Two bags of jelly beans, a ten-year old and a Tilt-A-Whirl.
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I’m donating my pancreas to science after this week.
Christmas went well. Had the in-laws over for Christmas dinner with much success. Seven kinds of fish prepared seven different ways, our own perogies, and green bean casserole with the French fried onions on top (or are we back to "freedom onions" now?). The GIL (Grandmother In Law) brought homemade sauerkraut and mac and cheese (more than makes up for the kraut). Stuffed ourselves to the gills, followed by the standard holiday churching up, followed by an overly happy sister-in-law demanding that we do gifts first, then dessert. Most everyone agreed, partly from still trying to digest everything and partly to appease her. Dessert was simply a fish-free and sweeter version of dinner, with about a thousand types of cookies, blueberry perogies in a brown sugar glaze (a wonderfully happy accident we attempted last year) and the piece de resistance: a pavlova. The Missus is a dedicated fan of Nigella Lawson, the British columnist turned self-taught chef turned overnight sensation, and this is one of her signature desserts. A quick description: make what amounts to a standard meringue, toss it onto a cookie sheet, bake and let cool in the oven overnight. Before serving, bury the creation in whipped cream and your choice of toppings (we opted for mixed berries, but anything from dried fruits to shaved chocolate will work). It is light, crunchy, chewy, and sweet all at the same time. And for the gents not into cooking: watch Nigella (try the Style Network). Between the casual shots of her walking around the kitchen and the sensuous camera work, you’ll want to have a ciggy by the end of the show.
As for gifts, mine were heavenly laden with DVDs. Before the 25th, I owned the following discs:
- Jet Li’s Kiss of the Dragon, an ûber-violent kung fu festival (even death by chopsticks!) that I won from a local radio station, and… Reefer Madness (a.k.a. "Tell Your Children")and Cocaine Fiends (one disc, two cult classics. How could I go wrong?)
But now I’m flush with flicks. No one-viewing wonders, neither. The Indiana Jones trilogy (widescreen to boot), A Christmas Story, Casablanca, Princess Bride and an excellent four disc set of uncut Warner Brothers cartoons (one I bought for myself, but held off until Christmas to open it). And with surround sound, these are like brand new movies. When Indy is getting chased by blowgun toting natives in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," you half expect to find poison-tipped darts buried in the back of the sofa.
Also had a wedding to attend last night, of which the Missus was a bridesmaid for. Marie, a mutual friend of ours from college days, finally got married. I say "finally" because she’s the type of person that makes you wonder why she didn’t get married sooner. Funny, intelligent, financially secure, easy on the eyes, yet it took a dating service to get her hitched. Fantastic wedding, it felt like one of those "spare no expense" types you rarely get invited to. Fabulous weather, especially for December, although the ladies were none too fond of getting pictures taken outside wrapped only in whisper thin shawls. Oh, did I mention the shots were taken on the beach? Nothing like trekking though a hundred feet of sand in dress shoes and heels. Although the setting sun made for some spectacular shots, everyone was chilled and gritty by the time we made it to the reception. A few scotch and sodas fixed that, plus it steeled my resolve to sit next to the in-laws (though not originally invited, they were included later to cover the previously approved guest list). I scored brownie points by dancing with my mother-in-law later in the evening (the Old Man is something of a music snob and will only dance if there’s a live band playing). He later did eventually dance, DJ or no. After he sat down, I started feeling around on the floor behind his chair. Someone asked what I was looking for and I told them, "Ice. I figure Hell had frozen over." I’m thinking I should take up drinking professionally so I can snap out witty rejoinders more often.
posted by: Jiggsy at 12/29/03 11:36 |
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