Thursday, December 27, 2018

Just so you know...


This year our Christmas was ON, so the family came. Yay!

Many of you have found it helpful to hear what it's like living with an aspie, so I'll tell you that whereas I loved the day, full of love and good food and games, it was a strain for Dave. He never joins us for Christmas lunch, but he always does the washing up, which is wonderful. He collected two family members from Sheffield first thing, and then after an hour's conversation, retreated to somewhere quiet, with only occasional forays into the populated areas of the house. 

We have another aspie in the family and they are currently having two fried eggs every day for their main meal, so that's what they had for Christmas dinner. You know what? It's fine. Why would anyone want to make someone else do something that makes them distressed or uncomfortable just because of some arbitrary norm?  

Next year it'll be Dave's turn and Christmas will be OFF. I'm not pretending it has been an easy journey getting here but we're here now: this is OUR norm.  


As for me, I am quietly and (until now) privately basking in the achievement of getting the following ready for Christmas dinner in a small kitchen, all at the same time:

A (home made) vegan nut roast
A (home made) veggie nut roast
A roast chicken
Vegan gravy
Veggie gravy
Carnivore's gravy
Bacon
Sausage
Stuffing
Sprouts
Peas
Roast parsnips
Roast potatoes
Baked potatoes
Force meat balls
And bread sauce which I cooked and left on one side and then forgot to bring to the table. In the picture below, the foil parcels on the top of the log burner contain baked potatoes, because there was not enough room in the oven to keep them warm once cooked.


Yes, I was wearing my turquoise sparkly top. 

My only slight resentment about the whole Christmas-with-an-aspie thing is that I can't make chicken soup from the herb-fed-free-range-chicken carcase because Dave can't stand the smell of boiling bones. I often give things away to others that we can't consume, but it seems a little odd to offer a neighbour a chicken carcase, no matter how illustrious its provenance.

I know a lot of people hate this time of year, so I hope you're managing to get through even if you're feeling low, or if it's especially hard this year because you're missing someone. 

Wishing you love and blessings,
Sue 



4 comments:

  1. Wow! Your menu ranges far and wide ! I am truly in awe. I just did a leg of lamb and a roast chicken and humoungous salad and glazed sweet potatoes ( for my husband) and stunning roasties ( although I say so myself!) . Did them this way for the first time this year: boiled till done, then into roasting pan and slightly crushed, flattened and then drizzled with mix of butter and olive oil , very yummy! But how lucky lucky we are to have people to cook for and stuff to cook! This year my daughter decreed that my 6 year old grandson was not to have a toy rich christmas ( mainly because she is offended by the onslaught of the commercial but also because the youngster's birthday is early january) and so we have been having that kind of conversation: we are fortunate people to have clothes and a house and enough food etc...lots love to you and your house!

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  2. Yes, we are so, so lucky to have food to cook and people to cook for.
    Lots of love to you and yours, Marmee. xxx

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  3. Anonymous8:46 pm

    Impressive menu, I am in awe at the range of gravy. I ended up making a nut roast as well as turkey etc as about an hour before we were due to sit down to the meal, my visiting adult aspie daughter reminded me that I had agreed she would have a nut roast (I have no recollection of the conversation but her memory is excellent) - thank goodness for google is all I can say - it turned out to be effectively another stuffing accompaniment to the turkey as the resulting nut roast was not in fact to her taste in the end and she ate turkey with the rest of us! I too did the roasties the same way as Marmee (except I drain them then whack them about in the pan with the lid on, which is similar to crushing them but more brutal) I used some of the fat from cooking the gammon and olive oil - and they were amazing. We are still eating cold cooked meat leftovers today Friday, in sandwhiches and my husband likes to "butter" his bread with left over bread sauce so we have gallons of it! Second Christmas on Sunday with the grandchildren. Jenetta

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  4. Hi Jenetta, I love this sharing of what happened with everyone's cooking. The family member who declines to be named supervised my roasting of the potatoes and he bashed them about after boiling, and managed to make them delicious and also suitable for the vegans and veggie of the party, but I'm not sure if he used Stork or oil. He added whole cloves of garlic too.

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