Chaos in the Den

I crashed out exhausted last night. I feel I’ve been working hard trying to keep on top of Christmas food, with two meals at least being something special. Admittedly the Fox has been helping me along the way. I had only got as far as planning up to Boxing Day. Since then I’ve been doing some quick thinking, trying to use up from the freezer. So Monday became a day for Ham & Egg Sauté, Tuesday Chicken Chow Mein, Wednesday we ate out & Thursday a Hampton Pie.

 

Yesterday was the final grand meal – Orange Glazed Ham with Mango & Orange Salsa, a Mary Berry recipe. I’d just got the ham on to come to the boil in diluted orange juice when the Fox decided to pop out for a short time. I soon popped the ham in the oven, with a lid, to simmer at a low temperature. I started to get the glaze together & was just segmenting some orange for the salsa when the phone went, a friend. She hastily got off the phone when she realised I was in mid-chaos. Somehow, from then on, I lost co-ordination. My timings all went wrong.

 

I glazed the ham & forgot to raise the temperature. I suddenly realised the potatoes needed to go into the oven for roasting but I still forgot to raise the oven temperature. I hastily located the carrots I was going to do to accompany the meat, while I got the Fox onto making some gravy. We added a few spoonfuls of the diluted orange juice the ham had cooked in, to give the gravy a bit of an orangey bite. I tried to relax briefly when the Fox took the potatoes out to turn over & baste. I noticed how pale they were with none of the golden colour I associate with roasties. A prod with the fork proved they were soft enough to eat but no crispiness. I suddenly remembered I should have turned the oven up to a much higher temperature. Fortunately the carrots were on the go-slow. We cooked the meat & the potatoes for an extra 5-10 minutes at almost maximum temperature. It was sufficient to crispen up the spuds & to give a bit of colour to the orange slice coat of the fat of the ham.

 

By the time I sat down I was so stressed out. I felt I’d been running around like a headless chicken trying to rectify my errors. Still, at the end of the day, we did both thoroughly enjoy the gammon. The sliced oranges gave a rather marmaladey flavour which cut through the fat. The salsa was fruity & tangy. Even the Fox enjoyed it & he’s not usually a great fruit fan but this salsa he enjoyed.

 

I was still worrying about what to have to eat for today. The Fox has volunteered to do a variation on a spicy spag bol using up some of the minced turkey from the freezer so I can relax this morning with nothing to do. Last night I collapsed into bed around 8pm to not get up until after 7 this morning. That just how exhausted I was.