Cupcakes, chicken and Christmas

What do you get when you mix cupcakes, chicken and Christmas (besides a lot of alliteration...haven't used that word in awhile...)?? A random blog post! YAY :)

Ok, so cupcakes. These aren't really cupcakes, although I did use my cupcake pan. I decided to be an adult this Thanksgiving and participate in the food preparation. One of the three desserts I made were miniature pumpkin pies. And dang, were they good. Like "I-gained-10-pounds-in-one-day" good. Mmm!

My first few tries were rough, but eventually I got the hang of molding the dough in the cupcake pan to keep the pie looking somewhat like a pumpkin.

On to the chicken! Last night, I attempted a new recipe: Asian Glazed Drumsticks. I was a little intimidated by the raw drumsticks, and the process of removing the fat, but they sounded delicious and my tummy wouldn't let me back down. The Hubs and I are (for the most part) very healthy eaters. I only make recipes where I know the nutritional info. One of my favorite recipe sites is Gina's Skinny Recipes because she provides the nutritional facts and she provides great step by step (day by day...sorry, I had to :) ) instructions. After removing the fat, the process was really easy and inexpensive. I bought 10 drumsticks for $5.89, and I had the majority of the ingredients at home. The smells in the kitchen are really indescribable, and the Hubs was speechless at dinner. He was too busy chowin down and lickin his fingers.

And last but not least, Christmas. Our walls in the living room are a beautiful avocado green. So as not to overload on green holiday decor, I've been toying with some other ideas. I'm really diggin' pink, orange, silver and blue. Sound familiar? Here are some of my inspirations and our entry way. Needs some spicing up, I know, but girl just got paid. I'm planning on hitting up Hobby Lobby and Michaels this weekend :)

Our "unity candle" table with a silver Christmas tree, mercury glass votives and vintage snowmen.

The green background is pretty close to our wall color...isn't it fab!

Everywhere you go!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Hub's and J's house. And boy, oh boy, does the Hubs just love it. He nestles in front of the big screen with a cup of hot cocoa spiked with peppermint schnapps and settles in for a long winter's game of Call of Duty: Black Ops. The tree adds a nice glow to whole scene, and casts a bit of a halo around his head. How angelic :)

Anyways, here is some of our holiday decor. Still a work in progress, mind you! But, please notice my new picture I bought especially for the Hubs :) I love you Hubsman!

Our First Christmas Tree

I think the mantle needs more glitz. I'm looking into garlands :)

Bah Humbug!

Gobble, Gobble

"Hey kids! Everybody pose around the raw turkey"

Oh family traditions. I'm happy to say my family hasn't made me pose with a raw turkey...yet. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. The Hubs (aka Scrooge) tells me that it's just another day of people getting together to eat food. But, it's always been so much more than that for me. Waking up early to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the smells of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and pumpkin in the air, and families gathering together, laughing and embracing. There just was always something magical to the day for me. 

My family always celebrates the holiday on my mom's side. Her mother passed away around the holiday many years ago, and ever since her death, all the children (there use to be 8, but now 7 - God Bless Uncle Tommy) gather together to celebrate the holiday. I've got a lot of aunts, uncles and cousins, and we'd all pack into a house, and chow down on noodles, cheese dip, cranberry jello and pie. 

Mmm...noodles. It's really the only thing I eat on Thanksgiving. My uncle makes the best chicken and noodles EVER, which he starts cooking days before the holiday. And, I only get them once a year...but not this year. This year, I'm celebrating the holidays with my new in-laws, and I'm excited to experience some new traditions! 

I'm also contributing to the holiday spread this year! Tonight I will be a baking machine! Just call me Betty.  Here is what I'm making for my first holiday with the in-laws:

1. Pumpkin Fudge

2. Pumpkin Bread Pudding with ooey-gooey caramel sauce

3. Mini Pumpkin Pies

Good gawl! Then tomorrow, I'm waking up early, going for a run, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with the Hubs, and then it's over the river and through the woods to the In-Laws house we go!

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! So much to be thankful for this year :)

Crazy weather

November is acting really strange this year. One day its 70 degrees, and the next day, its cold and raining. I'm so confused. On Sunday, I wore shorts to the grocery store (when I wasn't laying around), and today, I'm wearing a sweater and scarf. I'm so confused. Last night was cold, dreary and dark. I fell asleep at 7 p.m. My body just doesn't know what to do with itself. Did I mention I'm so confused because seriously...I'm really confused.

On a different note, I've been trying to make my Christmas list, and I'm not really sure what I want. FYI - In addition to being confused, I'm also indecisive. Ask my mother and mother-in-law. They'll agree. Wedding planning put them through the ringer, for sure.

But, I think I've got my list completed. Of course, these items are just a wish list, but if one feels so inclined to purchase any of these for me, it would be greatly appreciated. {Cough, Cough} Hubs.

1. Anthro Sweater

2. Boots

3. Febreze Luminaries 

4. Necklace

5. Purse

6. PJ's

7. Stress Relief Candle

8. Sephora Make-up

9. Philosophy "The Gingerbread Man " Body Scrub

10. Stila Make-Up

11. Necklace

12. True Religion Perfume

13. Anthro Top

The Perfect Weekend

Of all the days that's in the week
I dearly love but one day
And that's the day that comes betwixt
A Saturday and Monday.
~Henry Carey

There is nothing I love more than a lazy weekend, much to the dismay of the Hubsman. How did I spend my weekend? Hmm...laying in bed, watching movies, occasionally getting out of bed to eat or go the bathroom. 

I did go running twice, but I mostly spent the days mentally preparing myself for the holidays by drinking hot chocolate and watching the Holiday and other Christmas movies.

Saturday night I went over to a friend's house for a Girls' Night. We each made a dessert with pumpkin, drank wine and watched Sex and the City 2. Nothing like cream cheese, pumpkin, wine and Carry Bradshaw to heal the mind after a long work week.

The Hubs begged me to be productive, God bless is Type-A, OCD heart. But this little girl had no responsibilities and no obligations. Just the need to lay in bed and think about how blessed she is to have a free weekend with nothing to do but relax.

I'm a scent

Just googled "Calamity J" (yes, I'm vain like that), and found this perfume...

Love the logo :) So leather and lace, huh? 

Watch out Hubs!

Color love

Slight obsession with pink, turquoise and orange. I just can't get enough.