Thursday, December 29, 2011
Mr. and Mrs. Claus
Friday, December 23, 2011
We have a winner.
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P.S. Josh, Brian and Judy, you were an extremely close second. I just couldn't resist Suze's Farrah flip!
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Labels:
Christmas is the best,
holiday cards,
susannah
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Glögg
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Fast forward 20+ years. On our third date, Joe made me Swedish pancakes, some sort of Scandinavian soup and glögg. Not your typical way into a girl's heart, but it worked for yours truly. I remember watching him do his thing in the kitchen and thinking, "yep, the Aunties and Grandma Pete would approve."
This year when we made a batch, it brought back both memories and made me smile. Now that's a reason to cheers. Or as the Swedes say, skål!
(P.S. Joe's recipe involves port, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, almond slices, raisins, orange peel and maybe something else I'm missing. But here's a basic recipe.)
Ho ho ho!
Friends, I tried. I had every intent to send Christmas cards this year; I really did. I looked on Etsy quite early, browsing for options that would strike my fancy. Joe and I took a Christmas photo in case we wanted to go the photo card route. I even made a list of people I wanted to send one to! That's where it got tricky. Ten quickly became 20, which grew to 50+! Where does one cut it off? I can't bring myself to cut off my cousin's step-brother's girlfriend (ok, kidding, but really, the family is giant). Then when you take into account ordering that many cards, postage and getting everyone's addresses together, I was overwhelmed. Maybe I should put this on my New Year's resolution list: send Christmas cards in 2012.
So in place of snail mail (which I know is like 10x better!), I had a littletacky editing session with our photo. So from our home(s) to yours, Happy Holidays! We love you.
P.S. Do you like the return of the seasonal Petes Speaks?!
So in place of snail mail (which I know is like 10x better!), I had a little
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Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Lianna's Shindig
You know it's a party when...
- You're celebrating someone who is getting married. (Yay Lianna!)
- Your party involves wine tasting at a barn on Whidbey Island.
- There are photo opps' a plenty.
- You make Christmas ornaments.
- Your evening involves limbo with a boa and other rather girlish games.
- There are 20+ ladies filled into one cabin - dancing (or watching the incredible dancers) the night away.
(Mads and Steph recap the bachelorette weekend too!)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Winter Walks
During our stroll, I was taking photos with my Instagram app. I still haven't decided which filter I like best - Earlybird, Lomo-fi, Valencia? If you have it, what are your favorites?
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Jury was Unanimous
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I rest my case.
Ingredients (I doubled this recipe strategically for leftovers)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 3/4 cups flour - plus more for your work surface
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons of shredded sage leaves
2-3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Set a large pot of water to boil. Combine pumpkin, egg, nutmeg and salt. Add in the flour, a bit at a time, stirring to combine. Continue adding flour until the dough is firm enough to handle (it will still be slightly sticky).
Take about a quarter of the dough and roll into one long rope, about one inch thick. Cut rope into one inch pieces. Repeat with remaining dough. Drop pieces of dough into boiling water. Cook until they rise to the surface (about five minutes).
Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add sage and stir frequently until butter browns. (Browning butter is a science.) Drain gnocchi on paper towel and add to brown butter. Toss to combine. Serve with parmesan cheese.
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Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Nutcracker
Labels:
Audrey,
Dance,
Jenna,
Nutcracker,
Skagit Valley Academy of Dance
Monday, December 12, 2011
My Personal Assistant
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But most importantly, I now have a personal assistant, Siri. She can text or email for me, find answers to trivial facts and keep me entertained for hours. She has quite a sense of humor (check out how funny Siri is). I asked her the age old woodchuck question and she even knew the answer.
Siri, I'm excited for our budding friendship. I look forward to all of your support and sometimes snarky responses!
Friday, December 9, 2011
It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.
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Have a festive holiday weekend, friends!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Cookie Dough Dip
Overall, it was... good. I chose Nilla wafers as the dippers and I think they brought the dip to the next level. (Never underestimate the power of a dipper.) I can't decide if I didn't like it as much because I knew the base was GARBANZO BEANS or if it really wasn't cookie dough flavored enough? At any rate, people did eat most of it, so it must have been decent, right? Though after time, I think people got skeptical since the small remainder of the "cookie dough" was sitting out for hours. And then started to sweat - almond butter oil? My verdict: If you want something sweet and healthy, give it a try. If you want something sweet and don't care about the calories, have some ice cream :)
Cookie Dough Dip (I doubled this recipe)
Ingredients
1.5 cups chickpeas (1 can, drained)
1/8 tsp plus 1/16 tsp salt
Tiny bit over 1/8 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond butter
Up to 1/4 cup nondairy milk (Start with 1 T, and add more as needed)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 to 3 T oats
Directions
Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a blender or food processor, and blend until very smooth. Then mix in the chocolate chips.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
I covet
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Monday, December 5, 2011
How do weekends fly by?
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Once I'm caught up with everything I left behind for the weekend, I'll share the whole scoop on the weekend. Happy Monday!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Break a leg, ladies.
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Even though I turned my pointe shoes in for dance team pom poms (after nearly 10 years of ballet!), I still have a soft spot in my heart for the grace and beauty of ballet. Especially when it involves people you love! Good luck and break a leg, Audrey and Jenna!
Labels:
Audrey,
ballerina,
Dance,
Jenna,
Skagit Valley Academy of Dance
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Soup it up.
Ingredients
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 lb. pancetta, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped (we added two!)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch of Swiss chard, chopped
8 c. chicken broth
4 c. water
1/2 lb. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
Salt and pepper
(Erika's addition: Red pepper flakes! I add them to almost everything for a nice kick.)
(Erika's addition: Red pepper flakes! I add them to almost everything for a nice kick.)
Directions
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, shallots, and carrot and cook until the vegetables are soft and the pancetta is crisp, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, beans, chicken broth and water and bring up to a boil over high heat. Toss in the Swiss chard and let it wilt, about 3 minutes. (It will look like A LOT of chard, but don't worry, it shrinks.)
Add the tortellini and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the tortellini are tender (about 4 minutes for fresh, 8 minutes for frozen). Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
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