This Gift is for You!

Hi! My name is Phyllis. For those of you who don’t know this fun fact…Phyllis is one of the most UNcommon names in this generation. I was named after my father, Phillip Andrew, so my parents named me Phyllis Ann. My husband Mike and I moved to beautiful Lake Chelan 10 years ago. We decided we wanted to slow down the pace of our lives, and Lake Chelan was where we knew we wanted to do it. After living in Chelan for about a year, I decided I needed a part-time job. I thought it would be a great way to get to know some folks in the area. I walked into the Harvest Tree, and asked the owner, Mary, if she needed anyone for a part-time position. That was right at the time they were combining their two stores into one, so she told me to come back in 6 months. 6 months later, I came back in, and started my new venture with their brand new store: Culinary Apple.

Well, working in a kitchen store definitely has its perks. Not the least of which is getting the chance to see and try all the new gadgets! After 8 years of this, however, my husband has begun to suggest I don’t need anything else, because our cupboards and drawers are packed! I have slowed down…a bit, but we’re constantly getting new and innovative products in at the store, and I love to try them out!

One of the items we got in the store is the Vitamix. If you’ve ever seen these, or used one yourself, you know it looks like a blender, but it’s actually so much more! Dave and Mary had one, then my sister-in-law got one, and listening to them rave about all the healthy meals they were making really peaked my interest. So, for Christmas one year, I bought one for Mike. He was actually really surprised to receive a Vitamix, since he didn’t remember requesting it. In fact, I think I had to explain to him why it was going to be such a great addition to our kitchen. I got a raised eyebrow, and a shoulder shrug from him, but I absolutely love it!  I use it every morning to make my breakfast smoothie, and Mike has started using it, too…to make me a frozen cosmopolitan! It turned out to be the best Christmas gift I ever bought for him.

The next Christmas, I was looking forward to opening the present from Mike, because it was a big, heavy package. It turned out to be a Cuisinart Food Processer. Huh? I didn’t request one, I’ve never had a need for one, yet here it was. Mike, on the other hand, loves making soups and chili, and he uses it ALL THE TIME! The base of most of his soups is a combination of carrots, celery & onions—he calls this mirepoix (a fancy term he learned from Food Network)—and the food processor slices and dices all of it so quickly. He’s used it for slicing potatoes, grating cheese and so much more. He absolutely loves the gift he bought for me!

I guess fair is fair when it comes to Christmas and the kitchen.