Christmas Cooking from a List

 
When a special event comes around, I create a menu of foods my family requests or foods I want. 

This Christmas (December 25, 2020), I asked, but no one had a list of special items, so I made the list of the generic foods everyone likes. 

Depending on the pocket of space I have for preparation, the list grows and is altered with scratches. 

  


I cook in a methodical way, which any chef/cook knows. Start with desserts that must be prepared and chilled the day before. Move to meats and other dishes (Nigerian stew made from fresh tomatoes) that take an hour or longer to cook. Move to sides (carbohydrates mostly) and vegetables that cook for a long time. Finish with veggies and other dishes that can be cooked in minutes.
   

Now we feast! From top left to bottom left: steamed long-grain rice, Nigerian stew made from fresh tomatoes and Scotch Bonnet pepper (only one), black-eyed peas, fresh codfish, brown rice pasta, the veggie trio of cauliflower, carrot, and broccoli steamed in a wok, another veggie trio of kale, cabbage, and spinach added in that order, and air-fried plantain. 

I have been collecting Spode Christmas Tree cookware and utensils. I hope to complete the set now that I am on their mailing list.  

After the gastronomical repast, we feasted on “Nile Rodgers & Chic: Live at Montreux” (Switzerland) and (of course) both versions of “Shaft” with Richard Roundtree and Samuel L. Jackson.




We package the leftovers:

Sorry for the store-bought desserts: Lemon Sponge Cake and Triple Chocolate Creme Cake.


The cake was rich, soft, and crunchy at the same time. 
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It was time to wash the dishes. People vanished.
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--Frances Ohanenye maintains this visual "cookbook" that features processes and ingredients in pictures. Cooks and chefs need to calibrate according to their locale, availability, and preference. Click on the "Open Source Cooking" tab for additional information. Thanks for visiting. Have a fruitful day


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