Sunday 29 December 2013


             Veggieschmooze Ho Ho Ho, A Baked Snowman and all that!!!


Firstly sorry folks for being so remiss about our blogs

We have been cooking rather than blogging and the time has just whooshed by. But we have thought of you and hope you all had a wonderful festival.

As we are both vegetarian and Jewish, Christmas day is always a challenge. Yes we all get together sharing fun and laughter – it’s a good day to see family and enjoy each other’s company.

And for years we have discussed what to serve but this year after much serious discussion with Sarah’s lovely girls now nearly 10 and 12 we came to a wonderful decision. Merv my husband always makes chips, proper chips, cooked very poshly in olive oil. But chips do not make a meal. In the past I have created a veggie chilli, a veggie tagine even a veggie sausage roll dinosaur but this year the girls decided we would make a snowman!

The day before I combined Granose sausage mix and burger mix and formed a large ball for the base and another for the mid-torso. The head was a stuffing mix enriched with ground almonds. The hat – a vast field mushroom baked on the day with a few of its fellows with a little olive oil spray and a goodly offering of salt and pepper was tender and unctuous.

But oh dear when it was given its black olive eyes and carrot nose, it turned into a cute creature and I couldn’t just couldn’t cut into it. Amidst howls of laughter from both the children it was left to Joe my son, to stab the snowman and it was eaten with great gusto.

To accompany we ate a homemade dhal, and large dish of Alo Gobi – a lovely Indian combo of cauliflower, potatoes, cooked in a spicy tomato sauce and lemon rice which always goes well.

Desert never seems to happen. I always used to make a ‘proper pudding but it was always left so this year we enjoyed some homemade Florentines and some little lemon pastries left over from winning the Zesty Challenge. Plus tinned lychees and mandarins. With a huge cheese board to follow.

And now we discovered we have won the Guardian Hang-over challenge which is pretty amazing since I have never suffered from a hangover in my life. Just know what I would want if it should happen.

Try the Shakshuka recipe also in Warm Bagels and Apple Strudelpublished by Kyle Books
Its great

Thank you for keeping in touch and we promise to write more next year

Fondest wishes to you all for the New Year
Ruth and Sarah

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