The House by the Parkway has been a sniffer’s delight over the past several days, as we prepare the Christmas Feed. Each year, we make way too much food and swear that we won’t do that any more. That vow has been regularly broken for as long as I can remember.

A week or so ago, it was the aroma of the makings of what will be, when popped into the oven tomorrow, baked ziti. A day or so after that, it was the distinctive aroma of gwumpkies. I suspect that there are some (particularly those of you with no relatives who came from Poland) who might not like the smell of gwumpkies cooking. I do have some Polish blood in my veins, and I grew up with the aroma. I love it.

Today, while the homemade potato salad was being put together, the place smelled like the Seaside Heights (NJ) Boardwalk. That’s because we cooked up the peppers, onions, and sausage (pronounced in Jerseyspeak either as “SAH-sidge” or “sah-ZEECH, but not “SAW-sage”).

The special sauerkraut has already been made and frozen, and tomorrow morning the kielbasa will be made and added to the kraut, and the spiral ham will go in the oven.

Add to that, Italian rolls, ass-kicking Jewish rye bread, Russian rye bread, cheese, deviled eggs, and The Original Bill’s homemade baked mushrooms and, quite possibly, pepperoni bread, and you’ve got a boatload of Jersey Eats.

Oh, and there will be a table full of homemade cookies (some made here and some brought by nieces) and a TJ-baked kransekake, which is a traditional Norwegian cake that looks something like this. (Mr. Surly’s mom’s family is Norwegian.)

Dieting is not permitted.

A Shitload of Cocktails, wine and beer will also be available, which should come as a surprise to absolutely no one.