggets on top of the rice and instead of the salmon tiny skewers of green sweet pepper, chunk pineapple and cherry tomatoes....oval potatoes and steamed green beans. This is for the wee ones also..it would be up to the parents to decide if the kids would eat an adult type menu.There again cookies and "Cherries Jubilee" for desssert or Pulm Pudding.

I would normally suggest Crown Roast Beeef and Yorkshire Pudding...but I know meat is pricey to some these days...and this gives an bit of something different without the high cost. Add or subtract food as fits your family's taste. This is an easy meal to prepare also.

I found my old time British Cookbook...Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding is an world reknown  national ..dish from England......Beef over there is often called an "joint" and is traditionally eaten as an meal on Sunday. In the 19th centrury "joints' weighed about 24 pounds while those under ten pounds were often called an Tom Thumb Joint. Since fireplaces were small back then and sometimes fuel was scarce...it was in some places coustomery as one went to church Sunday to drop off their "joint" to be cooked at the local bakery...being bread was never made on Sunday. The Sunday joint was enjoyed all week long and lead to this old saying....Hot on Sunday...Cold on Monday...Hashed on Tuesday....Minced on Wednesday...Curried on Thursday...Broth on Friday...Cottage pie on Saturday. Nowadays we are warned about eating to much meat but in 1817 Dr. Kitchiner, writing in his "Oracle of Health" advised his readers to never eat less then 6 pounds of meat per week. Recipe...

Rost Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

4 pounds of rib roast...rub in 2 tablespoon of oil and place in an roasting pan at 450 degrees, fat side up...cook for rare 1-1/4 hours...medium 1-1/2 hours...baste the meat frequently. Meanwhile prepare the batter for the Yorkshire Pudding...sift 3/4 cup of flour...and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt into an bowl, making an well in the center of the bowl....add 3/4 cup of milk and one tablespoon of water...adding grandually to the flour and beating it with an wooden spoon... In an separate bowl beat 2 eggs until frothy....add them...beat entire mixture until bubbles rise to the surface...refrigerate for 1/2 hour. When the meat is cooked...remove it and place on a wram platter... cover with aluminum foil and let stand 25 mins before carving...in the meantime make your Yorkshire pudding...reheat the batter and pour it quickly into the still hot roasting pan..bake it at 450 degrees for 10 mintues...and then 350 degrees for an additional 15 minutes..do not open the oven door while it is cooking. It should come out an nice golden brown. Also don't drain your meat drippings as they are what makes the Yorkshire pudding to begin with  unique and flavorful...they should resemble an kind of puffed up dinner roll on top when done...Serve immediately.