Only Happens Once a Year

Take two days of  30-degree temps and snow flurries

Four 50-mile drives to (and from)  San Bernardino

Prepare one dinner:

Corned beef:

One case – plus of potatoes

1 case baby carrots

1 case of cabbage

Twenty-five loaves of Irish soda bread

Lots of miscellaneous schtuff

One 88 year-old retired executive chef

One secret recipe

One fifty-something former cook, somewhat out of practice doing large gatherings

One experienced kitchen assistant

One guy shanghaied to serve food

Ten half-trained servers

One bottle of “Croatian Firewater”

Prep food

Cook food

Serve food

Serve 100, plus another another 45 people who show up at the door.

Drive home in blizzard on I-10 listening to Tommy Tutone, among people who have never driven in snow.

Arrive home

Unpack car, pack refrigerator, shower, put on sweats

Remember that you left bottle of firewater back  in kitchen fifty miles away.