A Trader Joe's Fandango: My New Cookbook!

Remember when my sweet thoughtful Mom bought me this cookbook last year?



Well she did it again!

Looky Looky what I got for Christmas! I am SO excited.



Ingredients from my favorite place in the world?

Check.
Simple, easy recipes?

Check.

Meals that have been thematically planned around every season/holiday?

Double Check.


Can't wait to get cooking!

Here are a few that caught my fancy:

• Chicken Chile and Super Chili Dip (part of the Super-Bowl-themed menu)
• Bananas Foster Baby Cakes (part of the Mardi-Gras-themed menu)
• Bow Tie Pasta with Ham (for an Oscar night Party... get it... bow ties?! Oh my word... I LOVE themed food!)
• The St Patrick's Day Menu of Cider-Glazed Corned Beef and Cheesy Mashed Potatoes. I've been wanting to tackle Corned Beef on St. Patty's Day for a few years. I think this is my year.
• Heart of Darkness Chocolate Torte. Need I say more?
• Bountiful Berry Tart (from the Spring-themed Menu)
• TJ's Tortilla Soup (Cinco de Mayo Menu)

Those are just a few of the new recipes I'm excited to try! :0)

Thanks, Mom!

Merry Christmas To You (Although It's Been Said Many Times, Many Ways)

Merry Christmas!

What a fun Christmas morning we had celebrating Jesus' birth! There were presents, traditions new and old, and merry-making a-plenty!

It seems that Bennett's Christmas presents every year have a theme. When he was 1 it was Thomas, when he was 2 it was Lightening McQueen, last year was dinosaurs and this year was all about Star Wars!

Mallie got her first doll house...

... and a princess bean bag chair.

Princesses need thrones after all.

And they need pretty fingernails too!

I know this Princess is certainly happy to have such a studly knight in shining hoodie (that's hooded sweatshirt for those of you who are no longer hip).

For breakfast we had sausage egg casserole and this DELICIOUS Christmas Coffeecake. I am definitely making this coffeecake a Christmas morning tradition. So festive and scrumptious!

I prepared the batter the night before, stuck it in the fridge and just popped it in the oven in the morning.

Here it is after we hacked into it.

During breakfast, we read through the Christmas story and reflected on the meaning behind Christmas.

Then we spent the rest of the morning playing, playing, playing with our new toys! And crying, crying, crying when nap time came.

Now everyone is fast asleep, and I'm drinking my third cup of coffee and reveling in the beauty and peace of this wonderful, chilly day.

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful friends and family! I hope your heart was touched by the miraculous truth of our Savior's birth.

Christmas: A Pictoral Guide

Like all of you, I have been busy, busy BUSY during this month o' Christmas. But it has been a good kind of busy... a joyous, merry, can't-find any one's shoes, don't have time to blog or do laundry, sticky-fingers from candy canes, hustle-and-bustle-kind-of-busy.

We've been baking up a storm, listening to Christmas music, learning about Jesus' birthday, picking out our tree, going to Christmas Pageants, decorating the house, driving around looking at Christmas lights, drinking cocoa, reading Christmas books, eating candy canes, singing "We Three Kings" a million times :-), sending out Christmas cards and loving this wonderful season. Here are a few pictures of the Christmas season so far...