Yay! We finally reached our final destination: Grandma’s House! 
At Grandma’s (two days later), we finally celebrated Christmas!
We started with our Christmas stockings.
And then moved onto presents! 
Of course, my husband was psyched! He’s such a kid at heart! 
Mal looovvvves Christmas!
Mal and I received so many wonderful gifts from “Santa.”
My foodie favorites: Fran’s Gray Salt Caramels and Harry & David Tomato Basil Risotto. I can’t wait to enjoy both of these goodies!
I also loved the coral scarf that Grandma gave to me. It’s so pretty!
While we opened gifts, Mal and I each enjoyed a bottle of Fat Tire beer.
We also snacked on a roasted garlic + blue cheese appetizer that my sister-in-law made for everyone.
Holy delicious! I love, love, love the combination of roasted garlic + blue cheese. I probably ate 6 or 7 bites of the appetizer over the course of the afternoon.
After opening gifts, Mal and I settled into our hotel room. We also freshened-up for dinner at the “country club” with the family.
I was a little intimidated by the idea of having dinner at a country club, but it ended up being a much more relaxed setting than I expected. Mal and I drove our rental car to the country club while his father, sister, and grandmother drove together in a different one.
Check out the pimpin’ car in the driveway of the country club! Pretty cool, huh?
It’s Grandma’s sweet ride.
The country club was friendly and cozy inside.
I loved the roaring fire!
Dinner started with a round of cocktails. My sister-in-law and I both ordered a Kettle One vodka martini– with olives, of course.
Mal ordered a 7 & 7, which was served in an enormous glass! He barely made a dent in it.
Cheers!
I started with a house salad. I ate about 90% of it.
For my entree, I had the Cedar Plank Salmon, which was served with green beans and mashed potatoes. The salmon was glazed with a citrus-hazelnut butter. Amazing.
After dinner, I enjoyed a small pour of red wine.
And shared a piece of carrot cake with my husband. As expected, I dominated the cream cheese frosting.
I am, oh, so ready for bed. What an adventure this trip has been!
Hopefully, some exercise is on the agenda for tomorrow morning. I’m feeling a bit blah after all of my holiday indulging, but it’s nothing that a good workout can’t fix.
Good night, blog friends!
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Better late than never!! CARROT CAKE!!!
What a fantastic meal at the country club! Citrus hazelnut butter sounds friggin fraggin awesome.
Santa has been oh so good to you
’twas a scrumptious (and very much appropriate) carrot cake I’m sure!
Yumm food looks sooo good!
So cool that you and Mal enjoy family time and have such great gatherings all the time–hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year to come!
I love your attitude on feeling “blah” from indulging. You’re right, it’s nothing a good workout can’t fix. You’re so good at finding that balance – that’s what keeps me reading! That attitude is inspiring!
Looks like a great christmas! And carrot cake is always a good idea
That scarf is gorgeous!
yay for grandmas house!!!! that harry and david risotto looks awesome, you can never go wrong with harry and david!
In my experience, you can’t really go wrong with Christmas at grandma’s house
What a beautiful scarf, and even more importantly, what a beautiful hunk of carrot cake 
Everything looks so good- but especially the carrot cake
Work-outs can always fix the “blah” feeling
Nice pictures. I love carrot cake.
Mal does look like a little kid haha! Your salmon looks amazing. And I love the scarf!!
love all the pictures and your sweet ride! the country club looks so nice.
looks like an incredible christmas! Truly!
I hope you continue to have a great time with your family. (p.s. LOVE the scarf! Your grandma really knows how to pick out a gift!)
glad you made it home. I always love eating at the country club…when other people invite me! I’m not classy enough to be a member yet!
Everything looks delicious! Looks like a wonderful time.
Whoa, citrus-hazelnut butter sounds awesome.
Love carrot cake, too 
Fran’s salted caramels are AMAZING! Enjoy them!
Never heard of the plank thing with Salmon. I hear ya about the holiday indulging– can’t wait to get back on a normal workout/eating schedule. Enjoy the rest of your holiday.
That car is awesome… And I love the carrot cake
Yummm carrot cake. I hope you were motivated enough for some exercise. I know when on roadtrips/vacations it can be hard to fit them in or want to even do them
beautiful pics and LOVE the carrot cake
so fitting for you! plank salmon is so delicious, really adds a deep woodsy flavor to the fish! glad you enjoyed everything
roasted garlic= amazing! i wish it didnt take so long to cook in the oven
No better Christmas than Christmas at Granny’s
Oooo Fran’s chocolates! Let us know how they are! I love President Obama and I read somewhere that his favorite chocolates are from Fran’s of Seattle!
Cool!
That “gym” was hysterical!! We’re heading to Chicago next week and I hope the hotel we’re staying at has a bigger gym than that.
Your dinner at the country club looked amazing. Salmon is one of the ONLY things I miss about being a vegetarian. Eat some more for me!!
So glad y’all made it! looks like everything was wonderfully waiting for you
Dinner looks fantastic!
dinner at the country club looks fun! was anyone wearing plaid red/green pants?
Roasted garlic and bleu cheese sounds like a divine combo…and easy to prepare! Thanks for the tip.