A holiday tale in food …

It’s a natural progression … as we get older, the enjoyment we experience around holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc., comes from being around the people we love rather than the things we might get. At some tipping point, adding to the material trove just pales in comparison with cherishing the relationships that give our life connection and meaning. And, there is also food! Give me a dark chocolate, salted caramel any time. If I want the web-connected thingy for my key chain that locates my phone, I’ll buy it myself … maybe. 🙂

Here then is a log of the immense enjoyment I experienced during Christmas and New Years of 2018 explicated in the mouth-watering delights savored and devoured:

• Shirley’s baklava … nothing like the sweet ooze of honey through filo pastry
• Judy’s nuts … sugar encrusted cashews and walnuts … eat’em by the handful
• Chocolate covered cherries … mistakenly bought the ones filled with brandy, gave them away and then chowed down on the ones without alcohol
• Happy Donuts … Boston cream-filled and raspberry jelly donuts … a Puyallup tradition
• Northern Fish … fish and chips, along with a side of clam chowder … great stop on Ruston Way in Tacoma
• Trackside Pizza … half pepperoni, black olives, half prosciutto and pineapple … delish!
• Bethany’s fudge … a holiday tradition … lip-smacking good!
• Janet’s chex mix … salty, savory … eat handful, switch to fudge, back to chex mix!
• Tenderloin steaks on Christmas Eve … nothing like a tender steak on on a special occasion with some good red wine
• Nate’s Bloody Mary’s … a spicy cocktail for Christmas morning and opening presents
• Salmon fillet, crab cocktail and roasted veggies … now that’s a Christmas dinner!
• Matchbox Pizza @ Merrifield in Fairfax, VA … a delicious chicken pesto pizza
• City Taste in Silver Spring, MD … dinner with the Suttons … gotta love the Crispy Pepper Chicken
• Jersey Mikes … anywhere you go, the Original Italian tastes good for lunch
• Le Pain Quotidien … how lucky can you get to have one of these right next door to the hotel? Impossible to pass up the chocolate croissants
• True Food Kitchen … healthy and interesting menus …
• Scampi a la Sammi … nothing better than a heaping pile of shrimp sauteed in butter and garlic!
• McDonalds … you’ve sat through a 5 hour flight, rounded up your car and need to get to Portland ASAP … sometimes you just need to pull over and go through the golden arches
• Home again for Orange Chicken prepared by Shirley … now for the new year’s diet!