It’s only two weeks (count ‘em!) to Christmas and I’ve got my sparkly silver reindeer ears at the ready.

The table has been decorated (and dismantled ready to be re-assembled come Christmas Eve Eve – otherwise known as 23 December) and a handful of simple, edible gifts are being put together and wrapped with the speed of a tavern of elves working to a deadline. Tell you what, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas round these parts.

So to help all of you out there get equally into the festive spirit (as if the decorations lining the stores since late October weren’t enough) I’ve decided to put up a non-food-but-very-festively-appropriate post up for you on how to decorate your table on the cheap.

…continue reading christmas: cheap & cheerful table settings

It is, perhaps, not quite traditional to be eating ribs for a Christmas lunch but that is what we will be doing here at onebitemore central this year.

It wasn’t our original plan though, oh no. That plan involved (and still involves) turkey and prawns and oysters and some sort of delicious pudding.

The ribs are an add on. By special request of everyone who managed to snitch a morsel this Saturday past. And even one who didn’t. One who stared at them plaintively whilst inhaling deeply. One who asked if “please Cherlie” we could have the ribs for Christmas. “Please?”

…continue reading beer braised ribs with chimichurri

It’s not even December yet and here I am busting out the Christmas baking.

If it helps at all, I haven’t so much as started my Christmas shopping and (horror!) have absolutely no idea what dessert I’ll be bringing to my annual high-school-reunion-over-”Christmas”-lunch that’s planned for this Saturday.

Though I suppose, if worse comes to worst, I can just feed them cookies…

…continue reading christmas cutout cookies

Scene.

A crunchy tiger, two doppelgangers and a curious female-asian-blogger loiter on the sixth floor of a newly reinstated shopping complex.

They glance furtively at the drawn curtains and closed door of their destination. A sign adorns the handle: “Closed for private function”.

They are early. They are hungry.

“I’ll go see what’s happening” says the FAB, when suddenly a voice emerges from the now ajar door.

“Are you in the mood… for love?” 

“I’m in the mood for a drink to be honest” says the doppelganger (or was it the other?)

…continue reading chinta ria… mood for love

I’ve been meaning to write this post for weeks – months even! – but somehow never managed around to doing it.

I’m not sure why. The pictures were sorted through and edited. The menu (haphazardly photographed) was located in a file some weeks ago. But the writing, it just didn’t happen.

My only logical conclusion is that I’ve been struck down by an affliction commonly known as island time.

I’d flick through my photographs and gazing at the bluest of blue water. Remember the way that the fresh lagoon breeze cooled the skin. The way the brightest of coloured fish dodged around legs atop a smooth rock. And somehow, minutes turned into hours and I was running late for something or bed would call and the post would lie unfinished for another week. Or month. Or five.

…continue reading captain andy’s – the rarotongan