Money Shot!
12-23-07, 7:45 PM

A year ago, Karen and I would stop by our new home and marvel how wonderful it was and project our future dream-lives. We just closed on home and would anxiously await for the furniture delivery men. One year later, we are now married and having our first Christmas in the house. What will be our "family traditions"?

My family tradition were big Italian pasta Christmas Eve dinners and Christmas day feasts with Hungarian foods and special desserts such as Sailor's Duff Bread and rum whip cream sauce. God, I miss my grandparents but I have learned the value of family and holidays to enjoy eachother's company.

Karen's family appears not to have much tradition as they lived quite far from each other, whereas our my family lived within the same city, blocks away or just a 1/2 hour drive.

This year, I'm separated by states with no chance or money to visit my side of the family, however Karen's cousin lives in Phoenix and her father and mother are visiting. Luckily, they invited us to Phoenix for Christmas dinner which was very nice but my stomach screams for my traditional Christmas Eve and Day feasts of a variety of pastas and sauces, wines, fireworks, prime rib with olive gravy and Yorkshire pudding. Instead, they wanted something different -- salmon. Salmon?

As a new family member, I succumbed to
the idea of Salmon and decided this is something I'll have to become accustomed to: another family's tradition, rather due to lack of tradition, odd choices.

Luckily, Karen's cousin folks wanted to travel north to see our city, Flagstaff, and our new home. This made my day because I recall how much fun they were at the wedding and this provides an opportunity for me to share some of my family's tradition and perhaps create a new tradition -- a pre-Christmas Italian feast.

The food had to be fantastic or else I would blow my chance in creating a tradition. Yesterday, I began cooking around 3 p.m. and nearly finished by 10 p.m. with the exception of the cake. Karen, I don't believe, knows how much preparation it takes to plan for and cook the meal as well decorate the house, as her family never celebrated Christmas with a large formal dinner. With nothing left to chance, I prepared all dishes from scratch -- a special Italian salad; Bob's famous meatballs (my recipe); homemade gnocchi with a cream meat sauce; risito; homemade breads; garlic butter with parsley; wines, beer and a hazelnut chocolate cake with homemade whip cream.

Cooking is like porn to me, I live for the 'money shot'. I want to hear them say and moan with full mouth, "Mmmm... oh, god...this is god...mmmm... oh, god...I never had something this good..."

When they arrived, I think they just thought I made pasta and sauce out of a jar. Their eyes expressed shock at the buffet style dinner and the multitude of choices. Soon we sat for dinner, said grace which was followed by a chorus of, "OH,GOD! This is good!" By the end of dinner, their plates were just as clean as dinner began because they sopped-up the reminants with Italian bread. I was proud.

During the dinner, I expressed how my family dinner's used to be and I tried to match my Aunt Tilly's gnochi expertise but would need further practice. Karen appreciated the story and now understands the pay-off of a family's praise for all the work we put into the meal -- she helped with time consuming task of pasta forming and my demands of her as my "chef's assistance".

You know, I thought the orgasmic delight in food was something I lived for but that changed. After her family left and coming back from our walk with the dogs to see the neighborhood's Christmas lights, she turned and said, "This was perfect and something I've always wanted to experience - a family get together during Christmas. My extended family was never near and I was always jealous of them and friends who spoke of their holidays, but today was my turn. Thank you, you are the greatest husband!"

Money shot!

P.s.

Labs came back negative! A good Christmas is now to follow!

Yesterday - Tomorrow