Simply Having Wonderful Christmastime

I am sure you all know that Wonderful Christmastime is a 1979 Christmas song by Paul McCartney. It enjoys significant Christmas time popularity around the world. McCartney recorded the song entirely on his own during the sessions for his solo project McCartney II.

This post is not to discuss about this song but I think ‘Simply Having Wonderful Christmas Time’ is just what we need during this time of the year. Most of us have a busy and demanding life and it is often hard to find the time to really appreciate the importance of capturing the Christmas Spirit.


Why Wonderful Christmas Time?


Christmas is a season of joy and peace, sharing and giving. A period to to show love and spend time with our loved ones.


For me, one particularly wonderful thing about Christmas was that I had the opportunity of cooking dishes that we, Indonesian don’t normally cook at any other time of the year.


In addition to that, this year I could plan and prepare a special Christmas menu for my family:

• my version of smoked turkey salad complete with the salad dressing
• my version of pigs in the blanket (bacon wrapped sausages)
• my version of mighty meaty meatloaf complete with its glazing and sauce
• my version of baked pumpkin
• seedless grapes
• Christmas cup cakes

I spent FIVE hours working in the kitchen to cook and ‘create’ my version of all these Christmas dishes myself except the cup cakes (I bought them in one of the famous cup cake stores in Jakarta) and the seedless grapes.

Here I would like to share with you my special Christmas dishes:


My Smoked Turkey Salad


Ingredients

• 2 big red tomatoes, deseeded and thickly sliced, length-wise
• 2 red bell peppers, deseeded and thickly sliced, length-wise
• 250 grams lettuce, coarsely chopped
• one whole big onion, thinly sliced, rounded
• 200 grams smoked turkey, thinly sliced

The Salad Dressing:

• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 3 lemons, cut into half, squeezed to get the juice
• Pour the lemon juice into the olive oil
• Stir well to combine
• Add salt and pepper

My Pigs in the Blanket


Ingredients:

• 12 cocktail pork sausages
• 6 slices streaky bacon

Preparation:

• Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 5
• Using the back of a knife stretch each bacon slice then cut into 2 equal pieces.
• Tightly wrap each sausage with a piece of bacon.
• Use tooth pick to secure the wrapping
• Lay side by side on a baking tray.
• Cook in the preheated oven for 30 mins or until crisp and golden.

My Baked Pumpkin

Ingredients:

• 500 gram pumpkin flesh
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of All Purpose Seasoning  (Note: All Purpose Seasoning contains 1 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled, 1 teaspoon ground mace, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram,1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon leaf oregano, crumbled, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon savory)

How to make:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 5.
• Cut the lid off the pumpkin
• Scoop out the seeds with a spoon
• Coarsely chop the pumpkin flesh
• In a baking pan , pour in a splash of olive oil, then add the chopped pumpkin
• Add in the All Purpose Seasoning
• Bake the pumpkin for 10 minutes or so until the pumpkin has softened.

My Mighty Meaty Meatloaf


Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of extra Virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 kg of ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup full cream milk
• 3 tablespoons of barbeque sauce (I use Delmonte)
• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 2/3 cup fine dried bread crumbs

The Glaze:

• 1/2 cup barbeque sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (optional)

Step by Step of Making Meatloaf:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion, parsley, garlic, salt, basil, thyme, and black pepper.
• Cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and lightly golden, about 6 minutes.

• Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, put the ground beef and smoothen with wooden spoon or with clean hands. Be sure to wash up afterward.

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs , full cream milk, barbeque sauce, dried basil, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce, and whisk to combine.

• Add the egg mixture to the meat mixture along with the cooled vegetables and bread crumbs.
• Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

• Transfer the mixture to a aluminum foil and using your fingers form into a loaf
• Using the wooden spoon, smooth the top into a rounded loaf shape. Wash hands again.

• To make the glaze, combine the barbeque sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and hot chili sauce, if desired, in a small bowl.
• Stir to blend

• Spread the mixture evenly over the top of the meatloaf.

• Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes to 1 hour .

To make the meatloaf sauce:

• using oven mitts or pot holders, carefully tilt the meatloaf pan away from you and drain off the excess grease from the pan and move it into a sauce pan
• Add in 3 tablespoons barbeque sauce
• Add in 2 tablespoons of Worchestershire sauce
• Cook and stir well for around 2 minutes

It turned out that the FIVE hours labor of LOVE spent in the kitchen was so fruitful. All my special Christmas dishes were successfully done as planned. My family members loved and enjoyed all of them, they even finished EVERYTHING!

And while we were busy eating our Christmas meal, the youngest member of our family, Miu Miu, came to join us as our very special Miss Santa …….

I felt exactly like the McCartney’s song….the mood is right, the spirits up, were here tonight, and that’s enough …….. simply having wonderful Christmas time.

Christmas, the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year is a popular Christmas song written in 1963 by Eddie Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams or his first Christmas album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album.

BUT according to a Psychology Today article, some 45% of us are not thinking it is the most wonderful time of the year, as the old Andy Williams song goes. Sadly, to some people the “most wonderful time of the year” has become the most stressful time of the year due to over commercialization of the Christmas holiday.


Whether or not you are religious, Christmas is a beautiful time meant to be enjoyed by everyone. Let’s try to focus on the original message of Christmas: love and joy – things we all strive for – by appreciating the most important aspect of Christmas, which is time spent with our loved ones. I believe that the things that matter most are things that money cannot buy.


Every country and culture across the world has its own way of celebrating Christmas. One factor that unites Christmas celebrations everywhere is that they are undoubtedly a family affair


How about Christmas in my country?


Though we live in a part of the world that doesn’t see snow, located far from Santa’s radar where the majority of the population would find trees in the living room illogical, Christmas remains one of the the most sought after holidays in Indonesia.

Christmas trees adorned with decorations and even fake snow have been erected, and Santa Clauses appear in many shopping malls in the city presenting a Christmas ambiance.

Similar to other countries, what makes Christmas a special celebration in my country is its focus on family and togetherness. Spend time with the entire family in the kitchen surely will be a wonderful time. It certainly does not matter how big, small, fancy or not, the kitchen is. As long as it is filled with love, it will draw our loved ones in.


Kitchen is the LOVE center of any home


The kitchen is the perfect place for making memories. When we spend time cooking and enjoying meals with our family, we create happy memories that will be cherished forever.

You are lucky if you can cook the best Christmas meals with every member of the family sitting at the dining table for a memorable dinner.


The benefits of preparing and enjoying food as a family are clear. We save money and eat healthier meals. We create opportunities to connect and communicate with our family. And most importantly, we show love for our family when we spend time cooking and eating with them.


Christmas is all about nostalgia and memories. Many of us have traditions that go back years, if not generations. What foods must be on the table every single year? No matter where you live or how old you are, Christmas from your childhood have a special glow about them. And food always plays a part in these memories.


It’s important to have your own family traditions. A tradition doesn’t have to be fancy, complicated or expensive; it just has to be memorable. That’s what the holidays are all about


Here are traditional Christmas foods in my country:


Pork satay

Brenebon (Red kidney bean soup with garlic and ribs)

Layer Cake

Klapertart

Kaastengel

Nanas Tart

Get together with our loved ones with such delicious traditional Christmas foods on the table, surely we will agree with Andy Williams that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.



MeatLoaf – I’d Do Anything for Love

Hey, in a few days we are going to celebrate Christmas again …how time flies. I start thinking 'what to cook for Christmas dinner?

My second daughter has been ‘nagging’ me to cook ‘Frog Chicken’ (please see my earlier post on ‘Frog chicken or ayam kodok’) for our Christmas dinner this year. But so far I have not got the time yet to practice on how to debone the chicken – the hard part of cooking ‘Frog Chicken’ so how can I cook ‘frog chicken’ for our Christmas dinner….?

Again my daughter came with an idea. She said ‘why don’t you just cook Meatloaf so you don’t have to trouble yourself to debone the chicken’


Well, good idea….I can cook Meatloaf.

As always, when I want to cook or write something, I go to my best friend ‘Google’ for advice. This time when I visited Google and without thinking I typed ‘Meat Loaf’, it came out ‘Meat Loaf – I’d Do Anything for Love’ (But I won’t Do That). Apparently, it‘s a song composed and written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by Meat Loaf, an American Rock Musician and Actor.


Well, although it was a mistake but this finding has given me a kind of a sign that Meatloaf is the best choice for our Christmas dinner this year …as the song said ‘Id Do Anything for Love = cooking Meatloaf for my family’ but I won’t do That = no need to go through the trouble to debone a chicken’


More about Meatloaf (not Meat Loaf) 


Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat formed into a loaf shape and baked or smoked. The loaf shape is formed by either cooking it in a loaf pan, or forming it by hand on a flat baking pan. It is usually made from ground beef, although lamb, pork, veal, venison, and poultry or a combination are also used.


Many meatloaf recipes are interchangeable with meatball recipes, the distinction coming from shape and from the accompaniments or choice of sauce. Sometimes tomato paste or ketchup is in the meat and baked along with the meat.


Meatloaf is a versatile dish. The ground meat may be mixed with a binder such as eggs and breadcrumbs, small pieces of bread soaked in milk (or red wine or another liquid), or wheat germ, finely ground almonds, or oatmeal, to make it more dough-like.


Salt, spices and herbs (such as parsley), as well as chopped vegetables (such as onions, green peppers and celery), may also be added.


Some recipes add strips of bacon on top. Meatloaves may be filled with eggs, cheese, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, or a combination of these ingredients.


Some meatloaves can be made by adding meat and sometimes also eggs to a meatloaf mix before baking.

This my version of meatloaf recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups (150 gram) breadcrumbs
• 1 cup (60 ml) red wine
• 500 gram minced beef  
• 250 gram minced veal
• 250 gram minced pork
• 15 gram finely chopped parsley
• 1 teasppon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

How to make:

• Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook for a few minutes or until soft and golden
• Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and continue cooking for 5 minutes
• Remove from heat and allow to cool
• Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl and pour the wine over them
• Stir to combine and leave to soak
• Combine the beef, veal, and pork mince, parsley, thyme, sage, nutmeg, Worchestershire sauce and onion mixture in a large bowl
• Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat
• Add the breadcrumbs mixture, season and mix well until well combined
• Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf
• Brush the top of the meatloaf with the remaining oil
• Bake the meatloaf in the oven (pre heat at 180 degree Celcius) for 45 - 60 minutes or until cooked through (when tested with a skewer, the juice should run clear and the laof should be firm to the touch).

And this was the result:

To help you get an idea on making meatloaf, I found very good pictures of the step by step from preparation to cooked meatloaf in Wikipedia as follows:

Step 1: Mix the minced beef, veal and pork

Step 2: Add in the chopped onion, garlic and other ingredients

Step 3: Add in the eggs





Step 4: Add in the breadcrumbs

Step 5: Shape the meat mixture into a rounded loaf shape

Step 6: Bake in the oven for 45 - 60 minutes
 
 

 
 
Step 7: Slice and serve
.
 
 

Bali, the Paradise to Eat, Pray, Love

Welcome to Bali!

Bali was the last location (after Italy and India) for the shooting of “Eat, Pray, Love” (EPL) a major Hollywood motion picture starring Oscar winner Julia Roberts, based on a best-selling travel and personal growth memoir of  Elizabeth Gilbert. The story is about a year of change in Gilbert’s life, from divorce and depression in America, to pleasure in Italy, finding God in an India and Love in Bali.

During the shooting, Eat Pray Love fever swept over Bali. One restaurant (Naughty Nuri’s) has come up with a quirky “Eat Pay Leave” T-shirt using the same font and print as appears on the cover of the best-selling book.

One Ubud institution has remained relatively EPL-free, though not entirely by choice. Ubud Writers and Readers Festival founder Janet de Neefe says that they've invited Elizabeth Gilbert several times but conflicts have prevented her from attending. This year's seventh festival, running from October 6-10, has no explicitly EPL-themed events, though de Neefe, a restaurateur and cookbook author, says, "We do explore eating with culinary programs, and praying, including a program with a healer, and, of course, love and romance are central to literature."



With a land area of only 2,174 square miles, Bali sits in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago. Despite its small size, the island has great diversity - the beaches on the circumference, the inland artistic/cultural center in Ubud, the northern volcanic chain, as well as the beach development around the airport and the one major city of Denpasar.

There are many things famous from Bali, the beaches, the temples and also the Balinese people. But one thing you will not forget is the traditional Balinese foods. Like many other places in Indonesia, Bali has wide range of traditional foods, made from traditional ingredients, bringing you a delight taste as one of culture of Indonesia.

The Food of Bali

The staple food of Bali is white, polished rice. Nowadays cooked rice (nasi) is of the fast growing "green-revolution" variety found everywhere in Asia. The traditional Balinese rice (beras Bali) tastes better, but is restricted to a few areas and is now mainly used as a ritual food.

Though they form a major part of the diet, vegetables are considered low-status; high status foods are rice and meat. Because it expensive, however, meat is reserved for ritual occasions. Surprisingly, fish plays a relatively minor role as a source of protein. Though the seas surrounding Bali are rich, the Balinese are not avid fishermen, as the sea is considered dangerous and impure.

 
 
Snacking as a Way of Life


Although they eat meals only twice a day, the Balinese are always snacking. Women rush from the family compound into the street the minute a passing food vendor twangs the metal chime on his push cart; men stop off at their local waning shop for a coffee on the way home from the paddy fields, while school children cannot resist crisp fried crackers (krupuk) or a plate of rujak, sliced sour fruit with a sweet and pungent sauce. There are innumerable options for a quick snack: salted peanuts, huge savoury rempeyek or rice-flour biscuits with peanuts, id cakes, sweetbread rolls, candies, krupuk and many more…...

Balinese Traditional Foods

The famous traditional Balinese foods are made from chikcen, pork and duck. It is hard to find beef menu here since cow is a symbol of holiest animal in Bali. The traditional foods are all served with steam rice and some with vegetables. Most of Balinese food are made for ceremonies, but since everyone wants to taste, the foods are easily to found either in small Warungs or restaurants.

 
Ayam Betutu

Ayam Betutu is a famous Balinese dish of steamed or roasted chicken. It is a popular dish because it is highly seasoned and spiced. An even spicier version is available using extra-spicy sauce made from uncooked (raw) onion slices mixed with red chili peppers and coconut oil.



It can be found in the menu of luxury hotels or restaurants in Bali as well as in traditional 'warung makan' (food stall). It takes at least 24 hours to cook. Many travelers from other regions of Indonesia brought Betutu dishes as Balinese-gift for their families.

Babi Guling

Babi Guling or roasted Suckling Pig is a whole pig rubbed down and stuffed with bumbu bali or a mixture of chopped Balinese spices including shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric, galangal, pepper coriander, candlenuts, chilies, and lemongrass before being roasted over an open fire for up to 5 hours. The pig is continuously turned slowly to ensure even cooking so that the meat ends up tender and juicy.


And the must-visit babi guling place in Bali is Ibu Oka’s in Ubud (which was recommended and featured by Anthony Bourdain in his show ‘No Reservation (running on cable on the Travel & Living Channel or Discovery Channel).

I have never failed to go there if I’m in the area as it’s rated best in Bali, based on word-of-mouth reviews. Even the locals flock there to get their hands on some porky goodness. in fact, when asked, most of the balinese folks will mention Ibu Oka as being the best there is.


A portion of Nasi Babi Guling Special consists of steaming hot rice, with a huge chunk of tender, succulent, melt in your mouth pork, along with its crunchy skin with other accompanying side dishes on a wax paper lined wicker basket. The flesh is so tender that it can be pulled from the bone and made all the more tasty and flavorful by the secret blend of Balinese spices. Definitely one of the best meals in Bali.


Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck)

Wonder what “Dirty Duck” in Ubud Bali is? For tourists who are visiting the beautiful island of Indonesia, Bali, should not miss to eat “Dirty Duck”. “Dirty Duck” (famously known as “Bebek Bengil”) is actually a restaurant name in Ubud, Bali. It is very well-known for its crispy fried duck served with Indonesian vegetables and delicate sambal (chili). How does “Bebek Bengil” taste? Tasty, yummy, crispy, delicious and mouth-watering! Well at least that’s the comments from our people who recently visited Bali and tried the food.

Many said “Bebek Bengil” actually came from a secret family recipe, but they eventually shared it. The mystery behind the crispiness of the ducks is that they are marinated for 36 long hours in Indonesian herbs and spices including bay leaves, lime, ginger, galangal, coriander. Why take such long 36 hours? Well, that’s part of the secrets. Once marinated, they are steamed and then deep-fried in palm oil to get the crispy touch, then voila! The famous Bebek Bengil crispy duck is born.

 
Lawar

Lawar is very famous in Bali, with chopped of meat, vegetable, spices and coconut mixed together

Nasi Campur Bali

Nasi Campur means Mix Rice in English. Nasi Campur is one of Balinese famous food and it is easy to find everywhere. It contains a bowl of steamed rice, mix with tofu (tahu) tempe, chicken, beef , fish, peanuts and a wide selection of cooked vegetables including water spinach (kangkung) and string beans sometimes cooked with garlic and chili. Hot sambal might be added to the side of the plate, so treat any red sauce with care. Newcomers to Bali can get a decent idea of what nasi campur is like by visiting Warung Made which does a good one for IDR 25,000 (around US $ 3).

Sate lilit

Sate lilit is always connected to Bali religious ceremonies because there’s a great philosophy behind sate lilit. Lilit came from the word “kilit” or “iket” which means string or connected which means the Balinese people expect to be united forever and cannot be separated by any kind of challenge.


References:
 
- 99Bali.com
- The Food of Bali by Heinz von Holzen and Lother Arsana
- Baliguide.com
- Jakarta Post