Christmas in the NW...

Merry Christmas to all of you readers, followers and enthusiasts of this blog. And even to those that are not. It is a wonderful thing for me to not to have work on Xmas day...something that I have done almost my whole entire career. There have been a few times that I was lucky enough to be in a place that was closed, but usually and mostly a huge sacrifice for my family. Today is sunny and chilly in Seattle, yet magical, and after last year's snow storm a few days prior keeping everyone at bay(and hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue lost) a welcomed sight. Today is a day that one should not work, although I realize that things must muscle forward and there is a need for people at gas stations, grocery stores, patrolling the streets and manning the hospitals etc for us to survive in a sense, but you get my drift. Cooking during these times are fun and soothing for the soul. They allow for one's creativity to shine and be expressed in a different light, outside that of the "restaurant". And although I have not cooked yet since being off,(other than a simple panzanella salad) I look forward to it with great anticipation! So, here is wishing you all a great time at home(or not) with you and yours, searching for your own souls' soothingness and stimulation of creativity. Happy holidays, good times and good cooking...