The Fruit Advent Calendar: Family Fun All December Long!

By Jasmine Nairn and Kevin Nairn

Christmas is right at the doorstep of every family at that transition between November and December. There are plans to be made, presents to be bought, and celebrations to be relished! Well, this is what the Fruit Advent Calendar is here for. From classic favorites like apples to something new to your palate like sapodilla, this book can bring a fresh twist to your month! This was written by two ordinary teens on a culinary journey for the whole family to enjoy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jul 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984500472

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Jasmine Nairn and Kevin Nairn. 774115

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-9845-0048-9

           EBook         978-1-9845-0047-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Disclaimer: The Fruit Advent Calendar provides recipes and related information useful for the creation of specific recipes. This is our personal stories and what has worked for us. The Fruit Advent Calendar makes no warranty that either original or adapted recipes will function as intended nor that specific ingredients will be available in your area. The Fruit Advent Calendar does not provide specific information regarding food intolerance or allergies. It is the responsibility of the user of any recipes in this book to ensure any potential allergens are identified and excluded from the recipe. Neither the authors nor publisher shall be liable for any negative consequences to anyone reading or following the recipes and information in this book.

Rev. date: 07/19/2018

Xlibris

1-800-455-039

www.xlibris.com.au

Dedication

To our mum and dad,

It is nice to know God loves us so much to give us amazing parents like you two. Thank you for all your love, help and support with this book; we couldn’t have done it without you, and we truly mean that.

Love you always!

Table of Contents

December

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Prologue

Christmas is right at the doorstep of every family at that transition between November and December. There are plans to be made, presents to be bought and celebrations to be relished!

But what family feast would be complete without food? That roast turkey isn’t going to cook itself, and what of the chestnuts, the hot cocoa, even the vegetables (yes, just because you might not be fond of them, it doesn’t mean that veggies aren’t important to holding a half decent Christmas)?

Then there’s the advent calendar: that box you fill with chocolate and use to count down to the big day in December – not including New Years, of course. But perhaps, for you, it is becoming quite monotonous. Maybe you want a lighter, more wholesome option over the traditional chocolate, or you just want to be in the kitchen a little more, or you could even be longing to try something different.

Well, this is what the Fruit Advent Calendar is here for. From classic favourites like apples, to something new to your palate like sapodilla, this book can bring a fresh twist to your month!

When we launched this project back in December 2016, we had no idea that it would evolve into a book. We were just youngsters who got sick of the chocolate advent calendar and wanted to change it up and try something different, perhaps a healthier option. We know it’s crazy that a fourteen and a twelve year old can go off wanting to have chocolate every day, but we have never been ones to follow the norm.

The last two years of working on this book has been time-consuming, exhausting, exhilarating and an incredible voyage of self-discovery. From taste testing (there was a lot), to collaborating (Surprise! It is possible for two strong headed cooks and siblings at that, to be in agreement…sometimes…), to experimenting with flavours and substituting the odd ingredient here and there; this adventure of ours has been life changing. We have not only grown closer together as siblings (we take turns being head chef), and all together as a family, but our culinary skills and Foodie Minds have greatly improved, plus significantly expanded.

Thanks to our amazing family and friends, the love for cooking has always been present in our lives, and through our own experiences, we have developed our own personal style and love for fine food and cooking. Now, through this book, we can share that love for food with you!

Hope you have a wonderful, fun (and food) filled Christmas!

Kevin and Jasmine

THE NAIRN FAMILY

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Introduction

Food by itself is just a necessity, but food prepared and shared with family and friends is an experience. – Andrew Nairn

Growing up on a farm, I was privileged to learn life skills while working alongside my parents; something I hoped to be able to do with my own children one day. Round about the same time, my lovely wife Barb was growing up on a small island nation in the Pacific learning similar lessons. Just as our parents taught us the importance of family and rituals all those years ago, we have tried to pass those same values onto our children by providing our home as a place to gather together, cook and share life with our ever growing extended family and friends.

It has been a joy to watch Jasmine and Kevin developing their skills in the kitchen and learning about what foods go well together. Making mistakes has been an important part of the process as well. They have come across many problems requiring practice, persistence and collaboration to overcome. Through our travels they have both picked up ideas to use in this cook book as well as been handed down recipes from family members and friends. Some are adaptations of a variety of resources whether online or books they have picked up from the library over time, as well as a few originals that they came up with themselves. I especially enjoyed the clever play of words they have used in some of their recipe titles and the descriptive introduction of each recipe.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ who came to bring people together. It is also a time most people associate with family and food. What better way to tie these three things together than cooking as a family?