A Beach Christmas

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I am quite surprised that I have not used this blog title previously as we have spent several Christmases at the beach over the past 10 years or so. It is always somewhere different and this year we opted for a house at Peregian Beach for a week with our 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters. My sister, brother and brother-in-law joined us for Christmas Day.

Our lunch menu was a mix of tried and true favourites along with a couple of new recipes.

In fact, when I was re-reading some old blog posts today I stumbled upon one from 2017 and the menu looked like this:

Proscuitto wrapped asparagus and haloumi **
Cold curried chicken **
Rice **
Parsley and cranberry crusted salmon
Mango and avocado salad **
Beetroot and feta salad
Green bean salad with slivered almonds
Meringue roulade with berries and pistachio nuts **

The items marked ** were on the table again in 2024. The meringue roulade is a particular specialty from our younger daughter and she excelled herself this year. She thinks this is the best one she has made.

I took this photo before the addition of the chopped pistachio nuts which add a nice touch of festive green contrast to the raspberries and pomegranate seeds.

A new addition was a Crispy Balsamic Thyme Potato Torte which we all agreed was a winner.

I will add the recipes for both of these in posts over the next couple of weeks.

I hope you have had a celebration which suited you and your family (everyone’s circumstances are different). Wishing you a safe and peaceful season from our home to yours.

My Favourite Salad

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Does anyone else take notes on the ingredients and structure of dishes which you enjoy when dining out?

During our recent trip to the USA and Canada we ate at ‘Antique Taco’ in Wicker Park, Chicago.  We discovered it because it was rated as one of the 10 best tacos in the USA by Fodor’s Travel.  After reading the email containing this information, it was an absolute must-do when we were in Chicago and we were not disappointed.

The kale salad was amazing and I have managed to create something similar at home.

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This is what was left in the bowl after dinner tonight and using some for lunch tomorrow.

There are no specific quantities for the ingredients.

Curly kale (thick vein removed and finely chopped)
Finely chopped red onion
Diced capsicum
Dried cranberries (chopped)
Spiced peanuts (I buy raw peanuts and toss them in a bit of oil, chilli powder, cumin and sea salt)
Dressing

Lime juice
Red wine vinegar
Pomegranate molasses
Olive oil
Herb salt
Black pepper

Use the dressing sparingly.  Tos salad well to ensure that all surfaces are coated.

Unlike most salads, I think this improves after standing for 6 – 12 hours.

If you decide to try this, please let me know what you think.