Holiday Re-Cap (...so far)

First off, a little humor to get things rolling this morning.  This comic strip was in the paper the other day and for whatever reason I could not stop laughing.  I love Rhymes with Orange.

It was so nice to have the entire week off of work to spend a little time getting ready for the holidays.  I was able to clean out a few drawers, cabinets and just try to get the house ready for Little C's arrival, in addition to making numerous trips to HEB and spending a lot of time in the kitchen tackling new projects.

On one of my trips to HEB last week I heard a familiar voice as I was double-checking my list to see that I had gotten everything.  When I looked up, much to my surprise, I saw Scott McClelland standing right in front of me! 

I think Little C was excited also!

In case you don't know who he is, here is an excerpt from his bio on Forbes.com:

"Mr. McClelland is President of H.E. Butt (H-E-B) Grocery Company's Houston and Central Market Division. H-E-B is the 13th largest grocery chain in the United States with over 55,000 employees and 300 stores in Texas and Northern Mexico."

He stars in all of the HEB commercials they run on TV here in the area and since I love me some HEB (and spend way too much time and money there) he is a celebrity of sorts!  Turns out he is one of the nicest people.  When I shyly asked if I could have my picture taken with him he immediately stopped what he was doing, wrapped his arm tightly around me and gave a genuine smile.  After posting the photo on Facebook I was amazed at the comments people made about how involved he and his wife are in their church and other charitable organizations.  He's the real deal. 

I also tackled 2 items from my Baby Bucket List: Salted Caramel Sauce and Caramel Frappacino Cupcakes.  I slightly overcooked the first batch of caramel sauce (however, I loved the deep color and slightly burned/rich taste, so I kept it for myself), but was able to get the second batch just right.  It is delicious!  In fact, I was so pleased with the result and how easy it was to make that I ended up cooking another double batch.  Yum.

This was my breakfast on Christmas Eve

I used some of the Salted Caramel Sauce in the Caramel Frappacino Cupcakes.  Overall, I would give these little guys a 6 out of 10.  However, I think they can be a 10 out of 10 with just a few tweaks, so I will be trying them again sometime soon.  If you choose to make them here are a few tips:

1. The cupcakes cook quickly.  The recipe says 20 minutes.  I took them out at 16 minutes and they were still slightly overcooked and a little dry.  Next time I'm yanking them at 13 minutes.
2. My mousse never set up as well as it should have.  Maybe I didn't beat my whipping cream long enough before I folded it in to the egg and sugar mixture or maybe the ratio is just a little off.  Just know that it's not a thick mousse.
3. Although they need to be stored in the fridge, let them completely come to room temp before serving them (30 minutes out on the counter should do it).  If you don't, the Swiss Meringue Buttercream will remain too firm and the flavors of all of the components won't fully develop. 

I also found time to bake up a batch of super-simple Almond Biscotti and some Blood Orange & Clementine Marmalade.  Sadly, I didn't take pictures of either of these before giving them all away, but both were beautiful and incredibly tasty. 

The various Santas in my life gifted me with some amazingly fabulous items over the past few days that will only enhance my cooking and blogging experiences.  They are so 'me' and I can't wait to share them with you.  I hope your holiday has been full of love, laughter and close friends and family thus far and that those things continue into the new year. 

Thankful

Thanksgiving is my sister's favorite holiday.  She loves the Thanksgiving meal - the sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy and turkey.  It's a meal she looks forward to all year long.  Seriously.  She's hard-core.  Me, I like Thanksgiving, but surprisingly it's not the food part as much as the whole spending time with family and friends thing.  I think the big reason why is because I'm not really a turkey fan.  It's okay, but I've never had one that blows me away.  And I don't like that jellied cranberry stuff either.  Do those two statements make me un-American?!?!



GROSS!

We did Thanksgiving with my extended family this past Sunday and it was wonderful.  Despite the 80+ degree temps, everyone had a wonderful time stuffing their faces and catching up on life.  Mom and Sis are both nurses so we've become quite creative over the past 5 years as to when we actually celebrate the holidays.  We're going to my in-laws' a little later today for a small family meal.  It's quite nice - two Thanksgiving celebrations, but they aren't squeezed into the same day! 



How we entertained ourselves at our early Thanksgiving dinner

 I'm struck this year by how many things I have to be thankful for.  I'm thankful that even though last year was one of the toughest of my life (personally and professionally), I was able to learn so many valuable lessons from it.  I'm thankful for my family, I no longer take their health for granted.  I'm thankful for my job, I no longer just assume that because I'm a teacher I will always have one.  I'm thankful for the friendships we have, they truly have become our extended family.  I'm thankful for the Hubs who keeps me sane and supported me through last year.  I'm also thankful for his incredible talents and how he is able to use them to bless so many other people.  Finally, I am thankful for Little C.  This unexpected blessing has already changed our lives so much and she's still just cooking!  God definitely knew what our little family was missing. 

Little C @ 20 weeks (she's a LOT bigger now)

One last thing I'm thankful for: non-traditional Thanksgiving desserts.  We don't have these often (Dad loves and insists on the traditional pumpkin and pecan pies), but occasionally I try to sneak one in.  One of my favorites is Pumpkin Creme' Brulee.  Super simple and super delicious!  A great make ahead dessert that pairs perfectly with those Thanksgiving leftovers everyone nibbles on all weekend.

Where does the time go?

I love New Year's Eve.  It represents the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another.  It's the promise of a fresh start, a new beginning.  2010 was a year of high highs and low lows, both personally and professionally.  While I so enjoyed the bright spots in the year and will treasure those moments, I am ready to move on.  My last post made me really think about taking time to enjoy the little things in life that bring me pleasure, so I decided to make that my New Year's Resolution for 2011.
   

A gift from our guests, a champagne-like beer.  Delicious!

Two of the things that bring me pleasure are good food and time spent with dear friends, so that's how we began 2011.  I also really like pretty things, so using our china and crystal was a must!  (I think I have only used it two other times since we got married back in 2005.)  This dinner was going to serve as a "Last Supper" of sorts before we began our attempt to shed some of our winter weight, so it needed to be decadent.  The Hubs was kind enough to chronicle the evening through the eye of his lens for me. 


Beautiful dishes, glasses and cutlery always make food taste better



Frank Lloyd Wrong

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family a day early this year.  Over the past couple of years we have learned to be very flexible about when we actually celebrate holidays since both Mom and my sis are nurses.  It has taught me that it's not so much about celebrating the holiday on the day itself, but more about about spending time with the ones you love, whenever that might be. 

(PW's to-die-for Green Bean Casserole)

We had a great meal, watched a movie/took a nap, played our favorite board game and then created the most craptacular gingerbread house I have ever laid my eyes on.  We all contributed our own unique touches to the structure and there is no unifying theme... except maybe 'tacky'.  There really are no words to accurately describe this monstrosity work of art.  You just have to see it for yourself.