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Monday 15 December 2014

Christmas.....at Home

It's less than 10 days to Christmas Eve...and now is probably the time to think if you'd be celebrating (and cooking) at home or making the necessary reservations to dine out at a fancy restaurant, I guess.  [#Tip: If you're thinking of dining out, Angus Steakhouse, The Pressroom or Jake's is a probable choice (though prices are on the higher end, at least to me) or Victoria Station, The Ship, Coliseum or Castell (which is still pretty popular for many because of its affordability) though I would suggest that you stick with their 'a la carte' menu rather than their 'set meals' (if you want better quality food as I had a disastrous one once).]

It's certainly not cheap for those on a budget looking forward to a nice holiday season meal with their families and loved ones.  With the price of most festive meals costing in the region of RM100 (or more) per person, a home cooked meal nowadays doesn't seem that bad.

The few recipes that I've posted in my blog (recently) may come in handy for those thinking of eating in (as opposed to eating out at an expensive restaurant) this year.  I have done this for family and friends before (in the past) and it never failed to get good feedbacks.  Maybe you can give this a try....and (hopefully) get the same positive reviews too *fingers crossed*!  And this is one Xmas dinner that won't cost you 'an arm and a leg' :D

So, let's recap (and revisit) some of the choices (and recipes) available to you in the cooking posts I've put up so far (just some from my archives).  They're not that difficult for amateur cooks (like me) and some are simple enough (for just about anyone) to follow.

First, you'll need to start off with an appetiser.  Choose between...


....or a Salad Veronique
 
....or a Borsch Soup
 
....or a Fresh Fruit Salad
 
For your main course, you can go with either.....


 
 
...or even Pan-fried Salmon Fillet (this will be the costliest option, of course)

.......and serve that with your best.....
 
.....Thyme Roasted Potatoes

 
.....and a side of vegetables of your choice
 
For dessert, stick with fruits...which is the easiest to do.  I like to use fresh mango (but with a twist).
Grate some lime zest (make sure you don't get the white parts which will be bitter) and mix (pound) them with a little sugar.  Sprinkle on top your sliced mangoes.
This gives a fragrant and refreshing lift to your (otherwise) mundane mangoes.
 
...Fresh Mango (with a lime zest & sugar mix)

...or Fresh (Hawaiian) Papaya (with a wedge of lime)

...or a scoop of your favourite (Haagen Dazs) ice cream, perhaps?
(since I didn't have any ice cream with me, I had to borrow this pic *wink*)

...or even some (or more like 2 pcs)....keke...of Godiva chocolates for a bit of that festive spirit ;)
(I just received this a few days earlier from a neighbour...thanks)

Get a few inexpensive bottles of Sparkling Juice
(and serve that chilled as your drinks for the night)

Finally, end with a good cup of hot coffee
(add a cookie by the side to make it look more like one served at a fancy cafe)! :D
 
Damage: Probably in the region of RM25 - RM45 per pax
(depending on your choice of mains but minus the ice cream and chocolates...hehe)

Now, that's a complete Xmas dinner if I do say so myself.  A meal that's palate.....as well as.....wallet friendly!!  Who says you can't have a lovely Christmas dinner......at home!!  
 
Hope you have a wonderful and enjoyable meal this holiday season with family and friends.....whether at home or in a fancy restaurant!!!

Have the merriest Christmas possible!
 

13 comments:

  1. Very nice indeed!
    I won't be doing any cooking though, I will be back in KL, and my family don't really celebrate Christmas so I think I won't be having very Christmas-y fare...

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    Replies
    1. Ahh...you won't be doing any cooking....but I'm sure your mom will be cooking all your favourite food...and that's even better!

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  2. No plans yet. Yes, we would probably cook our own Christmas dinner at home - just a simple one for the three of us.

    It is way too expensive to go for the sets outside - over RM100 each, not worth it really. Or maybe we would go to those that are not offering those sets and have something nice.

    Not going to be so silly as to be slaughtered in the name of the season of joy and love, of loving and giving, not me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Since all 3 of you are such good cooks, I'm sure your Xmas dinner will be kick-ass good ;) Although eating out will be expensive, it's still ok to be slaughtered...once in a blue moon :D for a special occasion!

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  3. Replies
    1. I'm sure you'll be eating a lot of even yummier dishes throughout this festive season!

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  4. Great suggestions up there! I would prefer to eat at home. Once I went to The Ship with my partner and they only had their "special" menu to cater to the crowd. I felt very shortchanged as I would have preferred to choose from their main menu. The food was just so so and we learnt our lesson. No more Christmas dinners outside from now on!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I had that same experience at The Ship many years ago. To cater to the large crowds, they want to mass produce their food to save time and money, I guess. I don't think they do that anymore...most of them now have both sets and a la carte (coz they obviously make more money from a la carte dishes than the sets). So, you can still give it a try....just choose the right restaurant! =)

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  5. true, the prices for christmas set meals do feel painful, but what i'm dreading even more are the prices for chinese new year dinners, heh :) you've put together a great variety for a home-cooked dinner ... it'd be more satisfying than some restaurant meals ... well done :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As painful as they are, it's ok to eat out if we don't want to slave over a stove....after all, it's Christmas....and we should pamper ourselves once in a while :D But for those thinking of cooking at home, I hope I've put out some ideas for them too.

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  6. Thank you for the warm wishes! Hope you have the merriest Christmas too! If I ever cook again, for Christmas, from your suggested list, I will have:
    1. Shrimp & Mango Cocktail
    2. Pan-fried Salmon Fillet
    3. Ice cream

    Thanks for putting together the options.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your wishes! Don't say never...here's hoping that we might (one day) have a cooking post from you :D

      Good choice, I think you've chosen the simplest (yet tasty) meal to put together!

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    2. I may have a cooking post one day but I definitely will not be the one cooking. It would be my spouse. Lol!

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