Cooking Sense foodie friends – Karishma Chugani and Sharleen Browne – share their holiday menu with a twist.

I LOVE food! I absolutely love exploring different cultures through their food but my desire to do our Christmas lunch differently stemmed from another reason. I wanted to ensure my mother could still dine with us. She developed an essential tremor in her late 30s and now several years later, the disorder progressed to where she can no longer comfortably dine with a knife and fork. She’d often just eat where she couldn’t be seen so I decided to find menu items that were finger foods so we could all eat together in the same way. So, over the years we’ve had wraps, macaroni pie cups, garlic mash filled parmesan cups, stuffing muffins (which is just stuffing in individual portions, like muffins!) …items like that. It gets pretty creative on our table, and everyone enjoys the food together.
Glazed ham, roasted pork and herb-roasted chicken must be on the table. We’ll also have the staples like rice and peas . . . and potato salad. Those things aside, our table will be a culturally diverse cohobblopot featuring Italian inspired dishes like arancini, Mediterranean meals will make an appearance with a Greek green bean dish, maybe some Thai Satay chicken skewers too…who knows? I’m still pulling it all together.
Arancini di Riso
Ingredients
- 2 cup leftover risotto
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 8-ounce fresh mozzarella, cut into ½‑inch cubes
- 1 cup flour, or more as needed
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup prepared dried bread crumbs, or more as needed
- vegetable oil for frying
Directions
- Into a deep-sided pan {or dutch oven} add approximately 2″ vegetable oil. You may alternatively use a deep fryer. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
- While the oil is heating, add 1 beaten egg and risotto to a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- Set up a breading station with three shallow dishes. Add flour into 1st dish, along with a pinch or 2 of salt and some black pepper to taste. Place remaining egg into 2nd dish and breadcrumbs into 3rd dish.
- To make risotto balls: Scoop approximately 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of risotto into your hand. Form into a ball and, using your thumb, indent a well in the ball about as deep as its centre. Place 1 cube of mozzarella into the well, close the opening and re-shape into a ball. Add more risotto if needed to cover the mozzarella. Continue until either you run out of risotto or cheese. You should bet about 16 balls.
- Using your left hand roll a completed ball in flour, then transfer to your right hand and roll it in egg, then breadcrumbs. Transfer the breaded ball to a tray. This left-hand then right-hand method will keep one hand relatively clean, and not contaminate the egg mixture with flour or breadcrumbs. Continue until all the balls are breaded.
- Place breaded balls into hot oil, taking care not to crowd the pan, fry in batches if necessary. Fry for approximately 2 minutes or until golden. Transfer balls to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve while still warm.

WINE MATCH
Planeta La Segreta Bianco
Buy Now

With roots in Barbados, we feel the hustle, bustle and general excitement of the Christmas Holiday season as most do! My parents have a retail store in Sheraton Mall which they turn into a toy shop for the month of December, so our house gets split into a makeshift warehouse and Christmas Bakery, with all the treats my sister bakes. She operates under the name Mixedin246 and marries our family’s Indian heritage with traditional cakes, cookies and ice cream, as well as savoury snacks.
We absolutely love Biryani, made with different coloured rice, Indian spices and vegetables. Another favourite is ‘Dhokla’; spongy steamed gram-flour squares, which we always eat with a fresh coriander chutney and coconut flakes. A staple in our home is ‘Chaat’, which is Indian street food, consisting of homemade tamarind chutney, coriander chutney and fresh yoghurt. We pour these on top of various delicacies, to enhance the flavour, so for example on top of a samosa – it becomes Samosa Chaat! This is a family favourite!
This year, we have been taking advantage of large video calls via Zoom and games via ‘Kahoot’! For Christmas, we plan to have a big family games night, with our aunts, uncles and cousins all over the world, while sipping on Masala Chai and nibbling on my sister’s special Indian spiced Christmas cookies.

Recipe by @mixedin246
Ingredients
- 1 cup white flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 5 oz butter
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- ¼ tsp rose extract
Directions
1. Combine ingredients in a bowl until a smooth batter forms.
2. Make 1 tablespoon-sized balls and slightly flatten it in the palm of the hand.
3. Place on lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 350℃ for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
5. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to one week.

WINE MATCH
Santa Margherita Prosecco
Buy Now
A lot of thanks for your own work on this blog. My daughter really loves participating in investigation and it’s easy to see why. All of us notice all regarding the lively ways you deliver practical tips and hints via this web site and strongly encourage contribution from other individuals on this subject matter then my simple princess has always been becoming educated a whole lot. Enjoy the remaining portion of the new year. You are performing a terrific job.
I want to show appreciation to you for bailing me out of this particular issue. After looking throughout the online world and seeing basics which were not powerful, I figured my life was over. Being alive without the presence of answers to the difficulties you’ve resolved as a result of your entire guideline is a crucial case, as well as those which could have in a negative way affected my entire career if I had not discovered your web page. Your good natural talent and kindness in controlling every item was excellent. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I had not come upon such a thing like this. I’m able to at this point relish my future. Thanks so much for your reliable and results-oriented help. I will not be reluctant to suggest the blog to anyone who wants and needs guidelines about this area.
I precisely wanted to appreciate you again. I’m not certain what I would have carried out without the type of tips and hints contributed by you regarding this area. It became an absolute frustrating case for me, but understanding your well-written strategy you dealt with it forced me to weep over happiness. I’m just thankful for this information and as well , hope that you recognize what an amazing job you are always getting into educating people using your blog. Most likely you have never come across any of us.
I wish to express my thanks to this writer for rescuing me from this crisis. Because of looking out through the world wide web and meeting tips that were not pleasant, I thought my entire life was done. Existing minus the answers to the difficulties you’ve solved through this article content is a crucial case, as well as the kind that might have in a wrong way damaged my entire career if I hadn’t discovered your web page. Your main know-how and kindness in playing with everything was useful. I am not sure what I would’ve done if I had not encountered such a stuff like this. I am able to now relish my future. Thanks a lot so much for this expert and result oriented guide. I won’t think twice to propose the blog to anyone who should have support about this matter.
Thank you for your whole labor on this web site. My mother enjoys conducting research and it is easy to understand why. Almost all notice all of the lively ways you provide effective tricks via the website and therefore encourage contribution from visitors on that point then my girl is becoming educated a great deal. Have fun with the rest of the new year. You are doing a first class job.
I wanted to compose a brief word so as to say thanks to you for some of the superb solutions you are showing at this site. My rather long internet search has at the end of the day been recognized with good points to exchange with my friends and family. I would assert that we visitors actually are unquestionably endowed to dwell in a decent website with so many wonderful professionals with insightful concepts. I feel quite happy to have used your entire web pages and look forward to tons of more pleasurable minutes reading here. Thank you once more for all the details.
I precisely wished to say thanks yet again. I’m not certain the things that I might have tried without the entire recommendations contributed by you over such a field. Entirely was a daunting difficulty for me, however , understanding a new specialized manner you treated that forced me to weep with contentment. Extremely happier for your help and thus sincerely hope you comprehend what an amazing job you were providing educating people by way of your web page. I am certain you haven’t encountered any of us.
Thanks a lot for providing individuals with an exceptionally spectacular opportunity to read articles and blog posts from this web site. It’s always very kind and also stuffed with amusement for me personally and my office peers to visit your web site at the very least three times every week to find out the latest secrets you have got. And indeed, I am at all times impressed considering the awesome pointers you give. Selected two areas in this post are undoubtedly the most effective we have all ever had.
My wife and i were absolutely happy Edward could carry out his inquiry via the precious recommendations he grabbed through the blog. It is now and again perplexing to just be giving away information which people have been trying to sell. We really know we have got the writer to appreciate for that. Most of the illustrations you made, the straightforward site menu, the relationships you will aid to instill – it is mostly impressive, and it’s helping our son in addition to us imagine that that topic is pleasurable, and that is extraordinarily indispensable. Many thanks for all!
You completed various fine points there. I did a search on the subject matter and found nearly all persons will go along with with your blog.
Best dating worldwide! Click Here: https://telegra.ph/Which-dating-site-is-the-best-01-05
Best dating worldwide! Click Here: https://bit.ly/3n0BD6D
Iam nnow not certain where you’re getting your info,
howrver good topic. I must spend some time finding out more or understanding more.
Thanks for magnificent info I was on the lookout for this information for
my mission. https://sites.google.com/view/casino-vavada
You can definitely see your skills within the paintings you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to mention how they believe. At all times follow your heart. “If the grass is greener in the other fellow’s yard – let him worry about cutting it.” by Fred Allen.