My entry to the contest : #esieadventures, #ecencychristmas by @ecencystar

PREPARATIONS …..
and pre-tasting to decide what I am gonna make this year.
Yes the Christmas days are a big thing.

The above picture is from all the magazines you get in the post box for all the groceries stores we have in the netherlands. They all wat you to buy the ingredients for the best christmas dinners, lunches, brunches and breakfasts.

We celebrate Christmas Eve, the first day of christmas, the next day christmas morning breakfast, and the second day of christmas dinner. So a lot of preparations are needed.
I know that all the days and opinions of the how and what to serve and dining in or out makes people very stressed, i try not to be but these days i need grocery lists to keep track of everything i need and have already in the pantry.

I also use TikTok and Instagram for inspiration like the egg sandwich by @dianmorrisey

Or the roasted tomato basil ricotta toast, by @dinnerin321
They are also the source for these screenshots. Go subscribe to their home page if you need food inspo.

This is my entry for this contest by Esie.

@ecency-star/esie-christmas-contest-17-days

Rules etc are at the end of the blog!

The preparations have started. Two weeks to go and than we are hosting two days and one morning of Christmas. For you that don’t know , we are all about family.
So these days we are all together. Kids come home from campus and we have a few gifts for eachother, nothing to fancy bu gifts from the hart. Ythe youngest made things and we also give board games and platt them in teh afternoon.
This year we have also made foodboxes for Ukraine as a christmas gift. Groceries are much more expensive and thats why there was a local initiative and I bought products that are good for months and made three boxes. Its a thing I have done a few times the past few months.

Food is a binding factor for many people and so also for us and I always try out the things we are eating at Christmas in the weeks before. A damn job but someone has to do it…..
I already bought table menucard and arrangements , menu’s and made a door wreath.
I will make another christmas table arrangement tonight, I already have the den green branches in the hall way drying.

The grocery list

I also went to the thrift store and bought this lovely merry christmas dinner set for 4 euro the plates are gonna be for the starters.

I already have some things from the magazines bought because they are limited available. Gotta have them and scratch it from the list.

Simple den green , lights and a bell.
The bell is a thing I let come back every year, as a sign to sign in the new year. If you look at last year the bell was in another wreath that we used for the terminal blog for holiday wishes.

So menu choices:

So we already tried the chicken ragout we will have as a starter. It’s like a stew. Ragout will be put in a puff pastry shape , which I have yet to buy are probably stars . MI said it before about two weeks ago in a blog , the reason I try everything in advance is also because many products you need are only good till before Christmas. So when it’s good I will buy it either next Friday or in the weekend, to be safe and know it’s still good for the piece the Christmas resistance.

After that I peel of the meat from the bones. And the ragout is almost done. The taste is amazing and the dish is good for the menu.
I write down to buy the meat , veggies and butter.

Image I dont know if I can share, but i will make these beautiful small bites.
Source @thelowcarb_kitchen on Instagram reels and tik tok

Olive with a piece of salami in it as a bow tie , again I dont know if I can share but I will are them as small bites.
Source @curso_marmita_fit_oficial

Ohh the picture is so cute, but not sharing , but making and buying the cheees triangles and putting a bread stick in it and herbs on top as small christmas cheese trees.
Source @sailor_bailey cheese trees ALSO INSTA REELS
So gonna make them aswell. Love them they are so easy.

Egg white cake with raspberry and advocate dressing.
Source @sleeping makesmehungry on TikTok AGAIN NOT SHARING THE PICS

This is the centrepiece christmas diy by my little one made in school, and yes like his mum candy is a center piece in life.

A christmas suit for the boys for the school christmas play.

Presents for the loved ones, i am doing all the shopping biut again nothing lavish, and some are household needs because that is also a present they will certainly use, instead of it going somewhere in a closet where it never sees the daylight again.

For me a bottle of gluhwein. Its a herbal red wine that needs to be served warm, and i love that when we have warm food. And because we are holding the christmas parties, I can drink, someone else is driving

I love looking at all the free glossy magazines that all the grocery stores Holland has give out, for the best recipies and ideas.
I also bought a “kerststol” it’s a nut bread with almond paste to see if it’s good to incorporate into the Christmas breakfast.
But theis Christmas cookbook is the bomb. The desserts are amazing.

So far we have.

OSSOBUCO
TUNASALAD
APPLEPIE WITH CINNAMON ICECREAM
EGGBREAD
WENTELTEEFJES
( a dutch treat for breakfast )
CHOCO AND COFFEE AMERETTO

The rest is in the making and I have three days left,
The shoppes are open till 21.0 hour so that gives extra leverage to arrange all.

I will be fine. Now back to work.

@ecency-star/esie-christmas-contest-17-days
Is the contest and here are the Rules and Contest categories:

Christmas menu 🍾
Tell us about the Christmas food. It can be something that you usually have for Christmas or want to have. You can share the recipe or just tell us about the food.

Christmas mood🎉
Tell us what makes you feel the Christmas? Do you decorate your home for Christmas? Watch Christmas movies? Wear Christmas pajama?

Christmas stories ✏️
Tell us any story related to Christmas. It can be something from your life or you can make it up.

Christmas gift 🎁
Tell us what kind of gift you would like to get or what you want to give to your family and friends.

Christmas tree🎄
That is the Art category. Draw, create, take a photo, video... of a Christmas tree and share it with us. But don't forget to accompany your artwork with a text description of at least 100 words.

Winter Holiday❄️
There are people who don't have or don't celebrate Christmas. But Esie is curious if there are any other winter holidays that you have or like. And it will be great if can tell us about it☺️

Choose the category and Make your entry (artwork or story)
Put the link to that post in your entry
The post should be at least 100 words length
Use the hashtags #esieadventures, #ecencychristmas
Leave in the comments under the Contest Announcement post the link with your entry
One entry per category
No plagiarism!

I choose the FOODMOOD&ART in the blog 9 days ago. The sharing of the pictures is similar but the magazines are still the same. I put them all in one blog.
Here are free made art for ecency holiday cards you can use in comments to your favourite hivers. Just give me a tag :)

And the ones I did in my last blog and are also available in teh ecency discord assets room.

That’s all for now. December is The month we do a lot and I will try to share as much as I can.
Like this blog from yesterday :

@brittandjosie/making-christmas-houses-with-fake

I made these Christmas houses with a fake light inside.

Merry ecency blogging guys,
See you in the comments !

If we dont meet in the next three days , happy holidays and merry blessed christmas days with love ones wherever you are. God bless, on to a new hive year with many opportunities and my 5th hiversary here.