After eating a copious amount of beige foods on Thanksgiving, you’re probably needing something with color. By color, I mean something healthy, like vegetables. If you’re anything like me though, you probably want warm and hearty foods because it’s Christmas time. So, I bring you the tomato tart! It is delicious and warm and contains fresh healthy ingredients! Enjoy!
Today was a lovely day. I love a day dedicated to food, fellowship, family and friends. I got to bake pies for my loved ones, make a bounty of dinner rolls, and share plenty of laughs – all of which reminded me of everything I have to be thankful for! I hope you all had a wonderful day. What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions
[The one whom I am most thankful for, Nathan!] 
[My brother Jade, the musician.]
[A victorious trampoline battle!]
[Violence for the boys.]
[Peaceful puzzling for the girls.]
[Eating is exhausting for Molly.]
Stuffing is one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving. I love combining it with my mashed potatoes and my all time favorite, peas. However, the way most people make stuffing is just wrong; people are so stuck in the classic Thanksgiving recipes! I mean, come on people, you must put your sweet potato and marshmallow recipe to rest and your crunchy onion green beans in the cupboard. It is time to bring out recipes that are refreshingly delicious, made with quality ingredients! This yummy stuffing is just that! It is made with several of my favorite ingredients, including white wine, garlic, and parsley! Happy cooking and Thanksgiving friends!
Cranberry is a classic staple in any Thanksgiving spread. It is the sweetness that balances out our carb-y, salt-loaded plates. I present to you a no-fuss, simple cranberry butter recipe perfect to smear on your bread or eat with your turkey! Enjoy!
If you are anything like me you probably plan on decorating for Christmas the minute your Thanksgiving guests leave. If this is the case – you probably do not want to spend money of flowers in colors that are only really good for Thanksgiving themed decorations. To solve this dilemma I bring you the perfect seasonally neutral arrangement. This centerpiece is perfect for Thanksgiving but will also blend perfectly with your Christmas decorations once Thanksgiving is over! Watch the video for the simple steps to achieve this beautiful centerpiece!
Behind me you can see some of my beautiful milk collection all of which will be available to rent soon!
You will need:
-Flowers, I used hydrangeas, burgundy lilies, passion fruits, greenery, and burgundy daisy type flowers.
-Oasis
-Large vase
As you can see I mess around with the placement of my flowers and greenery a lot! Do not feel like you have to get it right the first time. Mess around with the flowers until the arrangement is how you want it! I opted for an asymmetrical look this time, Imperfection was my goal!
After making the no-knead bread rolls, I had massive amounts of dough left. I decided to do something more my speed….By my speed, I mean gross amounts of garlic, white wine, herbs and LOTS of parmesan cheese. By my speed, I mean a giant blob of soft heaven you will have to get a little dirty to eat. By my speed, I also mean even more bread. I honestly cannot waste my time or breath trying to convince you how good this is. It’s just good, I mean the pic says it all.
Rolls are my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, aside from the mashed potatoes, of course. Rolls are kind of like chips and salsa for me; no matter how full I am I feel like I can have another roll. Gross, I know. The name says it all….Roll, like roll on the mid section.
I have an excuse though: I don’t eat meat…. yes it is true do not hate me, meat is actually my favorite thing to make! I just don’t eat it. Anyways because of this I indulge to the fullest on the side dishes, which includes rollsssss. Therefore, I have authority on good rolls (I am starting to hate the word rolls the more I type it).
You need good dinner rolls for your Thanksgiving, kick it up a notch this year and make them yourself! These rolls are absolutely delicious and require no kneading! Have at it, impress your guests this year with super tasty homemade dinner rolls!
This morning just plain old sucked. My Mom and I had been anticipating this morning for weeks and for the last few days we had been texting back and forth basically back and forth counting down the seconds for this morning to arrive.
We love dishes, it’s just our thing. My mom and I collect antique dishes so when we find cool new thrift shops literally feels like we’re hitting the jackpot. My mom found a new one about 30 minutes outside of town and we just could NOT wait to meticulously thumb through each plate, for hours, with our Starbucks in hand. Maybe it sounds lame, maybe but it sounds like heaven to us.
This morning finally came and we got our coffee and jetted down south as planned. We spent forever in the shop! We filled an entire cart with so many cups and vases that it all felt like a dream. As we were buying our treasures, I felt so complete, as if accumulating more was making me feel more satisfied with my own life.
This is when my otherwise perfect day was totally ruined! When we got back to our car, the passenger seat window had been completely smashed and my MacBook Pro laptop had been stolen! I immediately burst into tears. I felt overwhelmed with a sense of loss. My life was on that computer! Thousands of personal pictures I will never ever get back. Gone. It all felt like too much and I could not help but feel violated. How disheartening to know that a stranger is holding so much of my information? How could someone just take something that is not theirs?
As I began to slow and come to terms with the fact that there is nothing I could do about it, it somehow put things into perspective for me. We can make our lives so frivolous by storing up worth in our possessions. I find so much value and happiness in the clothes in my closet, the growing collection of dishes in my cabinets and even my computer. I have never really slowed down to ask my self how I would feel if I lost all of those things. We do not really realize how much of our happiness is stored in and wrapped up in possessions. Possessions aside, I do have so much to be happy about! Losing my computer blows, like really bad, but it is not the end of the world. It is funny how life works. What is meant for bad usually works out for good. Losing my computer sucked, but I was taught a good life lesson. Aside from the obvious, don’t have your laptop in your car, life is not about materialistic possessions. These things break, wear out, rust, mold, get lost and are even stolen! Life is about so so so much more and losing my silly old laptop today reminded me how blessed I really am!
[Eating some stracciatella gelato in Florence, Italy take me back please!]
Almost Everyday I have to refrain from telling Nathan I love him 567 times.
Almost Everyday the only reason I wake up is to get to Starbucks.
Almost Everyday I look at pictures from my European adventure and cry because I want to go back so badly.
Almost Everyday I have to go to the store to buy butter. Baking problems.
Almost Everyday I plan full blown dream vacations. I think my secret calling is being a travel agent.
Almost Everyday I have to stop myself from eating only Mexican food.
I love baking with cinnamon, it is the gift that always gives. Not only does my house smell like heaven, but my tastebuds are giving me high fives along with my family members. This cinnamon bread is especially special because it is simple to make, and the outcome is beautiful! It is an impressive holiday gift or an amazing breakfast and lunch to keep for yourself. Enjoy!
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