Coburg Night Market 2014

It seems we have become regulars at the Coburg Night Market this year.  It runs on the four Friday nights before Christmas each year.  So far we have been to three out of three markets.  The markets offer lots of interesting food trucks, heaps of great craft stalls, and friendly local faces.

I have taken Sylvia and E has joined us after work a couple of times and the last Friday my parents came along and E met us before we picked up Sylvia from a school sausage sizzle.  Each time we have arrived early and watched the markets fill up as the evening darkens. 

Upon entering the market, I am constantly amazed by the richness of colours, sights, sounds and fabrics.  This is the Thairiffic stall which sells really beautiful lanterns as well as clothing.

Sylvia loves the potato twists with the salt and vinegar seasoning.  She never gets through a whole one.  They are nice but very very salty.

My favourite meal has to be the pad thai from the unfortunately named Eat The Chicken.  I had a taco which I liked but would have been better if I had opted for some guacamole on it.  I also enjoyed some curries and dosa but it was a bit on the spicy side for me.

It feels like there are plenty of options for vegetarians.  I also could have had the corn on the cob or some gozleme.  I also fancied the broad bean and pea arancini with cabbage salad from Nonna Carmela's food truck that I visited at the Batman Market a few weeks back.

Dessert is covered too.  Sylvia's favourite ice cream truck is Bianco Latte.  Don't be fooled if you get there early and find it looking quite.  It doesn't take long for the queues to form for the artisan gelato served from the cutest truck.  I loved their peanut butter and nutella ice cream but Sylvia and E were quite taken by the salted caramel.  E and my dad loved Madam Proffertjes.

I challenge you to find a more Aussie trio of ice creams available than pavolva, mango and tim tam.  The first two are from the Bianco Latte.  The tim tam ice cream is from Mercato Gelato and was amazing.  If you fancy something healthier there are chocolate covered strawberries, tubs of cherries or cut mango to enjoy at Market Juice.  I can vouch for the strawberries which are huge but oh so good.

You wont be lacking for drink options either.  I loved the Bruce Cost ginger ale.  We took some away but there is the option of drinking it at the market.  I also sampled some of my mum's sangria.  It is just right for a balmy summer evening.  Others may prefer the offerings of Yarra Coffee or Brown's Corner Hotel.

Take your food and drink to sit on the lawn (or a seat if you happen to nab one) and enjoy the music.  When we have been there early, the kids have time to dance in front of the bands but the area fills up quickly as more and more families arrive with their picnic rugs, prams and friends.

Once the kids are fed and happy, there is time to look about at the other stalls.  I really loved the jewellery making at Love Da Bead.  (They do Pretty Little Things jewellery making parties.  Wouldn't they be fun!)  Sylvia made a blue necklace.  Inspired by Frozen, of course!

As well as jewellery making and dancing, the kids can be entertained with balloons, face painting, hennae tattoos (and let's not tell them about the free lollies!!!!)

If you are shopping for Christmas gifts, you have come to the right place.  You can find soap, chutney, fresh peanut butter, clothes, badges, jewellery, chilli jam, strands of flower lights, mini terrariums, or tea towels with Melbourne suburbs printed on them.

Many stores have really lovely displays.  I loved the fascinating pieces of jewellery in the cubbyholes at Silver Addict.

I really loved the sauces and seasonings at Saori Premium Japanese.  I really wanted the soya and seaweed sauce but moved on too quickly.

E was particularly happy to find a $1 tub of vinyl records at the first market we attended.  After that it seemed to disappear.

One of the lovely aspects of such markets is being able to talk to the people who make the items.  The woman at Mavara Edu who made these beautiful dresses was very friendly.  She also made gorgeous boxer shorts for men and women.  I loved the jewellery by her neighbour Courtesy Please who made some delicate woven earrings like colourful spider webs.  And E got to ask the guy with the muso prints on t-shirts if there was a possibility of one with Leadbelly.

One of my favourite stalls was the Wawa Chocolatier.  The chocolate wasn't cheap at $13 a block but it was amazing.  The flavours on offer were Lavender Honeycomb and Cocoa Nib; Mint Caramel Crisp; Toasted Sourdough; Fried Almond and Smoked Salt; and Blueberry and Blue Corn. I bought a block of the lavendar honeycomb and cocoa nib.  It was so smooth and moreish with chewy honeycomb infused with lavender flavour.

If you are really into the festivities, there are some Christmas goodies to be bought.  (Elf poop, anyone?)

Finally the market would be getting really busy and Sylvia would be very tired.  We all were.  It was time to head home, making someone very happy to snap up our car park!  (They are like hen's teeth around the market but there are more parking spots near the town hall apparently.)

There is only one more week to go.  I highly recommend you head down there next Friday if you live nearby.  A few stalls change each week but are mostly the same.  It really does feel like the place to bump into friends and enjoy the buzz of a suburb that is the place to be.

Read my Coburg Night Market 2013 post.

Coburg Night Market
Bridges Rd Reserve
(03) 9640 0028
http://coburgnightmarket.com/
Last market for 2014: Friday 19 December.

Avocado hummus, Veg sausage rolls, White chocolate and ginger cookies

'Tis the season for entertaining and picnics, for sharing food and having quick meals before going out.  Yes it is that time of year when normal meals go out the window.  Indeed we have had so many evenings where the fun takes precedence over eating sensible meals.

So today I have a few recipes that are perfect for the festive time of year: avocado hummus dip for that quick bite before gift shopping, sausage rolls for carols and white chocolate and ginger cookies to share with colleagues.

The avocado hummus was made in a rush because I was off to meet some friends.  I have fancied trying hummus in my new blender and I had some avocado and parsley to use up.  I had to use the tamper stick a bit to push it down but it was pretty smooth. 

The hummus has a been a great quick lunch a few times because I have been rushing about with not a lot of time to sit down and think about lunch.  It is great with crackers or on toast.  The santa dipper is optional!

We were at a carols service on the weekend and took along a picnic dinner.  I baked sausage rolls.  Clare recently posted a vegetarian sausage roll recipe that is quite similar to my favourite sausage rolls but without the nuts and with simpler seasoning.  I have had a quest to find some good nut free sausage rolls.  So I had to try.

My main concern with the recipe is that it seemed to use a lot of cottage cheese.  So I halved it and added carrot.  Even so I found it quite creamy for my tastes.  Though it wasn't quite as creamy the next day when the sausage rolls had sat overnight and the filling had thickened.  I am wondering if some cooked quinoa and extra seasoning (like in Leah's sausage rolls) would make it more to my liking. 

I have just seen that this is my ninth sausage roll recipe on my blog!  But you can never have too many.  And they were great at the picnic.  It was an overcast evening but we had a lovely time.  Sylvia was very happy to see santa and hung stars on the outdoor Christmas tree.  We all enjoyed sausage rolls, dips, vegies, crackers, chocolate mince tarts and fruit.

The final recipe is based on some Chewy Cinnamon White Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies that I found Eats Well with Others (I found it on Joanne's 20 must-have holiday cookies list that I recommend for baking inspiration.)  I had a surplus of white chocolate melts after making an owl cake.  I made it in the spirit of the cookies rather than following the recipe.  That means I just put in the leftover glace ginger and marshmallows and a few cranberries for festive cheer.  I also added some molasses and spices for a slightly gingerbread flavour.

As I was making these before going off to help out with some community activities, I took them along for my colleagues.  They loved them.  As do E and I.  Sylvia was hot and cold on them.  I think she loved them when she struck a marshmallow and wasn't so sure when she chomped on the glace ginger.  My mum also enjoyed one before Sylvia's school instrumental concert.  (She overcame her nerves to play ukelele solo in front of her school buddies.)

These cookies (or bikkies as we might call them) were fantastic and soft on the day of making, and fragile by evening.  Possibly as a result of me veganising the recipe (except for the white chocolate chips but they would also work with dark chocolate chips - after all what doesn't!) and possibly they needed another minute or two in the oven.  Whether fresh or fragile, they were delicious and very addictive.  Lovely festive food to share.

I am sending the avocado hummus to Healthy Vegan Fridays #26 hosted by Kimmy of Rock My Vegan Socks and Robin of Vegan Dollhouse. I am sending the sausage rolls to Vanesther at Bangers & Mash (and Lou at Eat Your Veg) for Family Foodies with this month's theme of Festive Food.  And lastely I am sending the cookies to Kat of the Baking Explorer (and Stu of Cakeyboi) for Treat Petite with the theme of Christmas.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Gingerbread village and other gingerbread
Two years ago: Peebles, Snow and the Prince of India
Three years ago: CC Chesapeake tempeh cakes for carols
Four years ago: Buns, soup and crunchie in yaz's kitchen
Five years ago: Christening Cake
Six years ago: Festive Shortbread
Seven years ago: SHF #38 Christmas Pudding

Avocado Hummus
Adapted from Taste.com
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 avocado
400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
juice of 1/2 lemon
Handful parsley
1 tbsp hot sauce (I used Franks)
1/4 tsp salt

Blend in food processor or blender until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Sausage rolls with cottage cheese, oat and carrot
Adapted from The Life of Clare
Makes about 30-36 small sausage rolls

Filling:
1 cup rolled oats
1 egg
1 tbsp soy sauce (2)
1 onion finely diced
250g cottage cheese
1 small carrot, finely grated

To assemble:
3 sheets of puff pastry
milk for glazing
sesame seeds for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 220 C and line a couple of oven trays with baking paper.

Mix rice with carrots, cheese and tomato paste.  Add seasonings to taste.

Lay out a sheet of (defrosted) pastry and cut in half lengthwise.  Spoon filling along the middle of the length of each piece of pastry.  Brush long edge with a little milk and roll pastry around filling so there is a slight overlap.  Move onto a prepared tray.  Make deep slashes with a sharp knife to designate 6 pieces.  Glaze with milk.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Repeat with remaining pastry until you have used up all the filling.

Bake for 40 minutes at 200 C and 10 minutes at 200 C or until golden brown.  (I usually bake sausage rolls in at last 2 batches as I don't have enough trays to bake them all at once.)  Can refridgerate or freeze and reheat in oven.

White chocolate chip and ginger cookies
Adapted from Eats Well With Others
Makes 3 dozen

4 tsp ground linseeds (flaxseed)
3 tbsp water
165g margarine or butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp molasses
1 cups white self raising flour
1/3 cup wholemeal flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp mixed spice (pumpkin spice)
1/2 tsp salt
200g white chocolate chips
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dessicated coconut
1/3 cup glace ginger
1/4 cup marshmallows

Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F).  Line baking trays with baking paper.  Soak ground linseeds in water.

Cream margarine and sugars  Stir in molasses, then flours, bicarbonate soda, mixed spice and salt.  Gently mix in remaining ingredients.

Drop heaped tablespoons on the prepared trays with 1.5 inches between.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until edges start to brown..  Cool on tray or baking paper (I need to reuse the baking trays for more batches so I gave the cookies a few minutes to cool and then transfer the piece of baking paper with cookies on it onto a wire rack to cool.)  Best eaten on the day of baking.  Keeps in an airtight container for about 3 days.

On the stereo:
Christmas in the heart: Bob Dylan

Lunchboxes - a reflection on a year of vegetarian school lunches

The Australian school year is almost over.  It seems like a good opportunity to reflect on Sylvia's lunchboxes over the year.  I have occasionally shared them but here is an overview.  Above is her trusty Pepper Pig lunchbox looking less shabby at the start of the year.   Below is her drink bottle.  They have accompanied Sylvia to school every day of her Prep year.  (That is the first year of primary school here.)

Sylvia's themos water bottle

My primary school lunches:
We develop our expectations of food from our own experiences so let me tell you about my own primary school lunches.  I usually had sandwiches - german sausage and tomato sauce, vegemite and cheese or vegemite and walnuts - and some fruit and cake.  All wrapped in waxed paper.  (I really hated the waxed paper.)  Occasionally we put in lunch orders to a nearby milk bar for pies or pasties, chips (crisps) and flavoured milk.  It was a treat.  We also had cordial in our water bottles in the first few weeks of each year, which I loved.

Crackers, cheese, cherry tomatoes, cooked potato, choc chip cookie, peach slices

What lunches are available for Sylvia at her school?
Like my school Sylvia does not have a canteen at school.  The only exception is that occasional canteen run by the Junior School Council, which sells popcorn, sultanas, zooper doopers and other healthyish) snacks.  However unlike my school, there is no lunch order service every day.  Lunch orders are only available on a few days.  They came from a nearby cafe offering sandwiches, sushi, dim sims, baked potatoes, spaghetti, fruit, flavoured milk and juice.

Cheeseymite scroll, carrots, porridgies, pear slices

The lunchbox
When I bought the Peppa Pig lunchbox I found that our little tubs fitted neatly inside it.  It has been a good system.  Though there are mornings when they are hard to find.  I would like a bento box but never found one I liked and the tubs give me good flexibility.

Sushi, soy crisps, walnuts, Herman the German apple cake, apple slices

The labels
I started writing Sylvia's name using permanent markers but they washed off quickly.  On my sister's recommendation (thanks Susie) I bought some name tags from Bright Star.  They have been fantastic.  They stay on for ages and we still have lots of them.

Cheeseymite scroll, carrots, gingerbread stars, apple slices

What did Sylvia eat?
From the start I would give Sylvia some protein, some vegetable, some sweet home baking, some fruit.  The lunchbox below was quite unusual because I didn't have fresh fruit and used dried fruit instead.  She always has water in her water bottle.

Sushi, carrots, roasted chickpeas, porridgies, dried apricots and dates

Sandwiches
At first Sylvia refused to eat sandwiches.  Sandwiches seem such standard lunchbox fare so I pushed her to eat them.  After all we regularly have home made bread in the house.  I remember the first day I put a sandwich in her lunchbox.  She screamed in outrage.  However she has come around.

Cheese and vegemite sandwiches (on seeded sourdough), carrots, chocolate cupcakes, pear slices

Sylvia's regular savoury foods:

• Crackers and hummus
• Crackers and cheese
• Vegemite and cheese sandwiches
• Sushi (seasoned rice and nori but no filling)
• Cheeseymite scrolls from Bakers Delight (every Tuesday)
• Dried chickpeas and tofu bacon
• Cheese stars (like these)
• Carrots or cherry tomatoes

Rice crackers, hummus, carrots, banana oat pancakes, apple slices

Sweet Food

• Porridgies
• Chocolate cupcakes
• Banana oat pancakes (I would freezer leftovers on weekends for emergencies)
• Gingerbread biscuits
• Choc chip cookies
• ANZAC biscuits
• Apple or pear
• Peaches, apricots or cherries

Vita wheat crackers, roasted chickpeas, coconut bacon, chocolate iced doughnut, apple slices

Keep it plain
I sometimes feel guilty that her lunches are so boring and often the same but Sylvia likes to eat the same old thing.  (NB the photos in this post were taken when I thought there was something interesting to record.)  However I also see lots of recommendations for school lunches that seem incredibly fussy.  I would always put together lunch in the morning and some days it has been a mad rush.  I just don't have time for such fancy food.  Not to mention that it is often messy and hard to pack.

Cheese stars, carrots, almond choc chip cookie, apple slices

Portion size
When I first started to think about school lunches, I packed a lot more than I do now.  Even so, Sylvia often does not eat all her lunch at school.  We have a rule on this.  If she doesn't eat her lunch, she eats the leftovers before any other snacks after school.  Usually she does eat any leftovers before dinner.

Tortilla, hummus, cherry tomatoes, glo bar, pear slices

Nut policy
Sylvia's school does not have a no nuts policy.  For months I mistakenly thought there was and I have more recently spoken to other parents who were under the impression there was.  Perhaps it is a hangover of the strict food policies at child care.  I have been told that it is impossible to enforce a no nuts policy because children bring their own lunches.  However there is a policy of no sharing food among kids.

Cheese and vegemite sandwiches, cherry tomatoes, iced cupcake, apricots

Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist and do not claim to have made perfect lunches but I think they are ok, though probably too many sweet treats.  However I feel it is not too bad compared to the child care lunches she was served.  I would get annoyed at the lack of protein or the processed meat patties she got there.  It would be good to get more vegies into Sylvia's lunchbox.  She is slowly starting to eat more of our meals so that might give me more options next year.

Cheese and vegemite sandwiches, cherry tomatoes, chocolate mince tart, peach slices

What did you have for school lunches when you were at school?  What do your kids enjoy now or what would you like to pack for kids lunchboxes?

Zucchini flowers with rice, roast pumpkin, and strawberry dumplings

Aren't zucchini flowers exactly what every blogger dreams of in a vegetable!  They are photogenic and unusual and seasonal.  Of course I was excited to see them at Coburg Farmers Market.  Yet they are not really my sort of thing.  So ridiculously delicate and they love creamy fillings.

I gave them rice and miso harissa roasted pumpkin.  Perhaps the most successful part of the meal was the strawberry dumplings for dessert.

It was my first time cooking with zucchini flowers.  I did eat some at a cafe many years ago.  So I searched the net for ideas.  Here is a selection of some of the recipes I found:

• Five ways to eat squash blossom: The Kitchn
• Baked stuffed zucchini flowers: Cook (Almost) Anything
• Jamie's stuffed zucchini flowers in a tomato sauce - Laws of the Kitchen
• Pizza with zucchini flowers: Cooking with Patty
• Roasted zucchini flowers with cashew cheese - To Her Core
• Stuffed courgette flowers (battered and fried): BBC Good Food
• Zucchini flower tart: Gourmet Traveller

I liked the notion of stuffing the flowers with a rice mixture.  Especially one that used some mint from the garden.  I blended a recipe that baked the flowers with rice stuffing and one that cooked them on the stovetop like dolmades.  I always end up with more stuffing than whatever needs to be stuffed.  So I cooked the extra rice stuffing and the flowers together.

I thought it looked really pretty but to be honest I wasn't sure it was worth the effort of stuffing the flowers.  Perhaps it would be just as easy to lay them on top with no stuffing.  Or they would be good on the rice with a little bit of creamy ricotta or cashew cream filling.  I would definitely do it again and perhaps even use it for a centrepiece at a fancy dinner.  Given that I could find zucchini flowers at the right time!

Stuffing the flowers was quite a palaver.  As I started to think about doing it, I stumbled across Cakelaw talking about how putting the flowers in the fridge actually made them stick together more.  Sadly her advice was too late for me.  My zucchini flowers had been in the fridge a few days.  And yes they were stuck together and hard to stuff.  After all there is not much room for stuffing anyway.  At least the stamens came out without too much effort.

Sylvia would not eat the zucchini flowers.  She told us that they might have bees wee on them.  At least she ate a small bowl of the rice.  She didn't scream blue murder but she wasn't overly keen.  We have got to a point though where she is making more of an effort to eat what we are eating.  The little victories are sweet!

While I was pleased with the zucchini dumplings I was on more familiar ground with trying some miso harissa roasted pumpkin from Vegan Miam.  It gave far more return for little effort compared to the flours.  I roasted it in a pan that I knew would cope with some charring.  And it was lovely.  Soft melting pumpkin flesh with crispy skin.  The pumpkin and the rice would make a satisfying meal even without the zucchini flowers.

My other exciting purchase on the same weekend was 1 kilogram of strawberries for $5 at Batman Market.  It is the sort of purchase that is amazing at the time and then leaves me wondering what to do with them.  I didn't want to make jam.  I made icy poles and had heaps left.  So I searched Eat Your Books and found an amazing dessert of dumplings in a strawberry sauce at Smitten Kitchen.

I told Sylvia I was making dumplings.  Like a typical child she took great opposition to the unknown.  'Yuk' she exclaimed because asking what they were like.  'A bit like cake' I suggested to steer her onto familiar ground.  That was the least of my problems.

I didn't read the recipe and got my timing all wrong, the sauce burnt at the bottom of the pan, and my idea of trying white chocolate in the dumplings (inspired by a recipe a friend once made me) made no impact on the flavour.  But who cares when it tasted so good!

The dessert was far better than I expected.  The berries cooked down to a fruity sauce that was more intense than fresh berries but still tasted like fruit rather than syrup.  The dumplings were soft and soaked up the sauce.  Sylvia told me how much she loved it and that it tasted like cake.  E suggested treacle dumplings (at which I pointed out golden syrup dumplings on my blog).

What I really loved about this dish was that it was a great way of using up lots of strawberries without using the oven or preserving in jars.  I love cakes but strawberries seem to disappear into them and I am not great at layer cakes with cream and berries or trifles.  This dish is best fresh and needs to be eaten warm.  However with some ice cream or our favourite vanilla yoghurt it is perfect for summer. 

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: ANZAC biscuits with cranberries and chocolate
Two years ago: Edinburgh Castle views and the Deacon's Hoose
Three years ago: CC Chesterfield Farm and Smoky Red Pepper Hummus
Four years ago: Cheese & pesto muffins and breakfast routine
Five years ago: Edinburgh Winter Wonderland
Six years ago: Memories, BBQs, and Bangers & Mash
Seven years ago: How green was my mole?

Zucchini flowers with rice
Adapted from SBS and Almost Turkish
serves 2 to 3

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (1 handful)
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint (1 handful)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup tomato passata
1/4 cup water
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
6 (or more) zucchini flowers with baby zucchini attached

Fry onion in oil over medium heat in a large saucepan for a few minutes or until golden brown.  Stir in herbs, cumin, mustard, and salt.  Fry for about a minutes.  Mix in passata, water and rice.  Bring to the boil and simmer on medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes.  The rice will still be quite hard.

Remove stamens from the flowers and trim the baby zucchinis.  Gently prise open flowers and stuff as many zucchini flowers  as possible with the rice mixture.

Spread remaining rice in a very large frypan.  Arrange flowers on top.  Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Pour in 2 1/2 cups of boiling water into frypan.  Bring to the boil and then simmer over medium heat for about 25 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is cooked.  (If rice is not cooked, add a little extra water and boil for another 5 or 10 minutes.)

Miso harissa roasted pumpkin
Adapted from Vegan Miam
serves 2-4 as a side dish

400g butternut pumpkin
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white miso
1/2 tbsp harissa
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
1 tsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 220 C.  Trim pumpkin but leave skin on.  Cut into wedges or slices.  Mix remaining ingredients to make a marinade.  Toss with pumpkin a roasting tray.  Roast for 50 to 70 minutes, turning occasionally until pumpkin is soft and slightly charred around the edges.  (I did 70 minutes but my oven is quite slow.)

Strawberry dumplings
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 2-3

400g strawberries, hulled and sliced thickly
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp butter or margarine (or white chocolate)
1/2 cup self raising flour

Mix strawberries, brown sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan.  (Mine is about 18cm in diameter.)  Set aside for 15 minutes to let the berries release the juices.

Meanwhile make the dumplings by heating the milk and butter enough to melt the butter.  Mix in the flour to make quite a stiff batter.

Bring the berries to the boil slowly on medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Drop spoonfuls (about the size of golf balls) into the strawberry mixture.

Cover and turn heat down low.  Simmer for 15-18 minutes without lifting lid.  Dumplings will have expanded and be spongy to touch when done. 

On the Stereo:
God: Johnny Cash

I've crammed a lot into this post and so there is lots to share in the following blog events:

• I am sending the Zucchini Flowers with Rice to Eat Your Greens at Allotment to Kitchen, Cooking with Herbs at Lavender and Lovage, and Shop Local food challenge at Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary.
• I am sending the Miso Harissa Roasted Pumpkin to Bookmarked Recipes at Tinned Tomatoes, and Vegetable Palette at Allotment to Kitchen where the theme is Christmas and Festive Vegetables (we always have pumpkin in our Christmas dinner).
• I am sending the Strawberry Dumplings to Simple and in Season at Ren Behan, and Healthy Vegan Fridays #24 (or #25) hosted by Kimmy of Rock My Vegan Socks and Robin of Vegan Dollhouse.

On the Stereo:
Christmas: Low