Whew!

Christmas cards are sent. My daughter and grandson came on Sunday to bake cookies with me. Lots of them. We package them up to send to friends and neighbors. I meant to make Staci Troilo’s cookie recipe from her virtual cookie exchange but didn’t have any whiskey in the house, and the store was CROWDED. Another time.

We experimented with making chilaquiles with shrimp for supper Sunday night, and it turned out great. At first, the sauce was too spicy, but Bobby Flay always adds honey to his sauces when they’re too hot, so we did, too. And a little more chicken stock. And boy, were they good! For lunch before they left today, we marinated a skirt steak to make steak and eggs. My daughter loves poached eggs and saw a recipe where the poached eggs were cooled, then breaded and fried. A LOT OF WORK, and she loved them, but I’m not sure they were worth the mess and work. I think I’d rather have a Scotch egg. But none of that mattered. We had a lot of fun cooking together, and that’s what mattered.

The girl who grew up across the street from us and is STILL my daughter’s best friend came to see us after she visited her dad in a nursing home and brought her two boys. An extra treat. My daughter from Florida and her husband are scheduled to come on the 22nd to spend Christmas with us, but a massive storm is predicted, so who knows? Traveling over the holidays is always dicey. But there’s a reason family is so important in the Jazzi and Ansel mysteries. They get together with each other every Sunday, and Jazzi cooks the entree. Family is a wonderful blessing, and Jazzi’s family and friends appreciate each other.

If my kids make it home on the 22nd, this will be my last post before Christmas. Fingers crossed. Wish us luck.