A late post on our X'mas eve cookout!

We decided to come up with a simple X'mas menu, inspired from J.O's cookbook.

Loves how he makes everything look so simple and delicious! We.... are getting there.

So on the menu was:

1) Orange Sweet Duck salad:

A really simple salad to make, because we cheated with a ready made salad pack and added in figs, walnuts, dried mangoes, peeled oranges & smoked duck slices from Sheng Siong. 

Arrange all the ingredients prettily (follow picture).

 Finally, toss it with balsamic vinegar before serving and viola! 

A fresh, crisp, sweet, sour and salty combination with many textures.

Lovely.

2) Pan fried Zucchini and capsicum:

2 cut zucchinis & 1 red cap, put it on the grilled with some butter till you get the grill marks. Top off with some mozzarella cheese if you like, and we are done!

3) Famous Spam ham aglio oglio:

Get 2 cans of Spam ham, dice and set aside. Fry these with chopped garlic, chili padi and mushrooms. 

Now pour in olive oil and mix well with the linguine (already boiled prior) in a pot over low heat.

 Arrange nicely and toss before serving.

4) Homemade pumpkin soup:

This needs a food processor or handheld food blender. 

You can try mashing them but it will take forrrreeeevvvvver. Maybe X'mas over already. 

Chop up 1 1/2 butternut pumpkin and boil them until soft. 

Blend them, or mash them, depending on what you've got.

Add in salt and pepper to taste, and water (if you prefer it more watery). 

Ours was creamy and thick, perfect with Cedele's Sourdough & Multi-grain bread mmm mm. 

Gotta love Cedele!

5) Sauteed Butter mushrooms:

1 bag of portobello mushrooms should suffice. Remove the stems and wash. Fry with butter and serve in the juice. Easy peasy!

6) Turkey and mushroom risotto:

Twas a donation from Vivi, so I don't have the recipe but nice nonetheless :p

7) Thick German sausages:

Delicious juicy stuff, bought from a canteen in SIA. 

Don't have the name though. 

And we were stuffed silly by the end of the 1st sausage, this was how thick it was!

A great cookout I must say, and what a wonderful christmas eve spent indoors with good homemade food & family :)

Do we just need peaceful moments like this? How was your x'mas eve?