All over for another year.

So didya have fun? Didya spend some time with your friends and family? We did. Although it was over the internet rather than in person. Alas.

Christmas dinner this year was just the two of us, but although it was just the two of us, it didn’t mean that we weren’t going to have something tasty! It also forced us to sort out some of the boxes (and power transformer) so that I could get out the food processor!

We had Rose Elliot’s Cashew Nut Roast, recipe available here.

Looks yum yeah? It was. It’s that stuffing looking thing at the top, it didn’t really retain it’s shape very well, but we cared not.

I also did roast parsnips (for Mr M) and potatoes, and some carrots and sprouts that I added a little bit of butter blended with some dried thyme, and some veggie gravy.

Christmas gifts were mainly little things this year, I got Mr M lots of little-ish things, and also made him some pyjama bottoms like mine (I was totally sneaky and did them while he was at work), but in Star Wars print from Jo Ann. It’s been a kinda crazy time this year! Mr M got me a Cuisinart ICE-100. I had previously had an icecream maker that was one of those ones where you freeze the bowl and stick the mechanism on top, but it was kind of a faff. I had a flick through the instruction/recipe booklet and score! I had the ingredients for one of them already!

Coconut Sorbet Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups water

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 whole vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped – note: I didn’t have any, so just added a tsp of vanilla extract instead

pinch sea salt

2 cans unsweetened coconut milk

Method

Combine the water, sugar, salt, vanilla bean and pod in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Let mixture steep (and cool) for an hour, then strain, discarding the pod.

Add the coconut milk and whisk together, then cover and refridgerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Whisk mixture again, then use in your icecream maker as directed. Then transferring to a freezer safe box so it can fully freeze and firm up. Alternatively, you can place it in a freezer-safe box and place in the freezer for a few hours, removing periodically to mix, so that large ice crystals do not form.

Yummy!

My instructions clearly state that all the recipes in the booklet make the appropriate amount of mixture for this icecream maker. That if you do not use the stated recipes, to make sure that you do not fill it over the top of the dashers…….

Ahem.

It turns out even with the appropriate amount of mixture, it still overflowed over the top. Ooops

I didn’t panic though. Just grabbed a spoon. 🙂

Speaking of over flowing mixtures….. I made Crumpets this morning, the first ones were a little overfilled…… But the rest turned out just grand, topped them with some coconut sorbet and defrosted fruit.

Yum!

Now I’m gonna go unpack…….