If you’ve been reading my newsletter for a while, you know that I love sharing what’s new in Cook’n. But after doing this for several decades (yikes 😄), I’ve also learned something else: many of you enjoy hearing a little about our family...and some of our cooking adventures too.

So this month, I thought I’d switch things up and tell you a Christmas story.

Almost all of our kids stayed the night at our house on Christmas Eve this year. (The only exception was our youngest son, Andan, who is currently serving a two-year mission for our church—and the really good news is… he comes home next month!! Yay!!)

That meant we got to relive one of my favorite traditions: waking up early on Christmas morning and watching the kids come running down the stairs. Except now, those “kids” are adults...with spouses, and in some cases, kids of their own. Watching a pack of grown-ups sprint downstairs in matching pajamas is even funnier than it used to be.

Speaking of pajamas… one of Kathy’s long-standing traditions is making Christmas pajamas for everyone. This year’s theme? The Avengers. Seeing our entire family dressed as superheroes was priceless.

The Great Christmas Omelet Experiment

After gifts, Kathy and I usually make a big Christmas breakfast. But this year, with everyone older (and busy playing with new toys), we decided to try something different.

I suggested an omelet bar.

Now, making omelets one at a time is not always the best plan when you’re feeding a hungry crowd. But I figured Christmas morning might be the perfect time—since everyone eats in stages anyway.

Turns out… it was a HUGE hit.

I prepped all the add-ins and set out bowls of toppings:

• Fresh mushrooms
• Onions
• Green & red peppers
• Jalapeños and Anaheim peppers 🌶️
• Chopped tomatoes
• Bacon and sausage

I invited the kids up one at a time, handed them a bowl, and told them to build their perfect omelet.

I started worrying we might run out of meat, so I spotted some Pineapple & Bacon Brats from Costco in the fridge and thought, what the heck? I chopped them up, fried them, and added them to the lineup.

Kathy gave me that look—you know the one 😏—but surprise! That was everyone’s favorite meat.

After they chose their mix-ins, I asked how many eggs they wanted, cracked them into the bowl, mixed everything together, and then asked which cheese they wanted. We had 8–10 cheeses available, but most people went with good old cheddar.

The result? Rave reviews.

I’ve made a lot of omelets in my life, but these were some of my best—and I think the reason was simple: everyone got to make it their own.

Kathy rounded things out with hashbrowns, sausage gravy with butter-swim biscuits, waffles, and her homemade butter syrup. Everything was delicious—but the omelets stole the show.

I spent about an hour cooking and made roughly a dozen omelets, and I loved every minute of it. Christmas music was playing, everyone was happy, and I kept hearing:

Over and over and over again.

And yes… they really enjoyed watching me flip omelets in the air with a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. Lots of ooohs and aaahs. I felt like a real chef.

Kathy finally said, “This needs to become a tradition.” I think she’s right.

The Secret Weapon: A Game-Changing Vegetable Chopper

One of my favorite parts of this whole experience was using a new kitchen gadget Kathy discovered—a vegetable chopper she found on Amazon.

You may remember that we had a massive garden this year. During harvest season, Kathy used this chopper constantly to handle peppers, onions, and tomatoes—and she could make a huge batch of pico de gallo in no time flat.

She loved it so much that we ended up buying one for each of my siblings as Christmas gifts at our annual Oaks Family Christmas party. A few days later, my sister texted:

This Christmas morning was my first time using it—and I’m officially in love.

Chopping onions isn’t hard… but it makes me cry and it takes time. With this chopper, I quartered the onion, pressed down—and BOOM. Done.

Tomatoes? I wasn’t sure. Turns out it dices them perfectly. Every tomato evenly chopped in just seconds.

It’s dishwasher safe, easy to assemble and disassemble, and a breeze to clean. I even asked Kathy if I could record a quick video of her showing how it works:

If you’re curious, here’s the exact chopper we use: Vegetable Chopper on Amazon

Final Thoughts

I highly recommend:

• Omelets on Christmas morning
• Letting everyone customize their own
• Adding a little heat from garden-fresh peppers
• And owning a great vegetable chopper

Most of all, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas surrounded by people you love.

God bless,
Dan 💚