The last week and a half have blown by.
I flew to northern CA on the 22nd. But it was the 23rd by the time I landed. I was supposed to land at 11 PM, but didn't land until 1 AM. Not a great start to the break, but at least the break started.
Sunday turned out to be Christmas celebration #1. I spent the day in Brentwood with Corwin and some of Mandy's family. We just hung out around the house all day, playing with Elijah and the dogs. Dinner was a turkey dinner (that I had no part in making). There was a cranberry gravy (yes, a gravy -- not a sauce) that was a new one for me. This happened because of a gluten allergy and most gravies are thickened with flour (which creates gluten when agitated with water). It was tasty, but I'm a sucker for a nice brown gravy on creamy white mashed potatoes. I remember there being a sweet potato dish and a shredded brussel sprout dish as well.
I've had more brussel sprouts in the last month than in the previous three or four years, I think. And I think I might try to maintain a higher frequency of brussel sprout eating because it's actually pretty tasty. It seems like you need to get a little bit of color on the sprouts when you cook them, as that plays against some of the bitterness. The only downside to this is that I don't recall seeing good brussel sprouts out here in the desert, which means I may have to go with frozen ones. They may or may not be as good. I'll find out when I try it.
Christmas day was with the Wong side of the family. Bingo for money happened. (A mighty $12 was wagered and won.) My parents found a Bingo machine at Ross, and it worked out quite well. And somehow, I think that may become a new tradition. Maybe it's because Bingo is fun (despite it being a game completely devoid of strategy), or maybe it's because Asians seem to have a genetic predisposition for gambling.
Dinner that night included a seafood pasta and prime rib. I kind of wish I ate more seafood and less prime rib, but I have to live with my decisions. I actually can't remember too much else about that meal. There was at least some broccoli and a salad. And dessert was a homemade French silk pie, a pecan pie, and some other stuff that I can't remember anymore.
On Thursday, we drove down from Livermore to Los Angeles. It took 11 hours, but it included a couple stops along the way. Elijah held it together pretty well, not having any major meltdowns during the entire trip. That night, we met up with Justin, Janet, and Ezra for dinner before rolling on to the cousins.
Friday was in Long Beach at an outdoor mall (The Pike at Rainbow Harbor). This was our "family Christmas" time. It was nothing fancy, but all casual time spent together. We had lunch at Islands and then wandered around for a little bit, took some pictures, and that sort of thing. Then we went back to Justin and Janet's and had dessert.
Saturday was the return to Vegas, but not before having a large breakfast together. This was really my only cooking for the whole break. It was pretty simple. Omelettes with tomato, onion, and ham, with bacon on the side. I then spent the afternoon with Justin and Janet before going to LAX to fly home.
But that's not quite the end of it. I spent most of Monday with some old friends who were in town for the New Year. I do things with them that I wouldn't otherwise do, like eat at barMASA (an expensive Japanese restaurant at the Aria). The food there was quite tasty, but I think it was quite overpriced for what it was. I did get to have some new flavors. For example, I had my first taste of foie gras (and I want more).
The rest of the day was spent wandering around the strip, watching them play slot machines and poker (I didn't play poker, just watched). I got a small taste of the silliness which is New Years Eve on the strip. It was actually not hard to get there and get around, which was good. The strip was closed to cars at about 6 PM, so I got to spend some time walking down the middle of the street. The level of drunkenness at 8 PM was probably only a shadow of what it was at midnight. I didn't want to stay out there that late (because I felt like I might not get home until 2 AM if I did that).
Now it's 2013, and I'm looking forward to seeing what this year will bring.
