Christmas 2021. The celebrities are no different from you and me in the sense that they are also celebrating it in their own way, while being mindful of the spirit of the season. Their homes will have the ubiquitous Christmas tree, albeit bigger and just a bit more glittery than the ordinary man's. Their tables will have all the festive, healthy food, with bottles of wine and liquor as accompaniment. And for sure, they will have those colorfully-wrapped boxes of gifts to delight their family, fans and friends.
What is important for the stars is to make Christmas meaningful and memorable. A common denominator for the celebrity Christmas in 2021 is to make it low-key in observance of the pandemic situation. Most of them are holding off on any overseas travel and are just spending it locally, at their homes in the city or going out of town where they also have rest houses.
But for sure, celebrity living rooms will be a sight to behold with jaw-dropping Christmas trees beautiful enough to adorn their social media feeds. For example, celebrity couple Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid will not just have one but two Christmas trees in different colors at their house in Quezon City.
Same with award-winning actress Bea Alonzo who has a couple of trees at her home, spruced up with the help of event stylist Gideon Hermosa. Bea believes in sustainability and recycling. So at her sprawling farm called Beati Firma in Iba, Zambales, she is just using a tree that the family owned way back in 2008.
The part of the house which will most definitely be the busiest during the holidays is the kitchen and the dining area. The dining table is undoubtedly the centerpiece of most celebrations as it is where delicious and abundant food is shared with loved ones. Just like you and me, the celebrity table will most likely have common items like lechon, roast beef or steak, salads, seafood and cakes.
JUDY ANN'S KITCHEN
One celebrity who likes to take over the kitchen to whip up well-loved classics for her family is Judy Ann Santos. Armed with a culinary degree, Judy Ann has expertly transitioned from actress to cooking whiz and her Youtube channel Judy Ann's Kitchen has 1.65 million subscribers.
For the holidays, Judy Ann recommends the following specialties: Baked Overload Lasagna, One Pot Creamy Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Carbonara, Chicken Kani Salad, and Fried Chicken, among others.
JUDY ANN'S SHEPHERD'S PIE
Judy Ann shared her recipe for Shepherd's Pie which can be whipped up in an hour. This pie is simply sauteed ground meat topped with mashed potato, then baked in an oven. One can make truffle mushroom gravy from scratch to make it more special, and this makes for a wonderful pairing with the pie.
Note: this recipe can have a vegetarian/vegan version. Just substitute ground beef with plant-based meat.
Recipe:
For the meat base, you need:
1 kilo ground beef (or preferred meat)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 big onions diced
crushed garlic
sliced celery
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp Worcesterhire sauce
1 pack mixed vegetables
1/4 cup flour
1 cup dried porcini mushroom stock
salt, pepper to taste
For the mashed potatoes:
5 to 6 pieces potatoes
Grated parmesan cheese
mascarpone cheese (optional)
salt, pepper to taste
truffle oil (optional)
For the mushroom gravy:
1/4 cup butter
sliced mushrooms
2 cups mushroom stock,
vegetable stock or water
Procedure:
1. For the meat base. Saute all the vegetables in a mixture of butter and olive oil. Add the seasonings like tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce then mix in mushroom stock and add flour to thicken the mixture. Adjust seasonings like salt and pepper. Reduce stock until it is to your desired consistency.
2, For the mashed potato topping. Boil 5 to 6 pieces potatoes until cooked. Mash the cooked potatoes while retaining skin as it has nutrients. Add unsalted butter sticks, grated parmesan cheese, mascarpone cheese (optional). salt and pepper. Mix it all together.
3. Put mashed potato on top of meat base laid out in a pan. Bake in an oven until done.
4. Prepare mushroom gravy. Saute garlic and mushrooms in butter, add porcini mushroom stock and some vegetable stock or water. Add flour to thicken sauce then season with salt and pepper. Whisk the ingredients for a few minutes to remove lumps then add cooking cream.
5. Serve mushroom gravy with the Shepherd's Pie. Serve hot.
CHRISTMAS WITH THE STARS
Did you ever wonder where and how notable celebs are spending Christmas and New Year to cap off 2021? Manila Bulletin Entertainment caught up with some celebrities to ask them about where they are spending the holidays. Most of them are just staying in the Philippines while a few are going to the US. One thing for sure, they are spending the blessed season with family and people they love.
Alden Richards
'' I will spend Christmas, New Year and my birthday in San Francisco (USA). After 2 years it's my first international flight uli "
Jasmine Curtis-Smith
" Wala pang plans but will just stay put in the country. My dad is based in Pampanga. Kung sakali I might spend it with him or maybe go to La Union."
Tom Rodriguez
"Bukod sa pwede na magtravel uli, eh mayroon na ako maybahay. Makakasama ko si misis pupunta kami sa States for the first time since the pandemic para mag-celebrate doon with my family. We will rent a cabin up north in Arizona and try to see some snow."
Dina Bonnevie
" My Dad just passed away November 1, it's the first Christmas am going to spend without him. I will go visit my Dad in the Columbary. I still plan to do the same thing every year like have a Xmas Party in the office and get together with friends and family."
Jessy Mendiola
"Luis and I will spend it with Momski (Vilma Santos) and family in Lipa. I will cook with Momski Luis'favorite pasta dish Meal in One""
Marco Gumabao
" Sa house lang. Wala munang labas-labas because our mom is a senior
but hopefully next year we celebrate abroad."
Danica Sotto-Pingris
" We will have one celebration with my parents and siguro sa New Year, punta kami sa province ng husband ko which is in Pangasinan."
Ciara Sotto
" Sa house lang kami. Usually Danica's dad (Vic Sotto) would come over on
Christmas Day and on Christmas eve, we prepare for the visit of my mom's siblings."