Sign of the Times

Lately, my only interest in blogging has been to discuss either food or Christmas. It's silly of me but it made me wonder for a second why those were the two things at the forefront of my mind. Then after a second of idiotic wondering I realized that the food portion stems from the fact that Thanksgiving is a mere 2 (and kind of a half) days away. And we all know why Christmas is on my mind--because I am minorly (okay majorly) obsessed and in love with the Christmas season. I guess my preoccupations are just a sign of the times.

So, in the spirit of Christmas and food loving I will post some favorites from both categories because I just can't seem to get enough of either! (This issue may require medical attention!)

For the food lover in all of us: If you click here you will find yourself on a page for Cooking Light's Spicy Caramel Brownies which look positively sinful and totally delicious! I haven't actually made them yet, but they are on my "To-Bake" list over the course of December. By the way, have I mentioned how excited I am  for the end of the semester and therefore the upcoming winter break. We get over a month off from classes and the best part is that since we are in the transition between semesters they can't assign any homework. Therefore I will have virtually an entire month free from assigned readings, papers, and projects. Now I still have a child so that is where most of my free time will go, but the thought of no school for a month fills me with joy!

And now for the Christmas portion of my post! I spent a lot of my downtime about a week or so ago watching "The Holiday." I watched it fully through about 4 times and then watched parts of it here and there while doing homework or surfing the Internet. This week, however, I have shifted my viewing frenzy to a different movie. "Love Actually" is my new film of choice, and what a great one it is. In fact, I "Love Actually Bombed" a friends Facebook wall last night with various pictures and quotes from the movie. I will share a clip of my favorite part of the movie with you: Hugh Grant dancing to Pointer Sisters "Jump For My Love." Well, it's actually one of two favorite parts. I also love the scene at the end where Jamie (Colin Firth) proposes to Aurelia. 

And on that note, I hope you all have a great start to your week!

-Kate

Let's Not Forget About Thanksgiving

As excited as I am for the Christmas season and all the joy and merriment that comes with it, I can't just forget about Thanksgiving. I have mixed feelings about Thanksgiving as a whole. I like it because it denotes the proximity to Christmas. I hate it because I usually only end up eating corn and rolls (such is the life of a picky eater). I love it because it's close to my birthday (and sometimes on my birthday). I hate it because it usually means spending the day with people that I find somewhat annoying. This year though Andy and I put off the task of figuring out how to divvy up the holidays between our families by declaring that we were going to spend the actual day as our own little family of three in our apartment. This means that Andy and I are making our very first Thanksgiving meal, and we couldn't be more excited! Seriously, this is a cook/baker/foodie's dream holiday! And as we consider ourselves as a couple to be a combination of those things we are truly looking forward to Thanksgiving.

Given that we are poor college students/new parents we have a limited budget and a shared disgust for turkey so we are ditching the Thanksgiving standards and giving them a unique twist. Our menu is primarily vegetarian because it's cheaper and we are not real big meat lovers. I thought it might be fun to share our menu here with links to the recipes we are going to be making so as to hopefully inspire others in their holiday cooking!

The Amell-Fehrenbach Family Thanksgiving Meal:

Cointreau Cranberry Relish ala Ted Allen: Click here






Corn bread, Chorizo, and Jalapeno Dressing (our exception to the vegetarian standard) from Cooking Light: Click here. We are just buying a cornbread mix to simplify Thursday's cooking process, but it should be exceedingly yummy!

Green Beans with Garlic Butter. This one is going to be made from Andy's own head, but I think it'll be quite easy. He's just going to saute the green beans in some homemade garlic butter to give them a bit of flavor. Plus, who doesn't need a little more garlic in their life?


Salad. We'll be doing a nice salad with fresh greens. We've really been a fan of this artisan lettuce that comes in a plastic container at the grocery store. It turns out that buying that and a head of romaine and tossing in a big bowl is way cheaper than buying all the bagged salads at the store. Plus if you have an OXO salad spinner, like us, your job is made that much easier (I love our salad spinner!).

Sweet Potato Gnocchi brought to you by Sunset.com: Click here. We are going to forego the mushrooms and spinach and make our own sauce to put over it. Andy is envisioning something spicy to complement the sweetness of the potatoes. Perhaps something with chipotle and honey? We'll see how it turns out!






Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake from Cooking Light: Click here. I am really excited about this dessert! Just reading the ingredient list makes me drool!











A Bishop, David Wondrich's version will be our after dinner drink of choice. Click here and scroll down past the instructions for a hot whiskey to get to the bishop recipe. As a side note, we're pairing some red and white wines with the meal itself!


I'll be sure to write back about how it all turned out! In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday and a delicious Thanksgiving!

Deliciously Yours,

-Kate

Yummy Things To Make

SUGAR COOKIES

One of my favorite Christmasy things to do is throw on some good Christmas tunes and bake and decorate Christmas cookies. When it comes to decorating Christmas cookies at my parents' house we always have at least 4 colors of frosting, a bazillion sprinkles, and red hots (little cinnamon candies)! Over the years we've gotten pretty creative in our cookie designs. My sisters like to swirl the frosting so it looks like the cookie has been dunked in tie-dye. But my dad is always the one who gets super into it. He will sit at our kitchen table with his tongue sticking out in concentration while he frosts away! His cookies usually look the best, too. 

In the spirit of Christmas and sharing, I thought I'd share our sugar cookie recipe with you. It is a recipe we got from my grandma and it is the only sugar cookie recipe I have ever known or used. I hope you enjoy!

Happy Baking!

-Kate

Sugar Cookies:

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar

1 cup lard or shortening

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

8 cups white, all-purpose flour (or more)

Instructions:

1.) Mix sugar and shortening together

2.) Add eggs. Beat.

3.) Add vanilla. Mix.
4.) Sift salt, baking soda, baking powder, and a few cups of flour together.

5.) Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, alternating with the milk. A little flour, a little milk, a little flour, a little milk, etc. 

6.) Continue to add flour until at a good doughy consistency. 

7.) Roll out dough, cut with cookie cutters and place on baking sheet.

8.) Bake at 350^ for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting:

Ingredients:
butter

powdered sugar

milk

peppermint extract (optional)

food coloring

Instructions:

1.) Melt a tablespoon of butter and mix a little powered sugar in a mug with a little milk. Adjust with either more milk or sugar until you have a good frosting consistency. 

2.) Add a small drop or two of peppermint extract to frosting if you like it to have a hint of mint. (This is something my family has always done to our frosting. It's delicious!)

3.) Add food coloring to get desired color.

4.) Make more in various mugs or bowls with various colors.

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Silver Bells...Deck the Halls...I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

I don't think I can explain just how badly I want it to officially be Christmastime! By officially I mean Thanksgiving Day. I try really hard not to listen to Christmas music or put up Christmas decorations until Thanksgiving Day. Some might say you should wait until the day after Thanksgiving, but honestly, Thanksgiving is about as long as I can make it. If I had to go another die I might die of sadness. So here is some holiday cheer and joy! Below are some of my favorite things about Christmas!

Cheers!
-Kate

1.) I love Christmas music. You know how we often wish our lives had soundtracks? For me, when it comes to Christmastime and music my life does have one. The music that makes you warm and fuzzy and all cozy and nostalgic? That's how I feel at Christmas and that's the same feeling Christmas music gives me! Some of my favorites are Michael Buble's album, "Christmas." I will also always have a love for Michael W. Smith's Christmas album titled "Christmastime." Track number 8, "Christmas Waltz" is my favorite!

2.) I love Christmas lights on buildings and houses! It turns our ordinary, boring homes and buildings into something magical at night. But may I say, I am more for the classly decor and the "less is more" mindset. All the tacky plastic figures and the explosion of lights is just too much for me. The one soft spot in my heart for that is a plastic Santa figure that was always in my grandparent's house as a child. Then we got one for my dad who has a soft spot for that old Santa, too. 

3.) FOOD! We always seem to find a way to work food into our traditions, especially holiday ones. What other time of year is it appropriate to give people gifts of just cookies? Plus, have you ever given or received more food than you do over the course of the Christmas holiday. Put on a Santa hat, turn on some Christmas jams and suddenly even my mom, who doesn't often like to bake, wants to make Christmas cookies!

4.) Christmas movies make my heart happy. Here are some of my top favs: White Christmas, The Holiday, The Grinch (Jim Carey version), Love Actually, The Family Stone, Christmas with the Kranks, While You Were Sleeping

5.) Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches! They truly are lovely, and I think I love just about everything about them. I love going to pick one out with my family and carrying it back home. I love decorating it with lights and ornaments. I love turning all the lights out and sitting in front of the lit up tree. I love the smell of sap and pine needles. I love sleeping under it on Christmas Eve, a tradition I hope to continue with Andy and Alex this year! I think the only thing I don't love about Christmas trees are all the pine needles that need to be swept up. Plus crawling on your belly to pour more water in the base is never fun either. 

6.) Last, but not least, SNOW! People are always getting down on snow. I know that once it gets to be February we all just want it to be spring, but can't we enjoy the snow for a little while? I know it's cold and wet, but it's also so beautiful and picturesque! I love the big, fluffy flakes that fall gently in a swirling motion and it makes you feel like you're in a snow globe. Oooo! And when the trees get all frosty and sparkly--pure beauty and joy!