Christmas 2008

Christmas at our house was all about 4 things this year:
"1 blue light saber so I can be Luke,
1 green light saber so Joren can be OB1-Wan Kenobi
1 red light saber so Daddy can be "Dar Thader"
and a horse"

We even got Grandma in on the action! Way to be cool grandma!

This is what Eirik asked Santa for for Christmas in mid November. That's all he wanted and I think he repeated it to everyone he met for the next month and a half. I think his world would have crumbled if he had not received these 4 items. Christmas morning was a lot of fun because 2 year olds are awesome on Christmas. I made costumes to go with the light sabers. Eirik, I mean Luke, has not taken his off since he received it.

As Paul and I were standing in Target looking for Christmas presents for our boys I found this little knight uniform that I thought Eirik would be ecstatic about. Suddenly I was just overwhelmed with giddiness like I was the little kid at Christmas again. I was standing there, plenty of Christmas money rationed away for this very moment to buy our kids exactly what their hearts desired, and my little heart was beating with excitement to think that we could make their little dreams come true. How delightful it was to be able to buy them whatever they wanted and for that one moment I was able to overcome all of my stinginess, frugality, and tendency to withhold for the sake of living simply and "within our means" and just spoil those little sweeties rotten. Eirik is easy to buy for and we all had fun spoiling him, but we had the most fun being spoiled by my sister Katie who drew our name this year.
Can I just say that NOTHING could have prepared me for how cool her gifts were this year. She went so above and beyond that I'm still trying to conceive of a way to properly thank her and it's already mid Jan.
Here is the amazing hobby horse that she MADE without a pattern!and this is the darling blanket/ floor mat in the shape of a turtle that, again, she MADE with no pattern.
BTW it's double sided. yes people, she is so talented.On top of that she bought us some childrens books that are perfect since they are about dragons and horses and rescues, not to mention an awesome childrens dictionary.. so fun.
The Anthropoligie journal she found for me could not be more perfect.Paul helped me spend all my Christmas money on new clothes. What a great treat.
I bought myself a new necklace that says "Create" on in that I am crazy about.

My mom sewed this awesome apron for me. She let me design it 100% which made it wonderfully custom and just right for me.

She also painted this painting for us called "The Doctor". It's a copy of a Sir Luke Fildes painting. Paul hired her to paint it for us. We love it. Thanks MOM! (Isn't she adorable!)

If anyone else out there wants a painting just like this for their husband, I can give you my mom's contact info. She would love to do more. Paul will hang it in his office when he has his own practice someday... in the far distant future... (the year 2000 .. for you Flight of the Concords fans)

Sorry to be all braggy about our new stuff. I hope no one minds. I'm just really worldly and vain like that so that's what you get. If you don't like it stick it out your wazoo.

Besides the gifts, Christmas was fun because I did tons of cooking. I basically picked all my favorite recipes and didn't give anyone else a say in the matter. It was pretty selfish of me, but I didn't see anyone complaining.

These were some of the highlights of the menu plan... for the month..

Cranberry Salsa dip

This is a surprisingly delicious dip - great for anytime, but especially around the holidays due to the red and green colors

Ingredients:

3 c fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained (12. oz bag)

4 minced green onions (1/4 c.)

2 small jalapeño peppers seeded and minced (about 2 T)

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c fresh cilantro, minced

2 T fresh ginger finely grated

2 T fresh lemon juice

2 9 oz. pkgs (lowfat) cream cheese

garnish- cranberries and or cilantro springs

Directions:

Rinse, drain and pick over cranberries discarding all that are soft or bruised. Pace them in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not mushy. Place in a bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours so flavor develops (it's too sharp and tart to begin with).

Place cream cheese on a plate and cover with the dip. Garnish if desired and serve with crackers. Water Table crackers work well.

Mexican Spinach Dip (Thanks Charyce)

Many friends have asked me for this spinach dip recipe since the Bunko party on my birthday- so here it is!

INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 (8 0z.) package cream cheese, diced and softened
1 (2.25 oz.) can chopped black olives, drained
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F .
In a medium baking dish, mix together salsa, chopped spinach, Monterey Jack Cheese, cream cheese, black olives, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Bake mixture in the preheated oven 12- 15 minutes, or until bubbly.

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes

Norwegian Pancakes- Thanks Zach and Arrin

1 ½ c. flour

2 T sugar

½ tsp salt

2 eggs- beaten

2 c milk

2 T butter, melted

Mix first three ingredients. Add ingredients on the right. Pour on skillet with a little butter. These will be very thin and you can make it as one huge pancake and cut it into smaller pieces or in whatever size or shape you want. Serve with fruit, syrup or whatever you want.

Crockpot Lasagna- Thanks Janese!

1 lb. ground beef

1 med. onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

29 oz. can tomato sauce

1 c. water

6 oz. can tomato paste

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. dried oregano

8 oz pkg. lasagna noodles (uncooked)

4 c. (16 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

16 ox cottage cheese

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Cook beef, onion, and garlic together in saucepan until browned. Drain. Stir in tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt and oregano. Mix Well. Spread 1/4 of meat sauce in an ungreased slow cooker. Arrange 1/3 of noodles over sauce. combine the cheeses. Spoon 1/3 of mixture over noodles. Repeat leayers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce. Cover. cook on low 4-5 hours.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding - Thanks Eugena. We loved it!

This Bread Pudding taste just like pumpkin pie. It sooo good and can feed an army...it would be great for a Thanksgiving morning breakfast.

6 large eggs
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin or squash
2 cups (16 ounces) light cream
1 cup (8 ounces) milk
3/4 cup (5 7/8 ounces) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) rum, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla
8 cups (about 18 ounces) bread*, cut in 3⁄4" cubes

Use any non-savory bread: brioche, a sweet bread, or plain white or whole wheat bread.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, half and half, milk, sugars, rum, salt, spices, and vanilla, stirring to blend.

Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish or a 9" x 13" pan; if you’re going to refrigerate the pudding before baking, be sure to use a dish that can go from the fridge to a hot oven. Place the cubed bread in the dish in an even layer, and pour the liquid mixture over it. Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
When you're ready to bake the pudding, stir it together to redistribute the custard; quite a bit of it will have been absorbed by the bread. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg, if desired; and bake in a preheated 350°F oven till set and beginning to brown, about 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream; garnish with minced crystallized ginger, if desired.
Yield: 2 dozen small servings, or fewer larger servings.

Rice Pudding

1 c. whipping cream

3/4 c sugar

1/2 c uncooked white rice

4 c 2% milk

cinnamon and orange zest for garnish (optional)

Heat the oven to 325. Combine all ing. except the garnish, in a 2 1/2 quart casserole (low and wide is better than tall and deep). Bake the pudding for 2 hours without stirring. Let it sit half an hour to set. Serve the pudding warm or cold, with garnish. Serves 12

Christmas Eve
Large fresh shrimp steamed in Old Bay Seasoning:

1 lb shelled shrimp

combine:

2 T Old Bay seasoning

1/2 c vinegar

1/2 c water

boil-

add shrimp

stir gently

cover- steam until tender 3-5 minutes

Don't overcook!

African Salad Thanks Zach and Arinn

Dressing:

2-3 cloves garlic

salt and pepper (a lot) ½ tsp then add to that to taste

1 T or more sugar

1 T or less mustard

1 T or less lemon juice

vinegar (any kind) put more v. than olive oil

½ c. olive oil or more

Roasted Pecans- brownsugar, butter, milk High heat to dissolve sugar then turn it right down –pour in nuts stir stir stir

Green apples

Dried cranberries

Avocado

Onions

Cucumbers

Mixed greens

Christmas Morning:

Fruit Pizza with sugar cookie dough crust -Kudos to my mom for this great concoction

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter

2 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

3 c flour

1/2 ts salt

2 ts baking powder

1 ts baking soda

spread with cream cheese and strawberry jam mixture

add tons of fruit on top- make sure to include kiwi and blueberries

Quiche: - my very own recipe

6 eggs

2 T Water

salt and pepper

6 slices of ham cut small

3 slices onion diced small

3 large mushrooms diced small

large handful of cheddar cheese

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

mix all ing. together

pour in unbaked pie shell (I use the barefoot Contessa's recipe)

Put another handful of grated cheddar on top then some thinly sliced (not too juicy) tomatoes all over

cover w/ tinfoil for first 30 min

cook at 350 for 40-50 min.

check often for doneness since I made up this recipe and I'm not 100% sure of baking time. :)

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice- Christmas isn't Christmas without this

So Why did I just post all of these recipes?? I don't know. The same question could be asked, "why am I such a freak about record keeping." and the answer is the same, I don't know, I just have this compulsion that gives me unrest until it's all written down. Someone stop me!