Happy New Year

The clock is ticking away, just a few more hours remain before the big bang. Lets usher the New year in with a smile, exclusive wine, a delicious gourmet spread and tons of good wishes. Here is wishing you all a cheerful Happy New Year.

Making Use Of Your Christmas Leftovers

Hey, I am back. Didn't want to let go of the golden opportunity to wish you all Happy New Year. So how did you celebrate Christmas? Must have had a gala time. But having a party at home means cooking loads of food and then wondering how to deal with the leftovers. Well, here I come to your rescue. Check out the tips below:

• Make omelette from left-over cooked meat, fish, and vegetables.
• Cook Escabeche and sarciado made from left-over fried fish.
• Bake potato stuffed with left-over chopped meat and fish.
• Mix left-over meat, fish or vegetables with mashed potato and shape into balls. Lightly dip in flour, egg, coat with breadcrumbs and pan-fry. Fry left-over rice. Add flaked fish, chopped meat, egg, shrimps, and seasoning for more nutrients and flavor.
• Toast left-over bread with margarine or sugar or make a pudding.
• Cold meats and hot potatoes – oven cooked, like hash browns are a yummy combination.

Biksemad

Sliced onions are fried till golden and then leftover caramel potatoes and roast pork (including the apples and prunes) are added to the frying pan. This ‘hash’ is served with a fried egg on the top and jam on the side!

Ham can:

• Be fried and served witheggs for breakfast.
• Be added to cooked pasta with oven roasted tomatoes and olives.
• Make a quick pizza topping (use Lebanese bread for base) with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.
• Be added to a summer risotto, with herbs, peas, and parmesan.
• Croque monsieur – fried cheese and ham sandwich, still popular.
• Freeze the bone for winter pea and ham soup.

Cold turkey with potatoes and anchovies

Ingredients: Leftover turkey, chopped, new (waxy) potatoes, ideally Pink Fir Apple or Ratte, ½-1 small can anchovies, chopped roughly, ½ clove garlic, crushed to a purée with a fork, few spring onions, or 1 small red onion, sliced finely, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh parsley

Method

Mix the anchovies with the garlic, 1 tbsp of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.Toss this mixture with the turkey and onion and leave to macerate while you boil some new potatoes until tender.Slice the potatoes when still warm and toss immediately with the turkey and some chopped fresh parsley leaves.Other possible additions include black olives, capers and sun-dried tomatoes.

Chocolate cheesecake

Ingredients

For the cheesecake

125g/4½oz bourbon biscuits, 65g/2½oz butter, melted, 100g/3½oz good-quality dark chocolate, minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids, 200g/7oz full-fat cream cheese, 400g/14oz ricotta, 75g/2½oz golden caster sugar, 3 eggs, 40g/1½oz cocoa powder, 125g/4½oz good-qualty Christmas pudding, cooked, crumbled into pieces (optional), 125g/4½oz good-quality dark chocolate, minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids, 125ml/4½fl oz double cream, 15g/½oz butter, good-quality chocolate, grated, cocoa powder, for dusting, clotted cream, to serve.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas 4. For the cheesecake, crush the bourbon biscuits into crumbs and place into a bowl. Pour over the melted butter. Press into a 14cm/6in spring-form cake tin to form the base. Place the chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water and melt, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Place the cream cheese, ricotta and sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth. Next add the eggs, then the cocoa powder and the melted chocolate. Stir in the Christmas pudding, if using. Spoon the mixture onto the base. Place the cake in the oven and cook for about one hour, or until cake is springy to the touch. Allow to cool in the tin.When cool, turn out of the tin and top with chopped or grated chocolate and a dusting of cocoa. For the sauce, place the chocolate and cream in a clean bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. When melted, whisk in the butter. The sauce must be prepared just before the cake is served, because it can't be reheated. Serve large slices with a big spoonful of sauce and a dollop of clotted cream. Dust the edge of the plate with cocoa.

Beef rolls

Ingredients

remains of cold roast or boiled beef, salt, pepper, minced herbs, 1 roll of puff pastry

Method

Mince the beef tolerably fine with small amount of its own fat. Add a seasoning of pepper, salt, and chopped herbs. Put the whole into a roll of puff-pastry, and bake for ½ hour, or longer if the roll is bigger. Beef patties may be made of cold meat, by mincing and seasoning beef as directed above, and baking in a rich puff pastry.

Christmas Crumble

Ingredients

6 plums, stoned, 4 apples, suitable for cooking, peeled, cored and quartered, Zest from 2 orangesPinch of nutmeg, Pinch of mixed spice, 3 tbspns of honey, 25g candied peel, 25g sultanas.

Crumble Mix

300g plain flour, 225g chilled butter, diced, 100g caster sugar, 150g chopped mixed nuts, 1tspn mixed spiceMethodPre heat the oven to gas mark 6/200C.Place the fruit into an oven proof dish; add the orange zest, pinch of nutmeg and mixed spice and the honey. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the candied peel and sultanas.

Cheesy Roast Beef Wraps

Ingredients

4 flour tortillas, 1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing, 1/2 lb. thinly sliced roast beef, 1 bunch green onions, chopped, 1 tomato, seeded and chopped, 4 slices romaine lettuce, 8 slices American cheese.

Method

Place tortillas on work surface and spread with salad dressing. Layer remaining ingredients on tortillas and roll up, enclosing filling. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until serving time.

Bon jovi's 'Please Come Home For Christmas'

Celebrating The Christmas Spirit

Send This Ecard

Christmas is a time for Love; a time for Joy and Peace;

A time to trim the Christmas Tree and a time to stuff the geese.

It's a time when we can come together, however far or near;

To shed a little hope into a world of sorrow and fear.

The angels are bowing their heads in reverence in memory of the one who redefined the meaning of love, kindness, togetherness bringing faith and hope into this world once again. To drown oneself in the Yuletide spirit and and allow the feel of the season to pronounce its presence:

• Hug somebody. Wish people that you meet in stores and other casual environments a happy holiday with a smile.
• Forgive and forget. Its time to condone all those who have wronged you. Give it a try and you will surely feel better.
• Drop spare coins in the Salvation Army collection buckets. Collect food and personal items and donate them to a local shelter for the homeless or for battered women.
• Be hospitable and nice to everybody. Greet your neighbors with a smile.
  Offer to baby-sit so that your friend can do her Christmas shopping, take cookies to your neighbors, or shovel an elderly neighbor's walk.
• Volunteer your time to a worthy holiday cause. Even if you are busy, you can spare an hour or two to help people less fortunate than yourself.
  Organize a party for friends and family. Play Christmas music. Watch Christmas movies.
• Spend as much time as you can with your family. Decorate your house for the holidays.
• Try not to exceed your budget as anxiety over after-Christmas bills can ruin your holiday.
• Forget all your misery, anger and frustration. Don't wallow in self pity.

Well its time for me to immerse in the Christmas celebration. Its not adieu from my side as Christmas is not the end but the beginning of a beautiful journey that takes us to newer heights, farther horizons and helps us develop a special bond of love with worthier individuals. I am proud to have had the chance to associate with such an amazing audience and I promise to return next year with greater variety, mirth and entertainment for all of you.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Let your heart be light

From now on,

our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Make the Yule-tide gay,

From now on,

our troubles will be miles away.

Wish you all a Merrier than ever Christmas and may the blessings of our savior guide you to a healthy, wealthy and wise future.

Handmade Candles Crafts For Christmas decoration

Making candle crafts is fun. Come Christmas I decided to indulge in some craft making with my niece and nephews. We are planning to get a few of these done by tomorrow evening and decorate the house with them. It requires a lot of care and patience. But the end product is always satisfying. Read on to find out more:

Apple Candle holders
Required:
12 Red Delicious apples, Apple corer, 12 small white taper candles, 1 orange, Lemon zester, 12-muffin baking pan or tray, Artificial white pine swag or branches, 4 small artificial holly branches, 4-8 medium pinecones, Florist's wire .
Instructions:
Wash and dry apples. Using apple corer, cut a small plug from the top of each apple. Insert candle. Use large hole on zester to make curls from orange peel. Embellish the tops of the apples with the curls.Group the candles on a pewter muffin pan or tray. For a nod to the holidays to come, place tray on a bed of holiday greens. Wire together holly and pinecones and place one garnish on each side of arrangement, as desired.

Ice Candles
Use a mould (paper milk cartons work well for these) Wick the candle before pouring, but use a wick that you have entirely coated in melted wax, otherwise it will get wet and never dry out, you will have a hard time burning the candle. Alternatively, you can use a taper candle secured in the centre of your milk carton (sticking through the bottom and sealed with putty from the outside). This will form a nice core for a hole-y candle, and will burn well. (again dip the wick end that is exposed in wax to keep it from getting wet). You can try making the candle with different sized ice cubes. Small ones leave small holes, etc. Fill the mould with ice cubes, then pour the melted paraffin over these. Let it harden then pour out the water. Tear away your mould and enjoy your new candle.

Christmas Candle Holder
Paint the outside of a clay pot gold. Cut a 54" piece of the red plaid wire edge ribbon and wrap the length around the wreath, overlapping the width by half. The first end can be tucked in when you are wrapping it around and this will secure it sufficiently but the other end needs to be hot glued in place. There should be a small opening between where you started wrapping the ribbon and where you finished. Take the two gold leaf branches and tuck the ends under the ribbon, one on the side where you started wrapping and the other into the side where you finished. You don't need to hot glue them in place, just use the tip of a pen or pencil to push them down in far enough so the leaves are barely touching each other. Insert the bottom of the clay pot through the ribbon-covered wreath and push the wreath up as far as you can. You should be able to push it halfway up the raised rim of the pot and because you pushed it up so tightly it will stay in place on its own. Insert a votive into the bottom of the pot. When you are ready to light the candle, melt a bit of the wax on the base of the candle to help secure it to the bottom of the pot.

Christmas-Tree-Shaped Candles
Wicking, wax, and color for starters (wax colorant is available but crayons work well too), one fairly tall, thin container - one 1-lb. coffee can per two participants - and a few pencils, pens or chopsticks for easy dipping. Silver and gold glitter comes in handy too. Put a coffee can in a double boiler and fill half- to three-quarters-full with wax and colorant. Melt over low heat. Tie a length of wicking to the center of a pencil, pen or chopstick. Make sure the knot is solid. The wick should be long enough so that when you rest the pencil across the coffee can the wick reaches to the bottom of the can.
Stir the wax to mix color evenly. When it's melted, remove it from the heat and set it on a trivet or other protective surface. Grasp the pencil and dip the wick quickly into the wax. Continue doing this, allowing the wax to harden on the wick between each dip (and dipping quickly so that you don't melt off the wax you just dipped on). As the candle forms, it will naturally assume a triangle shape - the level of the wax in the can will drop gradually and thicken as it cools. Every so often, gently but firmly drop the growing candle down onto the tabletop so that the bottom begins to flatten. Continue the dipping process until you are satisfied with the shape and size of your candle. At this point, hold the candle and gently but firmly press it down onto the table to flatten the bottom and create a stable surface. Hang the pencil over the coffee can overnight to allow candle to harden. Trim the wick.

Squash Candles
Cut the top off an acorn squash. Remove the seeds and innards. Use this hollow squash for a candle mold. You can thread a wick through the bottom of the squash using a long upholstery needle or other large needle. Seal the bottom with a bit of putty. Stand the squash in a large glass to keep it level. Pour your melted paraffin, remembering to keep some in reserve to fill the shrink well as the candle cools. You may have to do this several times, poking a small hole along the wick to relieve any trapped air. When your candle is fully hardened, cut away or peel away the squash shell and you are left with a wonderfully shaped unique candle. The flesh of the squash will leave a rustic patina on your candle as well. Flatten the base of your candle by rubbing it in an old fry pan on low heat.

Bundled Candles
Required:
Footed hurricane vase, 8 to 10 dripless silver candles with flat bottoms, Sheer blue ribbon.
Instructions
Bundle enough candles to fit inside vase and tie them together tightly with ribbon bow.Stand candles in vase. Make sure ribbon will be well away from flames. Never leave burning candles unattended.

Decorative Candles
Required:
Taper candles, Stickers, appropriate for your ocassion, Double boiler or tall can in water filled pot, Sealing wax.
Instructions:
Choose your candle and place stickers around or down one side of candle. Place sticker towards the middle if you plan on burning your candles, as you can not burn below sticker placement. When satisfied with placement dip candles once in the melted sealing wax to "laminate" your stickers onto your candle. Holding onto wick, make sure wax completly covers stickers.

Marbelized Candles
Melt some paraffin in a container in a pan of water on the stove or hot plate. Color it with a contrasting or complimenting color to the original taper color. Heat water to almost boiling in a tall container. Pour to float the colored paraffin on the surface of the hot water in the tall container. Swirl the colored paraffin around gently. Dip your taper candle in the water/colored paraffin vat, swirling it around as you pull it out. It will develop a mottled, swirl pattern of color on its surface. Let it harden and cool. Repeat if you desire.

Christmas Tree Light Day

Hey did you know, December 22nd is Christmas Tree Light day. Enjoy celebrating this day with friends and family. May the brilliant beauty and warmth of the season light up your lives.

Christmas Inflatable Santas : Love it or Positively Hate it?

They are big, they are new, they are everywhere. They are coveted and in loud demand this Christmas.

Whatever be the occasion., the birth of Jesus, holly wreaths, the Chipmunks — it includes these gargantuan, inflatable outdoor decorations, called “Airblowns”. They have been around for quite a while but 2006 marks the year when these became a full blown fixture in the pantheon of holiday decorations. A spokeswoman for Home Depot said its stores doubled the number of inflatable Christmas items offered this year to 18 from last year. Most of the popular inflatables are made by Gemmy. They can also be found in bricks-and-mortar stores like Home Depot, Target and Ace Hardware and online at Amazon.com, HomeClick, Mary Holidays, Flower Barn Nursery, Walmart.com and BuyInflatables.com.

“The magic of the Airblown is that you buy it, plug it in, and it’s ready to go,” said Sharlene Jenner, the marketing manager for Gemmy, a company that first made its mark six years ago with a wall-mounted singing fish known as Big Mouth Billy Bass, and began making Christmas floats soon after. Inflatable lawn decorations are the rage of the season. You probably have a neighbor — or two or three or four — who goes overboard decorating the house and the yard with them. Its a craze among children as well.

But not everyone is fond of these inflatables. They may be colorful and larger than life but they have an uncanny presence as well. The traditionally accepted cute happy go lucky image of Santa that floats before our eyes is completely undone when we glance at these phantasmagoric giants. Besides when deflated, they look grotesque and ugly like faceless crumpled up bodies.

“Appalling,”my friend Kate, a traditionalist who prefers only holly and evergreen as decorations, sneered as she stopped her car in front of an inflated Santa playing poker with two shrewd-eyed reindeer in a menagerie totaling two dozen figures. “It’s bad enough to see those things on Halloween. At Christmas, they rise to a level of tackiness that is horrible.”

So, how would you like a cheesy plastic Santa with super rosy cheeks and unearthly beard peeping inside your kitchen window with an unnatural smile on his face this Christmas?