Christmas panic stations!

I don't know how it happened. A couple of weeks ago it was august, and now it's december... the 22nd!!! Christmas is in 3 days (actually, more like 2 and a half) and I'm making Christmas dinner, and all I've managed to organise is the buying of brussel sprouts and potatoes! That's ALL! Granted my Mum has bought the turkey and ham, and she'll bake the ham, but that still leaves a zillion things for me left to do: put out slices of bread to dry for breadcrumbs for stuffing buy bacon eggs herbs carrots sorrel cranberries cream butter pork sausages brown bread grapes yogurt brown sugar tomatoes lettuce red cabbage red onions... and because I haven't yet figured out what I'm cooking, the list could get a lot longer!

Then of course there's the new website I have to finish for a client to go online December 31st the alterations I have to make to my film by December 31st the packing I have to do by December 31st and the plane I have to catch with my boyfriend December 31st! Yikes! I was almost hyperventilating today!

I haven't even figured out what I'm cooking on Christmas day! There are the obligatory things: the afore mentioned ham and turkey, the stuffing with lots of herbs and bacon, the fresh pigeon peas stewed in coconut milk, English-style roast potatoes, my granny's red cabbage (with apples and maple syrup - yum!), then I think we'll have brussel sprouts, and candied carrots. I want to make some sort of salad. I bought a massive pack of smoked salmon in Price Smart, so I'd like to make a first course with that. Then I was thinking of making creme brulee with some sort of fruit base - maybe a sorrel and cranberry coulis. For my sister, I'll do my granny's famous grape dessert.

But wait! Look at that - it's a christmas menu! Yay! But daz a lotta food... to make! No doubt, by the time I've cooked everything I'll be a catatonic blob sitting at the dinner table - but there you go, at least the christmas panic will have passed!