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"I make no bones about it: I hate cooking. And yet, for some odd reason, I&amp;#039;m the one who gets to do most of it. I don&amp;#039;t always do it well. And I don&amp;#039;t always smile as I&amp;#039;m doing it. But this holiday season, with over 20 people coming for Christmas Eve dinner, I plan on grinning like a billboard sized tooth whitening ad. What will I owe that new found confidence to? Drinking like a fish - that&amp;#039;s what! Oh, wait... I won&amp;#039;t really be drinking like a fish. But I will be making our traditional fish soup for Rex&amp;#039;s Italian family. And, here&amp;#039;s the best part. It&amp;#039;s not just me who will be making it. My darling husband is going to be joining me! Rex (and I know you long time readers will be shocked by this statement) is more detail oriented than Santa setting his GPS system for take-off. My man dices and slices with efficiency and confidence, and he looks damn good doing so. With him at my side, no crab leg is safe and no fluffy appetizer is going to deflate. Unlike our children born 18 months apart, Rex and I are planning this meal with the precision of surgeon. Of course some things will be left to chance, but if everything else is set, we&amp;#039;ll have room for last minute changes. Here&amp;#039;s our Food Goals for Christmas Eve:  1. Pick out our menu by this Friday. Good Housekeeping has some great ideas from main dishes to appetizers 2. Food Shop for all non-perishables by December 20. Perhaps I&amp;#039;ll consider shopping online. Vons has free delivery for first time users.  3. Have the bar set up by December 21. Lest you think all we do is drink around this joint, let me say that with three different families attending, not to mention stray neighbors and prodigal brother-in-laws, a glass of red wine works wonders in getting people to relax and overlook crude jokes, bad breath and horrific holiday sweaters. 4. Shine the silver by December 22. We have a ton of vintage coffee urns and elegant cutlery. If we can&amp;#039;t use it for a beautiful holiday dinner, what&amp;#039;s the point of keeping it at all?  5. Bake some cookies by December 23. Nothing says &amp;quot;I love you&amp;quot; to my husband than a delicious baked good. Given that I don&amp;#039;t enjoy cooking, my efforts are extra appreciated by Rex.  This list does not take into consideration buying the seafood, making the coffee and setting out the appetizers. But you know what? I am not going to micro-manage this season like one of Rex&amp;#039;s Excel spreadsheets. Instead, I&amp;#039;m working on balance. I&amp;#039;ll prep what I can, and what I forget to, I&amp;#039;ll work on with Rex. But my attitude? That I&amp;#039;m working on myself. After all, it&amp;#039;s not the gifts that matter. It&amp;#039;s not about being perfect. It&amp;#039;s about being with those I love - like my husband. Those, for me, are the best ways to stir up romance. I can&amp;#039;t even begin to say how excited I am to be prepping for our meal together. Perhaps you will be doing the same? I&amp;#039;d love to hear your plans for your holiday meal. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/relationships/a3240/cooking-up-romance/>