I always need something to look forward to. That “something” being a vacation. I pretty much require one every six months.

Things were looking a little bleak after Thanksgiving in New York, but we officially have a vacation on the schedule as of yesterday…Memorial Day in Las Vegas! Not only Memorial Day, but our 2nd wedding anniversary!

Thanks to a combination Christmas/birthday present, my parents are footing the bill for airfare, and my mom got comped nights at the Flamingo. The whole family will be in and out of Vegas that week, making this the 2nd official Vegas family vacation.

I’ve been desperate for a garage for the past two weeks, not only because of the frigid temperatures, but because of the Christmas decorations that need to be put away. With no garage storage, the boxes and crates are stacked in our office, going no place fast.

When we start house-hunting, one of my requirements is a large attached garage with enough room for our cars and storage. Some nice shelves lining one wall so that I can neatly stack Rubbermaid containers full of god knows what. Maybe some bike racks and some bins for shoes.

What do you store in your garage?

My sister bought me Kitchen Confidential for Christmas, which I read in approximately 48 hours and which rekindled my love for Anthony Bourdain. The Nasty Bits and Bone in The Throat both arrived in the mail today to complete my current reading list.

To round out my Anthony Bourdain experience, I’ve been watching No Reservations on Netflix and have requested that my mom Tivo the current episodes (cutbacks – cable had to go).

This week, Tony is on the east coast, visiting DC and the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl. If you’re keeping up with the news, President Elect Obama just visited and from the clip below, it looks like Tony is equally as impressed with the tasty chili dogs.

The culinary experience doesn’t stop there. Tony is all over the DC area, indulging in the regional cuisine, including Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs, which makes my mouth water.

Be sure to tune in to the Travel Channel, Monday, January 19th at 10pm to the latest episode of No Reservations, and read Anthony Bourdain’s blog for the leftovers. And don’t leave any spoilers in the comments. I’ll have to wait till next weekend to watch the full episode.

Oh, and if someone wants to buy me previous seasons on DVD for my birthday, that’s a welcome addition to my foodie (and Bourdain) collection.

I would love to claim that I have been overwhelmed with holiday gatherings and celebrations, which is why I didn’t submit this week’s Four Foods on Friday on time, but I was really just savoring the time off work and couldn’t get myself to do anything productive for the past three days.

I hope some of you can claim the celebrations were endless and that you had a great holiday!

1. Do you prefer cooking with electric or gas?

Gas. It’s easier to control the temperature and I don’t boil over as often.

2. How many times a month do you order out?

“Order out” means delivery in our house, which we rarely do. Maybe once every 2-3 months.

3. How do you like your ice – cubed or crushed?

Crushed. When my husband and I were dating and he came to dinner at my parents house for the first time, he nicknamed us the Rockefellars because our refrigerator made crushed ice. That’s not so uncommon, is it?

4. Share a Christmas recipe.

My favorite Christmas cookie is Florentine lace cookies, and my mom made them for the first time in a very long time this year.

Cookies

• 2/3 cup butter
• 2 cups quick oats, uncooked
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (and use the good stuff!)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling

• 2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla extract and salt; mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 3 inches apart, onto a foil-lined cookie sheet. Spread thin with spatula. Bake for 5-7 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet then peel away from foil.

Melt chocolate chips until smooth. Spread chocolate on flat side of each half of cookies and press two halves together.

We’ve started a new holiday tradition this year. No family gatherings on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

*Gasp* But Christmas is supposed to be about family!

Well, Mike and I decided that we see the family we are close with on a regular basis, so why waste two perfectly good days seeing family we never have the want to see the rest of the year? Instead, we’re going to relax, go to the movies, and probably order pizza for dinner.

We’re already considered Aunt and Uncle Scrooge for canceling Christmas, so I doubt we’ll be missed since we wouldn’t be arriving with arms full of gifts, but I want to assure you that we’re still very much in the Christmas spirit. Eggnog is flowing, holiday music is playing, and we sent out many holiday wishes to friends and family; we’re just going a less traditional route on the actual holiday.

Do you celebrate Christmas in a non-traditional way? Have you gotten any slack for how you celebrate the holidays?