We kept things pretty simple for the holidays this year because of baby Violet. No big crowds, no complicated meals. For Christmas Eve, my parents joined us for appetizers. Blu & Taylor went sledding and somehow came home with Guitar Hero. London entertained us and we all went to bed early to prepare for Santa's visit. (This year we put the cookies and milk out and London started to understand the concept of Santa.) Christmas day was filled with opening gifts and a nice dinner of beef tenderloin and roasted veggies. But the cake, that was the kicker. I started working on it Christmas Eve morning and didn't finish until it was served. Ironically, the recipe came from a book by Alfred Portale called, "Simple Pleasures." But there was nothing simple about this cake. The recipe called for 3 1/2 cups of heavy cream -- all whipped or infused -- and 14 eggs (each separated and whipped at different times). Lots of whipping and infusing and zesting and folding and glazing. It was a challenge -- not too hard, but not too easy. In the end, the cake was wonderful. My only disappointment was that there was too much leftover. If my brother had been here for the holidays, leftovers wouldn't have been an issue. I can always count on him to enjoy the fruits of our labor. But this year, Taylor & I were the only ones picking through leftovers and I really don't think that his palate is sophisticated enough to fully appreciate the cake. (He would rather dig through leftover Halloween candy than eat the cake.) I've done my best and enjoyed at least one piece of cake each day until -- just now -- I've finished it. All of the goodies -- except the egg nog -- are gone and it's time to get back to healthy living. My goal is to reintroduce myself to the treadmill tomorrow with a goal of running three miles (without stopping) by the end of January and somehow, with lots of planning and use of baby monitors, spending time on that treadmill at least three days a week.