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Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts

Monday, December 2, 2013

Thanksgiving and New Home

Oh hey, December how are you?

Christmas is here!! Yay! So excited to get our decorations up and make some sugar cookies. Yummy. But first I would like to share a little snip bit of our life in our new home and our Thanksgiving festivities! 

I guess I should clarify that our new home is actually an apartment. I'm sure most of you know this already, but our move in date was actually supposed to be December 12th. However, a miracle happened and we were able to move in last week. Super exciting stuff. This is by far the nicest place we have ever lived (outside of our parents homes) and we could not be happier. It is a great size for the two of us and is in a good location for commuting to work and visiting family and friends. 

Unpacking is coming along quite nicely! The kitchen is done.. Hallelujah. I truly missed having my own kitchen. Our dining room and the living room are both done, they just have some boxes hanging out in them for now. Thanks to my stud muffin, our desks are put together in the office and we are planning on getting that unpacked and organized this week. Bathroom has the essentials out with the boxes tucked away and out of sight until I get some shelves for under the sink storage. As for our bedroom.. well it kind of looks like a war zone. That door definitely gets shut when guests are over right now. But with everything that has been going on I feel like we have done a lot of work around here, so I am pleased. 

Over the past couple of weeks Tom and I have both been fighting off colds. I also found out I have an eye infection in my left eye which is not only very painful but also requires eye drops that make my vision very blurry. With the fight to stay healthy, our move, and our new jobs we were both very tuckered out when Thanksgiving showed up on our front step, so we decide to stay home and celebrate Thanksgiving just the two of us. It was a bummer we didn't get to see his family, but we are planning a weekend to go out and see them before Christmas :) 

I braved the crowds on Wednesday night to grab the Thanksgiving essentials for our feast! I do not recommend going out the day before Thanksgiving for your food.. It was a total zoo at the grocery store. But I got everything we needed and drove home to start getting everything ready. 

As far as cooking goes, preparing our meal was a breeze compared to last year. I did have more utensils and tools this time which was really nice, but everything turned out perfectly and I had it ready around 4 o'clock (which according to Tom is apparently the right time to have Thanksgiving dinner). We started our meal with a salad, followed by turkey, garlic red pepper mashed potatoes, green beans with red onion, garlic, and bacon, dinner biscuits, and had pumpkin pie and cookies for dessert. Here are some pics of our yummy meal:





Sorry I didn't take any pictures of us on Thanksgiving.. But I did manage to get one of Tifa and Thomas! :)


My fur babies are so cute! I can not believe how big Tifa is getting, remember when she was smaller than Thomas? Anyway, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! 

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Good Ideas - Thanksgiving Desserts


Can I just say I love putting these Good Ideas posts together! I get to weed through my Pinterest boards to find long lost pins. It has become my way of spending productive time on Pinterest ;) Now, back to business!

ONE WEEK UNTIL THANKSGIVING!! This year we actually get to spend it with family.. So exciting! We will be travelling to stay with Tom's sister and her husband. It will be oodles of fun! I am looking forward to seeing them and hugging her oh so cute baby bump! Besides seeing family, I am second most excited (does that even make sense?) to eat Thanksgiving dessert. I have definitely been craving the classic pumpkin pie, but if you are a little.. over.. that dessert (is that even possible!). Here are some other good ideas you could give a try! 


Mini Pumpkin Pie Slice Cookies via The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle


Bite Sized Acorn via Barista Kids


Pumpkin Cake Balls via Prepared NOT Scared


Turkey Cake Pops via Catch My Party


Yummy Turkey's via League Baking


Cornucopia Place Cards via Caramel Potatoes


Free Dessert Topper Printable via Positively Splendid


Pilgrim Hat Cupcakes via Kitchen Concoctions


Praline - Pumpkin Mousse Cornucopia via All Recipes


Turkey Nutter Butter Cookies via Frugal Coupon Living


Peanut Butter Pumpkins via The Better Baker


Pear Cake via iVillage


Pumpkin Spice Pie Pops via Love From the Oven


Oreo Turkeys via Simple Girl


Peanut Butter Pilgrim Hat via Love This Pic


Mini Pumpkin Cakes via All Recipes


Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce via Cooking Classy


Turkey Cupcakes via Delicious Clouds





Turkey Cupcakes via Reasons Four Loving Seasons


Friday, November 8, 2013

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili


Let me begin by saying I LOVE my crock pot! It is seriously the best invention ever! I am always on the lookout for amazing recipes to try out because let's face it, crock pots are just so darn handy.

I originally found this recipe off of Skinny Taste. As you can probably guess I changed it up, and it is to die for yummy! Honestly this is probably my favorite crock pot meal. Here's the recipe for 10 servings. 

Ingredients:

- 2 10 ounce cans of diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 15 ounce can of corn
- 15 ounce can of kidney beans
- 15 ounce can of black beans
- 1 onion, chopped
- About 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (warning: some taco seasonings are spicier than others!)
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, precooked and shredded
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Cheese of your choosing

Directions:

1. In your crock pot combine: tomatoes and green chilies, tomato sauce, corn, beans, onion, chili powder, and taco seasoning. Add the precooked, shredded chicken on top, do not stir in. I have used both precooked and uncooked chicken, and I think precooked comes out better. I usually just whip up a bunch of chicken over the weekend to use in recipes throughout the week. :)

2. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. 

*If using uncooked chicken: half an hour before serving, remove the chicken from the crock pot, shred, and return to pot. As a side note, I used uncooked chicken once and it actually came out drier and not as flavorful. I suggest using pre-cooked chicken, but to each his (or her) own! 

3. Top chili with fresh cilantro and cheese! 

If it sounds easy, that's because IT IS!! This is a great dish for when guests come over. It has been a real crowd pleaser in our house, and has saved me from cooking elaborate meals! Pairs perfectly with corn bread as well! I am planning on making this with leftover Thanksgiving turkey this year. I feel like it will be SUPER yummy!

What is your favorite crock pot recipe?? Be sure to share it in the comments below! :)

Monday, November 4, 2013

Good Ideas - Thanksgiving


Can you believe it is already November?? It seems like this year is just flying by! Anyway, Halloween has passed so it's now socially acceptable to write about Thanksgiving! ;) Below I have compiled 18 Thanksgiving pins from my Celebrating Autumn board that I hope you enjoy just as much as I do. I have included my favorite free printables, crafts, decorations, and even some food ideas!


Autumn Printable via Love, Pomegranate House


Autumn Subway Art via Smile Like You Mean It


Give Thanks Mantel via Google Search


Front Porch via Home Stories A to Z


Fall Wreath via My Life as Mrs. H


Thankful, Grateful, Blessed Front Porch via Google Search


Welcome Pumpkin Printable via Better Homes and Gardens


Give Thanks Mantle via A Diamond in the Stuff


 Give Thanks Gratitude Board via Jellybean Junkyard


Thanksgiving Decor via Modern Palm Boutique


Leaf Garden via Good Housekeeping


Thanksgiving Sign via Etsy


Thanksgiving Sign via Google Search



Thanksgiving Block Decorations via Soda Pop Avenue


Kids Table via Google Search


Place mats via Google Search



Turkey Caramel Apple Dip via Indulgy


Turkey Veggie Tray via Eating with Food Allergies