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BREAKING NEWS: IT'S SNOWING!!

I hope everyone in the South is enjoying this very rare snow day!

Yay for 3 day weekends and 4 day work weeks!

About the Weekend

I can't believe were back for another Monday, you would think I would have learned by now how fast the weekend goes by.

Friday night Thomas and I had planned to go out for pizza. We decided on a place not far from my house that we had never been to before. When we arrived the wait was close to an hour and Thomas was hungry and didn't want to wait. So we were off to the next place, which ended being just as crowded and there was no hostess which made for a mad house. So we decided not to try another place right down the road. We are walking in to what I thought was our third and final place, which Thomas suggested, and can you guess what? We didn't end up staying there either! He didn't like that you had to order at the counter instead of having a waitress. I mean for crying out loud, we have been to three different pizza places and are now on to our fourth! At this point Thomas starts loosing his "cool" and when this happens he gets extremely frustrated especially since almost an hour had past and we could have just stayed at the first place! The funny part is, the fourth and I am happy to say final place he decided on because I said we aren't going anywhere else, no matter what, didn't have servers either, you had to order ahead and then sit down! Long story short, I am happy we ended up at the place we did, the pizza was delicious and the company was even better (once we ordered)!

Saturday was cold and very windy. I spent most of the morning cleaning, doing laundry, and getting the ingredients together to make chili in the crock pot for dinner. We decided we would stay in on Saturday night since Thomas has been fighting a terrible cold and sore throat. We couldn't have picked a better night to stay in, eat chili, and play cards with the weather being so windy and cold!

Sunday was some what of a lazy day for me, I finished reading, The Help, which I started in August, but ending up sitting on my bookshelf for the past four months until this weekend. I read the entire book from start to finish this weekend and absolutely loved it. I don't know why I didn't stick with it back in August, I think life was just too busy at the time. I'm excited to continue reading as my next book is arriving in the mail tomorrow!

This weekend was just what I needed to recharge. Although, I didn't take care of a big project that is looming over my head, taking down and putting away the Christmas decorations, sigh, I will be working on it this week.

I hope each of you had very enjoyable and relaxing weekend!

I Can't Let Go Just Yet...

Because I just can't seem to let go of the holidays this year, wait that's every year. I thought I would share a post I was planning on sharing with y'all around Christmas until....

I had my Christmas blog post all figured out ahead of time, but it fell by the waste side when I realized I forgot to bring my camera that had these photos saved. I am sorry I am just now sharing my holiday decorations as many of you may be sick of Christmas by now, but I really want to share these pictures with you! I hope you still enjoy this post as much as I do, I always feel a big let down when the holidays are over, time goes by way too fast, and these photos sure put a smile on my face and I hope they will do the same for you!

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree....

Just a few of my favorite ornaments...

Only 353 more days til Christmas, it will be here before we know it!

Back to Reality

After being away from my house and out of the office for 12 days, it's back to reality. I wish time didn't go by so fast, but I'm certainly thankful for the time I had away to spend with family and friends. I absolutely love the holidays and all that they mean and I just feel as though there is never enough time to celebrate.

I am so grateful to have my parent's house to return to at the holidays. Nothing feels better then being home. My mom always does a fabulous job decorating and making the holidays special for our family. Although today is bittersweet for me, I am looking forward to seeing what 2011 has in store!

Happy 1st day of work in 2011!

Eat Mor Chikin

I'm back with another delicious recipe from Men's Health. Thomas has been finding scrumptious recipes on their website, you want to what makes the recipes even better? Not only are they easy to make and don't require off the wall ingredients that we will use one time, but they are healthy!

Chicken Cacciatorie

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
8 boneless chicken thighs (or a combination of thighs and drumsticks)**
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes
10-12 green or black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 lb roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan on high. Season the thighs with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet, skin side down. Cook, turning occasionally, until they're deeply brown and crisp on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan.

2. Lower the heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic, pepper flakes, and olives. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Pour in the wine; simmer, stirring occasionally, until the wine nearly evaporates, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the stock, tomatoes, and chicken, tucking it skin side up into the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat for another 20 minutes, until the chicken is nearly falling off the bone and the sauce is reduced by half. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on the parsley. Makes 4 servings

**We used organic boneless skinless chicken thighs.

ENJOY!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing each of you a very Merry Christmas! I hope Santa treated you well!

This image was orginally posted on Sweets & Treats, thanks Laur for sharing!

A Family Favorite!

One of my favorite things I love most about the holidays are traditions and cranberry nut bread is one of our traditions. We make this bread from Thanksgiving through Christmas. I really don't know how the tradition was started, but it's something my Mom and her sisters have always made during the holidays and I always look forward to it! Most mornings during the holidays we have a slice for breakfast (with a cold glass of skim milk), it is the perfect mix of sweet and tangy and of course we have it at Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. All my aunts use the exact same recipe and they always say my Mom's is the best and I agree.

Over Thanksgiving I was helping my Mom make the bread, Mom did you notice I didn't include salt as one of the ingredients?, and I think I figured out what her secret is, she uses a little more orange juice then the recipe calls for which gives the bread added moisture and flavor. Give the recipe a try and I hope it will become one of your family favorites too!

Cranberry Nut Bread

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon orange peel, grated
1 egg, well beaten
1 ½ cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
½ cup nuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, oil, orange peel and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

ENJOY!

Christmas Treats

Here's a yummy recipe from Martha Stewart, I made these last year at Christmas and they were such a big hit with women and men alike! What I really like about these cookies are how long they stay fresh and soft, just like brownies!

Martha Stewart Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies
Makes 36 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling dough
36 mini peanut butter cups, chilled and unwrapped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture in two batches.

3. Scoop off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate; roll balls in sugar, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on a nonstick insulated baking sheet.

4. Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Press one peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Return to oven; continue baking until cookies are golden brown and chocolate has begun to melt, about 6 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely.

You can also make them with other favorite chocolate candies, I used a mixture of peanut butter cups and milk chocolate Hershey Kisses. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Tip from Martha: Adding marshmallows to the container will prevent the cookies from drying out.


Here are two more of my favorite treats to make during the Holidays:

Pretzel Turtles

Mint Brownies

ENJOY!

Girls Weekend!

Last weekend my Mom came in to town and we had so much fun together as usual! We went to lunch Friday at one of our favorite spots, the Gourmet Shoppe then spent the afternoon shopping in Columbia . We have several favorite shops we like to go to from antique stores to locally own boutiques. Shopping locally has a lot of offer not to mention you avoid the crowds of the chain retailers and they offer one of a kind gifts. Friday evening we met Thomas for dinner at Cantina76, my Mom was craving Mexican so what better place to take her! We had a very enjoyable dinner together enjoying drinks, appetizers and of course our meal. Once we got home we didn’t stay up much later because we decided it would be best to get some good sleep before our big shopping trip the next day.

Saturday morning we were up and off to Charleston ! I know many of you have heard me say before; Charleston is one of our favorite places. We were so excited; we could hardly stand the 2 hour car ride! It has been a chilly week or so here in the Southeast and last Saturday was no different, thank goodness we were planning on going in and out of shops all day long to stay warm. For as many years we have been visiting Charleston , we had never been at Christmas time. So this was a real treat for us and seeing the Charleston Place all decorated was exciting!

Train Garden

Christmas Tree

After taking in some of the Christmas sights, we started our day of shopping, but not before stopping at Starbucks for a caffeine fix. We spent most of the day going in and out of the shops that line King Street . We did take a break for lunch to refuel. We usually go to Blossoms for lunch, it’s our favorite lunch spot in Charleston , but since it was winter time and couldn’t sit outside we decided to go to Sermet’s Corner on King Street . The place was packed but we were lunch enough to get a table for two right by the front window! My lunch came with an order of sweet potato fries topped with Parmesan cheese, oh my goodness were they delicious, we couldn’t stop talking and we still can’t about how good they were!

After lunch we did some more shopping and stopped for a praline as our afternoon treat. That evening we rested up since Sunday was our last day together. Sunday we went to church and had lunch, frozen yogurt with lots of toppings to be exact, it sure was tasty! We went to a few more shops around town before it was time to leave for the airport.

Miss T and I hate when the weekends she comes to visit come to an end, we always have so much fun together! The nice part about saying goodbye this time was that we will be together again for the holidays real soon!

A Surprise for Santa

Don't ask me what it is about these cookies that I love so much, but the only thing I can think of is because the cookies are salty sweet and I love salty sweet. I'm the girl that asks for a pretzel after a piece of cake!

One of my aunt's always brings this cookie along with many others to Christmas Eve and I make sure I keep my eye on them so I don't miss out! Not to mention I think the name of the cookie is very cute. I had never heard of this cookie until a year or two ago, am I that out of it? I guess its better I found out late than never.

Santa's Surprise Cookies
Yields 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
24 Snickers miniature candy bars

Directions

Preheat oven to 300°F. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, mix together butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and combine thoroughly. Then mix in flour mixture. Cover and chill dough 2-3 hours. To form cookie, scoop a tablespoon of chilled dough and flatten. Place a miniature Snickers in the center and form the dough into a ball around the Snickers. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-20 minutes. Cool cookies on a rack.

ENJOY!

Scent of the Season

I picked up this candle two weeks ago and I had to refrain myself from lighting it until I started decorating for Christmas. It smells absolutely amazing and since I have an artificial tree I miss the smell of a live one, but this candle is a quick and pleasant fix!

What is your favorite scent of the season?

Go Fish!

Here's another delicious Men's Health recipe that Thomas found, which I mentioned in this post. We made this for dinner on Sunday night and it turned out to be so tasty!

Blackened Catfish with Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

2 snapper, catfish, or tilapia fillets, 4–5 oz each (we used catfish)
1 mango (skin and seed removed), cut into cubes
1 ripe avocado (skin and pit removed), cut into cubes
Juice of one lime
1 Tbsp blackening spices
1/4 c minced onion
1/2 c chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Combine the mango, avocado, lime juice, onion, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Preheat a large sauté or grill pan over high heat and add enough oil to coat it.

3. Rub the fish with enough of the blackening spice to thoroughly cover each side. When the oil is hot (almost smoking), carefully add the fillets to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until a nice, dark crust has developed. The fish is done when it flakes easily with light pressure from your finger.

4. Top each fillet with the mango salsa.


Serve with brown rice and black beans, we added corn too and it was delicious! This recipe was so refreshing and light and even though it might seem like a summer recipe, I think it is a great recipe for year around. You know how I feel about mango's (love) so that might have something to do with it.

ENJOY!

On another note, Miss T and I have one of our most favorite visitors coming in to town today for the weekend. We couldn't sleep last night we are so excited!

I hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!

Christmas Favorites: Music & Movies Edition

I think it's safe to say we all have favorite Christmas music and movies? As you can see my list is quite outdated but so what? I'm not afraid to admit that N*Sync Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays puts a huge smile on my face!

Music:

Mariah Carey- All I want for Christmas is You
N*Sync-Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

Michael Buble- Let it Snow Christmas CD

Tran-Siberian Orchestra

Taylor Swift-Sounds of the Season

*I listen to Pandora R&B/Pop Christmas Music station almost every day at work and they play such a variety of Christmas music and I love almost every song they play. Give the station a try, I bet it will make your work day or any day for that matter that much better!

Movies:

Home Alone

Christmas with the Kranks

Santa Clause 1 & 2

The Polar Express

I absolutely can't get enough of Home Alone (the first one). One of my favorite lines: "Buzz's girlfriend? Woof!" The Polar Express is an amazing movie for children and adults alike. Did you know the movie is based off the children's book? It was one of my favorite books as a child and it would make a special gift for your own children or of course someone elses.

What are some of your favorite Christmas music and movies?

Weekend Recap

Let me just start by saying, aren't weekends fabulous? I think they are so fabulous, I wish they lasted all week long.


1.) Friday night Thomas and I saw Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert. One word to describe: A-MAZ-ING! Seriously, everything about it was just awesome not to mention the concert was 3 and half hours long, talk about getting your monies worth! If they are coming to a city near you, go check them out, I promise you will enjoy every minute!

2.) Saturday morning I went to our local Junior League Holiday Market. It was my first year attending and it was neat, but nothing to rave about. Although I did find one vendor from Georgia that I absolutely loved. You will just have to wait to find out more about her, I can’t give away all my secrets (at least not yet)!

3.) Saturday afternoon we went to one of our favorite lunch spots, DiPrato’s and had the most amazing pimento cheese and pita chips. YUM!

4.) How about we just don’t talk about the rest of Saturday? My Gamecocks lost in the SEC Championship game to Auburn . Auburn-walked-all-over-us, YIKES! Despite the lousy game and terrible outcome for the Gamecocks we did have fun watching the game with a few couples one in which we hadn’t seen in a long time and it was nice to catch up!

5.) I wrapped all the Christmas gifts we bought for the child we adopted from a local children’s home. Thomas’ work makes the arrangements with the children’s home and then all the employees adopt an individual child to buy gifts for. I had an absolute blast shopping with Thomas for our 8 year old boy, Daniel and today is the BIG day; he gets to open all his presents this afternoon!

6.) I decorated my house for Christmas and of course put up the Christmas tree! Thomas and I decorated the tree after dinner Sunday night. Side note, I have another delicious recipe to share with y’all from Men’s Health. Who would have ever thought they would have such delicious healthy recipes that are easy to make? Not I!

7.) After all the decorating was done, I love nothing more then sitting on my couch with just the lights from the Christmas Tree and the candles in the window. I love this time of year!

This Recipe Will Make You Lick Your Chops!

This recipe is unbelievably delicious! Thomas has been finding some great recipes on Men's Health and this recipe is one of them. We made these pork chops last night for dinner and I am still thinking about them today, what does that tell ya? With the pork chops we steamed fresh asparagus and seasoned it with salt and pepper. As for the chops, you must try this recipe, I know it will become one of your favorites if you do! It is easy to make and the flavors mixed with the apples and chops is absolutely delightful. Oh and if you are skeptical about the grainy mustard on top the chops, don't be, it makes the dish!

Apple-Topped Chops

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
1 small garlic clove, crushed
2 thin-cut boneless pork chops
1 small red apple, such as Gala or Red Delicious, cored and diced*
2 tsp balsamic or red-wine vinegar*
1 tbsp bourbon
1 tbsp grainy mustard*
salt and pepper

*We used a Gala Apple, balsamic vinegar and Inglehoffer stone ground mustard


Directions

Combine the oil and garlic in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the pork chops in the center of the skillet. Toss the apple with the vinegar and bourbon, and then add the mixture to the skillet between the pork and the edges of the pan. Cook for 6 minutes, turning the pork once and the apple pieces a few times. When ready to serve, top the pork with mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


ENJOY!

P.S.- This mustard is the BOMB!

Advent Calendar

Today's your last day to go pick up an Advent calendar. Yes, I am a twenty something year old girl that buys an Advent calendar for herself. So I am not ready to let go of my childhood traditions, so what? Laugh all you want, but who doesn't like an excuse to eat a piece of chocolate everyday while counting down to Christmas!


What are some of your childhood traditions you still hold on to? Can you believe it's December already?? EEEK!!!