Christmas Eve Dinner

This was our beatuiful Christmas Eve Dinner. Mom had great plates and goblets for the occasion and Phil & I cooked our traditional German Christmas Dinner. We first had Rouladen and Rotkohl in Berlin when we spent Christmas 2003 and then later 2005 with our friends the Miebes. We have since decided to make it our annual tradition and let me tell you, it is the most amazing meal you will ever eat!

Rotkohl is a red cabbage dish that is a cousin to sauerkraut, but don't let that scare you away! This dish is sweeter with just a bit of tang. My family ate it perhaps with some trepidation but one bite had them licking their plates clean!

Rouladen is a stuffed rolled steak. My gosh, it is so amazing and my salivary glands are pumping just thinking about these heavenly meaty rolls. MMMMMM! It has grainy mustard, bacon, onion and pickle. Sounds weird, I know but trust me. Scroll down for the scrumptious recipes and make them for your family! You may just switch from the ol' ham to German cuisine for your next holiday dinner.

Making gravy and mashed taters.

The finished product, simply a-mazing!

Go HERE for the Rouladen recipe.
Go HERE for the Rotkohl recipe.

For dessert Phil really wanted vanilla pudding, we had some packets from our previous trip. The food presentation minded person that I am was vehemently opposed to humble pudding, I was rather thinking of doing a creme brulee. But I agreed to pudding as long as I could dress it up.

So I did.

German Vanilla Pudding Mold with Raspberry-Blackberry Coulis and Oatmeal Lace Cookies

Delish.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

We are HOME! Words cannot express the joy we felt as we wearily climbed out of our cramped little car that carried us safely back home after 10 hours of black asphalt. We had such a great time in Utah with my family. Here are just a few pics to illustrate:

Mom's pretty tree with the booty.

My sister Vanessa & Jeremy

Mom & Jack

Mom and Ness

Need no introduction

There was sooooo much snow! It was so cold but it was fun. My sister has 2 huge dogs that love to play in the snow and chase a softball. Phil had fun throwing it around for them. I had fun shivering in my jacket snapping pictures of the snowy fun but never partaking. Who else would document our travels for posterity? And you, of course.

Next post will document our gastronomical vacation, specifically Christmas Eve Dinner! Oh boy!

Leaving tomorrow for a snowy (translation: COLD) Utah Christmas Vacation. Stay tuned for pics when I return next week.

Merry Christmas and enjoy your loved ones!

Phil's List

Phil reads the Wall Street Journal every morning. Upon such a morning he came across the most interesting article that helped him finalize his Christmas Wish List. I rather think this should be on every man's list.

Click image for more in depth analysis. It is required to appreciate the full extent of the article.

(He especially loved the jeans and smokin' hot boots.)

What's on your Wish list?

Christmas Spirit

I was NOT feeling very festive this year. For some reason Christmas Spirit was eluding me. Yes, we have trimmed the tree and made candy. Gifts are almost done but wrapping has not begun. (hey look, it rhymed!) I just have not felt merry and bright yet.

Last night we went with our neighbors to the Mesa Temple to see the lights and such. We walked around and oohed and ahhed at the outdoor nativities, listened to the performers, went into the Visitor's Center and saw the Christus. One of the best parts was seeing the International Nativity Room, various countries were represented, all depicting the same sacred scene. Following the nativities we watched Luke II. Then I felt the Christmas Spirit. Let me emphasize CHRIST-mas. Because that is what it is all about.

1st is an origami nativity from Japan. Pretty cool! And then the others, also cool.

I have not/will not do Christmas cards. I think that without children we are not worth going through the trouble and expense of updating everyone on our mundane life that is pretty consistent and not exciting throughout the year. For us nothing changes. So consider yourself now Christmas carded.

Here is our 2007 in a nutshell:

January: We celebrate 5 years of wedded bliss.

February: Still married, working and schooling.

March: More of the same. Phil celebrates one year of unemployment, I mean full-time student status. Heather gets fed up with University Dental and starts looking for greener pastures.

April: She finds them and makes a move closer to home and more $$. We "celebrate" Camden's one year by going to the temple and visiting our sweet boy's grave to care for the lovely black granite that bears his name.

May: Summer school and Girl's Camp.

June: Heather turns 24!

July: Still married, working and schooling.

August: Phil graduates! Woohoo! Only 7 more years to go!

September: Wishing for fall and not finding it.

October: I told you we were boring; all I do is work and YW.

November: Give thanks with the Gunnell clan and eat lots of pie.

December: Christmas Spirit lacking but soon found. Spend time with family and snow in Utah. Gain requisite holiday pounds and swear to lose it the following month. Enjoy all the sugar and fat I readily consume and then curse my weak sensibilities.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Candy aka Fat Santa

aka Why we need to make New Year Resolutions.

This year the neighbors are getting Homemade Fudge & Toffee. You can make them too, just go HERE & HERE.

Warning!: Making the above candy will be hazardous to your health and may adversely affect the girth of your derriere, hips and thighs. Continual consumption may result in a strange and uncurable phenomena of dimpling and uneven appearance of certain areas of skin on the body sometimes resembling a certain dairy product. If you choose to participate in such reckless behavior be sure to share it with your family and friends so you will have company in your plight.

Want to make this? Go HERE.

Orange Bundt Cake, fresh & satisfying

Beautiful Sedona

Phil & I escaped on Wednesday for a mini vacation to Sedona. If you haven't been, go! When we vacationed there last year we listened to some time share gig, (to which we promptly said no) and in return we received a free stay at one of their resorts. It was such a wonderful stay for us. We enjoyed beautiful colors, cool weather, gorgeous nature scenes as we hiked along West Fork Trail and fabulous food. Plenty of rest and relaxation included.

Super nice jacuzzi bath tub, of course we had to make use of it! Sooo nice, we need to get one.

We ate at the Cowboy Club Wednesday night, a very nice restaurant with amazing food. Phil & I have never paid at least $20 a plate before and it was worth it! First the service was great; the chef sent out "compliments of the chef", one before the meal was a beef spring roll with balsamic reduction and after our meal they sent out 2 chocolate dipped strawberries. Who does that?!

We enjoyed fresh sourdough rolls and pumpkin raisin bread with citrus brandy butter. Phil ordered the Prime Rib and I the Roast Duck. The grand finale was dessert, Honeysuckle Creme Brulee. Neither of us have had it before though I have been dying to make it at home. Bliss! Can I just say it was a-mazing! Plate presentation makes even the most humble meal outstanding and this dinner was far from humble. As soon as it came out I went for my camera and Phil was like "don't take a picture, that's embarrassing." Um, hello! This is for blogging and the foodie in me was in heaven! Then as he surveyed our spread he said "You've got to take a picture!" So I did. And I must say that we noted several flashes from other diners.

We enjoyed our trip very much and plan to make it an annual tradition. Cowboy Club and West Fork Trail included.

The Quest

About a month ago we had ward conference and one of the speakers talked about Obedience. He said to think about what we desire most in the terms of blessings, and if we are obedient then those blessings would be ours. I believed this to be true and leaned over to Phil and mentioned that I must not be as obedient as I should since the blessing I desire most is children. He scolded me and said "that is ridiculous!" And then asked about all the disobedient people in the world who have kids left & right, how is that fair? Good question, but...

For the sake of peace I concurred, but I have ever since had a nagging thought that this principle is true. (Perhaps this is the Spirit? hint, hint) Now I am not saying that I have been grossly disobedient but rather it is the simple things that I can improve upon. I have been slacking with personal scripture study. I have committed myself this month to be diligent in reading 15 minutes a day. I know that I will receive blessings for my efforts, it may not be the ONE immediately but it can't hurt, right? And I know I have been promised that I shall be blessed with beautiful babies.

So here's to obedience and the promise of wonderful blessings and onto the quest of motherhood! Stay tuned, it will happen eventually.

Heart all Aflutter

I just finish my 6th patient and am cleaning my operatory and guess who pops up around the corner with this:

My dear husband that's who!

He leaves me a single stemmed rose from one of our bushes that he lovingly nurtures, asks about my day and then leaves me with a kiss. Ahhh, isn't he the sweetest?

A few hours later I come home and find this:

My, hasn't this boy been busy! Now we get to trim the trim together on a rainy afternoon. Makes my heart all aflutter and it is brimming with love. Enjoy your weekend!

Oh, did I mention he also cleaned the bathroom? He did. Kisses all around.

Empty

My fridge looks like this: Pretty much empty. At least to this cooking girl, not much to work with, as you see. But you will be impressed to know that I have cooked these past few nights thanks to a few freezer and pantry staples.

Why is my fridge empty? Because I haven't been grocery shopping for about 1 week. My dear fridge needed to house four 20 pound turkeys. Yes, 80 pounds of headless and pectorally distorted poultry. Why again you ask? To pay back service for a failed YW fundraiser, they delivered the goods and so I must in turn deliver the bird. And no, we did not get to keep one of the glorious deep pit-baked birds. Sigh. Otherwise my fridge would be overflowing with leftovers.

If my fridge is empty that means I am also low on sugar and its various enticing forms (aka ice cream and chocolate.) This is bad. Today I received my crismon assurance that I am also empty, my womb that is. (BIG sigh, sniffle, sob) And a girl is entitled to some confectionary comfort.

Desperate times... So I melt a little bit of white chocolate chips and seeing as there is no ice cream, dip a cone and throw a handful of almonds in for insurance. I will save the almonds for another day. Sad, I know, but I thought running to the store and then checking out with a carton of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie and a box of Supers would be a bit obvious.

See, all better. At least I will be tomorrow. And I will run that cone off tomorrow too.

FHE at the Gunnell's

1. Homemade Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream

2. One Hunky Husband

3. One rip-roaring fire in the family pit courtesy of my Hunky Husband

Manly Man

P: I need a chainsaw to cut all this wood up.

H: Can't you just borrow one?

P: No. I need one.

H: Just to cut up this pile of wood and then...

P: I need tools, I don't have any. I don't even own a drill.

H: Right, so go buy a drill. Honestly, how often will you use a chainsaw?

He bought one. Because he needed it, remember? But I understand. I need things all the time. More clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. Hey, everyone has needs.

Thankful

This time of year everyone naturally starts thinking about all the blessings life brings. Life is funny though, things never really turn out the way you plan. And therein lies the beauty, because it's not about what YOU have planned but what has already been planned for you. I have had a few life experiences that have been rough; not what I would have out right chosen willingly but they have turned out to be my greatest strengths and blessings.

I think the single most defining cumulative moment of my youth was growing up without a father in the home. My parents divorced when I was one and I have never really gotten to know my father and even now I have not seen nor spoken to him since my wedding reception. I am okay with this though. I learned that while I may not have an earthly father I do have a Heavenly Father and this epiphany came during my early teens and has helped mold who I am today. I am strong, independent, stubborn and decisive. I am thankful for this experience.

In my brief married existence my greatest trial and blessing are one and the same; my sweet baby boy Camden. Even as I type this and start to reflect upon my firstborn tears are blurring my vision. I cannot describe what it is like to lose a child and I do not wish it on anyone, yet I have gained a stronger testimony of the gospel and more importantly of the Plan of Salvation. Maybe I would not have learned any other way. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him, don't long for him, ache for him. I love that baby so much and yet I only had 3 short days to have him. But that isn't true, I have him forever and that is what matters most. I am so thankful for my son and the brief bittersweet moments we had with him. I know more will come.

What I am thankful for most is my family. Without them what else is there?