Thanksgiving 2011

Since it's the week of Christmas, I figured I would post Thanksgiving pics. Maybe someday I'll be caught up..but realistically- it's doubtful. Another lesson in savoring things as they come and not to sweat the small stuff! Speaking of savoring- I think I was too busy savoring Thanksgiving dinner because there are ZERO pics of food from that day! That NEVER happens.

Thanksgiving morning we had our tradition of waking up & watching the Macy's Day Parade while we ate cinnamon rolls & bacon. I had been up early making rolls and the first batch was a huge flop (bad yeast??) so I had to hop in the car and hit the grocery (yay.) for more ingredients. Grabbed a Starbucks & newspaper packed full of Black Friday ads & all was right with the world again.


















Once the rolls were done baking, we headed up to my sisters to spend the day with family. Her home was decorated for the holiday and was cozy as usual. We all took turns cuddling babies, teasing children, and eating a delicious dinner together.






Kids table!









Love, love, love seeing Addie wearing Josie's clothes from when she was that age. I was sad to have to let go of the Indian princess jumper initially but Addie looks just as adorable in it.









Perhaps by New Years you'll see Christmas pictures- but don't hold your breath- it COULD be Valentine's Day. And I would like you to NOT die from lack of oxygen.

Have a very blessed Christmas & enjoy all the little, simple moments because those are what it's ALL about!

XOXO
~S

Some Weekend Love.

Promised pics from a couple weekends ago. The kids invited two life long friends over for the weekend. Literally have known each other since they were babies... I met their mom when I was taking a lamaze class while pregnant with Matthew. The rest is wonderful, blessed history and I'm an honorary "Auntie"! Before we started the sleepover weekend, we let the kids open their birthday gifts from us. They were so emotionless...sheesh.






















This set of pics of the girls made me get a little emotional. It's the "mini-me" versions of Jocelyn & I. I adore them.






Behold! The boys that started this amazing 12 year friendship!



They were pretty open with their opinion on my picture taking. "Please don't." And then a slinking down into the chair or floor. Boys, boys.... at least they were polite and said "please". So I just wandered the house that morning- happy hearing them all laughing together, snapping little tidbits that made me happy.












XOXO
~S

Comfy Cozy Chocolate Buble

Mmkay- that title sounds a little inappropriate as I re-read it but it also made me giggle- so it's staying!

Today was SO cold and foggy! I just wanted to be home, curled up under a blanket..but I sat behind a desk sipping on coffee that had to be continually reheated. My Dad stopped by and dropped off a present for Josie. I couldn't wait for her to open it because I KNEW she'd love it. She's been wanting a hat like this for a long time and not only did she get one but Nanny made it for her- making it all the more special! See?! A HUGE hit!!! I love how her eyes disappear and she gets that double dimple in the middle of her cheek when she smiles so big.



I am NOT a huge fan of chocolate but I found a nifty little recipe on Pinterest today and wanted to try it. Chocolate cake in a mug! But for anyone that knows me they'll understand that the draw for me was that it was a SALTED CARAMEL chocolate cake in a mug. Helllloooooooooo heavenly?!! But I strayed a little, actually. I had some rum toffee caramels and I used those instead. You whip up enough ingredients for a single serving, pour it into a coffee mug and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. SUPER simple. Here's a pic of the batter before putting it in the microwave...




It started bubbling up right away!



Bigger & BIGGER!



It was pretty entertaining!




We thought it was going to topple over and right out of the cup...it was leeeeaaaaaning.



It was HUGE!!! More like 2 servings, I think. The cake wasn't super moist- in fact, the best part was at the bottom of the cup where the toffee caramels sank and kept the cake fudgey. But with a cup of coffee, it was tasty. I let everyone tear off bits before I thought to take a pic of the finished product directly out of the micro. So it's not really "pretty" but oh well. You get the idea.



After a few bites I gave it to Josie. Like I said- NOT a huge chocolate fan. We tucked in and watched the Michael Buble Christmas special..which was okay. What was NOT okay was having to watch Justin Bieber try to lean down to shake hands with the audience, harldy able to bend his knees &  flashing his underwear` and the fact that his skinny jeans were firmly tethered UNDER his bum with a belt. UNDER his bum. UNDER.  Am I alone in thinking that if your skinny jeans are SO tight that they won't fit over your backside, you should probably go a size or two UP?! SO tacky. I thought these people had stylists..?!




I've got more pics from this past weekend from the kids slumber party with buddies and other things too- but they'll have to wait for another night.

XOXO
~S

It was a dark & stormy night...

I hate how dark it is at quitting time and now with all of this crazy rain/wind storm stuff going on- it made me crave this chowder even more than I normally do in the Fall. Really CRAVE it. And a quilt. And my couch. And a good book. Alas, life is too crazy for much cozying up for hours on the couch, so I settled for a big batch of the chowder.

I got this recipe from my dearest, bestest friend. I think I may have pestered her for a while to give it up.. but she loves me and finally relinquished. 

Once you make this it will become a household favorite, guaranteed!

J's Chicken Corn Chowder

1.5lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 c. chopped onion
1-2 cloves minced garlic
3 T. butter or margarine
2 chicken boullion cubes
1 c. hot water
1/2 to 1 tsp. cumin
1 c. half and half
1 c. regular milk
2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
1 16oz. can creamed corn
1 4oz. can chopped green chilies (undrained)
1/4 to 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
1 medium tomato chopped
fresh cilantro chopped

Toss chicken breasts into food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Brown with onion, garlic and butter/margarine. Meanwhile dissolve boullion in hot water. Add to pot with cumin and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover & simmer for 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients except tomato & cilantro to the cumin/bouillion mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently.  Stir in tomato before serving and garnish with cilantro.

** Instead of tomato I always add mild salsa- and I just eyeball it and adjust to taste. Also, I tend to go "large" on some of the amounts of things- like two cloves of garlic, a full tsp. of cumin, about 1/2 tsp. Tabasco.
** I ALWAYS make a double batch of this because a) my family loves it as much as I do & b) it tastes even BETTER the day after you make it because all of those flavors have had time to gel together...soooo good.



here's the ground chicken, "browned" with garlic & onion..ready to toss in with the cumin/bouillion liquid.







the original recipe called for 2c. half & half but we do half that & use milk for the other half.



this recipe is THE. ONLY. WAY. I'll touch creamed corn.



it calls for just Monterey Jack cheese but I ALWAYS have a big bag of the Costco cheese that's a "Mexican" blend of Monterey Jack in addition to others.



It's almost done! And our house smells SO good!! The kids are usually taking turns hovering and doing the "is it done yet? is it done yet?"






bowls are ready to be filled with goodness!




FINALLY. (It's actually very quick to throw together but it all smells so good it feels like an eternity)

If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it!
Finally, here's a cute ceramic bowl my boss gave me for Thanksgiving. It was filled with apples and homemade caramel dip. So nice! It'll be the perfect thing to put my rolls in for Thanksgiving tomorrow! 




Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
xoxo
~S

pumpkin

Isn't this the cutest little plate? I saw it at Target and had to have it. They usually have the best seasonal melamine plates. Inexpensive yet functional decor..gotta love it.




Josie worked on something to put ON the plate. Pumpkin bread seemed the logical choice. The recipe we used tastes very close to STARBUCKS pumpkin loaf (favorite!).





And because it was so delicious and smelled SO good- there are no after pictures of the finished product. You'll just have to try it for yourself! Find the recipe here@ Streaming Gourmet 

I just got the newest issue of Martha Stewart Living. Though I don't care for the majority of her stuff anymore- there are a few things that catch my eye. And the holiday issues always suck me in. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this:


It's my name, as well as both of my sisters. So crazy! Anyone can make me one of those towels, btw. They are SO lovely but look quite time consuming- much like every other Martha project.

XOXO
~S