I need to hydrate and carb load the next couple days….that’s what the seasoned runners do. 😉
I tried this little pre-race concoction and it’s delish:
Cranberry Pomegranate Emergen-C
+
Vitamin Water ZERO Squeezed {lemonade}
=
Cold fighting, energy boosting, nutrient rich beverage!
Now to get the regular H2O stuff in my body, too!
On another note, I have a pain in the neck. Must’ve tweaked it last night in my sleep. I have to do the whole “turn your entire body” thing when I drive because my neck is so stiff! Ugh….heating pad where are you?
Julie over at Joy’s Hope planted the toffee seed and I’ve been wanting to make this ever since.
I had it years ago somewhere and remember saying, “What? It’s made with saltines??!!??”
Totally random, I know, but hear me out…
it’s light, salty, sweet, chocolatey and crispy all at the same time.
And a breeze to make.
{I sort of also followed this recipe because I wanted to make sure I could also pull it off with regular sugar}
Just place about 1 sleeve saltines {use the regular, salted ones} next to eachother on a foil lined baking sheet:
Then, melt 1 cup butter and 1 cup sugar {like I mentioned, I just used regular old granulated, but you can also use brown} and bring to a boil, but stir constantly for about 3 minutes:
Then pour that over your crackers and spread around with a spatula:
Place this in a 375* oven for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle a 12-ounce bag of semi sweet chocolate chips on top and let them melt for a minute…spread with a spatula and you will have this:
Put this is the ‘fridge for awhile to set up and then break into pieces and take to your Mommy’s Only Holiday Party!
Or you can get some cute cellophane bags at the $1 store and make little treats for your neighbors, co-workers, mailman, teachers, hairstylist, Santa….whoever.
As I am here putting certain things away and exchanging them for all things Christmas, I am noticing that I am extremely traditional when it comes to our holiday decor.
Lots and lots of red and green. Oh, there’s nothing wrong with that, but I do notice that I also LOVE holiday decor that steps out of the box…a themed tree, choosing a non-traditional color scheme and carrying that throughout the house, simplicity when it comes to decorating or completely over the top.
I am attracted to it all ~ tastefully speaking, of course!
But, our home is traditional…and I wouldn’t change it at all. A lot of our things have been passed down from generations, special gifts from family or friends or things that I have carefully chosen or kept throughout the years to bedazzle our nest during this magical time.
This is not to say that maybe when the kids are older and I have a little more time {and money}, I most likely will step out and dabble in something new. Maybe our traditional tree in the living room and a special themed tree elsewhere…choosing yellow, orange or lime green and building our decor from there.
There are literally a gazillion magazine spreads that I adore ~ here are just a few:
Yesterday was the day when I ventured into the garage, rearranged some stuff and pulled out the Christmas boxes.
Time to put away the pumpkins, turkeys and pilgrims and get out the snowmen, candy canes, wreaths, lights and ornaments.
We ran to Home Depot, where we get our tree every year, after school and picked out a 5 ft Noble Fir. We stick our tree on a little table to keep it off the floor and reduce temptation for our four-legged family members and one questionable 3.75 year old. Hopefully next year we can {try} a normal sized tree. But our “table top tree” has sort of become tradition….although we have lots more ornaments than we do branches to hang them on.
*****
As I decked the halls, I thought it’d be nice to have a roast in the crock pot so that’s what was for dinner:
I added lots of veggies to mine…halved baby carrots, sliced onion, cubed potato {from the start} and frozen peas and cut green beans {at about the last 30-45 minutes}.
I served with one of my favorite bagged salads from Costco…The Grand Parisian. Comes in a salad kit with cranberries, feta, frosted almonds and this dressing:
I cheated and used my friend Mr. Rotisserie. And by doing this, I goofed and didn’t see that I needed to reserve 2 cups chicken broth {from the fryer chicken that I was supposed to boil MYSELF}, so as I am nearing the end of the prep I see that it’s time to add the chicken broth….oops! Didn’t have any in the pantry, so I just used 1 cup whole milk instead. I was afraid to use 2 cups as I thought it would be too soupy. It was perfect!
I also am not a fan {not even a little bit} of green bell peppers so I substituted a red pepper and used a whole wheat pasta instead. And the pimentos….left those little guys out. Oh, and I drizzled a little Sriracha on my portion, too.
I wanted to share this recipe with you ASAP because it really is delish and so comforting.
{Like we need another comforting meal after our Thanksgiving Day feasts!}
I think this will become a regular. It makes TONS which is fine because it’s that good.
And the Chargers weren’t too bad this week, either!
*****
Here’s to a week of recuperating and ringing in the holidays!
Our friends {and neighbors} from our old ‘hood in Nor Cal passed through Santa Clarita on their way to San Diego this morning.
They’re coffeeholics like us and we always meet for a cuppa Joe before they hit the road…
Today we changed it up a bit and met at Peet’s instead of ‘Bucks.
I was reunited with a drink that I’d like to think I {invented}, but could be totally wrong…the only reason I say that is because every time I order it they say, “Oooh, that sounds good!”
It’s an Almond White Mocha.
Starbucks no longer has the almond syrup, but Peet’s does!
It was bbbbrrrrr {42*} this morning when we set out…I know, I know…So Cal girl talkin’ here…
My AWM hit the spot.
I also LOVE the Almond Mocha Joy from Seattle’s Best. They use both almond & coconut syrups. YUM!
Might I suggest this beverage if you’re an almond & coconut lover like me.
Now to track these down so I can make them at home…
A few weeks ago Jay and I went out to a quick dinner to celebrate our anniversary.
We decided to try a Mexican place that we’d heard good things about. We shared a cup of albondigas and it was excellent! I’ve actually been thinking about it ever since. When I saw this post on one of my new favorite blogs, I knew it was a sign that I had to make it. Plus the fact that I had some leftover rice sitting in the ‘fridge AND plus the fact that it’s been COLD and drizzly all day!
I topped with shredded cheese and some avocado chunks. A squeeze of fresh lime and some cilantro confetti would have put it over the top! It was perfect for this chilly, Saturday night and just what the doctor ordered for my cold. Next time I think I’ll add maybe some diced tomatoes and the green chiles for a little more kick.
{Please excuse the awful pic…I realized I focused on Holden’s cute glittered pumpkin rather than on the brownie goodness! Plus Jay was running out the door to get to the bus and I had to snap fast!}
These are fast, easy and delicious ~ I love the espresso icing! I had to go to a couple specialty shops to find the espresso powder, but one jar lasts a couple years. This was one of those recipes that I HAD to make 5 minutes after I saw Giada make them on her show!
When Elliott was just 6 months old or so and we had just moved to the Bay Area I watched Food Network all day long {bad idea when you need to lose baby weight!}. This was one of the recipes that I discovered during that time and have made again and again.
