Stuffing, anybody?

I knew I was going to be under the spotlight this Christmas. Cooking for nine, including two chefs. Mmmm.. .

Given that I didn’t have a team of lackeys running around my capacious kitchen, other than Aunt Aggie , that is, squatting in the corner with her knitting and wearing a tea cosy, I had to have a decent strategy. I also had to have a plausible set of excuses in my back pocket, just in case. The pressure had been eased earlier in the month by the Folks volunteering to ‘do’ the Turkey, as long as I did the stuffing and wrapped chipolatas, or as Aggie insisted on calling them ‘angels on horseback’.   I’m sick of telling her that’s a completely different dish.

The day started well with a copy of cycling weekly in my stocking ...(If you want a laugh look at their websites best cycling clips of the year, specially the Sherwen gaffe and the unedited Wiggins being interviewed after the Tour of Romandie. Link(http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/galleries/videos/536087/top-cycling-youtube-clips-of-2012.html) Its a hoot.

After a light breakfast of chocolate orange and Turkish delight it was off through the lanes for a steady 10 miler.  Not much on the roads. Solitary running in the wet.  A low, thin mist hanging around and puddles everywhere.  Running past the ruins of Mitford Castle, I came around a bend and was hit by the heavy scent of incense.  The knights had not re-convened but the musky smell was seeping out from the nearby Magdalene church.

Got back and washed, and, after a swift half hour with the young adults and friends at the local , it was down to the proper graft. The Kitchen beckoned.  I peeled more spuds than a bombardier on charge, and more carrots than Ee-Aaw could eat in a week.   Aggie was masterful at the stuffing, putting years of moaning and useless industry to good use.  I always wondered what she was good at, but it clearly wasn’t stuffing.  

Time went on and the kitchen was full to bursting with colourful grub. Heston would have been proud. Then, no sooner had I welcomed the Turkey through the front door, than the hoards descended on us, sat, toasted and gobbled up the tepid spread that was my Christmas fare.
Afterwards there was a little turkey left . I never even got round to cooking the broccoli. The pudding was good and hot, though and, after a quiz, we sent them on their way. Nice to have company. 

There’s still some stuffing left if anyone’s interested.  This morning Aggie's had to have a lie down. Chocolate sugar rush I think.  Hate to think how many calories consumed yesterday.

I notice the Forfar run is full now and my worst sporting experience from 2012, the Captain Cooks challenge sportive, is strangely not on the calendar. Read it and weep. http://runnerwanderings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/captain-cook-challenge-sportive-2012.html

Maybe that’s a blessing.  Now to planning the next year.   I’d really like to include a visit to the new velodrome in Glasgow.  Wonder if I could combine it with Celtic Connections in January. Maybe. In the meantime, time for a cuppa