Christmas Dinner

[Dr. Z]

Originally Posted by Kitten

He wasn't the master chef

My point was your experience isn't everyones. Pete takes pictures for a living and doesn't love doing it any less. Just because you didn't like it doesn't mean everyone else will react the same. So if Kate wants to do it I'm sure she will.

You've not answered the question, does your mum not enjoy making cakes/cooking anymore? She seems to take great pride in the ones I've seen.

She doesn't enjoy baking the cakes per se, she enjoys decorating them in ever more complex ways. Cooking is now something she has to do and that she does very well but she doesn't really love it I dont think. She enjoys eating the food but she enjoys it more when she wasn't the one that cooked it

Its not exclusively based on my personal experience, its just one of those things I have noticed over the years that people who get a job in something they really enjoy (I think I will have to exclude working for yourself, because thats different) lose their love for it after a while. I think if you work for yourself its an entirely different kettle of fish by its very nature.

I'm a bit baffled as to why this has turned into a debate! I really think people misread the tone of my posts sometimes!

Obviously everyone is different and there are exceptions and whatever, I suppose I have quite strong feelings about people giving up careers to turn hobbies into jobs etc

[Dr. Z]

How many of those that suceeded and enjoyed themselves are people who work for themselves? Freelancing or otherwise? Im willing to bet most of them!

[Dr. Z]

Can you be a journalist as a hobby? All just semantics really, I stick by my experiences (and accept yours are different)

[lostkat]

Thanks for the nice comments all

Christ, Kitten was only making a remark. Chill out guys Thank you for your very kind comment Tracy I think turning back the clock it might have been something I would have maybe gone in to, but it's too late for all that now. I just enjoy cooking for the people around me and am SO glad that my family aren't fussy in the slightest because it means I have a wide scope of things I can make. I'd like to have more opportunities to cook for a (small) group of people though. Watch out Double D!!!

Anyway, the family were very impressed with the cake, even if my Mum immediately broke the top off one of the trees. GRR!!!

I got a lovely cast iron caserole dish for Christmas as well as 2 cook books, a book on knife skillz, a Pasta Maker and a Microplane grater. So in 2008 I will be mainly impressing everyone with my leet knifing skillz, learning how to make fresh pasta, cooking casseroles and grating zest, ginger and nutmeg I know the pasta maker is a novelty, but I'd really love to at least have a go at home made ravioli and stuff It's dead easy/cheap to make too so I can haz lots of practice!!

[Justsomebloke]

Originally Posted by lostkat

YUM!!!!

YUM ! YUM !

I've had Nowt Woe is me, call me Oliver, Orphan boy, Billy no mates, Sad old Git
I could've gone to my sisters for dinner but couldn't be arsed to leave my nice little warm house. I went out twice to walk my dog & both times i missed visitors
My life is completely virtual, I haven't seen a living soul all kin day. Walking the dog was like being in 24 hours
For food I've had Bacons Sanger's & loads of biscuits & tea finished off with a Terry's chocolate Orange.

[FakeSnake]

Originally Posted by malc30

YUM ! YUM !

I've had Nowt Woe is me, call me Oliver, Orphan boy, Billy no mates, Sad old Git
I could've gone to my sisters for dinner but couldn't be arsed to leave my nice little warm house. I went out twice to walk my dog & both times i missed visitors
My life is completely virtual, I haven't seen a living soul all kin day. Walking the dog was like being in 24 hours
For food I've had Bacons Sanger's & loads of biscuits & tea finished off with a Terry's chocolate Orange.

Fk me Malc, you could have come here for dinner!

We had more food that could ever be consumed by a normal human

I stared cooking about 8am, culminating in a 3pm feast.

[Pebs]

I have to say dinner today was a bloody triumph! Totally relaxed effort starting at about 10am and we sat down to eat at 2pm. Perfect juicy turkey, pigs in blankets, homemade chestnut stuffing, sage and onion stuffing, roasties, parsnips, swede/carrot mash, sprouts. peas, home made bread sauce & cranberry. Didnt bother with pudding as we were all so stuffed, after dinner the kids get a free rein on the sweets so they rather did that than eat more pudding

I'm never buying a whole turkey again either, the crown I got was incredible!!

Tomorrow will be cold meats (home cooked pork, ham and beef plus todays turkey) more stuffing, pickles and mash. Home made fruit salad, xmas pudding and something else which Ive forgotten. Then a big Xmas tea with loads of goodies

[Dymetrie]

Well dinner yesterday was pretty damn impressive! Started at about half three and finished about half ten

First course was Butternut Squash soup, which was yummy.

Followed by toasted steak sandwiches with onion marmalade.

Then there were Thai fish cakes (I did not partake of this course ).

The main course! Roast chicken and pork, roast tatties, brussels, fried cabbage, carrots, yorkshires, chestnut stuffing, apple stuffing, pigs in blankets...

Then there was a bit of a break as we digested and tidied up.

Dessert was home made chocolate pudding accompanied by double cream with irish liquer in it.

Then there was cheese and port

The entire meal was accomapnied with a variety of drinks... Lager, ale, sherry, wine, G&T, JD&Coke, more wine, port then some more wine

Just made some toasted sausage sarnies for me and Kate, they were yummy too

[Pheebs]

Wowee Kate! They look spankticiously sexy!! How incredibly superb!

Everyones meals sound superbly yurmy! We didn't cook at all this year as we were at my Brothers and then Pickys Parents and they were cheffing it! My bro did some rather scrumptious carrots though - caramalised with sesame seeds! Never had them before and was super impressed!

Plus, first time I've experienced anchovies properly this year (other than the anchovies on my pizza in italy!)! They were in a pack and were in some kind of garlic marinade... truly devine and plump and meaty! Very impressed! Couldn't eat them by the tonne but certainly would enjoy a few with a mix of goodies! Nom nom!

As for all this chef talk malarky, I did work experience as a Chef with the Royal Marines and enjoyed it so much carried on - voluntarily - for at least 6 months afterwards. The only reason I stopped was because I had to study hard for my exams. Was the best thing ever - and one of the hardest too! With only 30mins warning of "we have an extra 200 paratroopers for lunch I expect they'll be food for them yes?" pressure was supreme! Some of it was monotonous and things (peeling carrots, chopping, making white sauce bases etc) but most rewarding in the end (well... serving up to hunky military men in tight white tops... who wouldn't enjoy that?! )!

I think it's all down to the each individual as well as the location, people they work with and challenges presented which would then thus determine whether they would enjoy and continue to enjoy being a chef or not! I can tell you something though, I have known a good handful of chefs in a range of catering positions (hotels, cake decorating, pubs, marines etc) and a high preportion of them had been in their jobs for years but had started them as a hobby... and they were still loving it Others were bored and wanted out... but most hearted it It's all swings and roundabouts isn't it

I'm now going to eat my fifth All Gold Chocolate

YAAAAAAAY for FOOOOOOOOOOOD!

By the way - NEED MORE FOOD PICS IN THIS THREAD! I heart food too much. One day, I'm going to wake up and be the size of Lisa Riley. Just *POP* in the night and *WUMP*... big fatty me escapes my medium-sized-slightly-flubby-bits-body and envelopes the world!

[Roberta]

That looked fab Kate! Lovely!