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.