Towel, Please

Once your toddlers outgrow hooded towels, they will love these big fluffy towels to call their own. These are the ones I bought today, and there were many more choices - at Target!

PB & J plus 2

I was making a PB & J sandwich this morning and thought I'd add in two ingredients, to see if my husband noticed and/or liked them!

They were cheese nips and pretzels.  I just added a layer of each between the two slices of bread slathered with PB & J.

And guess what?  He liked it! A lot!

Appetizer for Two

Who says appetizers are only for parties or special occasions?  They taste just as great when it's dinner for two!

I bought pulled pork already cooked, and heated it up in the microwave. Then I placed tortilla cup chips on a tray and topped each one with the pork.

In a bowl, I mixed chopped pineapple, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and red bell pepper, with chopped cilantro and lime juice for a salsa to top each one.

This was all we needed and it was so satisfying...

Wine Glass Lamp

What a fun find today at the Container Store!  It's a pack of three "lamp shades" to put on your wine glasses, with a tea light inside, for small lamps on your buffet table or around your home!  They're $12.99 for the three - so cute!

Stocking Stuffer

Met this lady at a farmers market today, and found out that she has an online shop as well www.4sisters.net.

We got a candle and a bar of soap and they smell very very nice - she says the candle helps with allergies.

These make great stocking gifts and the purchase supports a local artisan...

Poketo

...found this website full of cute stuff...here are a few examples!  you might want to peruse it and see if you want to add to your own list!  they're not inexpensive, but they're super unique.

it's poketo.com

enamel coffee pot

super cute ring

necklace

Party Mixes

Found these mixes at a recent Christmas affair, and they were very easy to make and take to a party!

The first was a chile cheese dip - just add mayo and sour cream

The second was a dill cheese ball, just adding cream cheese and butter.

Both were a hit! They are from Bear Creek - you can order online for your holiday gatherings!

For the Girls

For the little girls who are obsessed with the movie Frozen, here's a gift idea.  I found this train case at Marshalls for $3.00.  They sell it at other stores, though, as well.  I then went to Claire's and Ross for pretend makeup and dress-up jewelry, and also got some inexpensive zipper bags at Big Lots.

All of that together is going to be a gift!  A fun idea!

Nutty Veggie Flatbread

this veggie flatbread recipe caught my attention and looked so good, so i tried it.  it's really easy to make, as everything goes in the food processor.  the nuts i used were salted, so i just left out the sea salt in the recipe.  and i forgot the black pepper, so i sprinkled it on top!  it still turned out very nice, easy to cut, and yes - it tastes better toasted as the recipe states.

i can't wait to try it like bread for a sandwich.

Retro Arcade gift idea

We stopped in Office Depot to buy an ink cartridge and saw this cute retro arcade machine.  Bought it for a gift!  We opened it and tried it out - it has a joystick and buttons just like a big machine at the arcades!  And 300 games.  I think it's great for the kids!  or maybe the ungrownup adults!

Hands Free pouch!

Found this jewel at a Christmas event.  It's a cell phone purse/pouch that attaches with clips to your jeans - so you're hands free - for walks or carrying kids or whatever!  it feels like leather and comes in different colors!  They're called hip klips!

Star from Afar

This is SO CUTE for families with small kids.  I bought one for my daughter and her family . It's a very nice wooden nativity with a book and an activity.  Each child is given a wise man, and each night of December the STAR is hidden in the house.  Each morning the children search for the star and set their wise man by it.  The star is moved each night by the parents, until Christmas eve, when it's set over the manger scene, and kids find it resting there on Christmas morning.

LOVE THIS  - you can order it HERE...  we got ours at a local Christmas affair...

Gilmore Girls

I watched Gilmore Girls back when it was first out, years ago, and now my daughter and friends are awaiting the new Gilmore Girls.  It's a classic, and I found these cute items to order for all of the fans! It's Cafe Press - a great internet store for all sorts of classic things...

Tamale Dinner

My sister told me about the green chili/cheese tamales at Trader Joe's, and so I bought them.  We heated them in the microwave, cut them and fanned out the bite-sized pieces, topped with homemade salsa and fresh avocado.

Seriously, these tamales were delicious, and with the salsa and avocado - they made a great meal!

Gypsy Soup

I made this soup and was so surprised at how much I loved it.  It was full of fresh ingredients and flavors and it felt SO GOOD to be eating it all!  We had it with a few tortilla chips sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

The recipe can be found here from Organic Life

Magazine.

Christmas Jazz

I love this Christian artist - Lauren Daigle - and she just came out with a Christmas CD.  It's Louisiana jazz meets Christmas classics.  My  husband says it's his favorite Christmas CD - he loves the saxophone!

Tasty Fall Salad

Ordered this salad tonight, but I thought it was a hot dish.  I was surprised, but it was actually tasty!

Spinach
butternut squash (cooked)
candied pecans
apple slices
cranberries

orange vinaigrette!

This would make a good side dish for Thanksgiving.

Christmas Sale

Michael's has their Christmas decor on 50% off and ribbon 70% off for a few more days!  I found this cute and large tin sign with a rope hanger and it was only $5!

Animal Hats

LOVE THESE hats for the kids - and they have matching gloves too - from World Market! A giraffe, a monkey, a penguin - pictured below - and there was also a frog and an owl!

Veggie Strudel

YUM, YUM.

Roast one cubed sweet potato with 2 cup quartered brussels sprouts tossed in olive oil and seasoned, in 425 degree oven about 25 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile, cook and chop 5 slices bacon, 2 chopped green onions, 4 oz cubed Brie cheese, and 1/3 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes.

Roll out a can of crescent dough on floured surface, pinching seams together, into 14 X 9 rectangle and lay on baking sheet.

After the veggies come out of the oven, mix the bacon and green onions in, and let it all cool, before stirring in the cheese and tomatoes.  Reduce heat to 350.

Lay the mixture lengthwise down the middle third of the dough, then on an angle, cut one inch strips on either side, pulling them up and over the mixture like a braid.  Brush with beaten egg mixed with 1 T oil, top with 3 T pine nuts!

Bake another 15 minutes til golden brown.

Cuke & Chicken

This sandwich was tasty, with just a few key ingredients:

pumpernickel bread
ranch dressing mixed with mayo
lots of black pepper
cucumber, sliced
grilled fajita chicken slices

Spread the bread with the mayo mixture (seasoned with pepper), top with the chicken and cucumber, and a bit more pepper.

Enjoy!

Rice Bowl for Supper

This meal looks so pretty on the plate, and is super delicious.

You'll need:

seasoned cooked chicken breast, shredded
grilled yellow onion (til browned and tender)
cooked white rice
sliced radishes, scallions and avocado

hot sauce - optional
lemon juice

In a bowl, begin the dish with a bed or rice.  Top it with the chicken, avocado, radishes and scallions. Squeeze the lemon on top and use the hot sauce sparingly if desired.

The flavors of this dish go together so well...

Train in a Tin

This little train in a tin is SO CUTE and great for kids 8 and up - it says.  I like it because it comes apart and can be stored in the tin and carried on-the-go.  It's from Christianbook.com!  And it's only $7.99.  A great gift for all those kids on your list, without breaking the bank.

Storybook and Characters

I really love Lakeside Collections and really have been pleased with everything I order from there, year after year, at Christmas.  These books are SO COOL and only $9.98 - they come with the characters in the story!

Texas Pecans

Stopped at a pecan shelling company today and they were selling packages of flavored pecans, as well. We bought these dark chocolate pecans and they were MOST delicious.  It was hard to stop eating them. Check out their website - great gift idea for Christmas!

Frank Sandwich

I had leftovers and put together this sandwich, which turned out to be super tasty - I mean, really tasty!

I sliced and grilled a couple of beef franks in a skillet, along with sliced onions.  Meanwhile, I toasted multigrain bread, and melted pepper jack on each slice.  I also mashed up an avocado with lemon, salt and pepper.

I just put it all together and it worked!

An Alternative to Popcorn!?

Saw this chickpea snack on the Food Network show Kelsey's Essentials - she said it was an alternative snack to popcorn.  The ingredients intrigued me, and I tried it tonight!  This recipe is MOST DELICIOUS!!!

I didn't have smoked paprika, so I used paprika and cumin.  I didn't find blanched whole almonds in the store so I boiled whole almonds one minutes, drained and rinsed with cool water, and the skins just slid off.

This is seriously good...

Book about a Journey

I received this book tonight as a gift, and it's written by a good friend, Sylvia Neusch.  She and her husband pastor a church in Round Rock, Texas and she just experienced months of treatment for cancer...and is now cancer-free.  I have known her for many years and know that this book is going to be a good read, as she shares their journey - one of disappointments to complete joy.

Check it out, if you're looking for a new book to read - it has study questions too!