Christmas 365 - Day 17

Today, the Christmas spirit came to me through my husband and oldest boy.  It is Monday – the MLK holiday for most.  I went in to work half the day and I guess while I was away the boys decided they were going to do something nice for me.  I actually don’t think it went down quite like that at all…but that’s what they told me.

You see, it’s not that they are incapable of being nice.  They are VERY capable of being nice and actually are about 97% of the time.  However, my theory is that they set out to conquer the kitchen…and although I was quite nervous about it…they did a great job!

So you understand why I have my theory, and why I was nervous, I will explain.  Try not to laugh too hard!

My husband is no gourmet cook.  He is an excellent handyman.  He is incredibly thoughtful…even when buying presents.  He listens and even tells me what’s going on inside.  He is tough, strong, handsome…with just the right amount of sentimentality…but a cook?  Not by a long shot.  This is a man who when we first began to date made me dinner:  a tuna sandwich with some mac and cheese from a box…with some cinnamon added in because he knew I liked “different” food.  I gave him an “A” for effort…but the taste of Kraft mac and cheese with cinnamon…not so much.  After we had been married for a couple of years, he came into the kitchen to “help” again and somehow broke a few laws of nature…or maybe created a few new laws for nature.  This is a man who took a small plastic bowl, put about a cup of fresh spinach in it, covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the microwave – I am NOT kidding here – for a full ten minutes to “wilt” the spinach.  I was completely unaware of what he had done until I heard this strange noise emitting from the microwave…and I turn to see electric sparks shooting all over inside!!

Plastic + spinach should not equal electric sparks…but somehow, he managed it.  My theory is that the spinach got so hot that the iron inside of the leaves started reacting with the microwave.  Needless to say, he stayed out of the kitchen for a while.

So…this is why I feel like he set out to conquer the kitchen…  He has been collecting these recipes from Men’s Health magazine.  He has put them in a binder and periodically looks at them…but that’s it.  Then yesterday…he whipped that binder out and guess what?  He conquered the kitchen!!!

Here is a picture of him and his recipe:

And here is evidence of another amazing thing he accomplished...he got DYLAN to help him!!

And after about an hour...with me keeping a watchful eye...this is what went into the oven:

And the reason there is no picture of it after it was cooked is because it smelled SO good and we were so hungry...that we pretty much gobbled it up!  It was delicious!!!  It was a pork tenderloin stuffed with a ricotta cheese mixture containing basil, artichokes hearts and spinach with a side of olive oil roasted asparagas. YUM-O!!!  Maybe they got lucky...but as this is about sharing the Christmas spirit, I will cover them with grace and say they are on their way to their own cooking show!  Lucky me!

So now when he says he wants to cook...I will let him and not be afraid.  I love my husband...and am blessed I can add "cook" to his list of great attributes! 

Until tomorrow...
Annie