Christmas Dinner with Siblings

A few years ago, I started the tradition of hosting Christmas parties in early December for friends or family. Last year I decided on a Christmas party for my siblings, and as with most of my parties, I like to go all out!

For welcome drinks, I mixed Amaretto liqueur and cranberry juice, and topped it off with a candy cane. It's a sweet drink but sets everyone in the Christmas mood.

Once I saw the colourful crackers in the shops, I knew it would be part of my theme for this Christmas party. The crackers consisted of black garlic, beetroot & thyme, spinach & Gruberg cheese, smoked paprika, and gluten-free cheese squares. Two cheeses (Camembert and dried cranberry) were served to put on the crackers as well as three different cream cheese balls. The main cream cheese mix consisted of plain cream cheese, Parmesan and honey, which were then coated with either chopped cranberries, crushed almonds or shredded chives. These cream cheese balls can be eaten as is, or used as a spread for the cracker squares. Last of the snacks were watermelon, feta cheese and mint leaf bites, as well as white cheddar cheese, salami and pitted green olives. These bites were the perfect combination of fatty and healthy and everyone loved it.

For the main meal, we decided on a 'fancy' salad - which we often enjoy for dinner. But this was no ordinary salad. The protein was ostrich, which my husband prepared and braaied for us while we were enjoying starters. I initially wanted to use duck, but we decided on ostrich instead. Any meat can be used in the salad. We served chopped almonds, garlic croutons, rocket-, spinach-, and mint leaves, mixed tomatoes and carrots (to add some colour to the table), celery, cucumber, gherkins and feta cheese. Sauces were also served as a choice which included a cranberry dressing and a honey and mustard salad dressing. This was a fun idea, and the guest really enjoyed it. The best part - you could have seconds without feeling guilty!

The table was lightly decorated with red under plates, white and red serviettes, and gold Christmas crackers, which we enjoyed before dinner. I always enjoy the jokes and party hats inside the crackers.

For dessert, I served a deconstructed Irish coffee cheesecake in Irish coffee glasses. The first layer was a cookie base, made from gluten-free chocolate-and-cream biscuits mixed with butter. I put a small amount into each glass and then refrigerated it for a while to let the mixture set. The second layer was the Irish coffee cheesecake, which had to be made in advance to set, and yes, it does contain alcohol. Once the biscuit layer was set, the layer of cheesecake was added, topped with whipped cream mixed with Irish cream liqueur. For the final touch, I made Santa hats out of strawberries, with the bottom dipped in white chocolate and placed in the fridge to set, then I placed a small marshmallow on top, using a toothpick, to round off the hat. If you make this, warn your guests about the toothpick. The dessert was a but much for one person, and I could've halved the recipe. Nonetheless, it was a delicious dessert!

The invitation