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How to prepare for Christmas so you don't face Christmas night completely exhausted

How to prepare for Christmas so you don't face Christmas night exhausted there are several answers to and the easiest is to be invited away. At some point, most of us become the one who is expected to have the most clue about Christmas food in the family. We have been celebrating Christmas at home, with guests over several days for many years now. I've eventually found my way to do it, so christmas time will be cozy and not just stress. You can get some of my tips here.

The most important thing is to make an overview of everything that needs to be done. I have an old Excel sheet, which I have been using and improving over many years and it looks like this:

The sheet has one tab, which is the shopping list and another tab that deals with all the meals, including drinks. I color the cells as the items are purchased and the tasks done.

I also have a tab with all tasks, divided by when it should be done, a tab for purchasing Christmas gifts and a tab for table placements.

The trick is to do everything as early as possible, so as little remains to be done towards the end. This means that I am always done with all gifts, long before December starts.

Pepperkakepalass
Pepperkakepalass
Advent:

I like to decorate with lilla for Advent, so there will be a bit of a difference between the time before Christmas and the Christmas celebration itself. The decoration has been bought over many years and it is always nice to bring it out again.  

Christmas decorations:

I grew up with christmas decorations happening on Christmas Eve. To create some breathing room, I've started a little earlier and take the Christmas decorations over a couple of days.

Christmas food:

We have  Mølje  at 12 noon on Christmas Eve and  The dairy bread, which is a kind of flatbread, can be made in early December and kept dry until it is to be used. If you don't have a roasting stack, or you don't have time, the bread can be bought ready-made in most grocery stores, at least in Eastern Norway.

When it comes to the Christmas food itself, it is ribs that apply with us and the accessories are made over time and frozen. For example, I make medister cakes and sauerkraut for Sunday dinner in early December. Then I make so much, that I have enough for Christmas at the same time and I freeze that. That makes it easy to pick it up on Christmas Eve and put it to thaw in the fridge. The same thing happens with Christmas sausage, which I also make myself, and red cabbage.

Rib:

Ribs are a chapter in their own right, since I have to cook the ribs, to get dairy power. My husband would rather follow his own rib recipe, so we make each spring. The ribs are seasoned and set cold several days before Christmas and the one to be cooked gets a few hours in the pan on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve:

In order for Christmas Eve to be as calm as possible, I peel the potatoes in the morning and leave them in the pan, completely covered with cold water, until they should be boiled. Those who want cod, pork chops, turkey or something else can also do the same.

Mom's turkey

 

Dessert:

When two Christmas traditions are to become one, compromise solutions are not always possible, so that's why we have two desserts on Christmas Eve, rice cream and caramel pudding. I start as early as possible with both, so the pudding is ready for decoration the day before. I also make the rice porridge and sauce the day before, so it only remains to whip cream and mix with the porridge on Christmas Eve.

 

Christmas cookies:

Christmas cookies can also be made early, because they have a long shelf life and only need a tight box to thrive. It's also smart to ally with someone, either to make preparations together, or distribute the baking of the cakes and switch afterwards.

1st of Christmas

Christmas Day 1st is the finest day of Christmas, I think. We eat "breakfast" from 12:00 – 24:00 and when the table is finished, the calm really settles down on me. This way of enjoying Christmas Day 1st is an old tradition in our family and both young and old enjoy themselves.

 

How to prepare for Christmas so you do not face Christmas night completely exhausted? I hope you have found some tricks here, but I would like to say in conclusion, that a pleasant Christmas celebration is more important than that everything should be homemade, or absolutely perfect.

 

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Rice cream with strawberry sauce

Rice cream with strawberry sauce belongs to Christmas for many of us. I always make more rice porridge than I need and serve it for lunch before cooling down the rest.

1 dl porridge rice

2 dl water

1 l of milk

1 vanilla bean, divided in two lengthwise

3 dl cream, whipped to cream

1 tablespoon sugar

Make porridge as instructed on the package, but with the vanilla bar. Cool and leave it cold until you are going to make the rice cream. Select the vanilla bar, before proceeding.

Beat the cream until cream, mix it with the rice and season with sugar.

Sauce:

400 g strawberries

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 dl water

Approx. 100 g sugar (to taste)

Process the strawberries with water and vanilla extract in blender. Season with sugar.

Serve rice cream with the strawberry sauce next to it so guests can help themselves.

Rice cream with strawberry sauce
Rice cream with strawberry sauce

 

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Hoagie rolls med biff

Hoagie rolls with steak are a delicious lunch or evening dish and I'm happy to make them, if I have leftover steak from the day before. If you don't want to spend time baking, you can use baguettes or mini flutes instead.

Hoagie rolls:

500 g wheat flour

3.5 dl lukewarm water (37 degrees)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 packet of dry yeast

1 ts salt

80 g of diced cold butter

Knead everything well together in the food processor in mine. 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with a cloth and raise to double the size, about 1 hour. Knead the dough back together, divide it into 8 pieces and shape into oblong bread this way: Use as little flour as possible for baking, because the more flour you add, the tougher the hoagie rolls become.

Pat each piece of dough flat, to a rectangle with a thickness of about 1 cm. Place them with the long side facing you. Fold the bottom third to the center and then fold the top quarter (like an envelope) toward the center and press gently to seal. Turn the dough 180 degrees, so the last tray faces away from you and repeat the folding. What you do is fold the dough into itself. Place your hand gently over the center of the dough, and without pressing/pressing down, gently roll the dough back and forth to reinforce the seal and roll it out into a cane. If necessary, carefully pinch the seam together. Grasp the ends and gently pull them outwards to help stretch out the dough about 2-3 cm.

Stuff the ducks during the hoagie role so they don't appear and place them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Place moistened plastic wrap over and let them rise again to double size, about 45 minutes. Bake hoagie rolls for approx. 20 min. until golden brown and let them cool, before cutting them lengthwise and filling them with goodies.

Hoagie rolls med biff:

Hoagie rolls (ev. baguetter eller miniflutes)

Cattle tenderloin (leftover from yesterday's dinner)

Onions and peppers, which are sautéed in a little butter and become slightly soft

Tomato

Grated cheese

Divide the loaves almost lengthwise, add meat, onions, peppers, tomato and cheese. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 15 min. and serve with the desired sauce, e.g. chimichurry, which you will find recipe for HERE.

 

or mango and curry dressing, which you can find recipe for HERE.

 

 

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Weekly menu for week 48

The weekly menu for week 48 is ready. You can get into the recipes by following the links, either in here, in the headers or by clicking on the pictures. I hope the menu is to your liking.

Monday: Goulash soup
Goulash soup
Goulash soup
Tuesday: Salmon teriyaki – quick and delicious food from Japan
Salmon teriyaki - fast and delicious food from Japan
Salmon teriyaki - fast and delicious food from Japan
Wednesday: Grandma's very easy and cheap pasta dish
Grandma's very convenient and cheap pasta dish
Grandma's very convenient and cheap pasta dish
Thursday: Tart shells
Tart shells
Tart shells
Friday: Mexican lamb strips
Mexican lamb strips
Mexican lamb strips
Saturday: Duck breast sous vide with port wine sauce
Duck breast sous vide with port wine sauce
Duck breast sous vide with port wine sauce
Dessert: Panna cotta with raspberry coulis
Panna cotta with raspberry coulis
Panna cotta with raspberry coulis
Sunday: Medister cakes with old-fashioned brown sauce and exciting red cabbage
Medister cakes with old-fashioned, brown sauce and exciting red cabbage
Medister cakes with old-fashioned, brown sauce and exciting red cabbage
Dessert: Semolina pudding with raspberry coulis
Semolina pudding with raspberry coulis
Semolina pudding with raspberry coulis

The weekly menu for week 48 is just a suggestion and you will find lots of other exciting recipes HERE.

You will find more exciting and varied menus HERE .

 

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AperitifMat

Chops in a barrel

Chops in barrels are an old Danish recipe, which makes the chops a little more exciting. The dish is practical in a hectic everyday life, since everything except the rice is prepared in the same form.

4 pork chops of about 225-250 g per piece.

150 g diced bacon

1 red onion in strips

1 box chopped tomatoes

3 dl cream

1 teaspoon paprika powder

1 ts oregano

250 grams of sliced mushrooms

1 ss balsamiceddik

1 red pepper in strips

Parsley, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Brown the chops in butter in the frying pan and season them with salt and pepper. Place them in a baking dish, which fits just right, so you can lay them tightly, but not with overlap. Brown the mushrooms in the same butter and spread them up the chops. Fry the bacon in the same butter and spread the mushrooms. Finally, brown the onion in the same fat, put it on top of the bacon and sprinkle the peppers over.

Pour the chopped tomatoes (also rinse the can with a little water and add it) into the pan along with cream, paprika powder and oregano and bring to a boil. Season with a little balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour the cream sauce over the chops.

Put the mold a little far down in the oven at 180 degrees for about 30 – 40 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve chops in a dish with rice.

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Rum and raspberry drink

Rum and raspberry drinks are easy to like, fresh and sweet at the same time.

4 raspberries

25 ml Bacardi Razz

25 ml raspberry liqueur

50 ml of cranberry juice

1/2 lime, juice only

Soda water

Mix raspberry, Bacardi Razz, raspberry liqueur, cranberry juice and lime juice in a glass with ice cubes. Top up with soda.

Rum and raspberry drink
Rum and raspberry drink

 

You will find plenty, both tasty and exciting drink recipes, both with and without alcohol, HERE.

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Pear- and blue-skimmed lobster

Pear and blue skimmed lobster is a variation I have come up with of the French recipe "lobster thermidor". It is suitable both as an appetizer and as a main course, depending on how much lobster you calculate for each one. The recipe is suitable for 4 pers as an appetizer or 2 pers as a main course.

2 hummer

1 shallot, finely chopped

1.5 dl cream

1 tablespoon butter

2 egg yolks

2 ss Creme Fraiche

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 handful dill, finely chopped

1 dl grated parmesan

100 g blue cheese

2 bulbs, peeled and divided into small cubes

Salt and pepper

Lemon or lime for serving

Ev. lol

Divide the lobster in half. Remove the pope and intestine. If you buy lobster on Meny, they will help you with this. Remove the meat from the body and claws and divide it into cubes, before putting it back in the shell.

Saute the onion in the butter until glossy. Add the cheeses, crème fraiche and cream and bring to a boil. When it almost boils, the yolks are quickly stirred in. After this, it must not boil. Stir dill and pear and season with salt and pepper.

Place the lobsters in a baking dish and spread the sauce over. Gratinated in the middle of the oven at 220 degrees until the surface is golden.

Served with a lemon zest or lime and fresh loaf.

 

 

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Chicken salad with curry and pineapple

Chicken salad with curry and pineapple tastes great on the slice of bread, rolls or in a baguette. I think it can be good to make toppings myself and this chicken salad, with a great taste of curry, is probably a favorite.

2 chicken breasts

1 bag of mayonnaise

3 tablespoons sour cream

1 tbsp curry

1/2 lemon, juice

1 pinch of dried chili

1 box pineapple, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons parsley leaves, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

Fry the chicken breasts and divide them into cubes. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. It only gets better by standing a little in the fridge and can be made the day before.

Chicken salad with curry and pineapple
Chicken salad with curry and pineapple

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Oberstinnesild

Colonel herring is my stepfather's specialty. It fits perfectly on the breakfast table for Christmas and is very popular in our family.

5 seasoned herring fillets

1 dl vinegar

200 g sugar

10 whole cloves

10 whole peppercorns

2 large finely chopped onions

3 ss agurkmiks

1 dl ketsjup

1 dl rapeseed oil

Water the herring as it says on the package and divide it into 1 cm pieces. Mix the herring pieces with vinegar, sugar, cloves, crushed peppercorns, onion, cucumber mix, ketchup and rapeseed oil. Let it cool for 2 days before eating, so that the flavors settle.

Oberstinnesild

Oberstinnesild

You can find more exciting recipes with herring HERE.

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A delicious stew with cream sauce

A delicious stew with cream sauce tastes extra good when the weather is rough. If you can get your hands on chanterelles, you can replace the mushrooms in the recipe with it. This recipe is suitable for 4 people.

800 g beef (eg beef)

3 finely chopped onions

1 pk aromasopp

1 pk mushroom

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

1/2 fl. white wine

2 bay leaves

2 tsp thyme

4 tbsp beef stock

2 tsp rosemary

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

10 potatoes

4 carrots

1 bunch parsley

3/4 ltr cream

Start by browning cubes of beef (e.g. round beef).  Add the onion and brown further for a few minutes, before adding the mushrooms in slices and letting it brown along with the meat and onion. Add garlic, white wine, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and pepper and let it boil in to half the amount of liquid. Add diced potatoes, carrots and finely chopped leaf parsley and stir in beef funds and cream. Simmer for about 1 hour, before seasoning with salt and pepper. Feel free to serve the stew with good bread.

A delicious stew with cream sauce
A delicious stew with cream sauce

You will find more exciting and tasty casseroles HERE.

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