Monthly Archives: December 2011

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

December 27, 2011

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and were able to celebrate the holiday with those you love. We missed being with our extended families this year, but it was special to spend time together just the three of us, reflecting on our savior’s birth and sharing in good food and gift giving. Watching Eowyn open all of her presents was just as fun as I had anticipated, and so far, she appears to be quite enthralled with the grocery cart and play food we got for her…Perhaps a foodie in the making? I suppose only time will tell. Now …

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Pesto Rotini with Chicken Sausage and Tomatoes

December 22, 2011

Christmas is just three days away, and the anticipation is building for me this year in a way that hasn’t happened since I was a child. Eowyn is 20 months old right now, so this is really the first Christmas that she is even aware of what’s going on. Every morning, we have a routine of coming into the living room to watch cartoons for a few minutes give her some time to wake up before I feed her breakfast, change her diaper, etc. Arriving at our cozy space on the couch requires walking past the Christmas tree, and without fail, each day she ensures the …

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Cranberry Apple Tuna Salad

December 19, 2011

With Christmas just 6 days away, it’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed with all the tasks still undone. This last week went by at lightning speed, and I’m definitely feeling the crunch (I haven’t exactly made any progress on my to-do list since my previous post…). Thankfully, all the gifts for my immediate family have been purchased and wrapped, but I have a few items for extended relatives that need to see the inside of a post office ASAP if I want them to arrive at their destination before the holiday. Considering the final preparations that need to take place and the fact …

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Baked Pumpkin French Toast with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

December 15, 2011

How did it happen? It feels like just yesterday I was patting myself on the back for being ahead of the game with shopping and holiday preparations, then suddenly I realized Christmas is only 10 days away. Now I’m feeling terribly behind! My to-do list is still a mile long, but perhaps I’ll whittle it down by going the gift card route and skipping Christmas cards (wait, didn’t I do that last year, too?). Oh well. I suppose being 35 weeks pregnant, mothering an active toddler, and having recently had a major sickness will do that to a person. At …

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Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Meat Sauce

December 12, 2011

Up until recently, I’d always had a bit of trepidation when it came to winter squash. I found the vast array of varieties to be overwhelming, and since I didn’t love the texture of most summer squash, I reasoned I probably wasn’t missing out on much. In fact, it was just last year that I finally decided to give it a try. I’d seen a few recipes on various food blogs, and some friends of mine were talking about the dishes they were making with this seasonal vegetable. My curiosity was piqued, and though I had my reservations, I cautiously …

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“Cheesy” Popcorn

December 8, 2011

Maybe it was pregnancy hormones or perhaps the anticipation of the holiday season, but for me, the last month or so was marked by an unusually high intake of sugary treats. Food aversions have followed me well into my third trimester, making it difficult to stomach nutritious foods such as chicken breast and hearty greens, yet until now, my sweet tooth was untouched. It wasn’t unusual for ice cream, pie, and Christmas candies to make their way into my diet on a daily basis. Following my recent bout with pneumonia, however, things have started to turn around. My sweet cravings are …

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Mahogany Beef Stew

December 5, 2011

Beef stew has never been a food about which I’ve gotten very excited. We didn’t eat it much growing up, so maybe I just never developed a taste for it. When I did have it, the meat was usually decent, but the texture of the various vegetable components always left me a bit unsettled. Too crisp or too soft, they never seemed quite right. This recipe, introduced to me by a friend, takes away all the things about traditional beef stew that have left me wanting and replaces them with succulent flavor and texture. You won’t find a bag of frozen mixed veggies …

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Christmas Candy Roundup

December 2, 2011

Does this ever happen to you? An idea is born in your mind; you’re creative juices get flowing, and before long you are brainstorming how to turn this dream into reality. The plan develops and anticipation builds until…everything falls apart. That pretty much sums up this post for me. Over the last several years, it’s become a bit of a tradition for me to get together with friends to bake cookies or make holiday candies and then deliver them to the neighbors to enjoy. The process is relaxing, and it’s a great opportunity to spend a whole day catching up …

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