12/31/11

Spending the morning making goals for 2012 and reflecting on 2011.  What a year it has been and oh how glad I am to say goodbye! Hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Years with the ones you love!

What Are You Doing New Years Eve?

Brad is still getting over a terrible stomach flu so we will be ringing in the New Year snuggled on the couch with Miss. Penny playing cards and watching movies. Sounds perfect to me. What are you doing New Years Eve?

"Ho-ho-ho and mistletoe and presents to pretty girls"

Our Christmas card

We have some how lost the battery to our camera with all the Christmas pictures on it so here are just a few iphone pics from the Christmas weekend.

It's amazing how much we do to prep for a day that feels like a heart beat of a second.  This Christmas I did get to enjoy for about 3 heartbeats though. Having a sick parent definitely puts things into perspective. Lets be real, we all know that we are going to loose our parents one day but somehow when the unknown is brought to light you see every moment with them a little different. Cancer changed me that way. In that I am so thankful. It's sad that sickness/death/tragedy is what it takes to open our eyes but maybe thats why its there.  Needless to say my eyes were open and my heart was full this Christmas. We had 3 days of fun down at my parents house and we were all in the holiday spirit.

Cheese danish on Christmas morning.  

With all the chaos Penny got really excited and had to see everything that we opened. Here, she was fascinated with my stocking and kept trying to help.

Dad as an Elf done by Brad and some iphone app.

Books for Christmas are my fave!

No my brother was not in a fight while wearing this shirt, he was trying to be festive with the red.

My sister and Mother-in-law face timing on Christmas morning.  Thank God for things like this! You don't feel so far away.

Christmas time "double guns" shots. 

This year we did Christmas dinner the day after Christmas and I have to say I loved it! It was nice to be able to spread out the holiday cheer for one more day. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday that warmed your heart and made some lasting memories with you and yours!

Dad's Birthday

4 years ago when my Nene died my brother and Aunt flew in from the east coast and we spent the weekend celebrating and mourning my Nene and doing things that she would of loved to do. Making gingerbread houses was one of those things and now we do it every year as a family.  The last few years we have done it on Dad's birthday (December 18th) as we usually all get together to celebrate my old man! So I know I'm a little late but Happy Birthday to my dear Dad! We had so much fun celebrating you and I think you had quite the time as well simply based on the house you made and how much fun you had making it!

The Birthday boy and his house.

Hot cocoa and peppermint schnapps for Christmas light gazing

December Craft: Easy Cookie Cutter Ornaments

 Every year I always make an ornament.  I give them as gifts and I use them as tags for presents.  They look so fancy and I swear it's the easiest thing in the world to do.  I made these at about 10pm with a glass of wine while waiting for Brad to get home.  He was so impressed with all that I had done, little did he know it was easier than doing the laundry that day. So I know its past Christmas and all but keep it in mind for next year.

You will need:

-Cookie cutters

-Air dry clay

-A straw

-Raffia or twine

-A rolling pin

-Wax paper

Step One: Roll out dough and cut out shapes

Step Two: Place on wax paper and cut out hole with a straw

Step 3: Allow to dry (about 48 hours) and tie on a piece of raffia

Ta-Da! 

December Recipe: Baked Orecchiette with Pork Sugo

Picture By. Food and Wine

The first time I had this, my friend Courtney had made it, and brought it in for lunch the next day.  As we are always talking food she told me I had to try it.  If you have leftovers that taste amazing you know it will be out of this world right off the bat. I made it a few weeks back for a dinner party and it was to die for! If you can, definitely make the pork the day ahead.  I did and put it in to crock pot the next day to warm and slow cook all day.  Wow is all I have to say! Our friend had 3 servings he loved it so much.  So thank you Courtney for this awesome recipe I can't wait to make again and again!

INGREDIENTS

1. 3 1/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
2. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4. 4 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
5. 4 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice
6. 1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
7. 4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
8. One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
9. 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
10. 4 thyme sprigs
11. 5 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
12. 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
13. 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
14. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
15. 1 1/2 pounds orecchiette
16. 2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (7 ounces)

1. Season the pork with salt and pepper. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the pork in a single layer and cook over moderately high heat until the pieces are golden brown all over, about 12 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until softened and browned in spots, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and bring to a simmer. Add the red wine and thyme sprigs and cook over high heat until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the pork is very tender, about 2 hours.
2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork and vegetables to a food processor; discard the thyme sprigs. Pulse just until the pork is shredded. Scrape the shredded pork and vegetables back into the casserole. Stir in the chopped parsley, oregano and crushed red pepper and season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until it is still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes; drain well. Add the orecchiette to the casserole and toss with the pork sauce. Scrape the pasta into a very large baking dish and sprinkle all over with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake the casserole in the upper third of the oven for about 35 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling. Let the baked pasta stand for 10 minutes before serving.

My pork slowly cooking. The smell is incredible!

Christmas Movies

There is nothing I love more this time of year than curling up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate to watch Christmas movies.  Here's just a few of my fave! Whats your favorite Christmas movie?

Christmas Nails

Currently in love with these holiday nails.  I got the candy cane ones and I can't wait to rock them the week of Christmas. If you havent tried these stick on nails yet, go out and get some now.  No dry time, and its so easy to put on (once you get the hang of it)!

You're kidding me...

Saw this on Facebook and had to share. It's funny yet sad all at the same time! What a fun family!

Whats Your Favorite Christmas Song?

Heres just a few of mine.  I could go on for days, so here's a small selection to bring some cheer to your day!

Holly Garland

 This month I have been felt crazy with crafts.  It's so easy and they all turn out so cute!  Remember November's Craft, well here is a twist on that.  I used white felt only and made a pattern of a holly leaf, strung it just the same as the garland,  draped it around the tree and voila. Happy crafting!

As of lately, according to Instagram

The last few weeks seem like a blur! From holiday parties, dinners with friends, craft nights, cooking, wrapping presents, and everything else in between.  Hope you have had a wonderful holiday season so far, we sure have!