There is something about the Manila Christmas this year which is a bit more somber than the previous years. Just the same, we have to get on with the business of buying Christmas presents because it’s called for by tradition. Maybe it’s the economic situation but the department stores don’t seem so crowded and the traffic is not as bad. All I know is that I am almost through with my Christmas shopping list but somehow it gets longer because there is always someone I forgot to include on the list. I also attended my first two Christmas parties last week and they were all Chinese lauriats (so much about shedding those unwanted pounds!) For some people, Christmas can be the loneliest time of the year (not to mention the most pressure-filled) but what’s good about it also is all the food, booze and getting together with family and friends. This is also one season when we forget about ourselves and take pleasure in giving more than receiving.
We will be featuring this delish dessert in our company newsletter and so yesterday had me hunched in the spic-and-span kitchen of a five-star hotel to attend a food demo on how to make Christmas Stollen.
A stollen is a treasured Christmas delicacy which originated in Dresden, Germany. It is a specialty bread filled with candied fruits, raisins,almonds and irresistible spices. It is quite laborious to make but once it’s baked, it smells so heavenly and tastes just as sweet. I had a bite once it got out of the oven and boy, was it fabulous! However,the chef was quick to discourage me and said that my stollen is better eaten after one week. You man to say it gets better than this?
My Favorite Chef also laid out the biggest golden-roasted turkey I have ever seen, complete with cranberry sauce, stuffing and vegetable sidings.Who says turkeys are only for Thanksgiving? Honestly, am not a turkey lover but this picture sure made me crave for a bite or two. Hmm..yummy!
So this is the picture of my humble abode when we had just started laying out the Xmas decorations on the first week of December. So far I have done a good job of hiding the gifts from the kiddies (or it will not see the light of Christmas day) and have promised to fill their stockings starting on the 16th.The house is fullof Christmas accents and I feel I have overdone the decor.But with the kids around, it’s better to feel the Christmas spirit than to be a Christmas scrooge, don’t you think?
I am not really fond of making Christmas wish lists but I just figured out that I would like to receive this year books of any kind, specifically foreign cookbooks (I have almost all of the local ones); cookware, especially a non-stick pan; baking gadgets; make-up for looking good; a good-looking notebook; an i-pod; an XDA II; a new oven toaster; a round-trip ticket to Bali and would you believe, a microwave oven?
Things I dread receiving this year: coffee mugs (and more mugs); trinkets, knick-knacks and bric-a-bracs ( I have enough clutter as it is) ; e-cards (make it a snail-mail Xmas card), loose t-shirts ..ad infinitum.
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