Merry Christmas Santa!

Santa was pleased with our cookies. Ate them all gone :) And Rudolph ate 2 carrots. Well done. 

Cranberry Bundt cake

This cake is one of my absolute favorites. And I only make it once a year, because you can only buy fresh cranberries at the store for a few select weeks each year. Did u know that? Right before Thanksgiving through part of December. Then they're gone. For 11 more months. So I savor this cake every time I make it. It's a dense pound cake, with tart spots of fresh cranberries. Not too sweet. Alone it's just "muhh". But, you don't eat it alone.....

This is the sauce you drizzle on top, in lieu of frosting. But it's a million times better than frosting. 4 ingredients: butter, sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. I use the word "drizzle" very loosely. It's really more like I bathe the cake in the sauce. There is something about the tart cranberries mixed with the sweet, buttery, creamy sauce, that turns to magic. Trust me. Call me for the recipe :) But hurry- we only have one week left to buy cranberries!

Cranberry sauce

Nothing quite like homemade cranberry sauce. I'm in love with it, no matter what the skeptics say. See that vibrant, deep red color?! It's beautiful. 

Sweet potatoes

I was in charge of making the sweet potatoes for thanksgiving this year. I have to make a different recipe depending on which family we are eating with. This year we had EVERYONE at my husbands parents. So I made 3  9x13's of these. Plus this little extra to keep at our house :) It's the butter/brown sugar/pecan topping that makes it what it is. 

Bread

I never tire of homemade bread. Ever. 

Mint Ice Cream Pie

My little one brought home a cookbook from school. She really wanted to make something out of it. A month went by. Life was busy. She kept asking. Kept renewing the book. We FINALLY made it happen :) And it was divine! She had to be very patient, as the recipe had many steps. First, graham cracker crust. Bake. Cool. Freeze. Smooth in the mint ice cream. Freeze. Make the hot fudge. Drizzle on top. Freeze. Eat! Fun times :)

Carving

After much deliberation, we decided on a Mickey Mouse pumpkin. It took way longer than expected, but the kids loved it. 

Costume Time

Ballerina (recital costume), rat (cousin hand me down), and Rubik's cube (made by mom and dad). 

Halloween Party Bowling

This was fun. The kids rolled a small pie pumpkin to knock the TP ghosts over. And I cut 3 holes in the pumpkin for the kids little fingers to go in, just like a real bowling ball :) Happy Halloween!

Fish Tacos

Leftovers from last nights dinner. Jonathan's lunch. We loved it! Fish, coleslaw, bell pepper slices, lime, sour cream/cilantro/lime sauce. Plus tortillas :)