Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas
by Jonathan Green
~~~
'As welcome as a warm glass of mulled wine on a wintry night, Green's guide to Christmas enhances the pleasures of the festive season, offering a witty cornucopia of Christmas facts and folklore.' - The Good Book Guide, December 2008
Britain's very own Mr Christmas - who celebrates Christmas every single day - said the recession had forced him to scale back the whirlwind of daily festivities this year.
Mr Christmas (a.k.a. Andy Park, a divorced electrician from Melksham*) said his weight had plunged after slashing his mammoth daily portions of mince pies, champagne, roast turkey and all the trimmings.
He used to blow £11,000 a year on his daily Christmas knees-up but has trimmed his budget down to £5,000 in 2009.
"Before the credit crunch I was eating a 14-pound turkey, now I'm down to a four pounder. I've cut down from nine massive roast potatoes to four," Park said.
"I used to have 40 peas on my plate, now its just a tablespoon. I now have to make a bottle of champagne last two days. From 40 mince pies a day I've gone to 12 and there's no double cream."
As I sit at my computer this morning, looking out at houses and gardens iced with snow, my thoughts turn, once again, to food...
Fed up with the traditional turkey for Christmas or just wondering what to do with the leftovers the next day? Then why not make yourself a Christmas pizza?
Christmas Turkey Pizza
For the Dough 3/4 cup lukewarm water 1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 1/2 cups flour 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the Sauce 250ml whipping cream 4 tbsp. butter 3 cloves garlic, minced 5 strips crispy bacon, chopped
For the Toppings 1 lb. roast turkey or chicken 3-4 golden fingerling potatoes 1 small red onion 4 tbsp. whole cranberry sauce 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Preparation 1. Prepare dough – Mix all ingredients and let it rise until dough doubled in size, about 1 hour. Dust a pizza stone with flour. Roll out the dough to fit stone. Let rise for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Prepare sauce - melt butter over medium low heat. Add garlic and saute lightly - don’t burn the garlic! Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer and reduce heat. Add bacon and simmer until desired consistency is reached.
4. Spread sauce thinly on dough then arrange the remaining toppings as desired.
5. Bake in the center of the oven until the dough is golden at the edges, about 35 minutes. Remove, let sit for 5 minutes, then cut and serve.
And here's a recipe for a sweet Christmas pizza
Sweet Christmas Pizza
Ingredients 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 pound white almond bark divided 2 cups mini marshmallows 1 cup rice cereal 1 cup peanuts 16 ounces red maraschino cherries, quartered 3 tablespoons green cherries 1/3 cup coconut 1 teaspoon oil
Melt chocolate with 14 ounce almond bark in large saucepan on low heat, stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in marshmallows, cereal and peanuts. Pour into greased 12 inch pizza pan. Top with cherries. Sprinkle with coconut. Melt remaining almond bark with oil over low heat. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over coconut. Chill. Store at room temperature.
And here's a Christmas pizza the Franklin family made earlier...
Welcome to the official blog for the book 'What is Myrrh Anyway?', which was published in 2008 by Icon Books. This blog is written and maintained by myself, Jonathan Green, the book's author.
I am a freelance writer and editor, well known for my contributions to the Fighting Fantasy range of adventure gamebooks. I have also written for such diverse properties as Sonic the Hedgehog, Doctor Who, Star Wars and Games Workshop's worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.
I am the creator of the alternative steampunk universe of Pax Britannia, and have written eight novels featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver.
As well as my fiction work, I have also written a number of non-fiction books including 'Match Wits with the Kids', 'What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas' and 'YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks'.
Britain's very own Mr Christmas - who celebrates Christmas every single day - said the recession had forced him to scale back the whirlwind of daily festivities this year.
