December 26, 2006

• Tuesday 26 December 2006
  Amsterdam, Netherlands

  
  

  After The Cleaning Of The House and The Buying Of The Groceries, which had happened in the previous days, today was the big day of the family visit. My parents, my youngest sister and her two kids were over between 11 and 7, and my older sister (younger than me though) and her girlfriend paid a brief visit between 4 and 5.

  
  

  So today was the day of The Preparing Of The Food, The Catering For The Guests, The Doing Of The Dishes (multiple times, that one) and The Cleaning Of The House, Part II. I must say that all went fine. I had started preparing food yesterday night already by making the cranberry sauce and cooking the rabbit. I made the latter as a stew, with carrots, onions, cabbage and tomatoes added. It was the first stew I ever made and although the result could have been just a bit spicier maybe, I was quite pleased with it. The rabbit was well done. Apart from that I had loads of other stuff: broccoli and cauliflower, mange-touts and carrots, baked potato-slices, boiled small potatoes, pork and applesauce. And of course soup and desserts. A full table - but it was a good meal. I don't often cook for six people (in fact the last time probably was when they were here for Boxing Day two years ago), and I do find it a tad stressful, but as long as I'm left alone in the kitchen it seems to work. Any distraction there and things start burning or arrive at the table undercooked.

  
  

  The picture was taken just before 8PM. By then the family had left again, all the dishes had been done, a bunch of laundry is tumbling in the washing machine as I type this. Tomorrow it's back to office, and the madness that we call Christmas is over once again.

  • 2:33 pm
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