Christmas Eve - Portuguese style

This is my first Christmas post on my blog, hopefully there will be many more Christmas to blog about.
The traditional Portuguese Christmas Eve was celebrated at my house with 15 friends.
Hubby made his delicious Garlic prawns for starters, I had cooked Bacalhau com Natas (Cod fish in cream sauce) and Algarve style carrots for the main meal, and Arroz Doce (Rice Pudding) and Panacota for dessert.
My friends brought a plate of various nuts and dried fruit, biscuits and dips, a delectable Tuna Roulade (I must get this recipe!), Pudim Flan (Creme Caramel), a green salad, Mango Mousse and more Rice pudding.

Cod fish in cream sauce

Algarve style carrots

The tablets outside (forgot the flash!)

The tables were set outside in the backyard, with some cane sofas under the gazebo. Later as the wind was picking up we took the sofas out and put the two tables and chairs under the gazebo, so we would be more protected. We had a wonderful night of sharing beautiful food with lots of talk and laughter.
When the guests started to leave around midnight we exchanged our gifts, to be opened later, and the last guests left at 1am.

My home-made gift baskets

The goodies I made - spicy nuts, soap, cherries with rose wine and vanilla, laundry liquid and tomato jam

I put another load of dishes in the dishwasher, we stacked the garden chairs and put the cane furniture back under the gazebo. It was past 2am when we went to sleep, after still having a short chat on skype with my parents and my sister in Portugal.

This morning under the gazebo

This morning, a Pudim flan (creme caramel) has been done and we are almost ready to go and join another Portuguese family who live 60km away.
Tomorrow, Boxing day will once again be celebrated with friends at their house and I will be making a Chocolate Mousse to take with. Luckily we still have another public holiday on the 27th, to enable us to recover from all these parties of overindulgence.
We do seem to eat far too much, an overload of sugar for me at least!!

Hope you are all having a Wonderful Christmas with your family and friends.