Christmas Magic!

Just a quick pic post! Merry Christmas to all my favorite readers and bloggers!

Pizza Dip

A few weeks ago we had a Christmas party at our place, so here's some pics courtesy of my friend Nicky!

Don't worry, I know what you really clicked on this post for. You want the pizza dip. It's okay, I understand. Here's the info.

My mother in law gave me this recipe from a Family Circle magazine after she made it as an appetizer for our Thanksgiving Dinner. I made it for some friends at our Christmas party and it was a hit!

                                                                  Pizza Dip

Ingredients:

• 8 oz softened light cream cheese
• 3/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 oz sliced pepperoni, chopped
• 2 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
• 10 large, pitted black olives, chopped (optional, I didn't use them!)
• 4 crusty Italian rolls, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mayo, cheese, pepperoni, tomatoes and olives. Spoon into a 6 cup baking dish.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly.

4. Allow to cool slightly and serve with bread pieces for dipping.

Enjoy the cheesey goodness!!

xoxo,

Taren

Yet Another Reason Why My Husband is Awesome

Last night I was at work when my husband showed up. He kinda poked his head in the door with this mischievous look on his face and I was wondering what he was up to and he produced this:

What is this? It is a Christmas decoration that my family has had since I was about 4 years old. About 4 or 5 years ago, it got broken in a move and the sleigh and wood the reindeer stood on went missing. I had the pieces all this time and I recently took them over to my in laws to see if my mother in law had any ideas on how I could repair it as she is quite crafty. With his parent's help, Leigh restored it to it's former glory and almost made me cry. Now it gets to go back to it's rightful place in front of the fireplace. Thank you Leigh! <3

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

For the past 6 years, I have baked a ton of cookies and headed over to my bestie J's house for her annual cookie exchange. Last year was Jam Thumbprints. This year I wanted to make something extra special. I found the perfect thing on Pinterest: Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies. Seriously.

 

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Found on Pinterest: Scrambled Henfruit 

Ingredients

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)
• In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
• With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.
• Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)
• When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. 
• Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)
• Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
• Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.
• Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.

Christmas Lights

Last night I was reading the newspaper (mostly the flyers, I love flyers!) and I came across a list of the best houses in our area. I showed it to Leigh and he was like "Let's go!"

Sidebar: The other day this convo happened I need to share:

Me: Leigh, I can't wait till we have our own house so we can put tons of lights up and be one of the houses in the paper!

Leigh: Great. You know it's going to be me out there on the ladder freezing my ass off while your looking out the window drinking hot chocolate being all "Christmas is magical!!"

LOL so true!

Anyways, we listened to Christmas music and I took pics of the amazing houses.

New Books: Sophie Kinsella, Emily Giffin, and Lindsey Kelk

I can't believe I haven't blogged for a whole week!  I haven't had internet at home since mid-November, since our new place came with wireless but we have a desktop, we just haven't bothered trying to figure out how to set it up so I actually blogged from my phone for half of NaBloPomo. Anyways, today's topic:

I am always recommending books to people. I get messages all the time from people, well women really, about what they should read. I thought I would share a few upcoming books that I am very excited to read! 

February 14, 2012

 Amazon Description:
Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

July 31, 2012

Amazon Description:

The author of five blockbuster novels, Emily Giffin, delivers an unforgettable story of two women, the families that make them who they are, and the longing, loyalty and love that binds them together

 Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.

 For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.

 

Already released

 

Amazon Description:

 After her first standalone novel, The Single Girl's To-Do List, Lindsey returns with a sparkling and romantic new novel in the I Heart series. Angela Clark loves her life in New York. She a Brit who's conquered the Big Apple. Unfortunately, she's also a Brit who's lost her job. And when, just a couple of weeks before Christmas, the immigration department gets wind of this, Angela needs to find a new job urgently. Or a husband. And she doesn't think her boyfriend Alex will be keen. A girls' weekend in Vegas with her best friend Jenny seems the perfect way to forget her troubles. From the minute they arrive Angela is swept up in a whirl of cocktails, outrageous outfits, late nights and brushes with the chapel of love. But rather than escaping trouble, Angela is up to her neck in it!. But what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas -- right? With a bonus Angela's Guide to Vegas - the ultimate city break guide!

All I Want For Christmas is You!! New video!

I know NaBloPomo is over, but I still have lots to blog about. Plus I missed a day, so it doesn't really count! Today is December 1st which means it's officially the Christmas Season. Last night I was reading Perez Hilton and I came across this video which totally put me in a Christmas mood. Classic song with a new Justin Beiber twist and the video is so festive. Plus Mariah looks amazing, even if her outfit is a little...odd. She looks awesome!

Enjoy!




xoxo,
Taren