Mum and I had our annual planning day yesterday and we came up with a plan for 2024.
Mum and I have been sharing the baking and meal prep for the last 20 years or so. It makes buying the groceries and the prep a lot easier and a lot more fun. For example for Christmas dinner, I buy the Turkey, she buys the ham. I do the pasta salad, she does the potato salad, I do one dessert and she does the other. Anything that is to be used at Mum's is stored at her house. She has a cupboard specifically for Christmas/Holiday foods. Anything that I am storing here goes on the very top shelf of a cupboard in my laundry.
We will be paring down things again this year, we find we are just not needing as much as we have done in previous years. There is typically just 4 of us so we are all for making the day a fabulous one but also by making it as easy as possible. We have discussed changing the menu and we all decided that we are perfectly happy with what we offer but will cut back a little on the amount. We generally use any leftovers for Boxing Day and then the following day so get 2 or 3 meals out of what we make.
Baking:
Condensed milk (X)
Milk arrowroot biscuits ( )
Coconut ( )
Cocoa ( )
Cooking chocolate (X) Stored in freezer
Choc chip cookies to crush for fudge (X)
Choc chips for fudge (X)
Candy canes (X) Leftover from last year. To be crushed for chocolate bark.
M&M's (X) and gummy bears (X) for chocolate bark.
Sprinkles (X) Still have plenty after Christmas '23
Freckles (X)
Butter (X) Stored in freezer
Cooking margarine (X) Stored in freezer
Fruit mince mix ( ) This is already proving to be hard to find
SR flour ( )
Plain flour ( )
White sugar ( )
For meals: Not sure what we will be doing for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day breakfast. It depends on DH and I plans.
Turkey breast ( )
Bake at home bread rolls ( )
Tinned corn (X)
Tinned pineapple pieces (X)
Tinned beetroot (X)
Dried pasta (X)
Ranch dressing ( )
Bacon ( )
Eggs ( )
Jelly crystals (X)
Cheese cake mix (X)
Long life custard ( )
Drinks:
Sparkling Apple juice (X)
Ginger Ale ( )
Lemonade (Sprite)( )
Juice for punch ( )
Coke/Coke no sugar ( )( )
Christmas Eve Basket: Not sure what the plans will be for this year. Depends on where DH and I are living. Will purchase items and sort it out later.
Block of chocolate (X)
Savory crackers (BBQ Shapes) ( )
Savory snacks Cheezels etc ( )
Popcorn ( )
Little bottles of drink (X)(X)
Mixed lollies( )malteasers (X)
New Year's Eve: Not sure what the plans will be for this year. Depends on where DH and I are living. Will purchase items and sort it out later.
Non alcoholic cider (X)
Soft drinks ( )
Fortune Cookies (X)
Frozen cheesecake/lemon meringue pies ( )( )
Chips/Cheezels/Shapes etc ( )
Mixed lollies ( )
Mum and I have been sharing the baking and meal prep for the last 20 years or so. It makes buying the groceries and the prep a lot easier and a lot more fun. For example for Christmas dinner, I buy the Turkey, she buys the ham. I do the pasta salad, she does the potato salad, I do one dessert and she does the other. Anything that is to be used at Mum's is stored at her house. She has a cupboard specifically for Christmas/Holiday foods. Anything that I am storing here goes on the very top shelf of a cupboard in my laundry.
We will be paring down things again this year, we find we are just not needing as much as we have done in previous years. There is typically just 4 of us so we are all for making the day a fabulous one but also by making it as easy as possible. We have discussed changing the menu and we all decided that we are perfectly happy with what we offer but will cut back a little on the amount. We generally use any leftovers for Boxing Day and then the following day so get 2 or 3 meals out of what we make.
Baking:
Condensed milk (X)
Milk arrowroot biscuits ( )
Coconut ( )
Cocoa ( )
Cooking chocolate (X) Stored in freezer
Choc chip cookies to crush for fudge (X)
Choc chips for fudge (X)
Candy canes (X) Leftover from last year. To be crushed for chocolate bark.
M&M's (X) and gummy bears (X) for chocolate bark.
Sprinkles (X) Still have plenty after Christmas '23
Freckles (X)
Butter (X) Stored in freezer
Cooking margarine (X) Stored in freezer
Fruit mince mix ( ) This is already proving to be hard to find
SR flour ( )
Plain flour ( )
White sugar ( )
For meals: Not sure what we will be doing for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day breakfast. It depends on DH and I plans.
Turkey breast ( )
Bake at home bread rolls ( )
Tinned corn (X)
Tinned pineapple pieces (X)
Tinned beetroot (X)
Dried pasta (X)
Ranch dressing ( )
Bacon ( )
Eggs ( )
Jelly crystals (X)
Cheese cake mix (X)
Long life custard ( )
Drinks:
Sparkling Apple juice (X)
Ginger Ale ( )
Lemonade (Sprite)( )
Juice for punch ( )
Coke/Coke no sugar ( )( )
Christmas Eve Basket: Not sure what the plans will be for this year. Depends on where DH and I are living. Will purchase items and sort it out later.
Block of chocolate (X)
Savory crackers (BBQ Shapes) ( )
Savory snacks Cheezels etc ( )
Popcorn ( )
Little bottles of drink (X)(X)
Mixed lollies( )malteasers (X)
New Year's Eve: Not sure what the plans will be for this year. Depends on where DH and I are living. Will purchase items and sort it out later.
Non alcoholic cider (X)
Soft drinks ( )
Fortune Cookies (X)
Frozen cheesecake/lemon meringue pies ( )( )
Chips/Cheezels/Shapes etc ( )
Mixed lollies ( )
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