Happy Christmas - Issue #47

Hello to all our EasyPeasy.co Friends!

Wishing you an enjoyable and happy Christmas however you are spending it this year! I'll be putting my feet up, enjoying a relaxing day outside (hopefully) and savouring some delicious little morsels I've pre-prepared 😄.

In this newsletter we've got a link to our latest fruit platter arranging video that's just been published. It's also got a snippet on how to make a stunning simple melon flower garnish - definitely a trick worth having up your sleeve!

Also in this newsletter there are 3 weeks of ideas for using up your delicious glazed Christmas ham, so have a look at that further down too.

Lastly, as per our motto at Easy Peasy kitchen - learn how easy it is to make beautiful food, there are a few tips for simple charcuterie boats or cones. You don't need a pile of expensive ingredients to make something stunning! Go check it out.

In this issue:

• Fresh off the press - 17 minute Fruit Platter (+ Melon flower garnish)
• Inspiration from my kitchen - 21 Ideas For Leftover Ham
• Food Presentation - It's Easier Than It Looks

Fresh off the Press...(+ Recipes)

Our latest video -17 minute fruit platter (+ Melon flower garnish) - has just been published.

In this video you'll learn how to create the perfect fruit platter arrangement. Making a fruit platter can be done quickly and badly, or quickly and beautifully! Hopefully the tips shared in this video will set you up for the beautiful outcome.

First we'll discuss the dilemma of peeling fruit - do we need to peel the fruit? Or is it okay to leave the skin on? Then we'll slice the fruit and creatively put it all together ready to be enjoyed.

We'll also briefly show you how to make a decorative cantaloupe or rock melon flower garnish for your fruit platter centre piece. It's so easy and it'll make your platter look like it's straight out of a professional kitchen.

I hope you like the simple tips shared in this video, and can use them in the future to take your fruit platters up a notch.

Click the video below to have a look...

Fruit Platter

You can use any seasonal fruit on your platter, here are some ideas:

• Pineapple
• Melon (Watermelon, honey dew melon, rock melon, cantaloupe)
• Pawpaw or papaya
• Mango
• Grapes
• Oranges, mandarin, tangelo
• Kiwifruit (red, green, gold)
• Fresh berries and cherries
• Passionfruit
• Dragon fruit
• Starfruit
• Lychee

 Any fruit that doesn't go brown is a perfect fruit platter addition.

 Tips for putting your platter together:

• Think about the variety of fruit you have to use. Is it best to peel it or leave the skin on? To answer this question it comes down to what it's going to be like to eat. For fruit like kiwifruit, pineapples and oranges - eating a mouthful of skin isn't very appetising or pineapples will be stringy, so peel them before slicing. For something like watermelon, leaving the skin on would give you something to hold onto, but equally you could cut the skin off. In this case go with what looks better for your presentation. Do you want the extra green colour the watermelon skin would bring to the plate?
• You might like to thinly slice the bigger items like pineapples, melons. This makes it easier to pick up and allows you to fan it out for added visual effect. 
• Is your presentation going to be at random or will you go for a symmetrical look? Choose a style and stick with it as you assemble your creation.
• Start with the bigger fruit and keep the pieces in the same order they were cut. It naturally flows on and looks better. 
• Mix up the colours - e.g. It will look better if you don't have all the orange fruit side by side.
• Once you have your base, add the smaller items.
• Remember, an odd number of items looks more pleasing to the eye, so split the fruit into 3 or 5 slices to fan out and arrange.
• If you're adding grapes, remember to hide the stalks as much as possible. Carefully arrange a bundle and then put it on. If it's a platter for children, cut the bunch into smaller bundles to avoid them walking away with the whole lot! 
• Fill in any gaps with smaller ingredients like fresh berries.
• Don't forget to finish off the platter by adding a herb garnish if you haven't got any green fruit. 

Inspiration From My Kitchen - 21 Ideas For Leftover Ham

After enjoying a delicious glazed Christmas ham on Christmas day and relishing the leftovers for a day or two, it's a common realisation that, once again, you've ended up with a ham that's much larger than needed! You might find yourself wondering what you are going to do with all the leftovers.

There are numerous creative ways to repurpose it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even snacks. Below there are 3 weeks worth of meals you can enjoy.

• Ham and cheese filled croissants
• Ham club sandwiches
• Quiche with ham and corn
• Ham steaks with grilled pineapple
• Hawaiian pizza
• Ham croquettes
• Omelettes filled with diced ham and mushrooms
• Creamy pasta bake with ham and vegetables
• Ham and egg pie
• Cheese and ham savoury scones
• Pasta salad with ham, tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese and fresh herbs
• Ham and cheese stuffed garlic bread
• Waffles with grilled ham and maple syrup
• French toast with grilled ham and banana
• Fried rice with added ham
• Ploughman's lunch platter
• Add it to bruschetta or crostini
• Crumbed ham steaks with homemade chutney
• Pea and ham soup
• Ham frittata
• Ham risotto

Left-over ham makes for an excellent bacon substitute. Don't forget, you can conveniently freeze it in smaller portions for future use too

Food Presentation - It's Easier Than It Looks

I whipped up these adorable charcuterie boats and bamboo cones for a little get-together recently, and it hit me again - food can often look way fancier than it actually is! You really don't need a ton of ingredients; just grab whatever's in your kitchen and see what you can come up with.

Sometimes it's what you serve it in that makes the difference, other times it's how you assemble the ingredients, but either way food can always look amazing. Food presentation is like edible art.

You can completely customize these with different cheeses, meats, fruits, and maybe even throw in some nuts or sweets if you're feeling extra fancy. The beauty of it is that you can get creative and use whatever tickles your taste buds.

And a little feather in your cap - people are always impressed when they see little masterpieces like these, and you get to bask in the glory of everyone thinking you're a culinary genius! Who knew making something eye-catching could be so easy!

Happy cooking,
Taryn