so this is Christmas, what have you done?

…me? I’ve been relaxing at home and getting fat. Our family celebrated the holiday as we do every year. We have our big dinner during Christmas Eve, which is more or less my responsibility. Although I used to be semi-decent at cooking, after moving to the city my kitchen repertoire consisted of well-organized delivery menus and recipes that involve either a microwave or toaster oven. So then my repressed inner chef breaks out every year during the holidays, when I temporarily take over my parents’ full-sized suburban kitchen and cook up a storm.

This year was no different – in fact, after being out of the country for so long, I spent half a day walking up and down the aisles of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, ogling at the perfectly shaped produce from every season, and at the endless varieties of every kind of food. After I thoroughly amused myself by looking at all 200 types of of snack bars that has surfaced since I last stepped foot inside an American supermarket, I managed to drag myself back home and put together a pleasantly delicious, mostly organic Christmas Eve Dinner menu:

• L’Antipasto
  • Tossed Mesclun Salad with Chili Italian Dressing
  • Baked Whole Wheat Rolls
• Il Primo
  • Green Apple and Blue/Cran-berry Stuffing
• Il Secondo
  • Herb-Encrusted Prime Rib Roast
  • Apple and Pecan stuffed Chicken Breast
• Il Contorno
  • Chili-Sauteed Broccoli
  • Oven-Roasted Baby Potatoes with Garlic and Herbs
  • Seafood Casserole
• Il Dolce
  • Almond Parfait with Peaches and Mixed Berries
  • Jamaican Rum with Berry Compote (after-dinner drink)

And on Christmas day, we followed our yearly family tradition by going out to watch a movie – Juno, which by the way, is an excellent film that had me laughing and tearing simultaneously without feeling odd since everyone in the theater was doing the exact same thing.

and now, another Christmas is about to be over. Soon it will be New Year’s Eve, during which I’m assuming I will spend several hours at some cafe, writing about this past year and thoughts for the next year, as I do every year. And pretty soon, even that will be over. Ever since I’ve come back home, time seems to be moving at an incredibly fast speed. It has been a good year. And if I can help it, next year will be a great one.