SNYDER

WARENSKI

Christmas Fiasco Pt. II

Here is a short slide show of our Christmas Season.

Christmas Fiasco Pt. I

This Christmas we definitely had to make more with less. It was very important that my family experience more than flying boxes, torn wrapping paper & gifts that have a life-span of 24hours. Despite my failed attempt at making EDIBLE Dutch food earlier in the month, I was determined to try again. I promised Rob croquettes and I intended to follow-through. The challenge was, of course, making VEGETARIAN croquettes. We do have a substitute for ground beef but it won't stick together to form the ball. I was able to find a recipe for Potato cheese croquettes. I went CRAZY! I had never eaten a croquette before - I had NO CLUE about sizes, shapes, and especially how much one batch would really make. So I TRIPLED the batch!!! Holy shit! I had more than enough to experiment with!



I experimented with cooking methods. I can't eat them deep-fried so I tried baking, pan-frying, and deep-frying. The various methods did affect the taste a lot. The pan-fried (I used PAM non-stick spray) I didn't care for. I think the PAM burnt. The oven baked was actually really good and no grease was used. It took longer but its a healthy alternative! Once I started deep-frying them, the mouths started watering! They were so good! I was impressed with myself!



The process took a long time but was well worth it. I don't think it would have taken so long if I knew how to do it. Next time I don't think it'll take near as long.

My wish...

For the select people I didn't get to tell personally "merry christmas".... I'm sorry. I hope everyone had a great christmas. I hope that memories were made and futures created. Old traditions honored and future traditions formed. I wish the people from my past, present, and future know how grateful I am for the lessons learned. Those who exist in the distance - I wish all the best. I hope they all know that no matter what obstacles are given, I will always exist in the shadows. I will be there to pick up the pieces of life and I will always be there to celebrate the achievements - even if it's only in thought.

For all of you who are out there who I didn't get a chance to say how much I love each and every one of you. My heart is spread across the oceans and circles continents. I did not get to tell all the people who deserve it... that I am proud, excited, and jealous. Some get the opportunity to see the world and that thought amazes me. Although I hope that a small piece of me went along for the ride.

Family and friends are the greatest gifts ever given and the most valuable assets one could have.

The cars I drive are meaningless. The house I own is a building. The money I have is paper. The family I was blessed with, the friends I have gained, and even the people I have yet to meet, are what makes my life richly complete.

I have learned many things in my relatively short life: never be afraid to tell someone you love them, always remember the best moments are unplanned, learn to listen and give compliments, find a reason to laugh, and the most important thing is to never regret anything; it doesn't matter if the experience is good, bad, or indifferent, something is always gained. Be proud of each moment and experience.

So finally, I love you all. I miss you! Despite the different paths our lives have taken over the years, I will always be available. I will always be grateful for what you have taught me. I will always remember. I will always care.

~S~

Dutch Christmas

I hope that everyone had a great Dutch Xmas. We had a wonderful time! The past few years we have been increasingly more traditional for this holiday. Rob made sure he had the 5th & 6th off work. We did our best to be old school this year. We did gifts on Christmas Eve. We put out shoes. On Christmas Day I did my best to keep food traditional also. I looked online and found some recipes that I wanted to try. Since we are vegetarian we can't make Grandma Jo's croquettes. We did find some potato versions though. I made a something called Rivel Soup. It was pretty basic; made with broth, vegetables, & homemade dough crumbled fairly small. I messed it up LOL it was bland and I added too much salt. I tried! All I wanted to do was make the day special for Rob & the boys. It has been hard the past 2 years without Grandma Jo.
Overall, we all had such an amazing time! The party was great! We appreciate Sinter Klaas. He has made it so special. I look forward to him. I don't know that we'll ever be able to tell him really how much we appreciate what he is giving us and our children. I love listening to his stories.
I think this was my favorite Christmas yet! We had a great time!!!
I still have some recipes that I am going to try. I'm going to make some on the 24th & hopefully we'll have time on the 25th. Rob wants me to make sure I cook on New Year's Eve. I know that was also important holiday. I've head all about the parties with food and dancing... sounds so perfect! I hope I can make these holidays just as memorable for Rob & the boys.