Let The Holiday Season Begin

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we have officially started the holiday season. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday -- with it being the kick off and all -- and it's a good thing too since I was able to enjoy two turkey dinners.

Our first was with my parents here at my Miami Beach apartment. My mother brought all of the side dishes and I was charged with making the turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. It was a little stressful since I don't really make a whole turkey very often, never mind stuffing that is not from a box or cranberries that are not in a can. But, I did it -- and it turned out quite well. Luckily I have a whole bunch frozen so Damien and I will be celebrating Thanksgiving several more times before the end of the year.

Then we went up to Woo-stah, Massachusetts to see Damien's family. It was actually really special since all of the Cave's were in one house -- a rare occasion. So for three days we all hung out and enjoyed a second Thanksgiving dinner.

Then I went to Boston to see my brother, Raul and his family, Meera and Elan. Elan was scheduled to have his second surgery on his cleft lip and palate so it was great that we got to see him before the big day. Now the surgery has passed and they are all doing well. Elan is a little trooper and so are his parents. It can't be easy to watch their little guy go through something like this, but they are holding up well and setting a brave example for Elan.

So now we're home and I have never been so tired! Okay, that's not really true, but I am really tired. All of that traveling took a lot out of me. But, I did cook tonight so I wanted to make sure I shared that. I made shrimp creole and I have one major adjustment to make to the recipe I posted last time I made it. So check it out.

You need Parsley. I used half of a bunch that I bought fresh at Publix - completely stemmed. But, I suppose you could use dried parsley. Maybe a tablespoon or so. When I tasted my batch tonight it confirmed that it was exactly what the original was missing.

So, Parsley. Make sure you add it. And Happy Holidays!

Oh, and I'm sorry I've been so bad about keeping up the blog. I am done with my 36 Hours in South Beach video and no more traveling for a few weeks, so I should be much better.