I know, I know.... but it's the Holidays!

So after being called out by coworkers and my husband, the only fools who read this thing, I have decided to go ahead and catch you up on the cracker-ish things I have been doing.

Let me start by stating the obvious, it the holidays and I am very excited! I was so eager to decorate our home that I jumped the gun and put up our tree almost a week before Thanksgiving. K's awesome family happens to grow quite a few Christmas trees on their property and they allowed P and I to trek through and pick out the perfect tree for our first home. (note: don't run through a tree farm or tree laden area, you will trip over stumps!) After perusing around we decided to go big or go home, by that I mean that we went with a 10 foot tall tree! With the exception of having to snip a few sprouts off at the top, it fit perfectly in what I now affectionately call the "Christmas Room." Thankfully, K and her husband cut the tree and delivered it right to our front door, so it was virtually hassle free. I am a little sad now that I opted not to get a smaller, "Charlie Brown" tree, in addition to the main tree. Now the second floor of our home feels a little devoid of the holiday spirit. Oh well. Here is a pic of the beauty.

My camera seems to take fuzzy pics with the flash off so here is the same pic with the flash on to help you get a better view.

Now I always give credit when it's due. I invited E over to help with my creativity block. Basically, I pulled out all my Christmas decorations and the ladder and told her to get to work. Meanwhile, I went back to the kitchen and proceeded to bake goodies! I did help a little bit but when I came back the tree was nearly complete and I had two Christmas-y mantles.

As of now, there are presents under the tree, more ornaments have been added, and that pesky ribbon is fixed. I am also happy to report that the tree is still alive and kickin'. It is my personal mission to keep it alive through mid-January. I may still forget to give ole' Newtie water (kidding) but that tree shall never thirst for water! Just for kicks, here is poor Newton enjoying a snooze in the Christmas Room.

Holiday!

What does this picture of cookies represent? Holiday baking! It's official, I have started my holiday baking and I could not be happier. With P working nights I need something to keep me busy and cooking is the perfect solution. Between a few batches of cookies and dishes I can easily pass 2-3 hours in the kitchen. My M-I-L gave me an awesome cookbook that consists almost entirely of cookie recipes! I've found quite a few recipes that create not-so-delicate cookies that can be frozen ahead of time, and trust me, you wouldn't be able to detect that they were frozen previously. So far I have made:

7 mini pound cakes

30 Molten Lava Cookies (recipe made a small batch)

60 Pumpkin/white chocolate/pecan w/ brown sugar drizzle cookies

40 Pecan Meltaway cookies

This is only the beginning. I still need to make Baklava, Oatmeal raisin cookies (thinkin' of you P!) and much, much more! My goal is to make at least one new recipe each night that P is working. Be on the lookout for your holiday basket from yours truly.....

VICTORY!

On the way home from Philadelphia on Monday, P managed to talk me into taking a sidetrip to Downingtown, PA, to visit Victory Brewpub. The drive was gorgeous, nothing but beautiful foliage up there right now and I also happened to see an old covered bridge! (Sorry I didn't manage to snag a pic) I have to say that I am jealous of what the folks in Downingtown have, Victory is once nice spot to stop. The atmosphere is great, large yet homey, the beer menu pairs up your brew and food to a tee and let's face it, you can't beat the prices when the product you're purchasing was made right in house! My favorite of the day was the Whirlwind Whitbier which managed to come home with us in the handy growler. P had a little more difficulty in choosing his poison... so additional growlers were needed. All in all, this was the perfect end to a food-filled trip!

Philly Phanatics

Of course Phillies fans were still abuzz with excitement over winning the World Series. I have never seen so much paraphernalia! After we arrived I immediately felt out of place. Despite the absence of a track suit, I quickly realized that I needed to get a Phillies t-shirt. P and I headed over to trusty Modell's and where I scored this cute Phillies sweatshirt instead.

After that I was content, and warm. It was pretty amusing to hear all the fans speculating on which title one of their teams will win next. With nearly 2 million people showing their support at the parade on Friday afternoon, South Philly better brace themselves if the Eagles should ever bring home a title!

A little sidenote for you folks.... I happened to learn that Philly fans are very superstitious! Apparently, a long time ago there was a gentleman's agreement made that no building should rise above City Hall and the statue of William Penn that adorns the top of it. Well, years ago, that building was surpassed in height by a number of other high rises in downtown Philly. This year, as the new Comcast building was completed, someone placed a mini- William Penn statue amongst the highest girders. Now, once again, William Penn reigns above the city and miraculously, the curse was broken and Philly brought home a title..... crazy! Here you can see a view of the Philly skyline, the highest building is the new Comcast building. Just a little to the left of it you can see City Hall, with the original William Penn statue atop.

Let's hope this broken curse will be extended to the Eagles this season.... I managed to snag a little Eagles emblazoned styrofoam cooler this weekend and our cold cuts came back to Richmond in style!

Philly in Photos

We had a great time in Philly! The weather was fairly nice, very warm on Saturday with the chill rolling in on Sunday and Monday. We held true to our normal agenda of eating our hearts out and basically just hanging out. Here are some photos that pretty much sum up the highlights of our trip.


I always pop by South Street for a little shopping and then down to Penn's landing for a view of the waterfront.


A trip to Philadelphia Museum of Art was the highlight of our Sunday. This first picture was from my favorite exhibit of the day, Gilbert and George. I mistakenly took a picture in a photo-free exhibit, so although it is fuzzy, I am still relishing the fact that I got it. The other picture shows Edvard Munch's Mermaid. I loved this piece for it's sheer size. It's large trapezoid shape was painted/framed to fit an old home in Norway over 100 years ago.... Gorgeous!


This bad boy was Carnival Cruise Line's attempt to build the world's largest pinata. It measured 62ft tall and 55ft long. That's roughly 6 stories high! They planned to fill it with 6,000 lbs of candy and crack it open on Sunday, but by Monday it was still standing proud and crack free. I am sure there were a lot of disappointed children in downtown Philly.


Of course our trip would not have been complete without cheese steaks. Before you ask, the answer is not Pat's or Geno's, it is John's! My father-in-law has turned us on to a true cheese steak spot, not a tourist destination. I stuck with the usual, steak with provolone and onions... so delicious! P opted for what John's is famous for, their roast pork sandwich. He seemed pretty satisfied overall and we both left with bigger bellies.... but of course I had to get my favorite cheese steak accompanied dessert, Butterscotch Krimpets. The Eagles packaging was just icing on the cake.....



Before leaving town we always stop by one of the finest deli's in South Philly. P & S. There we stock up on all the necessities. Peppered ham, salami, prosciutto, provolone, and swiss. I threw in some small italian rolls as well. Let me just say, it is most certainly the bread that makes the sandwich and if there is one thing Italians in South Philly know how to do, it is make bread! A fun time was had by all but upon returning home, we both headed straight for the gym!

PHILLIES

This weekend the hubs and I are going to visit my father-in-law in Philadelphia. I am pretty excited in that we haven't been up there in over a year and I am excited to see if all the die hard Phillies fans are still riled up. I would have loved to have been up there for one of the Series games but knowing that they won is good enough for this gal. Also, this video provided much entertainment. http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/10/Rays-fan-takes-bottle-to-the-head-597033.html

I am content with just a normal weekend trip to see family. P and I have been preparing our bellies for all the food that we will take in this weekend. Cheese steaks, Dunkin' Donuts, and of course italian fine dining.... I'm talking about sitting at the dinner table for 5 hours eating everything that is put in front of you.... and then returning to Richmond on Monday with a cooler full of P & S cold cuts. I couldn't think of a better way to welcome in the "season of eating."

Harvest Decorations

In addition to the wonderful meal that was served this past weekend, K's gorgeous home was perfectly decorated with all things harvest. While her mums were still in bloom and there were pretty pumpkins on the porch and a harvest wreath on the door, I focused on the tabletop decor, as most of my time was spent sitting at the table that evening.

The table spread consisted of complimentary fall colored linens, leaf shaped plates, and personal touches on each place setting. Here you can see that each setting included their own personal copy of the menu, printed on harvest themed card stock. Also, adorning each place setting was either a gourd or a mini pumpkin with their names written on card stock and pinned in place. Although I asked for a mini pumpkin, after seeing the gourds I wish I had a chance to reconsider. They were so cute!

Candy corn surrounding the candle sticks provided the Halloween-ie feel while at the same time lightening the mood. This formal dinner felt a little more lighthearted when you saw the candy not only filling the bowl, but reflected in the mirror below it as well.

The centerpiece held a special place in my heart, in that K and I used the same idea for the centerpieces that were used in my summer wedding. In this case, K changed it up by using fresh tulips, (that could also be found around the house in cute little bud vases), and secured them with clear pebbles. Filling the vase to the top with water gave the tulips a unique submerged vibe and the centerpiece claimed its uniqueness with an LED light that was dropped in the bottom in an effort to illuminate the entire centerpiece. Although not entirely visible through the lens of my camera, this was certainly a nice touch.

Some honorable mentions need to go out to all the harvest colored serving ware and the springs of rosemary that were added to each dish, they all did their part in making this meal really come together.

A big thanks goes out to K and her husband for once again opening up their home and letting us celebrate a special occasion. Thankfully, we didn't end the night with gloomy faces like these poor uninvited guests.

Harvest Festivus

My partner in cooking, K, and I are always looking for an excuse to celebrate with food and of course delicious beverages. Well this past weekend a coworkers birthday gave us the opportunity to pull out the mixers and meat thermometers. K hosted the party at her swoon worthy home and together we made just about everything the birthday boy requested. Let me tell you, in my quest to be a cracker, K is one major cracker to look up to. Her home is always up on the seasonal decorations and she is wonderful at remembering all the details from an ice bucket to drink stirrers.

The birthday boy specifically requested a prime rib roast and a flour less chocolate torte for dessert, everything else we got to play around with a bit, including a harvest themed pumpkintini. Here's a rundown of the menu for you.

Starters:

Pumpkintinis

Caramelized garlic cheese ball

Shrimp cocktail

Main:

Prime rib roast

Red bliss mashed potatoes

Roasted asparagus

Creamed Spinach w/ buttery crumb topping

Sauteed mushrooms

Desserts:

Chocolate Chip cheesecake

Chocolate Truffle torte w/ homemade raspberry sauce

Homemade whipped cream

dessert wine

Now while most of the cooking was done by K you can find the recipes for the Cheese Ball and Creamed Spinach in my archives. I will however share the recipes for the pumpkintinis and Chocolate Truffle Torte.

The pumpkintini was quite delicious and was perfect for the cool, harvest weather we had on Saturday night. We started by rimming the glass with a little lemon juice and crushed graham crackers. Then add:

1 splash Kahlua

1 1/2 splash Malibu rum

2 counts of Vanilla vodka

1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin pie mix)

Shake well with ice and drain into martini glass.

These can be dangerous, but oh so good!

Chocolate Truffle Torte

Preheat the oven to 350.

2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dark rum

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Coat the inside of a 9-inch cake pan, with non-stick cooking spray, then sift the confectioner’s sugar onto the cooking spray in the pan.

In a glass bowl, melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring half way through. Remove from the oven and continue to stir until the chocolate is melted. Set aside and allow to cool.

In the stand mixer with the whip attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, salt and flavoring together for about 8 minutes, until tripled in volume. (try cooling the whip attachment prior, apparently it helps in the whipping process)

With the machine on low, gradually pour in the chocolate mixture, until it is incorporated. Fold in the cocoa and flour, until it disappears and then pour the batter into the prepared pan. (FYI: At this point, the mixture can be refrigerated for up to 8 hours, or frozen for 6 weeks.)

Defrost and bring to room temperature before baking 20 to 25 minutes, until the torte is set in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter. (Since the bottom of the cake will be the most beautiful side, don’t re-invert the cake)

Sprinkle confectioners sugar on top and add a few fresh raspberries.

Or you can go all out and add your own homemade raspberry sauce.

1 bag frozen raspberries

little sugar

raspberry liqueur

Let this simmer for an hour or two and drizzle it right on top of your torte! I will give you a warning that the chocolate torte is not for the faint at heart. I consider myself a sweet tooth but this was almost a little much for me. Don't get me wrong, I cleaned my plate, but without the help of the raspberry sauce and K's homemade whipped cream I probably would have had to bow out.

All in all the meal was perfection in my eyes. I had never quite seen a piece of meat as we had the other night and all the fixins' just really hit the spot. I will include another post that shows off some of the tabletop festivity

My two favorite times of the evening where when each of these plates were placed in front of me.

Dinner Dessert

Useful Pumpkin

After seeing this idea in Better Homes & Gardens I decided to steal it! I stopped by my local store and scored some pretty nice blooms on Manager's Special, seriously, $1.39! I then carved and gutted the pumpkin. I have to say though, I left a few seeds in there to see if anything would sprout. Then, I added some water and some blooms. I had to cut some greens off of my bushes to fill in space and hold everything together with some twine to center it but all in all I LOVE IT. I love harvest festive decorations!

I Heart Staple Guns

So I was able to borrow my M-I-L's staple gun to get a few minor things done at the house and I am in love. I need one. NOW. I decided to complete two little reupholstery jobs that I have been putting off and since I have yet to make it out to Williams-Sherrill I had to settle with what I had in house. I found an old linen duvet that somehow had a tear in it (Newton!) and decided to use that to cover up some unsightly and outdated materials in the house. First up was a chair that I scored at a yard sale this past summer. I really want to give the whole chair a makeover but I figured this would do for now. It's very plain but at least I was able to ditch the putrid floral pattern leftover from its previous owner.

Before After

Next on the agenda was a piece of furniture that I hold very dear to my heart. I feel fortunate enough to have this piece in my home, because lets be honest, my big sis could have totally snatched this before me! When I moved in my parents brought me our old toy chest. This was something my dad made by hand in 1985. I vividly remember this chest being a big part of my childhood. We would store all our favorite toys in it and sometimes we would even pull all the toys out and play hide and go seek in it. The colors were very reflective of the 80's, or at least our home decor in the 80's. The wood is painted a dark brown and the material was taken off of an old couch we had in the first home I can remember as a child. Since this chest is currently in an empty bedroom in our house I am not quite certain what identity it will take on in the future. I am hesitant to paint it though as the inside of the doors have my fathers chicken scratch from 1985, surely written with one of those square construction pencils. I did go ahead and use the same linen material to cover up the heinous fabric that has been on there for 23 years. Let me tell you, this was no easy feat. Removing the doors from their hinges made my poor hands cramp up beyond belief. Apparently, they didn't have screws that were compatible with a Philip's head or flat head screwdriver back then because I spent the better part of an hour removing 8 screws with a pair of needle nose pliers. There was a lot of rust and maybe a few angry words. Anyway, here is my little project that still has a long way to go.

Before After

I will keep ya'll updated with more furniture conversions and let you know what becomes of these two pieces.

B is for Brussel Sprouts

So back in July or August sometime I bought 2 brussel sprout plants from a man at the Mathews County farmers market. He assured that they would produce some of my favorite veggies, in fact he mentioned that I should start seeing production within a month! Well, I suppose it has been almost 3 months and still nothing.... Keep in mind that I have the whole "survival of the fittest" mentality when it comes to gardening. Sometimes I water my plants, sometimes they will go weeks on end without any love at all. I very much have a love/hate relationship with all things green. Normally, I look at my plants and think to myself, why can't you just water yourself? and stop looking so thirsty and decrepit! Other times I do feel genuinely bad and negligent and I it is during those times that I tend to over water. I also get a sick pleasure out of watering my plants right before or right after a rainstorm as if to say, there, You wanted water and you got it!

I think what my plants need are grumbling belly noise/device or something that audibly lets me know that they are on their deathbed, or at least struggling a bit. I will admit that I have forgotten to feed the dog on occasion. Before I begin receiving all the nasty comments don't worry, there are two people in our household and I assure you that P is waaayyyy better at feeding the pooch than I am. Needless to say, when I hear poor Newtie's belly grumbling I am instantly reminded of what a piss poor caretaker I am and I immediately (usually) feed him. If my plants could talk rather then simply appearing less visually stimulating then they would most likely be watered a little more often.

Wow, this post got out of control, and all I was trying to convey was how upset I am that I am not producing tasty brussel sprouts right now! I assure you that I am not an awful human being. My plants look OK, and my dog is at a very healthy weight, and on top of that my husband and I are far from being hungry. Side note: I hope this does not deter any family or friends from asking me to watch their children. I will feed a child, probably too much in fact, just not sandwiches with the crusts cut off!

Proof that my pooch eats!

In which Newton grows a pair.....

Let me just start by saying how proud I am of my boy Newton! He has always been a little social butterfly but after the initial greeting he can be a little standoff-ish. He is always super excited to meet other dogs, people, kids, ect... but then he proceeds to sniff around by himself. Newt especially loves trips to the dog park! He has his normal routine of greeting all the dogs, peeing everywhere until he runs dry, then ignoring all the other dogs while he sniffs every inch of the park. Recently however, some other pooches have taken a liking to Newton and have inevitably showed their affection/dominance in the way that dogs do. Well, I am here to say that he has had enough. Newton is no longer available for free humps, he is fighting back. P and I were so proud to see our boy standing up for himself at the dog park this past week and then again at my folks house this weekend.

In the videos below you will see Newton, Eli (black lab), and Angel (jack russell/terrier mix, ie DEVIL DOG) having a good 'ole time. Angel is the incessant instigator that has a thing for Newton, and Eli is the gentle giant that also acts as the regulator of the fights. Normally, Newton would just sit there and take the abuse, or try to hop into P's lap, or take a hump from Eli, but this past weekend he made mom and dad proud.

CRAP-- Am I really that retarded I cannot post a video!? Help B!

Cooking Skills Redeemed!

Last night I decided to make something I rarely venture into, a casserole. I try and stay away from casseroles mainly because they produce way more then the 2-4 servings that P and I tend to stick with, also, they are usually laden with cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and the like. While I like the "creams," I am not the young lady I once was, and every now and then I like to keep an eye on what I eat. The sodium content alone in those cans of convenience are enough to make me want to stay away from the world of casseroles.... despite all that I strayed from the norm last night. Let me also add that this is a Paula Dean recipe, despite the fact that some of her southern charm annoys me sometimes (sorry M-I-L), I can appreciate the fact that she knows how to make a mean cocktail to accompany most of her dishes, and well, as far as Homestyle Chicken Pot Pie goes, I trust a southerner over anybody else.

Homestyle Chicken Pot Pie

2 1/2 cups peeled and coarsely chopped potatoes (about 2 med. size)

1 cup peeled and sliced carrots (about 2 med. size)

1 can corn, drained (15.25oz)

1 can green beans, drained (14.5oz)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used about 3 good sized boneless, skinless, breasts)

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 can chicken broth (14.5oz) (Do yourself a favor and go for the Low Sodium)

1 pint half & half

1 tbsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 can refrigerated biscuits (7.5oz)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish. (the deeper the dish the better)

Combine potatoes and carrots with enough water to cover in a Dutch oven. Bring to boil and cook for 8min. Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine cooked potatoes and carrots, corn, green beans, and chicken. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 2min, stirring constantly. Slowly add chicken broth and half & half, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, for 7 minutes, or until thickened.

Stir in parsley, salt, and pepper. Pour batter mixture over vegetable mixture tossing gently to combine. Spoon into prepared baking dish.

Separate biscuits and place evenly on top of casserole. Bake for 20-30min, or until biscuits are brown and casserole is hot and bubbly.

I think this casserole was delicious and since I shredded my chicken rather then cubed it*, I single -handedly restored my faith in chicken pot pies. Also, the sheer size of the casserole guarantees P and I meals for a week, and pot pies are always tasty, hearty leftovers.

* I DESPISE cubed meat. This theory does not apply to fruit, cheese, or anything else. Just meat. Don't judge.

New Look = NotSoGood

I was so pleased with my dresser makeover that I began to look for other things to paint. I think I was just pleasantly surprised with how much more I enjoy painting smaller pieces of furniture compared with the agony of painting large rooms. Those feelings are what ultimately led to my old coffee table becoming the next victim of my paintbrush. The back living room in our home is pretty dull in my eyes, very neutral and bleh.... I am not opposed to neutral but this room bothers me, maybe because there are about three different shades of green on the furniture and nothing nice really pops out, or maybe because this room is filled with all the old furniture. Needless to say, I felt that this room could benefit from some Colonial Red as well. While I don't think end result of the coffee table is heinous, I cannot promise that it won't be changed soon. Maybe this time I will try sanding down the red and adding a nice stain on top to being out some more gloss that this room could benefit from. Here is where it stands as of now.

BEFORE

AFTER

Old Dresser, New Look

I finally got around to painting an old dresser I picked up at an estate sale over the summer. I stopped by Lowe's and picked up a little can of Rust-Oleum red paint, I believe it was called Colonial Red, or something rustic like that. After lightly sanding the dresser I went ahead and started slapping some paint on it. My vision was to have it keep it's older appearance and not look glossy... and I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. I left the knobs the original wood but sanded then down a bit. The dark wood comes through the red perfectly and I am pretty pleased with my quickie paint job. I may go back and redo it sometime but for now it adds some color to the guest bedroom.

BEFORE

AFTER

Epic Fail

I am thoroughly disappointed with my cooking capabilities, at least with my most recent venture. Since the cool, crisp whether is upon us I've decided that it is officially soup season. I have been blabbering for weeks about making butternut squash soup and this weekend I took a stab at it. I found a simple recipe that gave me the impression that the soup would turn out more sweet than savory, which is exactly what I was looking for....

Let me just say that I have made quite a few things that never made it into "Holly's Official Recipe Box," but the butternut squash soup that I produced Saturday night was nearly appalling. I don't know where I went wrong. Let me retract that, I don't think I went wrong, I think I fell victim to a crappy recipe! I spent a little time doctoring it up last night with some cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg but the initial taste is still off and the aftertaste is bitter. I am scouring the internet to try and find a lifeline for my pitifully disgusting soup. Does anyone have any suggestion?? Should I have roasted my squash before pureeing? Cream cheese, white wine? Maybe I should just leave this one to the cooking experts :(

Stained Glass?

I am so relieved that we finally got some more house projects completed this weekend! Above 3 out of the 4 entry doors in our home we have transom windows. I have had mixed feelings about these windows since moving in... On one hand I love them in that they are original to the home and they let in a ton of light, on the other hand they can also offer an unobstructed view for those on the street of one walking up and down the stairwell. Our home has two front entryways, this is a result of the house being a duplex in its former life, but we really only use one of them, so after growing paranoid about the main transom window P purchased some decorative film to block the view.

Let me first say that after reading the instructions I gave up on it, but within 10min P had it up and looking lovely. We both noticed the amount of light it took away from our main hallway but the exchange for more privacy was worth it and it almost fools you into thinking that it is true stained glass. I would certainly recommend this product to those of you looking for solutions to their wide open transom windows or sidelights. Now I am stuck trying to decide whether the other front door needs to have the film applied as well.....? I like the idea of continuity but at them same time that would mean losing light in the dining room....