Hallo, 2014!

So begins another year and another reminder of just how long I've been writing in this thing (the archives go back to 2010!). In past years, or at least one year that I can remember, I've done little end-of-year recaps of all the zany madcap things I've done throughout the year (2013: got married, went to Thailand, photographed my cat). This year, I think I'll skip that as I believe all of my current blog readers have been faithfully following along throughout the year regardless. That and this current post clearly needs to address all that I've been up to the best past week. Details on that below, but the short version: mostly just eating everything in sight.

On Christmas Eve, like the wandering pilgrims of old, Sam and I journeyed across the George Washington Bridge for the quickest Christmas homecoming commute of my life. I was sorry to not see my own family (a sorrow much tempered by their coming up to see me the next day), but must say I was incredibly excited about not having to fly around Christmas for the first time since moving to New York. Instead of dealing with airport delays and trying to pack Christmas gifts without any liquids, I was able to finish my work day in a leisurely fashion and head out in the afternoon in time for Turkish food for Christmas Eve dinner and a lovely candlelight carol service at my mother-in-law's church.

Christmas itself was marked by the making of banana fritters, a Christmas morning tradition in my family that I thought it was important to pass on. Then there was the usual hubbub of opening gifts and eating roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (my sister-in-law's Welsh blood led to a traditional British Christmas meal). My contribution, as always, was pie.

Sam being indoctrinated into the order of banana fritter makers.

The following day, I picked my parents and sister up from Penn Station so that we could all continue the holiday gluttony together. Most of our eating took place once we returned to New York, but we did manage to eat the better part of a fish and eight Cornish game hens while there.

A selection of family members in New Jersey. 

I could continue by detailing our every meal (many multiple courses!) as is my way, but instead I think I should focus on the non-edible events that transpired. For one, we went to the Frick. I was pretty sure I had never been to this particular museum in all my years in New York. Once nearing the building, I had a moment of doubt, but inside, I was again certain I hadn't been before. But this is all really neither here nor there because I have been now, and it is a lovely museum housing many a Dutch masterpiece, plenty of creepy cherubic murals, and countless antique chairs that probably wouldn't be that comfortable even if you were allowed to sit on them. All of which is to say that it is a beautiful museum, but I certainly wouldn't decorate my 5th Avenue mansion that way if I were a turn of the century financier.

Me outside the Frick, looking cold, and possibly blinking. 

On Saturday, we headed to Brooklyn to see the Julie Taymor A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Theater for a New Audience. The last Julie Taymor production I attended was Spiderman Turn Off the Dark, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this one had much fewer dancing high-heeled spiders. None, in fact. In addition, it was just a very inventive production. A Midsummer Night's Dream is not usually one of my favorite Shakespeare comedies, but the acting and neat theatrical tricks made this version enjoyable from beginning to end. 

A rare shot with my dad in it. Here we were in front of the Theater for a New Audience, a very nice building.

Saturday night we made the impromptu decision to get tickets (they're free but you have to register beforehand) for the following day to see the 9/11 Memorial as I had yet to go. We then proceeded to plan the day around this, which would have been a fine plan if it didn't pour rain all of Sunday. We decided to go see the memorial anyway, which unfortunately requires standing in long lines, mostly outside, for about an hour. The memorial is definitely worth seeing, and I'm glad we went, but I think I'd also like to go back sometime when it's sunny so that I can walk around a little longer and contemplate the space without my mind being solely on how cold and wet my feet are. 

View of the Freedom Tower while standing in a sea of umbrellas waiting to get into the 9/11 Memorial.

On Monday, we went to the Metropolitan Museum. Although all involved had been there many times, you can never really run out of things to see at the Met. Here is one such thing that I saw:

I should mention that all the above photos are credited to my dad (well except the one with him in it, obviously). This one, however, was taken on my phone. 

 On Tuesday morning the family was all gone, and it was back to the humdrum life of actually preparing food for myself again. Well actually I was able to subsist on leftovers for the rest of Tuesday, but today food shopping and production was resumed in earnest. I spent a lovely News Years Eve at a party in the neighborhood (never getting on a subway on NYE again!) which was excellent and very low key. Today, the first day of 2014, was spent working on a little cooking project that I'll write about soon. Sneak peak: I tempered chocolate for the first time and was semi-successful at it. I think 2014 is going to be a good year.