Crimb0 preparations
8:19 p.m.
We went to the mall the day before yesterday to do some Crimb0 shopping, which was a really stupid thing to do. Hubby and Little Princess went their own way and I went mine, which was a good thing, considering my husband and I weren’t really on speaking terms at this point. Don’t ask. Everything is hunky dory now. But I was able in one hour to buy gifts for him and her and Buddy Boy. Then, when we got home, Little Princess revealed that she had bought her father the same thing I had, which will be a good laugh when he opens his presents on Crimb0 morning.
We also got the tree standing in the living room, set in its pan of water. It stood like that naked for over a day. Little Princess’ BF was over for supper last night and I thought we were going to decorate the thing, but then they all started watching TV. So I snuck into the living room and did it all by myself, turning on the lights and leaving it to look magical. This wasn’t the right thing to do. When they eventually emerged from the basement, they all got mad at me for decorating it without them. Oh well.
Today I went grocery shopping with my daughter and spent almost $200 on edibles. We’re having company for dinner tomorrow evening (my husband’s jazz trio and the girlfriend of one of them) and I’m making spanikopita (inspired by teranika, plus Greek vegetable soup, wilted cucumber salad and dolmades (I’m not making those--they come out of a can), with lemon mousse for dessert. On Boxing Day we are entertaining my daughter’s BF and having an Indian split pea soup, spinach-ricotta pie, salad with grapefruit and grapefruit vinaigrette, rice pilaf, and chocolate mousse for dessert. Is your mouth watering yet? On Crimb0 day we will have our traditional Christmas pizzas, although I think we’ll have to rename them according to the new name of the season.
This is an alimentary tradition that began when my kids were still quite small. They weren&rsquot interested in fancy Yuletide meals, so I asked my son, who was and still is a very fussy eater, what his favourite dish was and I would make that. He promptly asked for rice and tofu, a truly delicious dish, both tasty and nutritious, but I thought that it was a little too mundane for such an auspicious occasion. His second answer, however, was “Pizza!” and I was struck with the idea of making made-to-order pizzas to mark the occasion.
We have resurrected it this year, and my daughter’s friend Ed may join us as he attempts to escape from his own familial obligations (it’s complicated). However, he’s allergic to tomatoes, so this may be a challenge.
Anyway, what this means is that for the next several days I will be cook, cook, cooking (i.e. slaving away over a hot stove). Hopefully I will burn up as many calories in the preparation as the food will provide in the delivery.
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