baking some holiday cheer.

To say I've been bored lately would be an understatement.  It's a good day when I get to go to the grocery store. Yep.  I did more brick-and-mortar shopping for Christmas this year than ever before, because it was nice to have an outing!  I decided to combat my boredom with some major baking, but since I didn't want to eat it all, I made little homemade gift boxes for family and mailed them out.

I included:

• Orange Biscotti with cranberry and white chocolate

• Chocolate Cherry Granola

• Gingerbread Cookies with white chocolate chips

• Peppermint Bark cookies

I wanted to put some homemade marshmallows in, but I tried twice and neither batch set. I made some really delicious marshmallow creme, but that wouldn't exactly ship well. :)

I think they turned out really well, and it was so fun to have a project!

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my favorite christmas cookie.

A couple years ago, I hosted a Christmas cookie exchange with a bunch of girlfriends in the Houston area.  (I thought I needed an excuse to bake cookies back then, ha!)  I tried this recipe for the occasion, and oh. my. goodness. If gingerbread cookies were acceptable to bake all year round, I most definitely would eat this cookie all year round.  Instead, I make them a couple times during the month of December and think about them the rest of the year.  Yes, they are that good.

If you're not a white chocolate fan, I think these would be delicious with semi sweet or dark chocolate instead.  But white is my favorite. And I know, I know, it's not really chocolate.

Gingerbread Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup granulated sugar-for coating cookie dough balls

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.  Beat in the molasses, canola oil, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix until well combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Slowly add in the flour. Next, stir in the white chocolate chips.

Scoop the dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on lined baking sheet, about two inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes- the cookies will still be soft. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Source: two peas & their pod

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old fashioned fudge

My great grandma, Roberta Katherine, is kind of a legend in our family.  She's my maternal grandfather's momma, and she raised 8 kids - 7 boys and 1 daughter, during the Great Depression.  She was a talented pianist and taught piano as well.  My Grandpa, her son, was one of my favorite people I've ever known.  He tutored me in algebra over the phone, taught me to believe in myself, and loved God and his family passionately.

This fudge feels like a piece of my heritage.  It may not win any beauty contests, but it's delicious!

Gramma Roberta's Old Fashioned Fudge
Ingredients:
2 c. sugar

1 tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa

1 cup milk

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Butter an 8x8 baking dish and set aside.

Boil sugar, cocoa and milk together in medium saucepan.  Stir a couple times to mix together but then leave it untouched while it boils. Add 1 tablespoon butter when it boils up, and continue to boil until mixture forms a soft ball in cold water, about 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and let cool 10-15 minutes.

Beat on medium high until the candy starts to thicken, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla and the walnuts, if using.  Continue beating about 5 minutes until very thick, then pour quickly into prepared dish.

Note: When ready to pour, the candy loses its sheen.

This recipe can be used for cake icing that will not crack if you boil it a little less time and let it cool until it is warm only (close to tepid) before you start beating it.

Source: Himes family

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thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving hasn't always been a "big deal" in my family, so it was kind of surprising how sad I was to miss it.  Living 1000+ miles away from home and working retail hours haven't allowed us to get to Houston for the holiday.  But actually, I'm not really sure what a "traditional" Thanksgiving looks like anymore!

3 years ago, on the night before Thanksgiving, Lane proposed! Then on Thanksgiving day, we spent a few hours with our families and headed to a football game.

 

2 years ago, we went with a bunch of Lane's extended family - 16 of us total - to Puerto Rico for Thanksgiving.  It was so fun!

Last year, we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Indy - Lane had pizza, and I forgot to take pictures.

This year, we joined some sweet, sweet friends and their family!! We're so thankful they offered to include us and we had a wonderful time eating delicious food, playing with their kiddos, and hanging out. 

I had already bought a turkey when we got the invitation to join them, so tonight, I made my first turkey after all.  I did a lot of screaming but was able to successfully remove the gross stuff and was mature enough to rub butter on and under the skin.  Our Thanksgiving-round-2 was just turkey and from scratch green bean casserole, but it was delicious and fun anyway!

 

I guess I decided that for now, we'll do whatever we can to celebrate Thanksgiving, and be thankful that modern technology lets us "see" our family pretty much whenever we want.

yes, I even videochat with my doggy when I'm away.

After all, being happy is a decision, right?

"I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition." - Martha Washington

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make this salad.

Seriously.

Once you get the dressing made, all you have to do is assemble the ingredients.  I have them all stacked on top of the tub of spinach in my refrigerator, so it's easy to pull it out and make a quick salad.  This isn't what I would normally choose when it's 30 degrees outside, but it's so delicious I can't resist.


Spinach Salad with Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
For the vinaigrette:
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
2 1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. Champagne
1 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt

For the salad:
Baby spinach leaves
For topping:
Chopped walnuts, toasted
Dried cranberries
Green apples, thinly sliced

Directions:
To make the vinaigrette, combine the strawberries, red wine vinegar, champagne, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Store in an airtight container.
To make the salad, place some baby spinach in a bowl.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss to coat.
Top with a few chopped toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, and a few slices of green apple.

Source: inspired by Annie's Eats, originally from Epicurious

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7 quick takes

1. We finally found a church this weekend that meets on Saturday nights - that we actually like! I am really excited about the potential for actually meeting new people.  I have to say though - being alone in Indy with Lane is pretty fun.  We go on dates every weekend and I am more excited than ever about seeing him before/after work.  Feel free to barf now. :-)

2. I started watching season 1 of Damages on Netflix. It's actually pretty interesting - a little mystery and a little scary. Both of which I love.  Check it out if you're ever bored and your husband is at work. Is that just me?

3.  Why is it whenever you're shopping for something specific, it's harder to find?  I'm looking for a black dress (not strapless) for my friend Diana's wedding in late March.  If you see any around that are cute, send the links my way.  I bought this one from Anthro this week but I'm not entirely sold on it.

4. Lane got me the painting below for my birthday. I love it! It says "JOY" in Braille.  We're eventually going to hang it over our couch - I love that we'll have some more color to liven things up.  Since we live in the dark mostly, it's pretty exciting to get some brightness in the living room.

5. Made this cookie dough dip for a Super Bowl party today. Sadly, it's not as good as it sounds! Maybe that's because I've been trying to be healthy and I knew what was in it?  Who knows.  All I can say is I'm extremely proud of myself because I actually threw away - in the trash - my leftover chocolate chips.  

6. The Super Bowl was here in Indy!  People here were pretty excited about it and keep talking about how much better it is than it was "in Houston last year". Apparently to non-Texans, any city in Texas is Houston?  Sorry Dallas!  Also, people think of Texas as one big desert. They think I'm enthralled by rain, like I've never seen it before. Funny. :)

7. I've been thinking lately about how glad I am that I was Ko Jo Kai president years ago. It really prepared me to be a manager and deal with people who dislike my decisions.  Never thought I would say that, but it was definitely a learning experience! I take back all the times I said I regretted it.  It made me into the person I am today, and I now have the confidence to stand in front of people and deliver unpopular news. So - to all you haters out there - thanks!! :)

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