Holla Challah

I don't cook. I especially don't cook for my mother-in-law. That would be like inviting Julia Child and Martha Stewart over and saying, "Here, open up, try this." This year, after selling the Big House where we've had Christmas dinner forever, crystal, china, candles and some Gourmet Magazine-worthy spreads, the in-laws are wintering in a motor home (still marble floors, chandeliers and flat screens galore, but much less counter space) so it was our pad or bust. Instead of stressing, I called AJ's for my food box, assigned Shana to pick-up duty, and when I opened the box Xmas morning, no stuffing. AJ's was closed. Fry's, Albertson's, Safeway were closed, too, and Circle K doesn't carry Stove Top, I checked. I explained to Shana that we wouldn't be having stuffing this year. Maybe if I was Julia or Martha or even m-i-l, I'd have a nicely stocked pantry with lots of things like stuffing mix, or maybe some two day old homemade bread perfect for stuffing recipe. But other than diced tomatoes, olive oil and vegetable broth, no such luck. She wouldn't give up. She crossed her fingers and desperately called Chompie's. Score! Stuffing! And not just any stuffing. Challah stuffing. The absolute best stuffing any of us had ever had. Yum.

Leave it to the Jews to save Christmas.