*crawls in* Been to a friend's 60th birthday do in a curry house in Herne Bay. Am so bloated with poppadoms, fried spiced aubergines, lamb saag, rice, and naan bread that I can barely move!!!! I still have loads of my little ham left, will have to scoff it all before mini twass comes next week

Hiya twass, similar state due to fish'n'chips.

Nite all

Tetley Tea comp here:

http://december16.tetley-comps.co.uk/%2B9185/

Kind of you but I only drinks Yorkshire

no electricity yesterday as the pole that serves the village burnt down
can you imagine if that had happened on christmas day

hope everyone is well, i'm about to put a ham on the go if anyone needs any later

glad to see both of you putting in some serious christmas training. Most people don't think ahead and train for the big day, well done guys

I sliced up my remaining ham and froze it! But a bit of lovely fresh cooked would go down a treat I'm currently eating up rubbish to make room for the festive fare. All manner of odds and ends have been scoffed and called dinner

I knew I wouldn't get through the ham before I go orf gallivanting again on Tuesday, to my eldest's and the grandkids, then out seeing Fields of the Nephilim at their winter solstice gig on the 21st, then I collect mini twass on the 22nd and we get ourselves home here on the train! Mini t is a fish eating veggie and not fish that often so meaty things will not be in the fridge. I can have a pork binge once she sets off home on the 27th

I made a few sausage rolls yesterday, thought I would easily manage four [as dinner] but halfway through the third I was stuffed More training urgently needed! Or, don't eat a wodge of Victoria sponge halfway through the afternoon

oh lovely! i will be making cheesey leeks and a carrot and swede mash to go with it! Should be ready about 6.30pm!!! do drop by

ah yes making room in the freezer i know the feeling! i managed to scoff my veggie pasta sauces i'd made previously to make room for furture turkey rissoles and broth

if i get desperate for space i'll invite chins round and the freezer will be emptied in minutes

what will you have for christmas dinner if there's no meat in the house while miniTwass is there?

did you slack off on your training? you need chins as a coach or training partner
hope you had a big breakfast theres only a few more days of training left!

Well actually, we're orf down the village pub for our dinner, we went there in 2014 and it was so lush and such a treat to actually NOT shop for everything, cook everything, then wash up that we're doing it again this year Only the second time in my life this has happened, but oh the bliss! So I will have the traditional fowl and herself will have the fish. Followed by something called chocolate marquise instead of crimbo pud. Yum!! The rest of the days I've more or less catered for, plenty of cod and salmon and prawns in the freezer along with assorted veggie sossies, burgers etc.

Will you be going to your mum's or to relations or are they coming to you?

Oh that sounds lovely!! especially the no washing up part!!. I haven't been able to manage christmas pudding for years so we gave up making a big one and get those tiny individual ones - weirdly i tend to fancy christmas pudding on new years day, it's so dense though i have it instead of dinner!! chocolate marquise sounds delicious!! i've been a bit naughty and put an M&S toffee pecan meringue roulade in the freezer in case we fancy something sweet (i mainly eat turkey sandwiches, i have them for breakfast it's heaven!!!) meringue is mainly air

I will be going to my mum's (she refuses to stay with people even at mine) for christmas probably christmas eve and then back a couple of days after boxing day...i'd like to make it shorter but i never get the choice, I have to help eating all the lovely turkey and then making the rissoles and broth (i LOVE turkey rissoles!!). My mum is the messiest person in the kitchen i've ever known so i spend a week mainly washing up.

I've decided to stop the tablets for the duration so i don't feel ill all over christmas i refuse to let my christmas lunch/dinner be ruined!

Your decision re the tablets is what I would do, cos you have to be able to enjoy life. I will miss having all the cold turkey but I might get a small one cheap after xmas and live off it for the entire of January What with the soup, and all the things you can make out of leftover turkey, that's not an exaggeration!! I've never made rissoles though. Is that little patties of meat and mashed potato with onion?

sorry just nipped off to make cheesey leeks

that's a good idea Twass i do love cold turkey and my mum makes the best broth ever and i don't even like soup but turkey broth is fantastic!!

turkey rissoles are really plain (cos then they are more versatile when you cook em up later!) so basically mince the leftover turkey (leg meat is great cos it's so moist) bung in a couple of slices of stale bread for bread crumbs a bit of egg to bind it, shape and that's that.
i chuck them in the freezer in between greaseproof and then because they are plain i can go oriental when i cook them up or have them with salad or mashed root veggies and gravy or whatever you like, being plain the flavour doesn't clash with anything !!!

i found some in the freezer in the summer (i remember asking if they'd be ok or poison me!!) and they were delicious i had them with roasted red peppers and a lovely salad.

oh and you're not wrong about how long it lasts!! a smallish one feeds me and my mum every day breakfast lunch and dinner for a good week then we make rissoles and broth. I love turkey but when it's ready cooked in the deli it doesn't taste of anything home roast turkey is fab. You'll probably get lovely farm ones where you are like we do the flavour is amazing. I never understand people who say it's dry and tastes of nothing i guess they just don't know how to cook?

I think an overcooked frozen bird will taste of absolutely nothing. I got a lovely farm bird in 2013 and it was the best ever, the most flavour and perfectly juicy. Then last year I was at my son's and he broke with tradition and did a rib of beef instead. Those deli slices taste weird, I swear they inject the meat with something When I drop mini twass at the station on the 27th I will inspect Asda on my way past for bargains

I don't know what's in the deli slices but it doesn't taste anything like turkey does it? a lot of supermarket meat is injected with water to make it heavier. Maybe that's why it tastes of nothing? it's been so diluted it is in fact the homeopathic version of turkey

I'm sure you'll find something. My butcher sells the huge legs (left over from when people order crowns) for about 50p don't know whether that happens at your butcher. A couple of them would make broth and rissoles no probs!

i'm really looking forward to christmas dinner i've been waiting since last year to eat some sprouts i can't wait !!!

I've just prepped some lovely sprouts and carrots to have with my elderly leftover spuds and equally ancient part pack of party food that I found in the freezer. Not really selling it am I

Good idea re the legs, bound to be bargains going there! You can usually pick them up very cheaply and they are perfect for broths and stews. I don't understand why folk want a turkey crown....the breast is all very well but the flavour is in the thighs and legs !

ancient party food and elderly spuds?! oh dear what a shame i made cheesey leeks and cooked a ham Having said that i love leftovers

i know!!! i guess if you're on your own a crown is more feasible but you need the bones and the flavoursome dark meat to make the broth and rissoles!! I like a bit of both!!!

(Just seen David Bowie introducing the Snowman
2016 was a shitty year i hope 2017 is better for everyone.)

I have the Snowman on First saw it the year after my son was born, he was one Probably seen it every year since. I'm envious of your cheesy leeks

Evening all, catching up, see we're talking turkey already. It's been a lovely day here, mild and bright. We've been spreading new gravel round the house (mrtk bought 10 tons)

I don't know what it is at the moment but ever since that first time i made it i just crave the swede, ham and cheesey leeks i make one have it three days running have one meal of something else then pine for the ham again must look up nutritional benefits of swede and leeks!!!

hello!!! oh you will be all smart for christmas!!! i can't wait for the turkey i'm drooling just thinking about it

Good grief! That must have taken some spreading! Could do with that here, the lane is a boggy morass of cow poo and mud

Well, ham or bacon and root vegetables are the staple diet round here. And cheese with just about everything!

The new gravel does look smart, and I can now get to the washing line without wading through mud. Now to load my aching back into the car and deliver a few pressies to nieces (and hoping to get some chips on the way home!). *waves to twass*