A light - hearted look at the pre - Christmas season
It is well underway: the pre-Christmas catch-up, the pre-Christmas gathering. The end of year barbecue at the beach, complete with silly presents, or on the deck (terrace/verandah) at one's home. It seems as though it is time to part-aay.
What do you take when one is asked to bring food to share... or, as in my childhood, there were instructions of: "ladies, bring a plate!" I don't think that anyone would say that now. I spent many months this year taking vegetarian food to share, to gatherings, as was requested. Hardly anyone ever ate it. It seems that it was only lipservice to vegetarianism.
My piece de resistance for these requests, after the dhal failure where people politely acted as though it wasn't there, was: a tin of brown lentils, a tin of baby beetroot, sliced, and both drained, plus feta cheese, and a splosh of the Paul Newmans (salad dressing). Once, in a fit of gay abandon, I dry roasted pumpkin seeds to artfully sprinkle through, skipped the cheese, added finely diced red onion, and tons of chopped celery, parsley and mint. Rather delicious. Sometimes I have added a drained tin of corn. But no matter what I did....because it was vegetarian (again, as requested!), it was treated with the utmost suspicion.
With my obvious failures, I have been at a loss of what to take for food to share. But now, I think that I may have cracked it for the summer season. Nearby where I live, is an old caravan, alongside a fruit and vegetable barn. Outside there is also a coffee stand, and a container converted into a designer burger place - always busy. The caravan sells vanilla ice-cream with fresh strawberries or banana mashed through. Choker with the fruit. In strawberry season, of course, which it is now. Absolutely delish! I took a couple of small containers to a get-together last night. I felt like a star! Finally! People liked (loved, actually) my food to share! I positively basked in "bring a plate" glory.
So that will be my offering for the family Christmas gathering. I am feeling rather proud about this.
p.s. Next to the roundabout at Parrs Park, Glen Eden, West Auckland. THE place to be seen in summer. On the way to Piha Beach.
It is well underway: the pre-Christmas catch-up, the pre-Christmas gathering. The end of year barbecue at the beach, complete with silly presents, or on the deck (terrace/verandah) at one's home. It seems as though it is time to part-aay.
What do you take when one is asked to bring food to share... or, as in my childhood, there were instructions of: "ladies, bring a plate!" I don't think that anyone would say that now. I spent many months this year taking vegetarian food to share, to gatherings, as was requested. Hardly anyone ever ate it. It seems that it was only lipservice to vegetarianism.
My piece de resistance for these requests, after the dhal failure where people politely acted as though it wasn't there, was: a tin of brown lentils, a tin of baby beetroot, sliced, and both drained, plus feta cheese, and a splosh of the Paul Newmans (salad dressing). Once, in a fit of gay abandon, I dry roasted pumpkin seeds to artfully sprinkle through, skipped the cheese, added finely diced red onion, and tons of chopped celery, parsley and mint. Rather delicious. Sometimes I have added a drained tin of corn. But no matter what I did....because it was vegetarian (again, as requested!), it was treated with the utmost suspicion.
With my obvious failures, I have been at a loss of what to take for food to share. But now, I think that I may have cracked it for the summer season. Nearby where I live, is an old caravan, alongside a fruit and vegetable barn. Outside there is also a coffee stand, and a container converted into a designer burger place - always busy. The caravan sells vanilla ice-cream with fresh strawberries or banana mashed through. Choker with the fruit. In strawberry season, of course, which it is now. Absolutely delish! I took a couple of small containers to a get-together last night. I felt like a star! Finally! People liked (loved, actually) my food to share! I positively basked in "bring a plate" glory.
So that will be my offering for the family Christmas gathering. I am feeling rather proud about this.
p.s. Next to the roundabout at Parrs Park, Glen Eden, West Auckland. THE place to be seen in summer. On the way to Piha Beach.
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