post-holiday recovery

The holiday season lasts really long. Especially in the hospitality and service industry. From the end of November until now, I basically have not had two days off in a row. Except for the little bit of time when my family all together. I mean the full family - sisters, partners, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

And do you know what I learned? My family is really big and really hungry pretty much all the time. I mean even when we're in a smaller arrangement of the family, say parents, partners, and grandparents, we're still pretty boistrous and at once slightly peckish.

So for the past couple of months I've done little but cook, eat, serve, and discuss food, but because I've been so busy doing that... I haven't had time to write. Not cool.
Now that things are finally settling down on all fronts, I can settle in, catch up, ad take stock of what a trip it all was.

Let's see, there was the obscene amount of food that I served at work the weeks leading up to Christmas. And the fact that I was hired at a fine wine and spirits shop in the neighbourhood I grew up in. That exciting news in itself is worthy of a post. More to come about Crestwood Fine Wines and Spirits...

I cooked dinner for Joey, my sister Sarah and her partner Ed on the first night of Channukah. My parents were away so my mom's traditional role of racing home after work to make dozens of latkahs fell to me. I made crispy cornflake crumb chicken baked in the oven and we ate latkahs was apple sauce and sour cream until we each had to unbutton the top buttons of our pants.

Then there was the big fat family vacation on a Caribbean cruise over Christmas. My grandmother decided to take us all on vacation to celebrate her 80th birthday. There was a cocktail of trepidation and curiosity about what the experience would be like. In a way it met every expectation. But then again, in other ways it was a total surprise. Sometime soon I will spend some time telling the tales of the MS Noordam. But I think those will have to wait. Let me tease you by saying we ate a lot of lobster, beef tenderloin on board but my favourite meal was the snack bar lunch on the beach in Cozumel, which was comprised of cheese and chicken quesadillas, salsa, guacamole, tostadas, fish tacos, and Sol beer with fresh limes.

Oh yes, and of course we could not have gotten on that ship if we did not first travel halfway across North America to board from the port of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Do you know what else is in Florida? Orlando. Do you know what marvelously terrifying park is built in Orlando? Universal Studios. My sisters and I spent an entire day roadtripping to and from Universal to spend an afternoon at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. That's right, the Dolgirls went to Hogwarts. It was amazing. Surely a day I will never forget. I have never done anything like that and I don't know if I would do anything like it ever again. I had so much butterbeer that eventually I couldn't drink anymore. And there were whole turkey legs. People were walking around with them in their hands. Peering and surveying the length of lineups with greasy skin and bits of turkey meat smeared all over their faces. That was super gross. But we did try them in the Three Broomsticks tavern, and they were actually quite tasty.

I want to tell you all about all of this. But let me take my time, now that I finally have some to myself again. More soon...