Marking: November 1, 2012

...in exactly 9 months, my ban on chips will be lifted. I seriously plan on throwing a potato chip / Cheetos / Ringalos / onion rings party. It shall be glorious.

The problem with people who care...

...is that sometimes they do things to torture you. It's no secret that I've given up potato chips (and by extension, Cheetos, Ringalos and other yummy treats) for a year. It'll be exactly 3 months on February 1.

So far, it's been easy. Why?

Because people - like my colleagues at work - tend to be considerate of the fact that I have given up something amazing for a year. They applaud my willpower and cheer me on. They also sometimes feel guilty about the fact that they are eating chips right in front of me.  Believe me - I appreciate this thoughtfulness.

Enter J (who has been a bit of a tornado in my life), who also loves chips and Cheetos. And who, not too long ago, was torturing me with a FRESH bag of Cheetos. Not only was there savouring, there was also a description of how yummy those sticks of cheesy orangy goodness are. And how they melt in your mouth.

Like a pesky fly buzzing in my ear.

So what did I do in retaliation? I had a hunk of cheese, a plum, spaghetti and a piece of chocolate (okay, 2 pieces of chocolate). Come to think of it, in order to curb my craving for Cheetos (which J offered to share not out of love, but out of pure enjoyment of watching me suffer), I consumed waaaaay more calories than I would've had I actually eaten the damn things.

As I write this, I can hear the crinkling of the packaging, as he consumes yet another piece of buttery goodness.

*Sigh*...T-9 months to go...maybe I should invest in a flyswatter.

Tired...of food???

It happened again. Every New Year, I take a sabbatical from my KitchenAid - and cooking - in general. Why? Because of the holidays. And of all the stress I impose on myself.

Over the holidays, my baking goes into overdrive. I'm not a huge fan of shopping for gifts, and from a personal stand point, I usually enjoy homemade gifts more than store bought ones. Homemade gifts require time and effort. I theorize that most people feel the same way, which is why for Christmas, I gave everyone a box of homemade cookies, each box with 4 different types of cookies. Multiply 16 cookies times 25 boxes (and of course enough for dessert for Christmas Eve dinner), and you're talking about nearly 600 cookies.  And this was before Christmas Eve. (And doesn't include the cookies I do in trial runs!)

My Father was born on Christmas Eve, and tradition dictates a massive party for anywhere between 30-45 people every year. I love cooking, but there's only so much oven space at my place and my parents' place. Using ovens at both places, that still only covers the roast and the turkey, never mind the fixings. Long story longer, I was very tight on time. My condo literally became Kitchen Stadium. And while dinner takes place on the 24th, I start cooking at least 2 days before.

This year, there were cookies, and birthday cakes and about 10 other sides I can't remember. Was I tired? Yes. But did love every minute of it? Hell yeah.

But do I need a break? Definitely.

At least until the end of January.