Christmas: Panettone Bread Pudding

A kind neighbor brought me a Panettone over Christmas and I decided to make bread pudding with it.  I haven't seen a panettone since I dated my Italian ex.  His parents seemed like they had a 100 of them on their counter at Christmas, that they received as gifts.  Quite a sight, so many different types and makers of it.  I always wondered what they did with them all... Anyway, bread pudding always makes me think of both New Orleans as it's a specialty there and my dad (RIP), who made it for us as kids.  Here's what I concocted today:

Christmas: Boneless Leg of Lamb Roast

Well this is a first for me on Christmas Day 🎅.  I don't remember ever making leg of lamb though I'm sure I have at some point but I do know I've never served it for Christmas dinner before.  Therefore; you see the reason I write this cooking journal.  😉  I got my roast from Costco.  It was Australian (I usually get New Zealand lamb) and it came netted so I didn't have much work to do with it other than seasoning.  

Christmas Eve: Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

I'm making appetizers for Christmas Eve and often do.  I usually bake a brie in puff pastry but I wanted to do it smaller this year as we don't have people coming over and I thought it would be nice to reheat at another time with leftovers.  So, I used a jumbo pan which held 6.

Avocado Walnut Cheese Toast

This was my own creation.  I have a surplus of avocados because I was going to make sushi (California Rolls) but that's going to have to wait due to Christmas stuff going on...  They're all ripe now so my millennial son would be getting his fave avocado toast for bit.

Air Fryer: Crispy Chicken Thighs & Homemade Russet Fries

This was going to be easy peasy tonight (I heard Jamie Oliver when I wrote that).  Fries and fried chicken.  I've done thighs before in the air-fryer, but they were breaded and didn't turn out because the breading was too toasty.  This time I went with nothing but kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Coconut Macaroons with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

I used to have a co-worker that did my Christmas baking for me.  As it's not something I love to make or eat, it worked out well for me.  This year the only person doing any baking for us will be us.  We do make shortbread, but nothing else.  I found this recipe and it looked easy which is right for me when it comes to baking.  And, my son loves anything coconut...

"Juicy Lucy" Turkey Burger

I took extra-lean turkey out of the freezer for dinner.  After thinking on it all day I decided I wanted a burger, though being honest, I don't love turkey burgers.  So, I decided to stuff it with cheese.  I used toasted brioche buns to serve them on, and oh yeah, bacon for the topping because we all know bacon makes everything better...