Advent Calendars, Toddler Trees & Elves

One of my besties launched a storm of debate when she proposed the simple question on Facebook: Do I Elf on the Shelf or not? People passionately wrote profoundly about their position using exclamations, capitals and pictures.

ENOUGH is ENOUGH! 

Parenting in this age is crazy!!  ...And I'm sure my Mom said the same thing when I was only a wee thing. And she was right. But this time it is my turn, and for different reasons.

Pinterest is both a blessing and a curse. 

I love to search on Pinterest for fun crafty, witty parenting things, foodie things, or whatnot. Being fabulous is so much easier when you can borrow fun ideas and inspiration from others.

But CURSES! It sure can make you feel like you're not doing enough! 

My child is TWO. It's time for us to begin molding our Christmas traditions. With so much craziness going on during Christmas I've had to draw a line to keep my sanity in check.

Elf on the Shelf: 

NO. Perhaps when she is older we can create silly scenes for the elf together. But the Elf will never be "magical" in my house. I know me. Throughout the whole season he'd probably only be in about four different poses... maybe five.

Pumpkin Blondies

With the first football weekends complete and the cooler weather (this week at least), I'm in the mood for PUMPKIN!!

....honestly it's my favorite time of the year. It's also when I traditionally start fixing my signature pumpkin blondies.

Seriously don't they look ahmahzing!!!

I can't take credit for the recipe. It's directly from Martha Stewart from a few years ago.

Lotus Root Chips

Clearly our eyes were bigger than our stomachs last weekend. We have lots of ingredients left over from our Hot Pot.

One of my favorite Hot Pot ingredients is lotus root.

It soaks up all the yummy flavors and yet stays crunchy. We were thrilled the first time we found it at the Asian grocery store but were then disappointed when we discovered during dinner that it was crazy salty.

This time we wised up (thank you Husband) and soaked it in water prior to serving. 

But now we have lots of it in the house...

Using the principle that all root veggies are fab when roasted, that's my plan of action. Lotus root are very similar to potatoes. 

Step one: pat them dry. 

Roll the Dice

Time to brag about Husband. And our friend. But mostly Husband... 

The Cooking Challenge:

Roll the ingredient dice and create a cohesive, delicious meal out of what comes up!!

These dice were a stocking stuffer gift for Husband. I knew he would love them. He's such a great cook and very creative. This turns cooking into a challenging game, sort of Iron-Chef-like. Out of these 14 dice is one with only protein. Most are primarily vegetables, one is only grains, a few are all herbs and one has more unique ingredients such as artichokes or beets.

Ha ha - I love how sippy cups randomly make their way into my photos

The Rules:

Saturday morning Husband & Friend began the challenge by rolling the 14 Dice. They were allowed to re-roll any dice up to 3 times. (This allows people to 'veto' ingredients such as beets in hopes that something better shows up in the next roll.)






The Results:

Ginger, Basil, Thyme, Cauliflower, Qinoa, Beef, Kohl Rabi, Tomato, Onion, Carrots, Collard Greens, Wild Mushrooms, Chilies and Green Beans

Kentucky Derby Party 2014

Finally got this post up as we look towards the Belmont and a possible Triple Crown Winner of California Chrome...

The Derby Details... 

Third time we've thrown this party. Each year it gets bigger. I use this blog to record what went well, what I'd change, and to generally reminiscence on a great time. 

With about 50-60 people in attendance our biggest planning challenge was traffic flow. We spread everything out in different stations throughout the house and outside. Then hung signs up to help direct folks to anything they might need. We also had two viewing areas set up for the race. Upstairs in front of the 82 inch tv was the sophisticated 'grandstand' seating. Then outside we placed a 50 inch tv and had our 'track side' viewing area. As it turned out to be a beautiful day, most people stayed outside.

Party goers watching the pre-race commentary outside

Party Banner

Moms can easily go overboard these days with kid birthdays. I remember my young birthdays: Mom bought a cake mix and made cupcakes iced with store bought icing and brought them to my class. Then the party was at a roller rink. No loot bags, no over the top decorated food and dessert tables. Maybe just balloons and if the party was at home, streamers. I think I turned out fabulous. I definitely don't feel less deprived or loved any less or anything.

It didn't take me long to settle on a theme for Little k's first birthday. I wanted small, intimate family celebration...       with champagne of course...

and a pink tutu

and pearls...

oh, and she had two parties...

Although I nearly gave into the pressures a week before and went all pintrest-crazy I maintained my sanity. I limited myself to one pintrest project.

The Party Banner

WARNING: This project, while simple, is deceivingly time consuming. I still haven't figured out why or how but once you begin hours will magically dissipate.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Parmesan Crisps

Only three posts in 2013? Really?!?! Guess the motherhood thing rocked my world a bit.
I vow to be better in 2014 - for my own sanity.

It's time to return to this blog and continue doing what I love doing. Talking about food, talking about travel, planing parties, and whatever home projects I can squeeze in there with a crazy 1-year old running around.

To kick it off I'm sharing another one of Husband's trademark dishes. If you come over and he fixes this, he is trying to impress.