A winter wonderland and dinner anyone?

We drove up north on Saturday morning since our Christmas Days fell in the middle of the week this year. It gave us a 5 day period to spend up at Cranberry Cottage. We took a detour on the way up through the heather fields of Doldersum as we knew this area would be very beautiful with the frozen frost we were having.


This is a condition that happens in Holland if all the conditions are just right. It must stay frozen for a few days and the mist and damp start to form beautiful ice crystals on everything. It was virtually no wind which in itself is unusual for Holland but also helps with the ice formation.

This is an area I have shared with you before on both blogs as the Scottish Highlanders (cows) graze here often and you are able to get some wonderful close~up photos. Today they were somewhere warmer I presume.


Even a simple wire fence to keep the wildlife in becomes a thing of beauty!


In August, this is a field of purple heather but for now the grasses and heathers are frozen in a wintry white.


If you click on the photos, you can see the detail better as with the deep crystals on this shrub.


Unfortunately, Saturday was the last day to see this pretty sight. It was all vanished the next day but it really boosted our feeling like we had a bit of a white Christmas here afterall.


Christmas dinner for us this year was started with a Spanish wild mushroom cappuccino. This is a wild mushroom soup with a layer of real cream laced with Madeira.


We then had Carpaccio Milano which is a thin slice of roast beef rolled with spinach, salad and roast potatoes.


This was a new recipe for the potatoes and was so tasty that I thought I would share it with you.

Small new potatoes with skins
Red onion
Rosemary
Black olives
Sun dried tomatoes
Salt and pepper

Precook the potatoes with skins on so they start to soften. Now cut the potatoes in half and place in a dish with a red onion which has been cut in half rings and rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with olive oil and roast in 175C/350F oven for about half an hour. Once the potatoes and done, toss in black olives cut in half and sun dried tomatoes which have been sliced.


Dessert was an ice cream yule log. I love decorating a dessert plate by first adding some whipped cream and then sprinkling the plate with cocoa powder. It gives a festive look.