blessings to you and yours

Here's to joy, laughter, and cheer in twenty-ten.photo source

Happy New Year.

ruffly apron

Boy, the holidays are just flying by! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I've been enjoying some time off of work by baking, shopping and dusting off the sewing machine. I found this tutorial for an apron and after putting my sewing machine into submission a few times, I finally completed it. I'll be sending the apron to a friend with a mix of hot cocoa in the mail today!

birthdays and cookies

Thanks to SplurgeBakery and Jersey Bites, I won a set of personalized cookies and had them sent to my dad for his birthday! They were 12 individually wrapped sugar cookies and tied with a choice of color ribbon. SplurgeBakery was really great to work with, and extremely patient while I had my sis find and scan the photo in for me when my dad wasn't around! These cookies were tasty and looked beautiful! They were a hit with my family and I bet would be great for wedding favors, holiday parties, or even company logo cookies!

This is the picture I sent (circa 85 or 86, so not a very good quality photo):

And this is how the cookie turned out!

Christmas Cards 2009

A while back, I won a set of 50 Vista Print Christmas cards and envelopes from a 2000 Wedding! All of our family and friends have received them, so I thought I'd share the final product! I was so happy with the outcome; they were great quality and had lots of cute designs to pick from! Thanks Sara and Nick!

gonna get me some macarons

I've been wanting to make macarons for quite sometime but since I've never been to France, I really have no idea what they taste like. They just look so cute! I read Starbucks was going to be selling them for a limited time this month, so I figure it's going to be the closest opportunity to see what I'm shooting for when I actually get around to baking them. I thought I'd pass along the information in case you haven't ever had them either! They will be available at select Starbucks Dec. 13-25th.

**EDIT - I couldn't find them anywhere, so this past weekend I asked a manager and she said they are only available at fresh markets - i.e. Seattle, Portland, etc. Sad face for me, but hey if you live in those areas, let me know how they taste!**

image from serious eats

Vegas-Themed Holiday Work Party

I work for a construction company and we are having our work holiday party in a few weeks. I always have the toughest time figuring out what to wear to these shindigs! The invite says:

• Suggested Dress: Whatever you would wear to Vegas Baby! (Jeans to Jewels)

When I think Vegas, I think all things sparkly, glittery and saucy. But this is a work party, so I have to keep it somewhat professional. I think. And all of my coworkers are at least 15-20 years older than me, if that means anything. I'm probably going to go with a pair of dark jeans and black boots; here are few shirts I had in mind:

source

source

(with an cami under, of course) source

So am I way off? Any ideas? What would you wear to a Vegas-themed Holiday work party?

thankful

Thanksgiving was wonderful. Great time spent with loved ones and good food all weekend long. I hope you had a lovely holiday too! Below was the lineup for this year. Click on each item for the link to its recipe.

Roasted Turkey (sans glaze; nobody ate it last year)
Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Celery Herb Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes (see recipe below)
Cheesy Mac
Green Bean Casserole
Dinner Rolls
Corn Soufflé
Sweet Potatoes
Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie (I added 1/2 tsp nutmeg & 1/2 a lemon to filling)
Cinnamon Spice Ice Cream
Zucchini Bread (see recipe below)
Ginger Cookies

Mashed Potatoes
red potatoes, quartered (do not peel; I used a 5 lb bag)
minced garlic
milk (I use what I have on hand, buttermilk is my fave)
salt
pepper
butter

Boil water. Add salt. Cook potatoes. Drain water. Add milk, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Mash/mix it all together. Say goodbye to your skinny jeans until Spring.

Zucchini Bread (recipe from a friend; it is SO moist!)

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

3 tsp vanilla

1 cup olive oil

4 cups grated "medium to small" zucchini

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1-1/2 to 2 cups fresh cracked walnuts

Beat eggs until light and foamy, then add sugar, vanilla and oil, beat until mixture will leave a trail when poured from a spoon. Stir in grated zucchini. Sift together flour, baking powder,salt, soda, nutmeg, cinnamon. Fold this into zucchini mixture with walnuts. Pour into 2 greased 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch loaf pans. Bake @ 350 for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until a knife inserted in the center come out clean. Top with butter or just ENJOY plain!

my lovely

Sorry for the absence! I was doing so good for NaBloPoMo until I got a nasty cold and fell off the wagon. During my little hiatis, I made sure to get lots of rest, watched New Moon, did a little wine tasting, deleted my twitter account, and may or may not have turned a year older. Now, I am slowly catching up on my favorite blogs and was surprised to see I got an award from Yours, Mine & Ours!

I love her blog! She is a fan of the Twilight series like I am, and featured a countdown leading up to the premiere of New Moon! Definitely made the anticipation that much better! And she has two adorable puppies; I want to give them lots of kisses! Thanks for the award Mrs. Misadventure! Be sure to stop by and leave her some love.

Now for the rules:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who's given it to you, along with the link to his or her blog.

2. Pass the award to seven other blogs you enjoy.

3.Contact those bloggers to let them know they've been chosen for this award.

7 lovely blogs are!

High-Heeled Love
A Chocolate Lover's Confessions
A Recipe for Aperture
A Summer Picnic Wedding
A Teaspoon of Fire
i heart kiwi
gimme some oven

the best enchiladas. ever.

Sorry Mom! But these were gooood! I don't know if it's because initially, I had low expectations; I'd never had a sour cream-based enchilada sauce. The combination of the sour cream and roasted tomatillos was perfect. I recommend using fresh tomatillos if you have access to them. Our grocery store was out of serranos so I used half of a jalapeno, deseeded. Check out the recipe on the Homesick Texan's blog, one of my new favorites!

The boys gobbled them up before I could take a picure. So instead, you get a picture of that handsome hunk I married!

my little cooking partner

Let me introduce you to my cooking partner, Bailey. She is always by my side as soon as I put my apron on. Little Bails will drop anything, and I mean even drop chewing on the big dogs' bones, to come join me in the kitchen. I like to think she's there for moral support but really, she's probably just waiting for me to drop some crumbs on the floor for her to scoop up!

Anyway, with Bailey by my side the other night, I found a Chicken Tikka Masala recipe that I had thought sounded delicious. Well, if you like spicy foods, you'll love this recipe. It was loaded with flavor. I kicked back the heat a ton, but unfortunately it was still too spicy for my husband so I was the only one enjoying this meal that night.
Chicken Tikka Masala (makes 4 servings)
recipe from Blogchef.net

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces)
4 long wooden skewers (soaked overnight in water)
¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped, for garnish)
Marinade-
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (I used 1/2 tsp)
2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (minced)
4 teaspoons salt (or less, to taste)
Sauce-
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 jalapeño pepper (finely chopped)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoon paprika (I used between 1 - 1.5 tsp)
2 teaspoons salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream

• In a large bowl mix yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne pepper, ginger, and salt. Add chicken bits and mix well, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. After 1 hour thread chicken bits onto skewers. Discard the marinade.

• Lightly oil grill grates and pre-heat the grill to high heat. Put chicken onto the grill and cook until juices run clear (about 5 minutes on each side).

• In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeño peppers and sauté for 1 minute. Add 2 teaspoons of cumin, paprika, and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and heavy cream. Bring to a boil while stirring reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Add grilled chicken to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with white rice and garnish with cilantro.
  

bad romance

I want to close my eyes but can't stop watching this video. I think I'm going to have nightmares about that cat.

Black Friday

Do you wake up during the wee hours and head to the stores for some good holiday deals on Black Friday?

Image from here

I've been doing it for the past 6 years and am always amazed at how much you can save if you get there early and plan ahead! Here's a website I've found helpful with sales, especially if we're specifically looking for a big ticket item!

Bridal Set

Matching hair piece and boutonnière - perfect for an outdoor wedding.

Buttered Rosemary Rolls

Have I mentioned how much I love reading The Pioneer Woman? She's got a great sense of humor; she does the cooking thing, photography, ranching, and tells great stories - just to name a few things. Her new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks has recently been released, and I can't wait to get my hands on it! I read her blog daily, and after seeing the buttered rolls, I knew I had to try them. And I was able to put our cast iron skillet to good use! I especially loved the coarse salt on them, so so good!


Buttered Rosemary Rolls
from The Pioneer Woman

Frozen, Unbaked Dinner Rolls
Melted Butter, Regular, Salted
Fresh Rosemary, Coarsely Chopped
Coarse Sea Salt

1. Spray a small iron skillet with cooking spray (or coat with olive oil). Place frozen rolls in the skillet, leaving plenty of room for rising. Cover and allow to rise for several hours.

2. After rising, brush rolls with melted butter.

3. Sprinkle on chopped rosemary. Brush with additional butter.
Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

4. Bake according to roll package directions (usually 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes), until rolls are a deep golden brown on top.

Congrats to Austin and Trace Face!

See this adorable couple? They started dating a week before Husband and I did. He was Husband's roommate and she was my roommate. They just got engaged this weekend! It was the biggest and longest secret I have ever kept (I've known for months) and I'm just glad we can all just talk about it finally! Congrats to the lovebirds :)

Half of My Heart

I love John Mayer and Taylor Swift is growing on me. They teamed up and made this song. What do ya think - is it going to be a hit?

found it here

Sugar Doll

Miss T over at Ninety Nine + Forever has given me the Sugar Doll Award! Her wedding is New Year's Eve so be sure to stop by her blog and check out her fun ideas leading up to her big day!

The rules are: Post this award on my blog, write ten interesting facts about myself, and then pass it on to ten other bloggers, so here goes!

1.Until about 3 years ago, I hated cheddar cheese. After a couple of years of dating my guy and finding out it was a staple in all of his meals, I finally came to terms with it and now actually love it (although, every now and again grilled cheese sandwiches make me want to gag).

2. I have never dyed my hair. I'd like to keep my natural color as long as I can (my mom was in her late 30s before she started touching up her hair and she still rarely does it).

3. I got to spend close to a month in Mexico with my great-grandmother who was 97 when she passed away. She didn't have much of her memory when we met, but the first time she saw me she knew instantly that I was my dad's daughter because she said I looked just like she remembered him as a child. It had been over 35 years since they'd seen each other.

4. Moths really freak me out.

5. Tacos de lengua (Beef tongue tacos) were a childhood favorite meal! It's probably been a decade since I've had them.

6. I loved Selena growing up. Absolutely LOVED. I owned all of her cassette tapes (hehe), had all of her songs memorized, and would sing along using my dad's music equipment. I was devastated when she was killed.

7. I don't know how to drive a manual.

8. This is one of the greatest songs I had the privilege of performing. Chamber Choir 2001 baby!

9. My first CD was TLC - Crazy Sexy Cool.

10. I drink milk from the carton - don't tell my husband!

I pass this on to the following fabulous girls:

Aubrey
Mrs. Adventure
Briana
iheartkiwi
A Bride...Again
Born to be Mrs. Beever
Snowflake
Kenna
Tiffany
Jodie Layne

Christopher Walken performs Poker Face

I have a confession. Christopher Walken has long been my old man crush. For some people it's Sean Connery. For one of my friends - it's Barry Manilow. Me? I want more cowbell. I can't explain it, but I think it was Sarah, Plain and Tall that did it for me. So, imagine my delight when I received an email from a friend with Christopher Walken performing Poker Face. Quite possibly two of my most favorite people in the world, represented in this video:

(White) Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

I don't know what has gotten into me these days. Somebody stop me! Made these delicious oreo chocolate chip cookies from Picky Palate for my husband - he loved them, I loved them. They were sinfully delicious.

(White) Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies
Recipe from Picky Palate

1 stick softened butter
6 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ Cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
8 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
1 Cup chocolate chips (I used white chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter, and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.

2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.

3. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until cooked, but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

My jeans may be bursting at the seams these days but hot dog, these were goooood!! Made the house smell scrumptious all morning long. These muffins have a nice spice to them and the chocolate chips just melt in your mouth.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
recipe from she's in the kitchen

1 15 oz. can pumpkin ( I use Libby's)

2 cups brown sugar, packed

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

4 large eggs

1/2 cup apple cider

3 1/2 cups flour

2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

4 1/2 t. cinnamon

4 1/2 t. ginger

1 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. cloves

1 cup milk chocolate chips (I used 1 1/2 c), plus more for the tops

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin tins.

2. Place the pumpkin, brown sugar, and melted butter in mixer bowl and mix well.

3. Add the eggs and mix again, then add the cider.

4. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices and salt to the mixer bowl.

5. Mix on low until well blended, then add the chocolate chips and mix one more time.

6. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into muffin tins: for regular sized muffin tins and using a normal ice cream scoop, each muffin should be one scoop. Continue filling tins until all the batter is gone. Sprinkle one or two ( or three!) chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

7. Bake for around 25 minutes, or until tops are firm when gently pressed with your finger.

8. Remove to cool. After ten minutes, use a dull knife to edge out the muffins and let cool further on a cooling rack.

Dinner Rolls

Can you believe it's already November?? Stores are starting to stock up with holiday items and I just couldn't be happier! We'll be hosting Thanksgiving again this year and I'm starting to put together a list of items to make. These dinner rolls will definitely be on that list! They are melt-in-your-mouth yummy!


Thanksgiving last year was a great one. It was the first time we hosted, we celebrated my birthday, we bought my wedding dress, and got our first Christmas tree! The day of Thanksgiving, everything was going smoothly; all the food came together, was ready and looked delicious. I popped the sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows in the oven on broil for a quick minute and went to start serving plates. When I looked at the oven, I saw it lit up... with flames! I quickly opened the oven door to put out the fire that was my beautiful sweet potatoes and marshmallows.

Good thing my sister was there to document it, or else we may have forgotten all about this little incident.
We all got a good laugh out of it (especially my dad and husband as I was frantically trying to put out the flames!) and I'm sure this story will come up every year from here on out.

Dinner Rolls
recipe from For the Love of Cooking

• 1 cup of water
• 2 tbsp of butter, softened
• 1 egg (hold under warm water before breaking it)
• 3 1/4 cup of bread flour
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp regular active dry yeast

Place all dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed. Select the dough cycle and press start. Once the bread machine stops (it was one and a half hours on my machine). Grease a cookie sheet. Divide dough into 15 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Brush with butter then cover; let rise in a warm place 30 to 4o minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Sushi

After doing a little research, last night I attempted my first take at sushi.
Ok so the rolls don't look very pretty, but they sure were tasty!


Starting at the top going clockwise is the California Roll, Philadelphia Roll, and Alaskan Roll.
I thought this was a fun little challenge since I've recently entered the world of sushi. These weren't hard to make at all! Some lessons learned were:

• Don't overstuff the nori, otherwise you will have one big roll that is difficult to eat! I tried to get a picture of husband while he was eating one to prove it, but he wasn't having it!
  

• Buy firm avocados, otherwise they mush up in the roll and the roll doesn't look as pretty.

• Don't make 4 rolls unless you are sharing them with someone who also likes sushi. My husband was a great sport and ate 4 or 5 pieces, but there are a lot of leftovers and I think he's going to go for the chips and salsa instead today!

I had a lot of fun making and eating these, so we'll see if these end up on the menu again! Anyway, I hope you had a happy and safe Halloween!!


Sushi Rice Recipe (and in the comment section is the Alaskan Roll Recipe)
California Roll Recipe
Philadelphia Roll Recipe

Other helpful resources:
How to prepare sushi
The Pioneer Woman Sushi Rolls Galore!

Cinnamon Rolls and My Wacky Destress Methods

Work has been really stressful lately and I really look forward to unwinding on the weekends. You want to know what helps me take my mind off of things sometimes? Making up laughs like one would make up different accents. Ok, before you think I'm totally off my rocker, hear me out. First, you could laugh like a raging lunatic, then a really deep laugh, maybe some with hiccups and anything you could think of in between! I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes all you need is a good laugh to feel better!!


You have to try it sometime, very loudly. And please do me a favor and record it and post it on YouTube - well for my entertainment of course.


Ah yes, now back to serious business - this past Friday was a cold and wet one. All day, the Husband and I stayed bundled up in the warmth of our house. I decided it was a good day to make us some cinnamon rolls and dusted off the old bread machine.




So what did the taste-tester think?

"Mmm, these babies won't last long!"

Cinnamon Rolls

recipe from here

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

One Sweet Day: Here Comes the Bride

Dad and I were waiting on the porch and when we heard my music start, it was time for us to walk down the aisle.

*Guest photo

*Guest photo

Hubs was smiling, waiting for us to get there. It took a lot of will power not to run straight to him.

*Guest photo

At this moment cherishing the special moments we've shared, I gave my dad the biggest, tightest hug my body would allow me.

His dad and stepmom looked on lovingly

My dad gave a few words of kindness, most of which I don't remember but essentially, it was that he and my mom really liked Hubs from the day they met him and they couldn't be happier than to see their daughter with this wonderful young man.
After my dad as seated, I took a look around just amazed and overjoyed that all of these people where here for us.

all photos except where noted by Jenny Jimenez

Just now joining the party!
One Sweet Day: Setting Up
One Sweet Day: My Fabulous Ladies Get Dolled Up!
One Sweet Day:Gifts for the Girls
One Sweet Day: Every Little Girls Dream Come True
One Sweet Day: First Look!
One Sweet Day: Couples Pics
One Swwet Day: The Ceremony Begins

One Sweet Day: The Ceremony Begins

After the guests were seated, the music started and Hubs and our pastor walked out.

Once they were in place, the hubs' wonderful Stepmom was walked out,

followed by my beautiful Momma.

The bridal party couples followed, as they each got their moment to shine!

And they, along with guests, patiently waited for the bride and her father.

all photos by Jenny Jimenez

Just now joining the party?

One Sweet Day: Setting Up

One Sweet Day: My Fabulous Ladies Get Dolled Up!

One Sweet Day:Gifts for the Girls

One Sweet Day: Every Little Girls Dream Come True

One Sweet Day: First Look!

One Sweet Day: Couples Pics