The First Fun Day at the Beach in 2012

 After the winter that refused to die finally decided to take a vacation we to the dogs to the beach...

 

She just had to be wet...

 

MMM...Onion rings.

 

This Place is awesome because they let us eat on their patio with our dogs... The food is good too.

Another Nice Day at the Beach

Since there was a break in the rain we took the dogs and headed to the coast.

Yum Quinoa

The company I work for has a demo department in all of their stores. I like when they introduce something that I want to make at home. This is my version of their Green Quinoa Salad.

 

1 1/2 cup red or white or mixed quinoa

2 cups of water

1/2 cup of broccoli cut small

1/2 cup asparagus

3 stalk green onions chopped

8 oz pesto

1tbl olive oil

pinch of salt

Rinse quinoa add to a pot with the water and salt on med/high. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low cover and let simmer about 15 min, or until all of the water is gone. Let quinoa cool. Saute asparagus in olive oil until tender. When ready to mix together. Enjoy!

House Project List 2012

So it is a new year and it is time to finish old projects and plan new ones.

1. Attic Floor we have about 30% left
2.   Organize the attic
3. Semi- finish Basement
4. Front yard fence
5. Landscape Backyard

Seems like a short list but it sounds exhausting to me. I will post as things get finished. This is most likely the order of operation. Hopefully the attic floor will be done this weekend. 

Holiday Baking

Shane and I got some baking done yesterday and here are some of the results.

Rum Balls

These are really easy to make and here is the recipe. They are very tasty.

Buffalo Chip Cookies and The Cranberry White Chocolate Orange Option.

This is my cookie cheat one recipe many options.

1/2c Butter

1/2c Shortening

1c Brown Sugar

1c White Sugar

2 Large Eggs

2c All Purpose Flour

1t Baking Soda

1t Baking Powder 

1t Vanilla

1t Salt

1t Cinnamon or (zest of an orange)

1c Old Fashion Oats

1c Corn Flake Cereal

1c Chocolate Chips or (white chocolate chips)

1/2c Flaked Coconut

1/2c Chopped Walnuts or (dried cranberries)

(these items you swap for the orange white chocolate cranberry cookies)

There should be about 32 cookies. Bake at 350 degrees 13-15 min.

English Toffee

This was really easy. Here is the link for the recipe.

Love this site.

Bavarian Style Pretzels

This was the first attempt and I think I will try a different recipe next time. They are still edible.

Shane also made his lovely rye bread but I failed at taking pictures of it and knowing where he got the recipe. I can tell you it is delicious. I guess I should start the beirocks for today.

A Newly Painted Front door and Pumpkins...

 

I finally got around to painting the front door. 

 

The pumpkin seeds were delicious. 

Our First Thanksgiving

So realistically this is not our first Thanksgiving together. It is number 17 or 18 it has been so long I don't remember if we spent Thanksgiving together the first year. This is however our first Thanksgiving where we are preparing the food.

I am not going to pretend to recreate the lovely food our families have prepared over the years but we will create our own versions of traditional favorites. Probably with a lot of help from the web.

I think the real magic is picking the right combinations so the food is ready at the same time. Getting things done in advanced so there is time to relax too. I think there will be only 4 of us.

Here is my initial thoughts on the food. I am sure things will change but I like to plan.

Pre-meal snackage: The foods hanging out while preparing for the main gorge.
*Spinach Artichoke Dip
*Olive Tapenade
*Hummus
*Cheese Selection
*Veggies and bread for Dipping

The Dinner:
*Turkey
*Stuffing/Dressing
*Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Toasted Almonds
*Garlic Mashed Potatoes
*Roasted Beet, Walnut, and Feta Salad
*Vegan Roast or some sort of protein for me

Dessert:
*Homemade Pumpkin Pie with spiced whipped cream.

To some it looks like overkill but what is the point of Thanksgiving really... It is the meal!
Be thankful everyday and enjoy the season.