For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.
Merry Christmas, everyone! We had a wonderful holiday weekend leading up to the day we're really celebrating--today, Christmas, the birth of Jesus!
On Saturday, a couple of days before our savior's birthday, we celebrated our sister-in-law Lisa's 28th birthday with a surprise cake and gifts. Since Kenn's birthday is the day after New Year's, we celebrated his big day, too (to his surprise!).
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Tiramisu cake from Ramones, a local bakery
Another local gift, earrings from Holly Yashi
We opened family gifts on the 23rd as the family had to drive the long way back to OC before actual Christmas (they were originally going to leave this morning, but instead got an easy start and took off last night after dinner, driving through the night). We did a secret-Santa type exchange-- I got some lovely red hoop earrings (sorry, no pics) and an amazon gift certificate from Katherine!
We made stockings for everyone, stuffed with local gifts for them to remember this Humboldt Christmas!
The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis
Pep thanked auntie Lisa and uncle Kenn for her very festive gifts!
Father and son in matching cardigans! K's mom was dying with laughter at this sight!
On Christmas Eve day, we were blessed with the first sunny weather in a long while (and only sunny weather of the weekend)! K and I took the half-day off from work, and we took his parents and youngest sis, Theresa, on a Arcata city tour, including the Plaza and Marsh.
For Christmas Eve dinner, I decided to make a roasted beef tenderloin, inspired by a yummy dinner at Wai Kiu's the day after Thanksgiving. I broke in the roasting pan we got as a wedding gift for our first Christmas as hosts (I don't think I've ever had people "over" for Christmas. We are almost always traveling somewhere as guests). It was fun, but as I was trying out the recipe (adapted from Allrecipes.com) for the first time (not sure that Christmas Eve with the in-laws is the best time to test out something new?), it was a bit nerve-wracking. While most of us "kids" like beef medium-rare, the parents like it well done and I had to play a bit with the oven temps and cooking time ("averaging" the cook times of a couple of different recipes ... do real cooks do that?!). Luckily, a new meat thermometer came in handy, and it turned out really well!
We even used our "nice" plates, lit candles, and used the silk tablemats and runner from Singapore for the first time.
The meal was a hit! I would definitely make it again (see recipes below).
Today (Christmas), we are having a very nice, lazy day. If it were cold enough to snow, we'd probably have 6 inches on the ground.... it is really rainy. We opened our presents to eachother and from my family (I'm excited to try out a stovetop cappuccino maker with some of the espresso in a box of Italian goodies from my sister) and I spoke to my parents and sister on the phone. We haven't left the house except to walk the dog--we are watching basketball, napping, reading, and eating leftovers. I'm sucking down sudafed (my nose is as red as Rudolph's) and going through boxes of kleenex, and hoping I'm back to feeling better by tomorrow when we have to return to work.
May peace be your gift for this Christmas and the blessing of the Almighty be with you and the world to help us all make this world a better place. To make it a Christmas day everyday of the year. ~Kurt Avish
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THE RECIPES
Beef
5-pound boneless beef tenderloin, left at room temperature for 2 hours before cooking
4-5 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 275 degrees F.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Rub roast on all sides with seasoning. Heat oil in pan. Turn on exhaust fan, add meat to hot skillet and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
- Set roast on wire rack. Slow-roast in oven until roast reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees F for medium-rare and 140 degrees F for medium, approx 2 hours.
- Transfer roast to a cutting board; carve meat and serve with the sauce (below)
2 cups sliced white/baby bella mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup beef broth
3/4 cup red wine
2 tsp cornstarch (or to desired consistency)
1. Heat oil in pan
2. Add garlic, mushrooms, sautee until softened
3. Add broth and wine, heat to boil
4. Add cornstarch, simmer until sauce thickens
Rosemary roasted red potatoes
2 lbs red potatoes, quartered
1/2 c olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp rosemary
(1 Tbsp chopped basil, if desired/available)
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Bake potatoes for 30 minutes
3. Mix potatoes with other ingredients
4. Bake another 15-30 min until softened
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