Planning to leave most of the culinary comments to my daughter-in-law the "nibbler" who writes a foodie blog at notablenibbles.blogspot.com. My comments are more sociological and cultural. First of all, my 2 1/2 year old grandchildren were here and at no time during the day could anyone but Hellen Keller not be aware of their presence. As a scientist I have a solution to the global energy problem...find some way to attach a generator to all the 2 year olds in the world. Maybe large Gerbil wheels...I will leave that to the engineers. We had tenderloin which was cooked to perfection which means I could get a piece from the end that was well done, and the folks who like it still mooing can take theirs from the center. There was a Honey-Baked ham. What, you think we cooked it? And lots of starchy things with cheese and cream. We had the traditional Ashkenazi Kugel which went nicely with Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond singing Christmas carols. Very ecumenical. And of course, my favorite of any gathering... Pecan Pie. Having lived all over the country, this dessert can be pronounced Pa-cahn or Pee-can depending. Be specific when requesting Pee-can in Alabama, you never know. Whichever, it is yummy. There were hundreds of presents under the tree. I got one or two as did the other adults, but the grand babies had the rest. They went at the packages like an Asplundh tree shredder goes after a Melaleuca. There was paper everywhere (note to self...preventing identity theft by document shredding...consider child labor). and their faces were aglow. There had to be two of most things or a fistfight might have broken out. They are twins.
Last night we watched sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson, "Heart" the rock and roll band, on Palladia TV. One is blonde, wiry, and jumps around a lot while playing the guitar. The other is Brunette, more placid, and more vocal as she gently sways behind the microphone. It would have been great to see the Wilson girls as 2 year olds. I think I got a glimpse on Christmas Day.
The feast at Casa de Oracle (y la Gata) was memorable and everlasting, just how it should be for the holidays. New dishes were introduced - such as gorgonzola potatoes and a Peruvian alfajor - and the nibbles remain days later. Holidays are synonymous with gluttony but other forms of self-indulgence as well - I'll have another glass please while I also reflect on what I'd like to bring with me into the New Year and what I'd like to see change. As we vow to slim our waistlines and our overall unnecessary baggage, let's also make a resolution to not sweat so much of the small stuff, to always make time for a story and real human interaction, and remember to have fun and make memories. Feliz año nuevo!
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