They came from out of town. At first, it was just one, but soon, they had increased in numbers and quickly outgrew our kitchen. And then they took over our entire house. Yes, I am referring to the invasion of … the in-laws. Just before we left for our recent family vacation, my spouse informed me that she had invited a “few” people to join us for a couple of days during our summer escape from Washington. It turned out that a “few” people included her mom and dad, her brother and her aunt and uncle. I was definitely going to have to slip another case of wine into the cargo hold of the plane.

Now, I have to admit, I am a pretty lucky guy. My in-laws are all wonderful people who love to cook. The problem is they all love to cook at once. And since they come from different parts of the country, they all have their special dish that they insist on preparing.