Thanksgiving Recap

Hi Everyone! Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving, I had the pleasure of hosting the big event at our house here in Ohio. That meant a 5 hour drive for Mom and Dad and a 9 hour drive for Krista and Dan. Yikes! But they all made it here safe and sound and we had a great time together eating, playing games, eating, shopping, shopping, and just hanging out. Here are some pictures from our first Thanksgiving in Ohio. Enjoy!



Matt and I on Thanksgiving morning.




A view from the kitchen, looking out into the front yard. The maple tree has almost shed all its leaves and the pumpkin was almost rotten, but I don't care! It captures the beauty of fall and the change in seasons.




Too many cooks in the kitchen??




Matt pulling out the turkey innards. Having way too much fun doing so, I might add.




Not sure how hard Krista and Dan were working...




Mom's finished product: the world's best rolls! OOOH my...they are heaven in your mouth. I might have eaten one for breakfast the next morning, they are just that good.




The ladies, enjoying the delicious turkey spread.




Yum yum!!!




Our newest family photo. Somehow Cookie even managed to make an appearance.

So that was our Thanksgiving, in a nutshell. I'll save the Black Friday shopping for a different post, it was just THAT exciting. (sarcasm...because it was a nightmare)

Oh, How Pinteresting!

Good Morning and Happy Day before Thanksgiving!!

Today, I am linking up with The Vintage Apple to join in the fun of Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday. I decided to choose all my favorite pins Thanksgiving related. Enjoy!




1. Thankful Poster


via


2. Thanksgiving Decor Idea


via


3. Pumpkin Trifle


via


4. Centerpiece Idea


via


5. Turkey Cookie


via


6. Thanksgiving Wreath


via


7. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving


via

Hope you are having fun getting ready for turkey day. I will be getting the house ready for company and seeing how many times we can run back to the store for that one last thing we forgot...

Thanksgiving Menu

Happy Friday everyone!!! I am so looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Then next week, we will only have a three day work week, then its Thanksgiving!! It seems like the time is just flying.

Today I wanted to share my Thanksgiving menu. Because I'm hosting dinner this year, I feel pretty responsible for making sure everyone gets what they like to eat. So here is our menu.



(Snoopy will be bringing the turkey)


Peach Bavarian Salad
Jalapeno Cream Cheese Poppers
Turkey
Stuffing
Gravy
Green Beans
Corn
Rolls
Sweet Potato Casserole
Chicken Noodle Casserole
Apple Crisp and Vanilla Ice Cream
Pumpkin Pie
Scotcheroos

Hmmm did I leave anything out?? Let me just say that my grocery list is getting out of control. I don't really know how there will ever be enough room in the oven for everything even though Mom is bringing a separate turkey roaster. Can't wait to see how this whole Thanksgiving dinner unfolds. As long as the turkey is cooked to perfection and the kitchen does not catch on fire, I will count it a success.

What's In The Box?

What's hidden inside this rectangular box of heaven?



Read on to find out...

I love to bake. I often spend several hours just searching through recipes on Allrecipes.com in search of the perfect dessert. I will only pick something with lots of positive reviews unless I'm feeling adventurous. I have just found that when I pick a recipe that hasn't been reviewed much and doesn't have many stars...well there's a reason for that. It's probably not a winner unless you make lots of alterations.

Last night I wanted to use up the half a block of cream cheese that I had left over from another recipe and I wanted something chocolatey. I combined this recipe and this recipe to make the perfect "Faux-reo" or more commonly known as Whoopie Pies. Or Gobs if you live in the Northeast.




They turned out DELISH!!!! This is a dangerous recipe because there is absolutely nothing "healthy" about it. Butter, sugar, chocolate.





I am happy with how they turned out. I would give the cookies 5 stars and the filling 4 stars as it was a bit too buttery tasting and I would prefer a lighter, fluffier filling in these. I also did not bake the first batch long enough so they are a bit gooey in the middle. But that is fine by me!




The worst part about baking: the sink full of dishes that awaits you after you're done.

If anyone has a delicious healthy dessert recipe that I should try, please leave a comment. I might feature it here on the blog!

Monday Musings

Hi Bloggy friends.

We had a wonderful weekend visiting Mom and Dad Focht in celebration of Mom's 70th birthday. The best part was that they didn't know we were coming. :-) We took them out to dinner on Saturday night and just spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and catching up on life.

Of course I baked a chocolate cake.



My dad recently celebrated a birthday as well. Looking forward to seeing him, mom, krista and dan next week for Thanksgiving. NEXT WEEK!! Can you believe it? The time is flying by. And for that reason, I have been listening to Christmas music unashamedly. (just when Matt's not listening---he would die if he heard Christmas music playing in our house BEFORE Turkey day.)

Hope you have a wonderful week!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!

Today i'd like to share what I'm loving so far this week so I'm linking up with Jamie.




(one)

These Yankee candles I bought over the weekend. I am pretty loyal to Bath and Body Works Candles, but I could not resist a buy 2 get 2 free coupon. Am I right?? So we went into the store and after sniffing every scent in the whole place, I decided on these four. Pumpkin Pie, Christmas Eve, Gingerbread, and Be Jolly. Can't wait to start burning them.





(two)

Baking these scrumdiddlyumptious PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES I found on this blog. They turned out GREAT! I tend to shy away from baking cookies cuz I eat them all they usually end up a flat mess. But these are nice and fluffy and I'm keeping them hidden from myself so Matt can eat some when he gets home.



Is your mouth watering yet? Go make some!




(three)

The Holidays are quickly approaching. I've found myself thinking about what presents to get for my friends and family, what I'm going to make for Thanksgiving, and what I should be on the lookout for on Black Friday. I thought this little clip art was cute even though I don't abide by it.





(four)

Straight No Chaser. The band. Click here to listen to the best music you've heard in a while. (besides Michael Buble Christmas...duh) Matt and I love the show The Sing-Off on NBC and this band sounds like they walked right off the show. Very cool. Here is a group shot off their website.




Welp that's all I got for today friends. Hope you enjoy the rest of your week.

Saturday Morning Love

Good Morning Friends!

My hi-lights of the week are pretty simple.


1. CARDINALS WIN WORLD SERIES


(via)

So proud of the red birds for winning the World Series for the eleventh time in history. The last time this happened, I was cheering them on from Seville, Spain in 2006. It was awesome waking up today and seeing almost every Facebook update filled with love for the Cardinals.


2. BAKING ENDEAVORS



I tried these Nutella self frosting cupcakes and I was disappointed. I obviously kept them in the oven way too long and they turned out dry. The best part of them was the frosting I added to make them tolerable.

For the frosting, I creamed together 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup Nutella, I then gradually added in about a cup of powdered sugar and a bit of milk and blended until I got the consistency I wanted. MMM the frosting was the hit. The cupcakes...well I won't be making them again.


3. TORTILLA WRAPS FOR LUNCH


I discovered these tortilla wraps on a new blog I've been following, The Dashing Dish.
My version of lunch this week included a tortilla wrap filled with chicken and turkey breast, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, and a bit of ranch for the "sauce". What a delicious filling lunch. I'm sure there are tons of things you can pack these with and I'll be trying other combos in the future. Just a fun lunch to try if you're getting tired of sandwiches.

That's it for the week. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Saturday Morning Love: Warm Cozy Edition

Good Morning and Happy Weekend!

Here we are, Saturday morning again. The sweetest part of the week. I feel like everyone deserves a time of rest and relaxation after they work hard all week. I also believe that Friday and Monday should be included in the weekend.

I present to you the "Warm and Cozy" edition of Saturday Morning Love.

1. Heat.


(via)

This is NOT my living room, but doesn't it look COZY?? I so wish we had a fireplace. Matt is a lot more frugal about turning on the a/c and heat, but when I came home from work on Wednesday, the air inside was just chilly. I don't like walking around with freezing fingers and nose, so I did it. I love the smell of the heater when you turn it on for the first time. Ahh..and now we are nice and warm inside.


2. Electric blanket.


(via)

I wish this was my bed! It looks cozy and comfy. We put the blanket back on the bed a few weeks ago when we had a cold weekend, but we haven't turned it on again until this week. If you do not have an electric blanket, you don't know what you're missing. WARNING: If you have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning WITHOUT an electric blanket, do not get one. It makes life even harder.


3. Coffee.



Yes, this IS my coffee pot. Mmmm...if you DO have to get out of bed, the best thing is a hot cup of coffee to keep you warm. It's no secret that I drink coffee almost every day. I finished up my bottle of Pumpkin Spice creamer yesterday, so I am holding out for a Starbucks treat today. What I like about coffee is the flavored creamers, not necessarily the taste of the coffee.


4. Slippers.



Yes, I wear these slippers in the winter. Nothing worse than having freezy toes! And that's all I have to say about that.

Well, this concludes the Warm Cozy Edition. Am I missing out on any other comforts of fall/winter? Let me know!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Hi there! Happy Hump Day to you.

This week is flying by for me...can't believe it's half over already.

Here is what I'm loving today.


(WILW)


1. Snuggling.



...in this Siamese Slanket. Not. Did you know there was such a thing?



2. Pumpkin Pie


(via)

I baked my first ever pumpkin pie last night. We will be digging into it tasting it tonight.



3. Nail Polish.


(Avon blue and Forever 21 glitter)

I love trying out new colors! I might be slightly excited about sparkly, really really glittery polishes, though they are so tough to remove. I feel like I'm back in 7th grade.



4. Fall decor



Matt brought some table centerpieces home from the banquet he attended on Monday evening. It's a little scarecrow in a rose plant. Isn't it cute? I have three of them. Crossing my fingers that I can keep these babies alive. Oh and next to it is a Bath and Body Works candle. Pumpkin Patch scent. Yummm!!



5. Cookie



Someone's about due for a haircut!



6. Matthew



I have an awesome husband. He is not only my best friend and biggest fan, but he supports me and encourages me when I'm down. Love you sweetie!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!