You know how sometimes something is so lame that it goes full circle and becomes awesome? That is what I like to think happens with this particular activity. Every year I pull out all of my red and green stops in the week leading up to Christmas. Since I was working in a children’s toy store the week before Christmas, this year I really tried to go all out. Here we go…
P.S. I coined the term “elfit” while describing this tradition to my coworker the other day. It may have been my proudest moment to date.
What lame things did you do to get in the holiday spirit this year?
We spent the last two days making memories and building our own traditions. We missed our family like crazy, but other than it was one of our best Christmas days ever. It helped that most of our new family traditions involved eating lots of tasty food!
One event I hope not to turn into a tradition was December 23rd’s 3 am grocery trip. We had a slight misstep with the baking I did for my co-workers’ Christmas gifts. One of my pies burnt to a crisp and I had to go buy a replacement gift in the middle of the night. Also, we ate the salvageable half of the burnt pie… at 3 am.
I made my Hello Dolly Pies and they were delicious. I hope everyone liked them!
We exchanged gifts at our company holiday breakfast.
Our bosses took us out for a delicious meal at Mythos. I had never been there before but I’m still sure that what I ordered was the best thing on the menu. A burrito with turkey, eggs, potatoes and cheddar, smothered in hollandaise.
It came with berries and Greek yogurt on the side and everything was delicious. I ate half and brought the rest to Adam who loved it as well.
We ran a few errands when Adam picked me up from breakfast and we ended up going on an adventure. Vineeta International Market has been hiding under my nose on Grant for months!
We had a grand time wandering around and came home with lots of goodies.
Including the Thumbs Up cola we shared.
Then we trimmed the tree.
We couldn’t buy a big tree because the dog is a monster but we enjoyed this little magical grow tree I bought Adam for Hanukkah.
And then we had pie.
Gaaah; can this be a yearly tradition? That pie is so fricking good.
So was the eggnog seltzer I sipped on all day.
I had a salad for lunch.
Romaine with peanut sauce, buckwheat groats, chopped honeycrisp, and cheddar.
Plus the last of the sugar-plum candies.
We did pizza for dinner.
Why mess with our usual traditions?
Then we stayed up late watching “How I Met Your Mother.” We’ve decided that’s our new tv marathon of choice.
This morning (Christmas!!) we slept in late like a couple of old people. It was pretty great. The dog started his morning with sirloin and bacon wet food.
And I started mine with toffee.
Plus a glass of eggnog with nutmeg.
Then we got all fancy with breakfast.
Seriously fancy. Check out we bought at Wegman’s –
Lobster for Christmas breakfast? That can definitely become a tradition! We cooked turkey bacon and then used the skillet to sautéechopped lobster tail in butter. Then we scrambled in egg whites (leftover from the pies, plus one yolk) and baby spinach.
It was quite good. And lunch was a winner as well.
We used this Christmas tree pasta that my co-worker gave me.
I sautéed sliced mushroom, chopped red peppers, and baby spinach in butter and evoo. Then I tossed in pasta, a big dollop of Nayo, and a huge handful of shredded cheese.
For dinner we went over to our friends’ house for a party. We brought over a good dip, and terrible chips for everyone to try.
The White Chocolate Peppermint Pringle’s looked so nasty that there was no way Adam and I could pass up the experience of trying them for a measly $2. Pro tip – freaking terrible, aka totally worth the money to try.
My dinner plate.
Tons of salad with mashed potato and mac and cheese. With homemade strawberry shortcake for dessert.
I ate about half. Plus a candy cane.
That cane was actually my hook in a candy cane fishing game we played. We went through a series of challenges from Minute to Win It. Hilarious.
Adam and I won! Woot!
We took a long walk to get home and stopped for sushi on the way back.
I had two pieces of inarai (tofu skin) but some amazing fried thing. It was the perfect way to end a great holiday.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
P.S. Here’s a video of Webster opening his Christmas present. You’re welcome.
Hello, hello! The days I’m excited to blog are always the same days I’m utterly exhausted. Go figure. Saturday was a symphony of holiday flavors but also a 9+ hour day at work. Instead of posting last night I had a total tantrum and passed out fully dressed… so here is a 2-day recap.
Remember when I said “Saturday was a symphony of holiday flavors”? You know, like five seconds ago. Well, my day went eggnog –> candy cane –> gingerbread; bam!
Nog based overnight oats for breakfast.
I put 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 cup Silk Soy Nog, and 1 Tbsp chia seeds in the fridge overnight, then Saturday morning I added 1 sliced banana and a big dash of Christmas sprinkles.
So festive and delicious. Also, holy frick, I love chia seeds so much.
This is Clif’s best seasonal flavor by far. The bar has the perfect amount of peppermint.
Gingerbread was a cupcake surprise from the husband.
He had an appointment near Fairy Cakes in the afternoon and he brought me home a gingerbread stout cupcake with cream cheese icing.
It was ridiculous good, maybe the best cupcake I’ve ever had! The cake had a great ratio of spice to sweet and was so fluffy and moist. I shared one big bite with Adam but downed the rest with gusto.
The rest of the day’s eats were out of season, but still good. From fall I borrowed an apple and a Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale.
I split the beer with Adam and ate the apple on my own.
I guess nachos are actually appropriate for any season, right?
We loved them. He was a little iffy on roasted brocoli as a nacho topping but it was delicious. And I was worried about that type of cheese versus a regular cheddar, but that ended up being perfect too. And the pineapple salsa is hands-down the best jarred salsa I’ve ever had.
Blah, blah, blah, and then I started having a fit and had to go to bed. I didn’t get anywhere near enough sleep during the weeks Adam was gone and I’m still really freaking tired.
Sunday was a super hungry day and I ate a ton of crap. A brunch of sorts, was low-fat coffee yogurt with honey roasted peanuts and honey,
a few pieces of toffee candy from home,
and several handfuls (about 3 servings or 250 calories worth) of dried turkey.
Working with crowds of Christmas shoppers is exhausting but also really rewarding. Five different people today thanked me effusively for my help and that was a really good feeling. Actually, one super hot guy told another customer that I was fantastic and I about died!
Adam picked me up after work for a fun treat.
Bubble tea from Gin Gin! Best bubble tea I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried a lot. I got a medium red bean milk tea with regular and popping boba (the purple one is Adam’s taro).
We both swooned over how good they were and finished our drinks in the car long before we made it home. And we called my mom on speaker on the drive and drove her crazy scraping through our ice for errant tapiocas!
Dinner was pizza.
And we shared a beer.
We were gearing up for a long night of baking.
I’m giving my co-workers all pies for Christmas and we are not even close to finished still. Sorry, husband!
I have a holiday breakfast with work tomorrow and then I’m spending Christmas Eve on the couch with Adam. I have two days off in a row for the holiday and I am so excited to spend them with my boys!
We are four days away and it is starting to snow! We might have a white Christmas after all. Also, the world didn’t end today; yay.
Sorry I missed a post last night (after going on and on about how I was “back,” natch) but I was still running errands as the clock neared midnight. Two crazy days in a row are over and I’m ready to recap.
Thursday’s brunch included two of my best savory recipes.
I know it’s cold out for iced coffee but I couldn’t resist the chance to pair my favorite coffee with my favorite winter flavor.
I worked 9+ hours and was sooooooo hungry when I got off. I would have loved to go straight home for dinner but we had errands to run so I ended up getting Moe’s instead.
But who would complain about Moe’s?
I got a naked burrito (aka a cheaper rice bowl) with rice, black beans, sautéed onions, green peppers, and mushrooms, lettuce, corn salsa, cilantro, guacamole, and sour cream.
Plus chips with queso.
I ate all of the queso, 2/3 of the chips, and 3/4 of the bowl.
When we finally made it home (more than 12 hours after I left!) there were presents from both sets of parents.
My mom sent us homemade toffee.
It was the perfect bedtime snack.
Friday I started with a salad. Romaine topped with 1.5 chopped turkey burgers, shredded cheese, a dollop of guacamole, buckwheat groats, and honey mustard dressing (I accidentally used way too much dressing and it was kind of gross, boo).
Also half a honeycrisp with 1 Tbsp each peanut butter and Biscoff spread, melted.
And I drank a Guava Rockstar Punched at work.
<– yum
I have the best bosses on earth and they surprised us with pizza for dinner mid-shift! It was too exciting. I had a a veggie slice and a buffalo chicken slice.
Mr. Pizza has the best crust in Buffalo.
And I won this candy bar.
When I got home I made myself eat fruits and veggies first though. A handful of baby carrots.
My hair – I’m still leaving the tub purple after every shower and my new hair is a bit lighter than the original photo I showed you guys. I will have to have Adam snap a picture the next time I’m home during good light.
Christmas – we are not going to visit any family, boo. But Adam and I are going to have our first ever Christmas with just the two of us; it’s time that our little family started to develop some of our own traditions!
If you celebrate, where are you spending Christmas this year? Do you and your significant other have any of your own holiday traditions?
Do not put this vodka in eggnog. That would be disgusting. But beyond that, go crazy. My friends and I drank it in Sprite and/or club soda. The vodka becomes sweet and a little bit thicker and it goes perfectly with something fizzy*.
*It’s also good straight from the bottle!
Candy Cane Vodka
The following recipe can be increased as needed. Just keep the original ratio between the vodka and candy intact.
2 candy canes, broken into smaller pieces
6 oz good vodka
Place vodka and broken candy cans in a covered container until candy has completely dissolved, 36 – 48 hours.
I’d never made Puppy Chow (or Muddy Buddies, Garbage, etc) before this attempt and I knew I wanted to start out on the right foot. As much as I love sugar (a lot!), I prefer a mix of flavors to a dish so sweet it makes your teeth hurt. Enter Cheez-its.
This Puppy Chow has the perfect balance of salty and sweet. You can definitely eat it by the handful. I certainly did. And so did my friends, who generally eat much more like dietitians than I do! Plus this great party snack comes together in a snap. You basically just melt, mix, and shake-shake-shake!
Sweet ‘n Salty Puppy Chow, yields 8 servings
2.5 cups corn squares cereal
2 cups Cheez-its
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
Place powdered sugar into a large sealable food-storage plastic baggie and set aside. Prepare a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place chocolate and peanut butter into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring regularly, until fully melted.
Use a spatula to fold cereal and crackers into melted peanut butter and chocolate until evenly coated.
Place mix into powdered sugar bag, seal, and shake, shake, shake until squares are evenly coated.
Pour onto prepared baking sheet and spread into a thin even layer. Let dry, 1o minutes or so. Store in the fridge in a sealed container.
What does your family call it? Puppy Chow, Garbage, Trash, Muddy Buddies, something new??
I know I fell off the earth for a few days there, sorry, mom!
Recently Adam was out-of-town for 15 days straight. Did I keep that under my hat, or was it blogvious? <– that’s obvious on the blog
He was gone a really long time, and I didn’t want to broadcast that all over the internet.
Then he was home for a few days and I wanted to spend every moment I could with him.
And then he was gone again for a few days, this time to hike alone in Yosemite and sleep in a stupid tent, and I spent two days straight eating nonstop and Googling bear attack statistics.
Here is a tiny snippet of what’s gone down since I last blogged –
I haven’t done the best job of taking pictures lately, what with all the working, stressing, and stress-eating. Whoops.
But I am officially tired of eating jalopeño poppers for dinner.
And I only have one week left of crazy work shifts.
And if I expect to blog when I rejoin the full-time workers with my internship at the end of January I’m going to need some practice.
Basically, plan on seeing me again!
P.S. I know it’s lame, but I thought “blogvious” was pretty clever so expect to see that again too.
