Silly Season
Coming up to the silly season, it can be very difficult trying to avoid sugar. Work Christmas parties, family and friends holding lots of festive gatherings. Throw into the mix New Years Eve celebrations and maybe a few birthdays and you are looking down the barrel of one big nightmare. This year I decide to take matters into my own hands, there are lots of people out there that are lactose and gluten intolerant, and many of the sugar free recipes cater for them as well. This year I made it my mission to find out who all the people were with food intolerance's.
The Work Function
I banded together with my fellow gluten intolerant workmate to ensure we would have something nice to eat at the Christmas party. I bought gluten free rum balls from the supermarket (and tried passing them off as home made of course), as well as making sugar and gluten free top deck mini chocolates to share. Other people were bringing chickens, bread rolls and coleslaw, as well as Christmas cake and pavlova. So we could at least have some of the main meal and our own desserts we brought. Turned out to be a lovely lunch.
The Birthday Celebration
A friend recently had their birthday celebration, we spent the day going to lunch at a nice cafe in town then we all headed back to their house for cake and tea. Naturally the Chocolate Mud cake they had bought was not going to do me any justice. The birthday boy happens to be lactose intolerant, so the day before the party I went out and bought a double chocolate tub of gelato from our local Gelatissimo who happens to make that flavour both dairy free and sugar free. Win/win we both got to divulge into our cups of gelato and not feel like we were missing out by not having the cake.
Christmas
Christmas is always a hard one to get around, so many sweet delicious things to nibble on throughout the day. This year I will be making a selection of sugar free cookies topped with piped chocolate for decoration and added sweetness, as well as my top deck minis. Chocolate mousse is a great one to have in the fridge as well as little jellies with little chocolate figurines in the middle. Having plenty of grapes, nuts and other healthy nibbles lying around helps keep the festive spirit alive, without being too naughty. Best idea as always is to fill up on the main meal, so you aren't so tempted by the sweet treats.
New Years Eve
New Years Eve can depend on what you are doing, if you are heading into the city to watch the fireworks, chances are you aren't going to need to take any food. It is not traditionally a food based holiday. More around drinking and celebrating, however if like me your not much of a drinker and prefer to have a few friends around for the count down and watch the fireworks on the big screen, you’re going to need to cater. This year I will be having a seafood buffet style dinner for the main; this should fill everyone up nicely. For nibbles around the place there will be chips, nuts, crackers, homemade chocolates. For dessert I will have a few chocolate fondue sets on the table, a dark chocolate, a milk chocolate and a white chocolate. There will also be a platter of fresh fruit for dipping and marshmallows for those that can have sugar. However I find that most people prefer the fruit to the marshmallows, as it doesn't tend to be as heavy on the tummy.
At the end of the day though, the main thing to remember is that the silly season is for fun, festivities and spending time with those you love. The food is just what brings us all together in the one spot. So don't place too much stress on yourself over the catering, relax a little and enjoy yourself this coming silly season.
The Work Function
I banded together with my fellow gluten intolerant workmate to ensure we would have something nice to eat at the Christmas party. I bought gluten free rum balls from the supermarket (and tried passing them off as home made of course), as well as making sugar and gluten free top deck mini chocolates to share. Other people were bringing chickens, bread rolls and coleslaw, as well as Christmas cake and pavlova. So we could at least have some of the main meal and our own desserts we brought. Turned out to be a lovely lunch.
The Birthday Celebration
A friend recently had their birthday celebration, we spent the day going to lunch at a nice cafe in town then we all headed back to their house for cake and tea. Naturally the Chocolate Mud cake they had bought was not going to do me any justice. The birthday boy happens to be lactose intolerant, so the day before the party I went out and bought a double chocolate tub of gelato from our local Gelatissimo who happens to make that flavour both dairy free and sugar free. Win/win we both got to divulge into our cups of gelato and not feel like we were missing out by not having the cake.
Christmas
Christmas is always a hard one to get around, so many sweet delicious things to nibble on throughout the day. This year I will be making a selection of sugar free cookies topped with piped chocolate for decoration and added sweetness, as well as my top deck minis. Chocolate mousse is a great one to have in the fridge as well as little jellies with little chocolate figurines in the middle. Having plenty of grapes, nuts and other healthy nibbles lying around helps keep the festive spirit alive, without being too naughty. Best idea as always is to fill up on the main meal, so you aren't so tempted by the sweet treats.
New Years Eve
New Years Eve can depend on what you are doing, if you are heading into the city to watch the fireworks, chances are you aren't going to need to take any food. It is not traditionally a food based holiday. More around drinking and celebrating, however if like me your not much of a drinker and prefer to have a few friends around for the count down and watch the fireworks on the big screen, you’re going to need to cater. This year I will be having a seafood buffet style dinner for the main; this should fill everyone up nicely. For nibbles around the place there will be chips, nuts, crackers, homemade chocolates. For dessert I will have a few chocolate fondue sets on the table, a dark chocolate, a milk chocolate and a white chocolate. There will also be a platter of fresh fruit for dipping and marshmallows for those that can have sugar. However I find that most people prefer the fruit to the marshmallows, as it doesn't tend to be as heavy on the tummy.
At the end of the day though, the main thing to remember is that the silly season is for fun, festivities and spending time with those you love. The food is just what brings us all together in the one spot. So don't place too much stress on yourself over the catering, relax a little and enjoy yourself this coming silly season.
