Date Nights

The best kind of evening.

L, me, cooking together, wine, music, a good film, time …

That’s what I call a good date night!

We cooked a favourite of ours – Jambalaya – and enjoyed some white wine.

Does anyone else think there’s something a bit special about drinking a glass of wine while cooking?!

The Jambalaya was delicious (just as we knew it would be, but still good to note … 😉 ) and then we watched the second half of the latest Sherlock Holmes film.

We’ve watched it before, but we’re kind of Sherlock Holmes fans …

Ahhh, now that was a lovely evening!

Jambalaya!

Contrary to what my blog has lately suggested, L and I have been very busy …

Work, big-house-clear-out, deep-cleaning, walking with friends, cooking together, craft projects … plus all the mundane little bits and bobs it’s too boring to list!

I will be posting some photos as soon as I can, but for now, here’s what we got up to tonight …

We made Jambalaya!

L has a friend he plays games with, who he yesterday discovered is Cajun. We had both heard of Cajun as in the spice, but didn’t know that they are an ethnic group of people.

Inspired by this new knowledge we decided to cook Jambalaya!

We used Momma’s Meat Jambalaya recipe and it was a huge success, literally – it tasted brilliant and it made a huge pan full of spicy meat and rice! Seriously – we ate it tonight, put some in the fridge for tomorrow and put another four portions in the freezer!

We used Basmati rice instead of Long Grain rice and it absorbed a lot more water and cooked faster than the recipe said it would, but hey, who minds getting to eat it a bit sooner, especially when the wonderful cooking smells are drifting around the whole house?! 😉

I love all the colours!

We added cooked prawns/shrimps to the portions on our plate (I have a bit of a thing about re-heating seafood too much … ) and they added the perfect finishing touch to the dish – yummy!!

Oh yes, and the perfect finishing touch to the evening was a bottle of white wine, Escape From New York and a bar of Cadbury’s Caramel Dairymilk – brilliant! 😀

12 Pictures of My Christmas

A month or so ago I mixed up a Christmas cake for my Grandparents – Apricot and Brandy, from a brilliant recipe that let’s you choose your own combination but still comes out wonderfully moist!

I wrapped the cake and fed it twice with brandy, keeping it the dark bottom of my wardrobe …

… and tonight, after a minor-ish slip-up :P, I covered and decorated the cake ready for delivery tomorrow!

On the 9th of December we had friends round for Mulled Wine and Mince Pies …

… and to help us put up and decorate our Christmas tree – a tradition we love repeating every year, so much fun!!

We had a Lady of Light!

I grew a tinsel beard … as you do! 😉

Our tree-builders relaxed with a glass of L and I’s special home-brew Mulled Wine – a little more potent than the ready-bottles but oh-so-yummy! 😛

Our lovely Lady of Light made us gingerbread cookie decorations to hang on our tree – a really sweet and thoughtful Christmas gift!! Maybe I’ll just go and have a little nibble … 😉

S took a Christmas photo of my hubby and I for us! 🙂

Some close friends of ours are getting to adopt kids next year, so for D’s birthday party (which being on the 22nd December always feels like the start of Christmas to me!), they asked us each to bring an ornament to put on their tree, which they can tell their kids came from their friends – what an awesome idea is that?! I am so excited that they are soon to become parents and loved making a tree decoration for them!

A few nights ago I settled into a three-hour plus marathon of present wrapping! I genuinely enjoy wrapping presents, but when it comes to Christmas, even I need to do the wrapping with the company of a film! 😉 I chose Magnolia – if you haven’t watched it: do!!

For my last photo, because I’m a die-hard believer in a Baker’s Dozen (notice the mention L?!) … by tomorrow evening this little pile of presents will be sitting underneath my lovely in-law’s Christmas tree, waiting for the morning …

Have a very Happy Christmas and a most Blessed New Year!!!