Merry Merry Monday!

It's back to work Monday after a fun, long weekend!

We are officially in the Christmas season now that it is after Thanksgiving. Our house is almost all the way decorated. The lights and the Christmas Tree will go up this week! This is the fourth Christmas we will have been in the house and each year it gets more and more decorated.

Saturday night we went down to Downtown Disney to go to dinner with Ashley and her boyfriend Robby, who had gone to Disneyland for the day. The Christmas tree was up at Downtown Disney and so were all of there other decorations. Disney always does such a beautiful job with there decorations.

Sunday it was off to the Chargers Football game in San Diego with our friends Justin and Elizabeth to watch the Chargers take on the Broncos. We got down to San Diego by about 10am for the 1pm game and plenty of time to tailgate and people watch before the beginning of the game. It is amazing to see how into it some people can get with there satellite dishes and flat screen TVs

White Pizza

Last Saturday Nicole and Ken, and my parents came over for pizza night, I made several different kinds of pizza including a white pizza. Since then both Nicole and my Mom have been bugging me for the recipe, so I thought I would share it with everyone.

White Pizza 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

1 3/4 cups coarsely shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 450 

2. Place pizza on desired cooking surface and brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of  the olive oil. 

3. Spread the ricotta evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/4 inch border and sprinkle the garlic over the top. 

4. Scatter the mozzarella over the top, and sprinkle with oregano. 

5. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top and cook in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until   crust is golden and cheese is bubbling. 

Happy (late) Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! (A few days late I know). Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! I know I sure did, I have so much to be thankful for. I went over to my parents where my Mom cooked, and the whole family was together to enjoy it. 

My contribution to Thanksgiving Dinner was Turkey Cake Pops! I got the idea last year from the Barkerella Cake Pop book. They are a little bit of a project to make, but they turned out adorable again!

On Black Friday I was lucky enough to get it off of work, and braved the mall with  Mom and Nicole. We were at the mall by 5:15am, it was busy when we got there, but even busier when we left a little after 9am! I got a few Christmas presents taken care of, and a few presents for myself. There were some pretty good deals out there and I took advantage of them! The free coffee in the mall that the Keurig table was giving away helped up keep going! 

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Why are tacos so good? And there are so many different kinds that you can make. I will normally make tacos a couple a times a months. They are easy and a favorite in our house.

I am always looking for new taco ideas, and I came across this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Tacos a couple days ago. I haven't made them yet, but I am hoping to in the next week or so.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

1lb chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/3 cup flour

3 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce 

1 tablespoon olive oil

10 6-inch yellow corn tortillas

Toppings:
Shredded butter Lettuce
Diced onions mixed with cilantro
Avocado slices
Ranch dressing
Green onions, sliced thinly

Directions:

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, cayenne, and garlic powder. Season the chicken pieces with pepper, then dredge in the flour mixture.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven and once it gets hot, add chicken and cook on both sides – about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Once the chicken is done, set it aside in a bowl and toss with ⅓  cup buffalo wing sauce.

Assemble 10 tacos, dividing the toppings evenly among each taco.

Corks, Corks, Corks

Jordan and I have been collecting wine corks over the last couple of years now. We normally write on them the date, occasion for the wine, and who we drank it with. When we go out of town we try to get a bottle of wine and then save the cork. It's a fun little wine scrapbook for us, from time to time we will look at them and remissness on the memories from that bottle of wine. 

I really like the idea of making something out of wine corks also. Although different wine corks from the scrapbook wine cork collection. You name it, you can just about make it out of wine corks. 

Christmas Trees

Pumpkin or Apple 

Bath Mat

Cork Board

Monogram Letter 

Wine Cork Wreath

I guess I need to get drinking more wine to make all these things!

Quick Easy Dinner

Williams and Sonoma seriously has the best sauces and starters. They are so easy to use after a full day at work; they are simple and delicious. 

My favorite one is the Sloppy Joe Starter. It is simple just brown 1lb of ground beef until cook. Pour the starter over it and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve on a hamburger bun. The starter sauce "combines vine ripened tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, sweet red bell peppers, garlic, and spices." It is delicious, everyone will love it. It is priced at $14.95 which is a little bit expensive, but I normally will just use half the jar at a time and save the other half for the next time I make them. 

Turkey Rice Crispy Treats

With Thanksgiving now one week away, I decided to get in the baking mood by making turkey shaped rice crispy treats. I found this idea in the Taste of Home magazine, and gave it a try. They turned out really cute, and I think I ate just as many candy corn as I used.

Ingredients

1 12oz package chocolate chips
1 package candy corn
1 package fudge striped cookies
1/4 cup butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups rice crispy cereal


Directions

1. In a microwave, melt the chocolate chips, stir until smooth. For the tails, dab the chocolate to attach five candy corns in a fan shape to the chocolate side of half of the cookies, refrigerate until set.

2. In a large bowl melt the butter in the microwave. Add the marshmallow, stir and heat in microwave until melted. Stir in cereal. Cool for 10 minutes. With buttered hands form cereal mixture into balls.

3. Remelt the chocolate if necessary. Using the chocolate, attach the cereal balls to the back of the cookie below the candy corn. Refrigerate until set.

4. Attach one candy corn to each cereal ball for the heads. Let stand until set.

A Few Things I am Thankful For

Thanksgiving is next Thursday! Holy Moly when did that happen? With that being said I thought I would share a few items that I am currently thankful for (besides my family, friends, and health or course) in no particular order.

Philospophy Body Wash 

L'occitane almond and apple moisturizer

White iphone 4s

My Cole Haan Boots

Modern Family - One of the funnies shows ever

Bath and Body Works Candles

My Vera Bradley Grand Traveler in Very Berry Paisley

Homemade Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup hot sauce 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 8 ounces yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes 
• 8 ounces jack cheese, cut into cubes
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

San Diego W Hotel

This past weekend we went down to San Diego to celebrate a good friend's birthday. We stayed at the W Hotel in San Diego. We arrived about 11am on Saturday and the hotel was able to accommodate our early check-in and get us rooms right next to each other. The rooms at the W were really clean and the rooms were spacious. It had nice bedding, modern design, cute little clocks and accessories. It also had a nice cushioned window seat, and great Bliss toiletries. One of my favorite things about the room was the large chalk board, that was fun to write messages on. I would defiantly stay at this hotel again! 

Thanksgiving Desserts

 With Thanksgiving less then two weeks away I was looking for some Thanksgiving dessert recipes and came across these delicious looking desserts.

wouldn't these cupcake be a fun surprise!

Pumpkin Pie Pops

Turkey Cupcakes

Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats

Turkey Apple Tarts

Mini Pumpkin Shaped Cakes

Pilgrim Hat Cupcakes

Turkey Cookies

Pumpkin Pudding in a Pumpkin

Turkey Cookies

Happy 11-11-11!