requesting a re-match...

When I left home on Tuesday morning, I believed I was mostly, relatively, fairly, sort-of organized food-wise: with my ham and broccoli casserole, plus a couple of other little items. Things that have become a tradition for the holiday meal. But when we sat down for a hurry up and eat lunch, it did not all get on the table. I didn't realize things were missing for several hours, but as we were driving back to Columbus it occurred to me some of our lunch was still in the fridge.

One of the bowls we traditionally pass at Thanksgiving and Christmas is an adaptation of Waldorf Salad. I don't put raisins in it, and every time they see me cutting up nuts and apples, the questions is: can you leave out the celery? The answer is always 'No', but the celery to apple ratio will invariably weighed towards fruit and very light on the crunchy green zero-calorie vegetable part. I had already diced my celery and nuts, took two apples to cut up and had great plans for salad to go with the ham and broccoli. Thought about it halfway down the interstate.

The other thing has been around as long as I can recall, so it was on my grandmother's table as holiday fare, as well as occasionally on my mothers'. Short lengths of (the dreaded) celery stuffed with a mix of cream cheese and diced green olives. Unwrap the block of cream cheese, and let it sit out to soften. Add a bit of mayo. to make it easier to mix, chop olives and pimento, stir it all together and put in the fridge to chill, and fill the little trench with the cream cheese mixture. Put it out in a little cut glass dish (boat-shaped if possible, to uphold tradition), and it will all be gone by the time you call them to come sit down to the meal.

I'd made the cream cheese/olive combo a week or so ago, when I bought blocks of cream cheese for another project. I was fully prepared. But when we got down to the wire, it did not come together.  For any  number of semi-legitimate reasons: We ate a huge breakfast mid-morning and no one was interested in another meal. Then it got to be early afternoon, and I knew C. had to get dressed to go to his job.

It was sort of hurry up/slap-dash in getting on the table. C. was trying to get ready for work, kitchen chaos was occurring, dogs barking, cats wailing...Such a flurry of activity with ham-slicing, risotto-stirring, casserole cooking, chaotic gift-giving/unwrapping, I just didn't get it all accomplished.So I'd like to ask for a' re-do', and have another opportunity, a bit more time to get organized and have it all on the table at the same time.