It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!

So this will probably be my last post of 2012.  I can't believe Christmas is upon us and I managed to get most of my list done from my previous post.

I baked these cookies:  Chocolate Crinkle Kiss Cookies and Cranberry Orange Cookies.  It's amazing how much butter is used in cookies, I'm glad I bought extra!  The crinkle cookies I had some difficulty with, however.  The dough was really soft and sticky so my attempts to roll into balls was not working, so I decided to chill it.  Still didn't work.   Ugh.  So I added more flour.  Still a sticky mess.  I was frustrated and thought I ruined my cookies.  But alas, I used a spoon to scoop and plopped the gooey ball into the powdered sugar and THEN rolled into a half assed ball and baked.  It worked.  I also skipped the Hershey Kiss part because, well, I don't like them :)

Are you needing some last minute Christmas ideas?  I tried to make some gifts this year and it worked out quite well.  I'm hoping to do even more next year.  If you have a little extra time to put things together, you will save quite a bit of money. 

1.  Put it in a jar!  There are seriously so many good ideas on the web that I couldn't pick just one site so Google:  homemade jar gifts.  Everything from cookie and soup mixes, to homemade bath salts and potpourri. 

2.  Put it in a frame!  Printing pictures is pretty inexpensive these days.  I upload mine to my local 1 hour photo and a 4x6 is only about 13 cents.  Buy or make a cool frame and ta-da! 

3.  Here are 100 more ideas!

What are your plans this Christmas?  Feel free to share last minute gift ideas as well, I would love to hear from you.  Happy holidays everyone!! 

She's Making A List...

The holidays are here!!!  And I am super busy, sorry for the lack of posting.  I'm having a day where all I can think about is sweets: cookies, cake, anything.  Why oh why must the holidays do this to me?  But in the spirit of the holidays it's time for a list and I'm checking it twice. 

Amanda's Holiday To-Do List:

1.  Bake LOTS of cookies
2.  Finish shopping and making holiday gifts. 
3.  Prepare for my trip to NY over New Years.
4.  Continue to take vitamins
5.  Grocery run for Christmas dinner
6.  Clean the house...O.M.G.
7.  Wrap presents
8.  EAT lots of cookies (it is the holidays afterall)
9.  Sweep up all the damn pine needles from the tree for the 10th time this week
10. Have fun and be thankful

I have four days to get it all done. 

On a side note, as I am drinking this delicious Chai Tea latte, I was thinking about how to make this amazing tea drink and found a recipe.  I plan on making it very soon. 

What is everyone up to this holiday season?  Anyone else completing last minute tasks? 

Just a Thought

"Today will never come again.  Be a blessing.  Be a friend.  Encourage someone.  Take time to care.  Let your words heal, and not wound."  Author Unknown.

Take a moment today to reach out to a loved one or friend.  Be kind to one another. 

Thanks!

The ABC's of Me

Thought I'd do a fun post so y'all could get to know me a little better!  Here are 26 fun facts about me according to the alphabet.  Have a great day!

A is for AGE-I turned the dirty thirty in October but luckily I get to live out my childhood dreams and fantasies through my 1 year old daughter.  Yee haw to that!  But in all seriousness, 30 isn't so bad.  It's the age where you can still dress like a 21 year old and hit the clubs but people will still take you seriously.  I hope.

B is for BREAKFAST today-Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  I usually have a delicious breakfast taco WITH salsa (yum!) at work or a warm bowl of oatmeal.  Today I was a slacker and had a couple spoonfuls of cheerios.  Not that exciting I know, but my daughter seemed to like it.

C is for CURRENTLY CRAVING-What am I not craving?  I was telling my mom yesterday that I crave whatever I don't have in the house....so just about everything.  Right now I'm craving a salad though.  Oh, and some fish tacos!  Or sushi, either one will do.  I guess I am needing some veggies and Omega 3's.

D is for DINNER tonight-No idea.  Ugh.  I am indecisive.  A salad perhaps?

E is for favorite type of EXERCISE-Um, really?  None...Serious.  I do not like working out.  But to answer the question I will say walking.  Or swimming.  I walk more than any other exercise, but it still counts right?

F is for FAVE FOOD-EVERYTHING!!!  Sushi is going to top this list though.  I am always thinking about the next time I will eat sushi.  Mr. G still owes me a date...I will also say sandwiches.  I love sandwiches of all kinds.  Italian mixed subs, reubens, monte cristos, gyros.  Any anything Italian.  Chicken Parm, I love thee.  Oh my, I am so hungry now.

G is for GROSS food-hmmmm, I do not like wasabi peas.  I refuse to eat the organs of an animal, so move over liver and onions.  And cottage cheese.  Yuck, yuck and yuck.

H is for HOMETOWN-Troy what?!  Born and raised in Troy, NY.  I lived there for 22 years and have lots of great memories.  And yes, I am gangsta.

I is for something IMPORTANT-Family.  This has been the most important thing to me these days.  Oh, and my iPhone....hehe.

J is for favorite JAM-Band on the Run by Wings and anything by Neil Young.  I have an old soul, what can I say?

K is for KARAOKE-Never done it.  It's a shame, I KNOW!  And the funny thing is that I love to sing. I'll put it on my bucket list, happy now?  And I would sing Sweet Child of Mine by GNR.  Yes.

L is for LUXE-Mr. G should be a happy husband that I do not spend thousands of dollars on clothes each year.  I would rather spend my money on tacos at The Peached Tortilla or Whole Foods.  I.AM.A.NERD.

M is for MUFFINS-Anything with cinnamon chips or chocolate.  I don't eat muffins very often, I prefer scones.  I just had a yummy chocolate chip scone from Whole Foods the other day.  I need to learn how to make them....but not gain weight....maybe one day.

N is for something you NEED-A day off.  I'd like to be able to sleep in, cook and bake, without any distractions, and read a book.  Yes, Christmas is coming hint hint.

O is for OCCUPATION-Thank you for calling State Farm Auto Claims, how may I help you today?  I am a claim rep and investigate auto accidents.  Detective G in the hizzouse.

P is for PET PEEVE-I have a lot so I'll narrow it down to a couple.  Clipping your finger nails within 20 feet of me, not putting on your turn signal, and talking on your cell phone while driving.  Get with it people!

Q is for QUOTE-I've referenced if before and I'll do it again.  "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything."  Be your own person, it is so important.

R is for RUNNING-Running?  What is that?

S is for favorite SNACK-Veggies dipped in ranch dressing, cereal (not just a breakfast food), yogurt.  I snack all.day.long.  But at least I try to stick with healthier options.  Really need that salad...

T is for favorite TREAT-I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!  I love it and want more of it.  Anything with sugar really.  I love baked goods, more than the average person.

U is for something that makes you UNIQUE-I'm a red headed (natural blonde), cooking and singing gal (google Brown Meat-Waterfalls, I swear it's me), who can make a mean Shrimp and Grits and I'm not even from the South.

V is for favorite VEGETABLE-Bok Choy and zucchini....I.WANT.STIRFRY!!!

W is for today's WORKOUT-Gosh, if I realized there would be questions related to exercising I may have passed.  Um, let me get back to you on that.  Probably running around the grocery store.

X is for XRAYS you've had-Teeth, CT scan of back and abdomen, KUB xray of the kidneys, ureter and bladder.  Don't worry, I'm still pretty healthy :)

Y is for YESTERDAYS highlight-Finishing work and hanging out with my daughter the rest of the night.  She always puts a smile on my face and I love making her laugh.  Also getting to see Mr. G on FaceTime!

Z is for your favorite animal at the ZOO-Monkeys!  They are so cute and so smart I just want to squeeze them.  Zoos make me a little sad, but the Waco zoo seemed cool.

December Goals

It's the beginning of the month and you know what that means...monthly goal time.  I havent really given much thought about this month's goals because Christmas is on the brain of course, but here goes nothing.

1.  Do Not Procrastinate on Xmas Shopping/Gifting-I always tend to wait until the last minute to get my butt in gear.  I finished getting Little Miss her things, which are all things she needs by the way.  My problem is that I never have any idea what to get anyone, ahhhh...so I am going to make a list, check it twice, and get moving on putting things together.  I am hoping to not "shop" as much this year and "make" more. 

2.  Create a holiday tradition with Little Miss-I don't want my daughter growing up relating the holidays with only presents.  Sure, presents are nice, everyone loves presents.  But I want it to mean something more.  I know she is young now, but I guess I can start planning.  I want to show her that the holidays are about spending time with family, cooking a good meal, baking holiday treats, and just being kind to each other.  I also want to get involved with a charity, donate items to Goodwill, or do some kind of volunteer work.  I have always loved giving and doing what I can to help others and I hope Little Miss learns that too. 

3.  Walk-I was on a good walking kick for a while there but then got a little lazy so I need to start up again.  I'd like to clock at least 40-60 minutes of walking each day.   I think this is doable. 

4.  Plan out weekly meals- I am SO BAD at this and really need to get into a routine.  Any suggestions?? 

That's all I have so far...Feel free to share your monthly goals with me! 

November Foodie Penpal Reveal Day!

As always, I had a lot of fun with my Foodie Penpals.  So much so that I decided to take the remainder of the year off and take a break, especially with the holidays coming up.  Need to cut corners somewhere!

This month, my package came from none other than, Albany, NY!  So random my penpal is from this area because I grew up in the Albany area.  Lorraine was real sweet and sent me an awesome package with lots of goodies, including some homemade chocolate peanut butter cookies.  I'm glad she caught on that I love chocolate and peanut butter, one of the best combinations in my opinion.  She also included the recipe :)  I love it so much that she sent me a jar of dark chocolate peanut butter as well....swoon.  I'm still trying to decide what I want to make with it.  I may just smear it on some toast one of these days.

Lorraine also included a bar of dark chocolate, dried cranberries, ground flax seed, brown rice, and some purple rice and black sesame crackers.  I loved everything and couldn't wait to dig in.  Don't worry, I have included the recipe for the cookies under my recipe tab.  It would make a great cookie for the holidays!

I sent a package too of course, and this time it headed to Guam!  All I can say is that I was happy it made it there in one piece.  A few days went by that made me think it got lost in the mail, but my pal finally received it and loved it all.  I sent her some fig bars, chocolate covered cranberries, raw granola, red curry paste, and homemade pumpkin/chocolate chip cookies.  My pals were not bloggers this month, so unfortunately I can't link you to them.  

If you are interested in participating in Foodie Penpals, head over to The Lean Green Bean to sign up.  December will be a little different and Lindsay, The Lean Green Bean, will be taking the $15 dollars you would normally spend on food items and donating it to victims of Hurricane Sandy.  Come January, the program will be back to normal.  In the meantime, here is some info about the program:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 

-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

Rock and Roll Thanksgiving

Sorry for the delay in this post everyone, but Mr. G has been using our good camera for work and I forgot to upload Thanksgiving pictures before he left again.  Oops!  But here we go...

I had the pleasure of cooking for twenty three people this year.  There were about ten family members and Mr. G's work crew joined us as well.  All in all, I think everyone enjoyed themselves and I got to meet a few of Mr. G's work buddies that I haven't met yet.  Everyone is real nice on this tour and I was happy we could all share the day together.  The best part, everything went off without a hitch!

I baked two apple and two pumpkin pies the night before with the help of my mom, and also cooked the cranberry sauce to get a head start.  Thanksgiving Day started bright and early and I was up by 6am.  I picked Mr. G up first since he arrived in town early that morning and then it was off to the inlaws to finish cooking.  My MIL already made the stuffing and cooked the turkeys.  We had three turkeys so she baked, grilled and smoked one.  My mom and I were on side dish duty.  We made green beans amandine, roasted sweet potatoes, garlic/parmesan mashed potatoes, and honey/ginger glazed carrots.  I did not like how the carrots came out so I will not post that recipe, but I will post the others.  I apologize in advance, but I do not measure y'all.  Everyone started to arrive around 1pm so we got some appetizers ready to hold everyone over until dinner, which was at 4pm.  I threw together a spinach/artichoke dip and my mom made some cream cheese/jalapeño croissants to go along with the veggie tray.

It was a beautiful day so everything was set up outside, including the dinner tables.  That's one thing I really do love about living in Texas, the mild winters.  Mr. G got some great shots throughout the day and as you can see, we had some fun with the turkey leg!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know I did...

A Little Holiday Challenge

So I know I have talked about this blog before but The Lean Green Bean is having a holiday challenge called Elf For Health.  Read about it here.

I did not actually sign up to get matched with someone but my friend A and I decided to do it together anyway.  The challenge runs starting today through January 5th.  Feel free to follow along with me if you'd like and leave feedback on how you are doing!  

Today's challenge:  Go meatless today-For breakfast I had Central Market Organic "Cheerios" with almond milk and a banana, lunch was leftover vegetable stir fry with coconut milk and red curry, my snack was a little cheese, and dinner will be a fruit smoothie and vegetable soup.

I have already started working on day 2-Send a card or handwritten note to a friend.  If you click on the link above, you can print out the list of daily challenges, like I did.  Having little goals or things to accomplish personally always gives me gratification.  As much as my family fulfills me, it is always nice to do a little something for yourself.  

Who's up for the challenges?  Good luck and have fun!

Children Of The Sea

I have been thinking about my relationship with my daughter lately.  Little Miss and I have bonded from the beginning, naturally, and she is very sweet with me.  I know by showing her all the love and affection I can possibly give in a day will hopefully teach her to love and feel secure.  I have also been thinking about what I can leave with her, years from now.  What special thing can we share together?  And I hope that is cooking.

Other than being a mom, being in the kitchen is the one thing I enjoy the most, the one thing I feel I am naturally good at.  All those years of watching cooking shows really taught me something and I'm not afraid to dive right in.  Who needs culinary school when you have Great Chefs and How To Boil Water.  Anyone remember those?  I always have my nose in a cookbook or reading a food blog online.  I read food memoirs for fun.  In college, I would make dinners all the time for our friends in our little apartment, who happily obliged and ate everything up...I am a whole hearted foodie.  This is what I want to leave behind, for my daughter, and for the rest of my family.

I am hoping this blog can stay with Little Miss, as a diary of what I love, and also a collection of recipes for her.  I can't wait until she is a little older and we can start making things together.  Until then, I'll cook and she will bang on pots and pans.  A sound like no other.

What do you wish to leave for your children?  Any traditions you would like to share?

Lions, Tigers, and Bears...Oh My!

The fam and I took a little trip to the Cameron Park Zoo last week and thought I would do a post in pictures.  The zoo is only 1.5 hours away in Waco and it was a gorgeous day to walk around with Mr. G, Little S, Miss Livy, and Poppy (who I managed to not get any pictures of).  The pictures are courtesy of Mr. G.  Enjoy!