Holiday update

It's not even the main event, yet most of the madness has passed without incident. The Half Acre bike team party last Friday went really well; it was nice to meet the rest of Dan's team mates, and to see the ones I already knew. Sometime during the night I managed to smash my left ankle with the dishwasher door, but that didn't really diminish the fun; it turned a lovely, almost festive, shade of royal purple after I skated last night - just in time for rocking a skirt and heels at my in-laws Christmas Eve church thing. It isn't a holiday if I didn't look like an abused wife - right?

Saturday's family dinner at our place went awesome. Things were a bit hectic and tense leading up to the big event, mainly because I'd never been insane enough to prepare a dinner for 12 before, but Dan and I both came out alive with some amusing, mashed-potato-flinging moments to laugh about later. Everything turned out great: roast pork, sweet and sour cabbage, curried butternut squash, twice-baked potatoes, potato biscuits, asparagus with cheese sauce, salad, and gołąbki. I actually managed to forget the gołąbki warming in the cooler to the side, so we didn't eat them for dinner; no worries because there was enough food on the table that nobody noticed that they were missing. They will be making an appearance at Bernie and Jean's on Christmas day instead.
Desserts were also plentiful. I made my first successful cake ever (I'm a lousy baker): mint chocolate with mint chocolate cream cheese frosting.
It was a nice way to honor my grandmother, whose recipes I almost solely relied on for the entire meal.

Now it's time to regroup, wrap gifts, and get ready for brunch with my parents tomorrow, and a stay at the in-laws tomorrow night. After that, the morning of the 26th, I'm off to meet my best friend Claudia in Vegas for the evening, and then accompany her back to Chicago to surprise her family.

So, happy holidays and safe travels to everyone - catch you all in a few days.