A Christmas lunch idea: soup #stressfreechristmas

It’s not very traditional but a couple of times now we’ve began our served Christmas lunch with a soup course. It pays to create a nice, fresh, light soup so you make it special – not really the kind of occasion where you want Grandma’s rugged vege soup.

You should also serve a small amount – we go for low, shallow bowls to give the soup a restaurant feel. Here’s an easy recipe that never fails and is easy to adapt if you have dairy free people staying.

Our Christmas table a few years ago. Tying cutlery with ribbons was an easy way to add low-key decoration.

Pea and rocket soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
700g frozen peas
100g rocket leaves
3 cups (750ml) hot vegetable stock
Shaved Parmesan and rocket leaves to garnish (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for five minutes, or until soft.

Add the peas and rocket, and cook for a further two minutes.

And the stock and 1 cup of water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Cool slightly and then either blitz the soup with a stick blender or put it in batches into the food processor and blitz it that way. Return to the cleaned sauce pan and heat through.

Serve garnished with shaved Parmesan and extra rocket. I also recommend adding salt to taste.

Serves four.

Planning a manageable Christmas menu #stressfreechristmas

When we were kids Christmas was huge – heaps of food – heaps of work and then we’d all stuff ourselves and sleep through the afternoon.

As I got older I realised there are different options and a couple of times (when we’re home) Tom and I have planned a Christmas menu and served a plated meal. It means more manageable portions, buying quality over quantity, fewer leftovers, and I find it much more exciting to cook a few special things.

Here’s a couple of sample menus that you could use.

Menu one
Soup
Light spinach soup with basil and dill
Fresh bread

Main course
Smoked salmon
Roast lamb
New potatoes with mint
Grilled asparagus
Green salad
Fresh bread

Dessert
Fruit salad
Summer berries
Vanilla bean ice cream

Image via Pinterest

Menu two

Entree
Vietnamese spring rolls with duck

Soup
Pea and rocket – recipe will be tomorrow’s blog post

Main
Roast lamb with fresh homemade bread and green salad

Dessert
Individual brown sugar Pavlovas with Greek yoghurt and lemoncello-soaked berries*

*Lemoncello soaked berries are the best. Make or buy lemoncello, put berries in a bowl, cover with lemoncello, leave for a couple of days. They’re REALLY potent and brilliant. If you do raspberries then you can add those to the bottom of  a glass of bubbles too.

Image via Pinterest

Decorating made simple #stressfreechristmas

Sometimes you stumble across the most brilliantly simple idea and it stops you in your tracks. That’s what this idea did to me. A large vase, Christmas baubles and some fairy lights and voilà!

You’ve got yourself a mesmerising masterpiece that:

1. Won’t cost you the earth
2. Already has the bits and pieces needed to create it just lying around, and
3. Looks stunning.

Happy holidays!

Hard to Shop For? #stressfreechristmas

With the season of giving upon us, sometimes it can get so overwhelming trying to find the right gift for the right person. We wind ourselves up searching high and low for something just right and the end result always turns out to be the same. We find ourselves in a tail spin and we purchase something that really isn’t what we had in mind at all.

Why not remove the hassle of it all and invest in a gift card!

They’re perfect for all budgets and gives the receiver the freedom to purchase something to their tastes, taking all the guess work out of it for you. You can purchase a gift card from Emma Makes starting from just $10.00.

Take the stress out of gift shopping.

How to make Christmas shopping enjoyable #stressfreechristmas

I really hate the stress that’s often associated with Christmas shopping – the pushing and shoving, the crying kids, the frantic rushing.

This year you can do it differently if you shop at my studio shop in Featherston.

Get a group together, shop at your leisure then enjoy tea and homemade cake under the walnut tree with your friends. I’ll put on cups of tea in vintage teacups and bake you a whole fresh cake.

This special offer is open before Christmas 2013 for groups of six or more people wanting to shop for Christmas.

A $50 booking fee is required, which is redeemable on merchandise on the day. Get in touch at emma.mccleary@gmail.com and we can talk about what suits you. Days that are currently open for bookings are:

Sunday 15 December
Saturday 21 December
Sunday 22 December

An easy Christmas wreath #stressfreechristmas

I really like to make a Christmas wreath at Christmas time and was spurred on to make this early one by some great black ribbon that came as part of a present.

Here’s how I made an easy wreath that cost me nothing. I’ve had this wooden cane wreath for years – I can’t remember where I got it but you should be able to easily find one at a florist, Spotlight or Trade Me if you don’t want to make one yourself.

First up I hooked the ribbon over the bottom of the wreath. I’ve already added a string loop at the top that acts as a hook so if this is your first wreath do that now.

I decided to use bay leaves in my wreath because I like the look of them and because we have a bay tree so they were free. Over time they’ll also dry and I can reuse them in the kitchen.

I like to keep things easy so don’t wire the leaves in or try and keep them alive over time. I just poked the leaves in amongst the cane and they held nicely. I sat the wreath up on my legs while I worked so I could see how it would look when finished.

I used about double the bay leaves I initially picked – I think it’s always best to pick less and get more if you need them then you’re not wasting. I bet if you don’t have a bay tree that a friend will so you could ask them for some leaves?

All up the wreath only took about 10 minutes to make. I tied a bow in the ribbon and it’s now hanging happily on the front door.

Creating atmosphere easily #stressfreechristmas

Luminaria bags are a simple, inexpensive way to create atmosphere – whether that’s at a garden party, neighbourhood barbeque or at a wedding.

When I was 16 I lived in Saginaw Michigan as an exchange student and one evening our whole street turned out to line the paths and sidewalks with luminaria (or candle) bags. Every since I’ve had a soft spot for them.

You can buy heart and doily luminaria bags at Emma Makes.

By adding some sand or gravel in the bottom and putting a tealight candle in you’ve got an easy, romantic party.

Luminaria bags are also a great, small gift to give party hostesses.

Relax, don’t do it #stressfreechristmas

Part of having a stress free Christmas is knowing how to relax once stress creeps in.

For me, it’s unrealistic if I’m stressed or anxious to stop cold turkey and relax. Instead I like to make a really big detailed list (because then everything is out of my head) and just stop for a short period of time with a cup of tea.

I recently went to a foraging workshop  and learnt about lavender tea. I don’t know about you but the idea turned me off – I thought of those overly powerful lavender beauty products and thought the taste would be strong and soapy. Boy was I wrong.

Adding the heads of some lavender to boiling water makes a very subtle but relaxing lavender-coloured brew. I found the short period of time sipping and staring into space was enough to be calm and relax.

Other great herbal teas that you can grow at home include mint, lemon verbena and kawakawa. Natural teas are subtle and delicious and much more special than their store-bought counterparts. Use the leaves or flowers straight from the garden – no need to dry them.

How to think up good gift ideas #stressfresschristmas

People often tell me I’m good at choosing presents – maybe they’re faking me out but I seem to do an alright job so thought I’d share how a few tips about what I do. This really just covers people who are hard to buy for since I’m sure you’ve got nearest and dearest sorted.

Be observant
Think about the person you’re buying for and what they like. Or what their current situation is. For example, this year I’ve bought something really practical but plain and stylish for my brother and his wife because they love their home and like to spend time there. It’s something that can easily be put up out of the way but will be used often.

Pick one point about your gift receiver and focus on that. Do they love coffee? Get them a local roast that you enjoy and share it with them.

Are they a runner? Pick a nice natural rub for sore muscles.

Do they only have a shower? Don’t buy them bath products.

Are they a parent of young children? Give them a voucher for a night’s babysitting where you also feed the kids (and follow up to make sure they use it).

Are they a gardener? An indoor plant, seeds, gardening book or voucher is probably a better idea than outdoor plants because they’ll have their own thing going on.

Go for easy
I have three brothers, which makes presents HARD sometimes. However, all those brothers have feet so last year some of them got these slippers. They were a mega hit and with the help of some spying from Mum I could find out their shoe size so they fitted nicely. I went for navy, which is pretty non-offensive and everyone was happy.

Don’t be too personal
I would never buy perfume for someone unless they’d worn the same one every day since they were 17.

Also if your person likes something (like craft, reading, scrapbooking) then buying along that theme is REALLY easy to get wrong. Maybe ask for some suggestions from them?

Hard to buy for people
I usually like to buy short-lasting presents rather than things that hang around. For example:

• Nicer versions of household cleaning products (like EcoStore)
• A non-personal voucher: garden or book voucher in favour of a massage voucher for example
• A voucher for something they enjoy so they can spend their money elsewhere. For example, if they have a favourite café organise a voucher for there – they can always take a friend if it’s too much.
• A notebook and pencil
• A potted plant
• Baking (especially if they can take it and share it around work).

People you actually hate
See ‘hard to buy for people’ except omit baking because you shouldn’t be wasting your time on haters.

>>Also see: Gifts to buy for your bland sister in law

Old ladies
Everyone buys them hand cream they really want gin (one told me).

Booze
I think it’s good to buy a box of chocolates in favour of booze – it’s easier to share a box of chocolates. And you avoid any unknown alcohol issues.

Give to charity
They might not like it at first but it’s a way better use of money than buying something that goes into a cupboard. Write a heartfelt card with this one.

Wrap it well
If you show you care then people feel special receiving your gift – that’s half the battle.

>> I’ll also blog some ideas about gift wrapping later on.

A quick and easy gift idea #stressfreechristmas

Here’s a super quick and easy Christmas gift for people that live close by – like teachers and neighbours and workmates.

These chocolate chip biscuits are quick and I’ve adapted the recipe from this one to be more festive (read: have more chocolate and cherries).

If you package them stacked in a jar they look fancy – I topped mine with a paper doily and ribbon and put a felt heart on a stick on the side. Make a list of people you want to make these for then double or triple the recipe accordingly.

One solid night in the kitchen and you can cover off a whole lot of people’s gifts in one go. And don’t forget to leave some for yourself because these are GREAT!

Ingredients
125g butter
1/2 cup soft brown sugar (lightly packed)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup rough chopped milk chocolate
1/2 cup rough chopped white chocolate
1/4 cup chopped cherries (fresh or bottled, not maraschino – cherries are optional I just LOVE cherries.

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C and grease or line two baking trays with baking paper.
• Beat butter, sugars and vanilla until creamed, add egg and beat until mixed.
• Sift in flour and salt, mix until combined before stirring in the chocolate.
• Roll heaped teaspoon sized balls of mixture and place on tray, press down lightly with a floured fork. REMEMBER you need to get these things into a jar so don’t get too generous with your rolling!
• Bake for approx. 12 minutes. Makes 30 medium sized biscuits.

Presentation
Wait until the biscuits cool then stack them in a jar. I like a paper doily top but you could use pretty fabric, or brown paper or pretty paper and washi tape.

*Thanks to Helen for posing for this photo. That’s what you get as my friend – I give you a gift then make you pose with it.