This blogfest is Christmas dinner with your blogger family
I want to thank Melissa from Through the Looking Glass for this Christmassy blogfest Be Jolly By Golly. It's all about the way you celebrate, how you decorate.
I have a little problem as I mainly live in an apartment in inner-city Brisbane, but celebrate Christmas at our beach house 100 kilometers north at Peregian Beach on the Sunshine Coast.
Here is a photo of a family member at the beach house with my little doggie, Foxy Lady, smelling a rose from our garden.
As we won't be in the apartment at Christmastime, we just bang up fairy lights and have a small Christmas tree here. All the pressies are in the car waiting for me to drive up early this week to decorate the tree at the beach and have everything ready for the family when they arrive on Christmas Eve.
This is beautiful, quiet, perfect Peregian Beach at low tide. Our village is up the sand dunes and very tiny. The metropolis you see is the next town, Coolum Beach. I can't wait to get running along that golden sand...
The first thing Melissa and Jen want is pictures of my decorations, holiday lights and Christmas tree.
SO, I don't just want to post our pov little tree and lights here. I thought I'd post a piccie of the Christmas tree in King George Square in the city, just a few minutes from my home here. It is the largest Christmas tree in the world that is completely solar powered. Not bad to have in your backyard!
How we celebrate.
We celebrate Christmas Day by coming together as a family. This changes every year as there are new family members. Everyone comes to the beach house.
We don't bother much with breakfast. Used to, but no one felt like lunch after all that bacon and eggs and croissants and danish pastries!
We have a roast at lunch (even in this heat!). I'm in charge of desserts and my Toblerone Cheesecake always takes pride of place. There is always Christmas pud for those with a remnant of the Empire flowing through their veins.
We especially love Christmas Tea which is very relaxed. We sit on the deck overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. We indulge in fresh prawns, hams etc and delicious duck liver pate (made by a chef we know), all sorts of cheeses, toasted Turkish breads, tropical fruits ad infinitum!
I am to share our favorite holiday treat, ahem, well mine anyway.
TOBLERONE CHEESECAKE
Ingredients:
1 cup plain chocolate biscuit crumbs
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup thickened cream
1/4 cup ground almonds
200g TOBLERONE Milk or Dark Chocolate for shaving
200g TOBLERONE Milk or Dark Chocolate, melted
500g block PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
80g butter, melted
Instructions:
Combine biscuit crumbs, butter and almonds, press into the base of a lightly greased 20cm springform pan. Chill.
Beat PHILADELPHIA and sugar using an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the melted Toblerone and cream until well combined.
Pour onto the prepared crumb base and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours until set, or overnight. Serve topped with the TOBLERONE shavings.
This only takes about 15 minutes to prepare. I usually make three for various functions, so just as well it's quick!
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Share your favorite holiday drink (Either alcoholic or non, share your recipe if you please - Melissa and Jen reckon we're all going to want to drink theirs so they'd like some options to steal too).
We like to make what we call a Toblerone (like a mudslide) for after Christmas Tea. It makes a delicious change after all the wine that's been sipped during the day along with the odd majito or two!
Artistically drizzle (if you can keep your hand steady by this stage) melted Cadbury's chocolate or Toblerone chocolate or at the very least, chocolate sauce, around the inside of the glass (like my Eiffel Tower?), then gently pour in the mix. Top with whipped cream if you're absolutely disgusting! And why not some hunks of Toblerone or chocolate sauce if you're determined to milk this for all it's worth!
Sip reverently.
Remember to drink sensibly. Everyone crashes at the beach house (on a bed, not in a car!) No one drives anywhere. We all go for a run/walk/swim after lunch and dinner at night to deal with all the calories and alcohol. It's nice to greet in the street and admire Christmas lights and on-going parties before yet another perfect Christmas Day is over.
Once all the Christmas hoo ha is over, this is where I'll sit and read and watch the sunset...dinner will be BBQs on the deck for the rest of the week...
Happy Christmas and New Year everyone!
Don't forget to visit everyone else, share in the holiday spirit and spread the cheer.
