2013: Year In Review

I feel like we say this every year..."Where did the time go?...Can you believe we're coming into a new year already?" 2013 has come and gone just as quickly as years past. A lot happens over the course of twelve months however I wanted to take a moment to reflect on those events that I found most important. 

It's The Holiday Season!

This past week and a half has been a whirlwind of holiday activities. From shopping and wrapping to Christmas parties, it has been non stop.  I have been so busy, I have not even had time to sit down and write about all of the activities. So here it goes...

Wednesday the Girls Night crew had our Holiday Dinner. We have made it a tradition to go to this little Italian restaurant in the area. The food is always delicious, the atmosphere is cozy and festive, and the service is always great. We also partake in a little Secret Santa. Just as last year, I gave to the same person who was giving to me. Too funny! I also gave the girls a little hot cocoa kit to enjoy during the cold winter nights. (Thank you Pinterest!)

Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!

There is no better way to spend a snowy Sunday in December than to bake up a bunch of cookies for the Holidays. We spent the morning digging out the driveway after the storm that brought us about 12 inches of snow. After throwing on a cozy sweater, I decided I would spend the rest of the afternoon baking up some delicious treats. This past week I have already made the HERSHEY'S Candy Cane Blossoms that I previously posted, as well as, a small batch of cut out sugar cookies. I might as well add a few more to the list. 

Here is today's line up:
1. Peanut Butter Cookies
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

My Week of Dinners

Another busy week has come and gone. I swear, this happens to me at least once a month. I am jam packed with activities and outings. I can't complain though. Makes for great time with friends and family...and of course an an excuse for a blog post! So here is how my past week went. 

Monday
We had been overloaded with leftovers from Thanksgiving. Instead of eating more turkey and stuffing, I decided to make some homemade mac and cheese. You really can not go wrong with the ooey, gooey deliciousness of baked macaroni and cheese. I like to use crushed up oyster crackers and bread crumbs to make for a crunchy topping. 

Leftovers Galore!

Image found off Google.

I figured I might as well round out the Thanksgiving Series with what some people say is the best part of Thanksgiving...leftovers! As I have previously mentioned, I hosted the meal this year. My mom decided that she wanted to make a smaller turkey at home so that they could have their own leftover turkey sandwiches. This in turn left myself and Nick with a good amount of food in the fridge. I was determined to use all of it though in one form or another. Neither of us like waste and I also did not want to have to eat a Thanksgiving dinner every day. So, with the help of the internet and my somewhat creative mind, I created a few other concoctions with all of the remaining dishes. 

Apple, Sausage, and Pomegranate Stuffing

I wanted to try and make a fun stuffing recipe this year. My family typically enjoys your traditional home style stuffing. However, I wanted to reach outside the box. There are just so many options. Whether it's the type of bread, the add on ingredients, or even the texture. I decided to do a spin off of the well known apple and sausage stuffing by adding in dried pomegranates for a little tartness. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone already. A month of preparation, changing the menu at least four times, coming up with the perfect tablescape...lots of work went into the day but it was all worth it. My work began Wednesday night. My sister came over and we cut up the vegetables and cheese for a little appetizer platter. I made the cranberry sauce, along with the croutons for the stuffing. Plus, I had made the Pumpkin Pie Lasagna  Tuesday night to give me a head start as well. Doing all of this prep work ahead of time saved me the headache on Thanksgiving day. This also allowed me to have a dinner out with the family and meet up with some friends who were in town for the holiday. 

I started my day out early to get a walk in with the dog before all the cooking started. The turkey went into the oven just at 11:00am allowing me to enjoy some brunch with the twins. From here we just continued cooking throughout the afternoon. I had a cheese and crudite platter along with shrimp cocktail ready for when the rest of the family arrived. With a little help from the twins and my mom, I was able to get the rest of the meal cooked and on the buffet just after 5:00pm. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal.