Merry Christmas 2020!

The holidays are just about behind us, and we can say FAREWELL to 2020 next week!

I hope you all had a merry Christmas and thank you to those who had to work on the holidays. I was blessed to be able to spend it with my family since I only work weekends!

We started off the celebrations with some festivities at our town library. They modified their usual fun to make it more safe and pandemic-friendly for the community! The boys were happy to be able to see Santa in person, as well as a donkey and horse. They got to drink hot cocoa and eat candy, got a present from Santa, and say hi to the police dog Otto!

On Christmas Eve we baked chocolate chip cookies for Santa, as well as tiger butter fudge! We made our traditional Arby's imitation dinner and watched Home Alone 2. After the movie we went and looked at Christmas lights in town, then had hot cocoa before bed.

That night, I caught Santa bringing all the presents!!!

The boys were so excited when they got up! They couldn't wait to tear into their gifts. Bradley's main present was a brand new Raspberry Pi computer, and Jacob's favorite was a game and a drawing pad. Their stockings were full of candy and goodies! After presents, we enjoyed biscuits and sausage gravy for brunch.

We continued our NY tradition of a delicious Mexican feast for dinner! Nick and I made homemade tamales last week, so to that we added chicken enchiladas, Mexican rice, refried beans, and jalapeno poppers. YUM

Apple pie was dessert, and the boys slept soundly after a full day of fun and food.

New York Traditions

In Oklahoma we would do a traditional holiday spread for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. After we moved here we decided to change it up a bit to something we enjoyed more and make a new tradition! We still do a traditional turkey and sides for Thanksgiving, but for Christmas we do a Mexican feast!

We love our Mexican food, and it's hard to find good stuff up north so I've gotten pretty good at making it myself. 2 years ago I taught myself how to make authentic tamales. They are definitely a labor of love, but oh so worth it! We ate on them all year. I finally got around to making more last week! We can't wait to add them to our dinner tomorrow.

Check out this post for my step by step blog about how I make them. This time I also did chicken ones as well as pork.

Basically you braise a pork roast with seasonings.... While it's cooling you make the chili sauce.

Then you drain and shred the meat, and puree the chili sauce...

...all while your corn husks are soaking.

Mix your masa (I add the broth from the meat cooking, as well as some chili sauce) and add School sauce to the meat. Then get ready for assembly!

Put them upright and steam for a couple hours and enjoy!!

So good! I filled 3 freezer bags with these and I will cherish each one.

Jacob's Trip to the Dentist

Last week Jacob had to go to the dentist to get a couple small fillings. He was so brave and did amazing. Such a big boy!

First they put the topical numbing solution on and let it sit for a few. He didn't like that, he said it was "hot".

Then they came in and did a great job of distracting him from the tools and noises while they quickly worked. It was over in a just a few minutes and he got to pick out a prize!

Hopefully no more cavities for a while! 

Quick and Easy Flatbread Pizza Dough--NO Yeast

You can make this dough in less than 5 minutes! Just throw the ingredients into a food processor and you're almost done. And you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry already.

Here's the original page I found the recipe at on Pinterest. Of course as always I put my own spin on it, but the original is great as well!

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (I use 2c white and 1c whole wheat)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp Italian seasoning **optional**

1 cup warm water

3 tbs olive oil

Cornmeal and flour for dusting surface

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Add flour, salt, and optional seasoning to food processor and pulse till blended. Slowly add warm water and olive oil while mixing until dough ball forms. May be sticky! Scoop this out onto floured surface and knead for about minute until dough begins to look smooth.

Split ball into 2 equal balls, and begin to roll into an elongated oval shape. Aim for about a 1/4" thick. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a large baking sheet to prevent sticking. Do this for each dough ball, then bake 5-7 min until edges start to look brown.

Remove from oven and spread a thin layer of olive oil on baked dough, then top with desired toppings. Return to oven for 10-15min until desired doneness (I like the cheese to just start turning golden). Let cool 10 min before slicing. 

This makes TWO pizzas! It feeds my family of 4 plus leftovers. Play around with your toppings and have fun. So good!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

Yes, you read that right! These are so good, and if you like Reese's then you will love these! So easy to make, and just a couple of extra ingredients from regular rice crispy treats!

I got the recipe from here and added some Halloween sprinkles since I first made these in October. I have made them several times since then and they are always a hit!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter/margarine (1/2 stick soft)

10oz bag mini marshmallows

1/2 cup peanut butter

6 cups rice crispies cereal

Topping:

1 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 tsp veg oil

Mix butter, marshmallows, and peanut butter in a bowl and microwave in 30-60sec intervals and stir until melted. Pour in all cereal and mix well. Spray a 9x13 pan and squish mixture evenly down into pan with greased fingers/spatula. Mix chocolate chips and oil in a bowl and microwave at 30-60sec intervals until melted. Mix well and pour over rice crispies, then spread evenly to all sides with spatula. Done! Place in fridge to harden for about an hour. Let the kids and husband lick off the spoons and bowls.

You will be hooked! So easy, and just a few ingredients. Let me know if you like them!

A Quiet Thanksgiving

We spent a simple and quiet holiday at home with lots of great food and family time! This year has really been crazy for everyone, but we are so thankful every day for our health and all we have been given in this life.

We started the cooking a day early with pies, deviled eggs, and dry brining the turkey...

Everything turned out delish!!! We sat around the table and shared what we were each thankful for this year.

And of course I made a huge batch of turkey broth after dinner! YUM.

As part of Covid relief, the schools have been providing the kids free breakfast and lunch everyday! For the days they are learning at home the school sends the food home the day before. Brad was offered a couple of extra bags before the Thanksgiving break, so of course he accepted! He came home with a TON of food that day!

Even Cuddles got to enjoy some turkey! He spent the day as usual in his "fort".

I hope everyone else had a nice quiet holiday! Next up is Christmas....