I simply remember my favorite things…

The ladies from church gathered together earlier this week for a little party to discuss our favorite things. It was in someone’s gorgeous backyard, and there were so many beautiful desserts, I had to limit myself to trying only five. We were told to come prepared to talk about, or show our favorite thing, whether it be a cleaning tip, recipe, hoppy, app, song…the list goes on. We went around the giant circle of ladies. Some had visuals, some didn’t. It was fascinating listening to the things people loved, from eye shadow primer that’s guaranteed to keep your eye make-up in place (it’s already in my Amazon cart!),  a tip to easily get the grime off your oven, their favorite brand of flip flops, or simply ice water and watching the sunset. There were so many awesome things I learned, and have yet to try. It was like a live Pinterest board. I hope someone was making a list, because I was enjoying listening to everyone so much, I forgot to make one myself. When I came to my turn, I had a few things in my head, but remembered one of my favorite things was in the car so I ran out and grabbed it when I was almost my turn.

I showed everyone my handy Grabber, and told just how much I love that thing for road trips, as well as short car rides. Someone needs tissue? Here you go! Oh you dropped “Fuzzy Bear”? I’ll get that for you! It really makes the world of difference as we drive to and from Utah, or even at stop lights when they kids are whining from not being able to reach this or that.  Definitely one of my favorite things, thanks to KC for thinking to get it for me last Christmas. A must for every mommy, etc.

I quickly mentioned one more. If you know me well at all, you know how much a love a big plate of hot, crispy, melty, cheesy, Nachos Supreme with all the toppings. Right friends? You know this about me. So I thought it was an appropriate thing to mention.  

Afterward, it got me to thinking about all the other simple pleasures I absolutely love in life that I could’ve mentioned. So I thought I’d write about them here as an extension of that night.  Some it may seem redundant, since they've been mentioned on the blog before, but it’s fun to have them all in one place. I wish everyone would make a long list for me to see. Who knows what treasures I would find out about!

There was one point when living in Maryland when I realized how much I loved and missed a warm Campfire on a cool night, preferably in the canyon. We didn’t have any cool summer nights there, and I think there were a lot more rules about making fires. Not to mention we lived near a big city, with no mountains in sight. I don’t care if it makes my hair or clothes smell smoky for days, I love it. The crackling, the great outdoors, the charred hot dogs, or gooey s’mores. I crave a good campfire throughout the year.

I discovered Landmark Theater when I first moved to Colorado. Needing to get out one night after the first stressful week of the move, I headed out to the movies by myself, and found this little gem just a few minutes from our apartment. Little did I know how much I would like this place. A very clean, comfortable setting, and I didn’t find out about this perk until after my movie, but unlimited complimentary popcorn and fountain drinks are included with ticket price of $12! We’ve been back a couple times, and continue to enjoy ourselves there (not to mention one of our favorite restaurants, Ali Baba Grill is right next door. Their fluffy hummus and amazing kabobs could almost make this list!). It’s always one of the first places we consider on the rare occasion that we go out. Love it.

Of course I love the holiday season, but I particularly love when I can get out my stash of Christmas Movies. I hoard them. Around Christmas some years ago, I felt the urgency to watch as many Christmas movies as I possible could during the season. I was on a mission. I wrote them on a calendar, prioritizing to make sure at least the greats were definitely going to be watched early in the month before things got too crazy. I queued up any cheesy Lifetime (and the like) Christmas movies I could find on Netflix, and started buying a collection of my own. We don’t buy a lot of  DVDs in general, except when it comes to Christmas shows. I can’t stop myself! Why not when you want to watch them at least once a year. It’s become a tradition to squeeze as much movie watching into the holiday season as possible. Sometimes just having one on in the background as I pick up the house, wrap presents, or cook dinner is good enough. The kids are also loving this tradition and have some favorites of their own. My top movies are too many to name. I’ll save that list for a post in December. This is my latest addition.

While we’re on the subject of Christmas cheer, nothing brings it for me more than festive Christmas Parties. The year before the kids came along, we hosted our first Christmas Party, complete with a Karaoke machine, and a white elephant gift exchange.  I was hooked from that moment on. We loved having all our friends in one place, everyone so happy to be together. We had a place just big enough to hold everyone, and it just made me so happy. We took the next year off to take care of lots of babies, but we couldn’t wait to host again the following year, only that time I had a co-host, which made it even more festive. The parties  just seemed to get better as the years went on (here, and here/here) as we gathered with old and new friends to celebrate together. I don’t have to be hosting to enjoy it so much, it just kind of happened that way, and really made Christmas season complete for us. It’s funny that one of the first things I thought of when I saw our new house was how perfect it was for hosting parties. Someday!

I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who doesn’t love the Fall. But there is something about the crisp air, gorgeous scenery, and promise of fun things to come that makes my mind go straight to Fall Baking. All I can think about when the sight, sounds, and smells of fall present themselves is apple cranberry pies, flaky almond croissants, pumpkin crumb muffins, hand-dipped peppermint patties, and chewy ginger cookies with a spiced orange filling, to mention a few. And of course washing them all down with hot homemade wassail. I am also a fan of having a pot of soup simmering on the stove and a loaf of crusty bread in the oven to go with it throughout the season, but the pastries, and desserts are always at the top of my list. Maybe it’s that baking makes the kitchen a cozy place to be as the weather cools off, but I want to be there all the time. The only thing that makes it better is having friends to share the joy with. Anyone who wants to come bake or eat with me in the coming months, consider this an open invitation!

Because of my background in the pastry arts, people are always asking what my favorite dessert it. It’s a tough question, but I do think I have it narrowed down to a short list. While I love the buttery treat pictured above, I have to say that simple Homemade Ice Cream is a favorite. With the hot summer slowly coming to a close, it’s what is on my mind right now. I grew up loving a fresh churn of cold, creamy ice cream in a variety of flavors. One summer, my parents made it a goal to make a new flavor every week until school started again. KC also grew up loving his dad’s perfected recipes made in his hand-crank machine. We’ve carried on the traditions of our families, and have served homemade ice cream on many occasions, including just a weeknight indulgence with our little family.  We once owned a hand-crank machine and used it quite a bit. But the poor thing didn’t make the cut during the move. It had had it’s day. But I already had a back up. I wanted homemade ice cream more often than we wanted to make it with all the rock salt and ice shenanigans, so I bought a little Cuisinart, and how I have loved that thing. I have made more flavors than I can count, and still have a running list in my head of new combinations to try. It’s so easy, and you really can’t beat the flavor of the fresh cream. In my opinion, almost every dessert is complimented by ice cream.  

I’ve mentioned many times before that I am an early riser. I absolutely love Early Mornings. Everything is so quiet, and so still, and I usually get that time all to myself. Baking is definitely my favorite thing to do at that time, but I also love going grocery shopping, running/working out, or finishing a movie I fell asleep to the night before around 9:30 PM. I remember in elementary school, I’d wake up early enough to catch an episode of Gilligan’s Island every morning before school. And when the babies were little and would consistently wake up early, we found the best way to deal with that was to take an early walk together with the whole family. I looked forward to that every day. There’s just a feeling I get when I’m up and about before 6:00 AM that makes me feel good about life.

There are more, of course, but these are the things that have been rolling around in my head since the other night. I should make it a tradition to make a list like this every year as a way to remember the things that make me happy.

Of course I also love beach vacations, shopping sprees, and meeting my goal weight, but this was really about the things I can enjoy on a daily basis, not a wish list. That’s also for another post.

I have got to stop eating like this.

I have been gravitating to the the kitchen more than usual lately. I think  my subconscious just leads me there, knowing it will help with the long winter days. Not to mention I’m on a clothes shopping fast with my mom. If you know me, you know how I love hunting for a good find. (But, I gotta say, it’s been over a month, and honestly, I love the freedom of not even caring about stepping in my section or trying anything on, or agonizing over buying/returning an item. I like getting creative with what I already have. I might be converted to this lifestyle! More money and time! Though, I’m sure when the fast in over in May, I’ll be ready to refresh my wardrobe for the new season.) So, I think I’ve needed this cooking outlet lately. I like finding the happy moments during the day to play, when the kids are awake, so it doesn’t cut into my rest time when they are napping or down for the night. It really makes the time fly by! Here are some results of my latest kitchen escapades.

Even though we girls weren’t as interested in the Super Bowl as the guys, we still had to plan a menu for the occasion:

I saw this Pizza bread when reading the recipe for that lovely Bloomin’ Onion Bread a while ago. I knew it was for me. My changes were using a delicious whole grain bread, and an olive oil/fresh garlic/fresh basil/fresh rosemary drizzle instead of butter, something I knew I wanted to add before even reading the recipe (although, I’m sure the original is delightful as well). Oh, and I like to slice my own pepperoni so they’re nice and thick. When dipped in marinara, or homemade ranch, with a mandatory (for me) pepperoncini on the side, this was so very good. 

I think we’ve finally made it through KC’s imaginary birthday party food. These skewers were marinating for the big day, but got popped in the freezer for later when the party was canceled. Mmmm, they were good.

I’ve been dying to make doughnuts lately. Particularity these ones. (I think old-fashioned doughnuts and apple fritters are in a tie when it comes to my fave.) Ever since I saw this recipe, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I made them, replacing the nutmeg with vanilla and a half a vanilla bean for fun. They were dense and delicious. But thank goodness I have the babies around to eat them so I don’t. I‘m looking forward to making them again and tweaking the recipe a little to make them even better. And Who can resist making things heart-shaped around V-day?

The Ribeiras contributed this amazing artichoke olive dip,

Mozzarella balls complete with homemade dipping sauce,

Buffalo chicken balls with blue cheese dressing,

s’more cookies,

and Butter Beer, or Butter-Bruskies to keep in the spirit of the Super Bowl theme. Whoa.

There were a few more less exciting things thrown in, and we didn’t neglect adding some fresh veggies to the mix. We were in pain. Elise and I took a walk outside while the guys watched the game in an effort to feel a little better after eating too much. How were were supposed to stop with all of this food staring at us?  I think I just was a little to excited to have an excuse to make a lot of things that had been on my mind.

Now onto non-Super Bowl related treats:

In school, we focused a lot on European breads. Brioche was one of the first we learned. When this was baking, the smells took me right back to class. This flakey, buttery bread literally melts in your mouth. I wish I had some right now.

I reserved some of the dough for this other delicious recipe I learned from someone when working at the Hyatt, and have been craving it ever since. First you press the dough into a pan, sprinkle on some brown sugar, drizzle on some cream, and in this case, I added a drizzle of my homemade spiced nectarine jam, and let it rise and bake. I call it Nectarines and Cream Brioche Cake. Heaven in a cake pan. I am a total sucker for breakfast pastries.

I forgot I had more pictures of the pretzel bark I mentioned before. In case you want to make it, because you really should, this is all you do. Melt some chocolate, and press some pretzels into it,

make some simple caramel, and toast some coconut,

then mix them together, and spread it on the cool, hard chocolate.

When that is cooled, drizzle with more chocolate, let it set, and try not to eat more than you should. I didn’t follow that rule.

On a healthier note, I made and LOVED this Cottage Cheese Strawberry Banana Ice cream. The kids loved it too. I added a strawberry yogurt I had in the freezer as well, which I think upped the creaminess. It’s rare that something like this isn’t green from me blending spinach into it (I know I'm not the only one that tries to add vegetables whenever possible.) It was kind of refreshing. Love a guilt-free treat. I think this will be a regular at our house. I’m already thinking of other combos to try.

This, however, was not so guilt-free. The idea came to me when I had some leftover key lime batter after making Key Lime pie. I used it as an opportunity to think up something new. So I made my favorite coconut cake recipe, swirled the key lime into the batter in the pan, and baked it up. What came out was quite possibly one of my favorite things ever. A creamy, coconuty, limey, dense, moist, delicious cake. Topped with fresh whipped cream, it truly won my heart. I‘d take tropical over chocolate any day. And it just dawned on me that I really put the lime in the coconut! Ha! Hokey, I know. But you might want to put in on your to-do list soon.

And with all the egg whites left from the Key Lime pie, I thought some meringue cookies were in order. I used Andes Mint chips inside, and then put a half an Andes mint on top while they were still warm and then spread it a little when it melted. Delicious.

I fit in a few other little recipes here and there. A lot of the time it’s not just desserts, but new ideas to get the kids to try new things, and it has definitely helped. I love making things for them to try, and try not to act too annoyed if they don’t love it after the work I put into it. Good thing I like to cook whether they like the food or not. Someday I know they’ll appreciate it.

I like to record things like this, so I remember that I actually did have time for me during this wonderfully chaotic time in my life. Although it makes a lot more dishes, and could be adding a  few pounds to the scale, I think it’s worth it.

A No Fuss Thanksgiving

I love celebrating holidays in our new house. It just makes it feel more and more like our home.  I wasn’t sure what we were going to do for Thanksgiving until almost the very day, but all I knew was I wanted to stay home where the kids had their own space to play so that we could relax a bit. This is the first year since the kids were born that I could actually see us peacefully eating the meal without food being thrown, or other toddler nonsense. Not that I was planning on the meal being perfect or anything, but just a little more civilized than years past. We had planned on a crowd of friends and family that sort of fell through last minute, so we asked some new friends who also were without plans if they wanted to join us, and lucky for us, they did. Since it was only a few days before the meal, we decided to keep things simple, and order the meal Sprouts was offering. It was only going to be about $35 each for the turkey and 5 sides, and included a pie. We were sold. We also planned on each making a couple more of our traditional favorite dishes. I also wasn’t satisfied with the number of rolls they sent, so I made some of those too. I needed to get my hands into something or else it just wouldn’t feel like the holiday I know and love. (I used some coconut oil in the rolls, btw. Highly recommended.) KC and I set everything up the night before, something we NEVER would’ve done with younger triplets. Little things like this prove to me that things really are changing as the kids grow.

Thanksgiving morning, I headed out to the Parker Turkey Trot, and was shocked by the attendance. Over 1000 preregistered, and many more registered that day! I was not expecting that. But it was great. So many people all bundled up, some dressed as turkeys. I haven’t been running a lot lately, but wasn’t concerned with my time anyway. I cranked up my music, and enjoyed that crisp air. I love running to Christmas music. At one point I forgot I was even running because I was so wrapped up in it. The cold air did hurt a bit, but for a few miles, I could handle it. As I was coming up to the finish line, I recognized some very cute familiar faces, and didn't even technically cross the line since I veered over to them for a hug-fest (it wasn’t officially timed anyway). Best prize ever. We also ran into our cousins, and a couple friends from church. It was such a fun way to start the holiday. For me, it really doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving without it.

We headed home to do our last minute preparations. Most was done the night before, so it was just a matter of putting things in the oven at the right time, and making sure the kids didn’t make too much of a mess before the guests arrived. All went as planned, but even with the prepared meal, I was still a bit stressed with the kids getting in the way of things. I guess we’ve always had a nap time to utilize, unlike this year. I was very thankful we kept things simple this time around to preserve the peace of the day. And KC introduced them to the Macy’s Parade, which was a hit.

Our friends came, and we enjoyed the delicious appetizers they prepared. The kids enjoyed their activity pages I made for them, and we adults enjoyed talking and getting to know each other better. Eventually we all sat down to a beautiful spread, and ate a wonderful meal. My favorites are still the stuffing and pretzel jello (aka The Red in my family).

We ate leisurely, chatted a bit, and then made our way to the movie theater to see Frozen. The kids were fantastic, and we all loved the movie. The prefect post-feast activity. The dads took the kids home, while the moms braved the crowds at Wal-Mart since it was across the street. It wasn’t the worst, but definitely not my favorite setting. There was a complication with the boy bikes (they weren’t in the right place), which it why I went, but eventually, through an interesting turn of events and the generosity of a friend, they were acquired.  It was quite a bit of savings, buying three, otherwise I wouldn’t have cared. But all’s well, so phew.

After our shopping adventures, we had pie. Usually when I make a lot of the meal, I don’t focus much on homemade pie, since I’m wrapped up in other things. But this year I decided I had the time for it, so I concocted a little something. Graham cracker crust, pumpkin cookie layer, homemade pumpkin ice cream layer, and pecan caramel sauce on top. A fun switch from the regular pumpkin, or pumpkin ice cream pie I grew up loving. We barely made a dent in it. And we had two other pies we didn’t even bother with.

It was a wonderful day, and I loved the memories we made in our new home.