Co-workers

This was taken at our annual Christmas Party.
I'm in there somewhere.
Can you find me?

Evidently....

this is the worlds most fashionable bunny.

Meet Fifi Lapin.
And meet her creator here.

Saw it.....

Loved it.

Baz Luhrmann needs to make more movies
because I love them all.

More beautiful photography
I found today.
This is by i.anton.
You can see more work
on the flickr site here.

Gotta love....

Christmas Parties

now comes the withdrawals

It is finished.
Now comes the withdrawals.









I truly believe that those who were disappointed with the end of this series.....
have no clue what they were talking about and were mistakenly reading a different book.

Dare I say that this series was better than Mrs. Rowlings?

So now that I am going through serious character withdrawals
I am filling my time with......

Baking cookies (Pecan Snowballs)...











Admiring my present from Tiffany
(a wonderful picture by Jude)...









Wondering where all the snow went...









And counting down the days till my vacation.
10 work days left!

Christmas Style

I am beginning to realize that my Christmas style
is not very traditional.

I have found that I like things that only
hint at the Christmas season...
especially when decorating my house.

Like this wreath for example...

Or this amazing Christmas Tree Skirt
Does it not look like Peacock Feathers!



And these ornaments would go great on my Tree.









And lastly; it is so hard to find good
Christmas Linen (in my opinion).
But this is perfect.


I would have all of these in my house in a heartbeat.

Baking Season

What do you do on a snowy day.
Especially the first snowy day of the season.


You bake Christmas cookies.

Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2 sticks of butter, softened
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and line it with 2 crisscrossed pieces of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into 32 bars (8 rows by 4 rows)

Yield: Makes 32 bars


Lemon Icing (for Sugar Cookies)
1 batch of your favorite sugar cookie recipe
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more if necessary
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and zest until it forms a thick but pourable glaze (add more lemon juice if necessary). Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze and let set, about 15 minutes.

**thank you RealSimple magazine.

To much Turkey

What do you do when you have way to much leftover turkey?
You get creative.

Lemon Turkey Pot-Pie
1 sheet puff pastry (9-inch square), thawed but cold
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 baking potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 onion (diced)
1 celery stalk (diced)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 pound leftover turkey
Pepper
1 leeks—stems split, thinly sliced and thoroughly rinsed
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Roll out the puff pastry into a 12-inch square. Set aside four 2-cup bowls; invert 1 bowl onto the pastry and cut out 4 rounds. Place on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with the poppy seeds and bake until golden, 12 minutes. Let cool.

2. In a large saucepan, add the potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender, 7 minutes. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute; drain.
3. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO over medium heat. Add the turkey and onion, season with salt and pepper and cook for 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO to the skillet. Add the leeks, carrot, and celery; season with salt, pepper and the thyme. Cook for 3 minutes.

4. Scoot the leeks to the side and add the butter. Whisk in the flour, then the wine and chicken broth. Stir in the chicken and cream and heat through. Stir in the lemon peel, lemon juice, potatoes and peas. Fill the bowls with the chicken mixture and top with the crust.

*Thanks again to this chef...and her photo!

O Christmas Tree

One of my favorite days of the year
is the day where I get to decorate the Christmas Tree.

And each year I purchase a new ornament.
This year it was the green pigeon (shown above).
I bought three of them to place on my tree.
I am so in love with them.

Now a Tradation

Hand and Foot.

I do believe that this is now a tradition.
Not only for our Sunday Game Nights with the Smith's....
but for family holidays as well.

Day Four

On the fourth day of Thanksgiving
my family and I had.....

The traditional Thanksgiving brunch
with the traditional family "Tea Ring".....

then a traditional Thanksgiving Turkey dinner
(it was a 22lb'er)....

Day Three

On the third day of Thanksgiving
my family and I had...

a birthday party for Jericho.
Happy 3 years!

Day Two

On the second day of Thanksgiving
my family and I made....

Alfredo Pasta with Lobster
Burschetta
Salad

I don't have the recipe because Tiffany and Marlene made it.
But I can tell you that it was amazing.


Jericho


Then we played a family favorite....
Hand and Foot

Day One

On the first day of Thanksgiving

my family and I made.......


Pot Roast with Button Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion wedges
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 bay leaves
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup beef broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the salt and pepper to a small bowl. Rub seasoning into the roast on both sides. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the roast, searing it on both sides. Place the meat in a roaster pan. Add onions and garlic to skillet for 1 to 2 minutes to absorb leftover roast juice. Place into roaster pan with meat and bay leaves.

Combine the mushroom soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth into a bowl.
Pour over the roast.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until tender.
Add the button mushrooms about 1 hour before the roast is done.

Hey Jude

More reasons

why
I love
photography.

These photos were take by Jude McConkey.
I absolutely love her haunting style.

Lost

Lately I have been somewhat lost.
Lost in wondering why the Fall seemed to fly by so quickly.
But with my days being swept up by the stresses of work
and the preparations for Thanksgiving,
I have been able to....

almost finish this book....
















dream of living on a houseboat...
(is this not the most wonderful living space ever?
I found it via her blog)




















cook meatloaf for the first time
(which made my husband very happy).....

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (preferably chuck)
2 cups cooked stuffing, roughly chopped
1 large egg, beaten
Kosher salt and black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 deg.
Combine beef, stuffing ,egg, and seasoings.
Bake for 45 minutes.


be introduced to the most wonderful snack ever.....






and have a much needed date night with Micah
(guess where we went to hang out).

Took a bit longer.....

but book #2 is finished.

















Now, on to book #3.

3 Days

I started this book on Wednesday......
And finished it on Friday.

That should tell you how good it is.

Thus, today I had to make a run to the bookstore to buy book #2 of this series.