Past Holiday Experiences
Family Holiday Parties
Do you have your family holiday dinners at your home? We have always had Christmas at our house. I remember our first attempt at this like it was yesterday. I felt like Curly of the 3 Stooges. I literally read word for word of that Betty Crocker cook book. I really wasn’t a cook at the time. Yes, I was winging it and trying to remember how my mother did things for our holiday dinners as a kid. That’s always a safe haven when you haven’t a clue yourself. At the end of the day, let’s say that it wasn’t bad but it definitely wasn’t good. As I look back today I realize that I had to go through that first experience to really understand what I had to do the next time.
The next year I did take a night course in Gourmet cooking at the technical school I had graduated from. I paired this with countless questions to my mother. If you knew my mother, she was not patient when it came to
teaching you how to cook. She said things like; “How the heck do I know how much I put in of each ingredient Timmy, I just wing it with a pinch here or there.” I remember thinking to myself; “Great ma, I’ll make sure I go to the store and ask for the Louise Measuring System.” Between these questions, going to that class 3 times over the next 2 years and just practicing at home, I became a pretty good chef. I also got smart and had each of our family guests make one of their favorite dishes so that it was less stress for Nancy & me preparing for those next holidays.
I guess what I am trying to say is you don’t have to be the best cook to host your next holiday dinner at your home. Over the years now, our family and friends look forward to coming over for Christmas. We have built many great memories aside from the chewy chocolate chip cookies or that dry salty ham. Those blunders gave us many of laughs for the next holidays. Have fun in your kitchen. Experiment and don’t always follow that recipe to the tee. Who knows maybe you will be like me now and throw in a pinch of this or a pinch of that. My mother would be proud of me now because I am just dangerous enough to have my guests say; “Boy Tim, this tastes like my mom’s.”
Enjoy the time in your kitchen, you never know who is watching and learning from you. Bon Appetit!
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