Let the Christmas Shopping Begin!

Call me a lunatic, but I really enjoy Christmas shopping. I look forward to it every year! This year was a little more exciting because now we have two kids, and our first is older and easier to shop for now, and we know what things he is really into this year. (One of those things you automatically do, even though I was restricted by my parents from celebrating Christmas, it comes so naturally for me now, is taking mental notes to self throughout the year.) ;)

Well, we had a very wonderful Thanksgiving with family this year (just like every year). I was super excited for it, we prioritized and had all of our Thanksgiving shopping done by the 17th, leaving only a few small items like french fried onions and green onions. Other than that everything was done and we were able to relax and enjoy the rest of the two weeks leading up to the big day.

My mother in-law, (Mama Gail), and father in-law (Papa Larry), arrived Wednesday night, and stayed until Sunday. We were so happy to have them here with us longer than one day. Unfortunately, my brother in-law (Nathan) and sister in-law (Melissa) couldn't stay but they did make it for dinner :).

Well, with the grandparents here early, we decided to get the kids' Christmas shopping done while we had the chance. Our work schedules have been so hectic lately (it always is this time of year), and we wanted to go shop for their gifts sometime before or after Thanksgiving.

We did a little shopping online, because we don't have a Toys R' Us nearby us anymore, we ended up having to do that online, but that was great, because it saved us time and everything. I actually decided I prefer Christmas shopping online, and next year we may just do that, except we like getting out of the house together while the kids stay home and going to explore the toy land at Farm and Fleet ;). Both of us are still kids at heart. Me more so since I didn't get to do this as a kid :).

So that was our weekend. And we got all of the kids' Christmas shopping done, and just need to wrap everything soon. Since I am still pretty new to this Christmas thing and gifts and the kids presents, I am following Tim's lead on most everything haha. If I don't know what to do or how to do it, he does!

We also found really great bargains at JCPenny!

Ahhhh so excited!!! Less than one week!! The big day is coming up FAST! :D

I don't know where the time went, but I am so happy with the date we planned for our wedding celebration! I love it because it is right before the holidays, and it's also my favorite time of year. I love when the weather gets cold, snow is on the way, and the beauty comes with colored leaves and crystal snow.

I am not sure when I can blog again, but I will need to soon! :)

Getting Excited!!!

It's almost October! I have been so busy going crazy with wedding plans that I didn't notice how fast this year was going by. And my son started preschool this year, so I've been busy teaching and studying, which on top of wedding planning makes things pretty exhausting and hectic. But it's so rewarding!

The thing about planning a wedding only a month before the crazy holidays get here is that my year will not be slowing down whatsoever after the wedding is done. Which is okay, because I love love LOVE the holidays!! And I also really love teaching, so it will all work out.

We still have to figure out exactly what we are doing for the kids for Halloween (I know, we have plenty of time for that yet, but I am one to majorly prioritize and I am a huge planner, I like all my ducks in a row haha). Lukas' favorite superhero is Iron Man, so I would love to find him a character costume for that!

Well, I am just frantic over wedding stuff. People keep telling me once the day is over I'll forget about everything, but I don't think so. I am one of those people who lives for the memories, I think back on good memories a lot and I just really want it to go smoothly and look beautiful. :)

I didn't ever think I would be scrambling around planning my wedding. I wasn't one of the many girls who daydreamed about her wedding since she was 12. I've always been very independent and I always said I would never get married. But here I am! And, technically already married.

My husband and I tied the knot in a private ceremony a few years ago. We never had a wedding reception or celebration with our close friends and family, though. So, we decided this year would be the year that we would do it all. We wanted the cake, the party, the venues, the music, the photographer, the whole nine yards. So we started planning our wedding as soon as our venues were booked about a year ago. And, in my opinion, even one year was not plenty of time (that's how jittery I've become haha.)

But at the same time I am so excited and looking forward to our big day! I can't believe it's finally happening.

Crockpot Kickin' BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

4-6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 bottle sweet baby ray's bbq sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions 

Mix BBQ sauce with vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar and garlic powder.

Place chicken in crockpot (still frozen is ok). Pour sauce mixture over chicken.

Cook on LOW 4-6 hours.

Recipe courtesy: Tamara Martin

Easy Homemade Fried Rice from Scratch

Ingredients

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)
3 tbs sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!

Trisha Yearwood's Baked Potato Soup

This is my husband's favorite soup! He looks forward to it every time I make it.

Source of Recipe
From "Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen" by Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients

4 large baking potatoes *

6 bacon slices

2/3 cup (1-1/3 sticks) butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups milk

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 green onions, finely chopped

5 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

8 ounces sour cream


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Wash the potatoes and prick them several times with a fork. Wrap them individually in foil, and bake them for 1 hour, or until they are soft when squeezed. Let the potatoes cool slightly.

While the potatoes bake, cook the bacon in a small skillet. Drain the bacon on paper towels and, when cool enough to handle, crumble it into small pieces. Set aside.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and bubbling. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, and scoop the flesh into the thickened milk mixture. Add the salt, pepper, green onions, reserved bacon, and Cheddar. Cook over low heat just until heated through. Stir in the sour cream and serve.

Serves 10

NOTE:
* Leftover baked potatoes may also be used for this recipe. Peel and mash them coarsely before adding to the milk mixture.

My Favorite Apple Cobbler with Delicious Crumb Topping

Apple Cobbler
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples
2 pounds Fuji apples
1 1/2 pounds Gala apples
3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (6-ounces) chilled unsalted butter, plus softened butter for baking dish
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 (6-ounce) package sweetened, dried cranberries (I never actually put cranberries in my pie, to be honest, but the original recipe calls for this, you can skip it)
1 large egg

1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (6-ounce) package sliced almonds
Note: You will need approximately 8 to 10 apples total.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.

Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1/4 to 1/2-inch dice. Try to get the apples pieces as uniform as possible to ensure even baking in the cobbler. Combine the apples with 1 cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Cover and set in the refrigerator while preparing the cobbler topping. The sugar will draw out some of the moisture in the apples, so the filling will be nice and thick.

Combine the remaining sugar with the flour and salt in a medium size bowl. Set aside 1/2 cup of the sugar and flour mixture to coat the apples. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and work into the sugar/flour mixture using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers until it forms a coarse meal.

Drain the sugar syrup from the apples and set aside. Combine the apples with the reserved flour and sugar mixture. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, and sweetened dried cranberries to the apples and stir well to evenly distribute all the flavors. Pour into the buttered baking dish.

Lightly beat the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and slowly drizzle it into the flour mixture. Don't worry if it seems a little dry at first. Continue to stir the mixture until the flour is completely absorbed into the egg. (You might want to get your hands into it and use your fingers to finish.) Take a small bit of the topping and roll it into a 1-inch ball. Gently flatten the ball into a disk and place it on top of the apple mixture in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining topping, slightly overlapping the disks.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the topping is a light golden brown. Let the cobbler rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. While the cobbler is sitting, coat the almonds with the reserved sugar syrup. Drain off the excess syrup and place the almonds on a buttered parchment lined baking sheet. Roast until the almonds are golden brown, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Scatter them over the cobbler.

Tips: To make cutting the butter into the flour/sugar mixture a bit easier, try grating frozen sticks of butter on the large holes of a hand grater. You'll have small bits of cold butter which will help the coarse meal form quickly. Use a melon baller to scoop out the core of the apple halves quickly and with minimal waste.

Crumb topping for Apple Cobbler

1 cup brown sugar 
1 cup all-purpose flour 
1/4 cup butter, diced
Caramel (optional, for drizzling on crumb topping if you prefer)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar and flour. Mix in butter with a fork or stand mixer just until the topping is crumbly. Top your pie before baking.