Tag: holidays

Dear Santa, I’ve been good for the last week or so. Let’s just focus on that.

On By HanneIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

November and December are probably my most favorite part of the year. Yes, the actual holidays are nice, but there is something about the coziness of this time of year. Yes it gets dark early, yes it’s cold and dreary.

But the dark evenings make candles glow brighter.

The cold nights make hot cider taste sweeter.

The dreary days made better by the endless supply of Hallmark Christmas movies.

4b8a9cf0bdd81e5ebd3aeaba2a29363631c156c88b37f065c35e1eebbdab62eeHonestly, I don’t know what I’d do without two months of the most predictable holiday movies that cycle through the same actors and storylines. But it’s like I can’t look away. Will Lacey Chabert live happily ever after in the small town she happens to get stuck in just before Christmas? Will a Christmas card bring together two miserable people in time for some Christmas cheer?** Obviously we all know the answer, but I find myself watching anyway because you never know, right?

Aside from the Hallmark Channel, what are some of your go-to holiday films? The Grinch (the original cartoon, for me please)? The Santa Claus? It’s a Wonderful Life?

Even just thinking of these movies gives me a warm and happy feeling in my heart. I know what I’m doing this weekend.

** Probably the worst Christmas film I’ve ever seen. The acting so painful, I hope the magic of Christmas passes them by and they end the movie miserable and alone. 

When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. – Laiko Bahrs

On By HanneIn Food, HolidayLeave a comment

I spent the past week debating over what to make for our annual Christmas party as well as what to bring for Christmas. My biggest success (yet I’m not making it for either) were these Bacon Wrapped Scallions (click for the recipe). While absolutely delicious, they need to be made right before servingpicstitchand you need a knife/fork to eat them – not exactly ideal party/finger food.

They were super easy to make. Wrap a couple scallions with a slice of bacon. Fry. Eat. Despite the fact that it’s bacon I’d consider them pretty healthy. One slice of bacon isn’t that bad, and each wrap is kind of a lot of food. You have a lot to chew, yet only one slice of bacon. Win/win, right?
In the end I decided on three different recipes for the party (aside from the regular stuff my dad makes, basic cheeses, crackers, dips, etc). First I made these Soppressata Bundles with Radicchio and Goat Cheese. I made them for Thanksgiving and the family seemed to really enjoy them, so I thought I’d do them for the Christmas party. Then I made Prosciutto Crostini With Lemony Fennel Slaw. This are absolutely delicious. As I’ve discovered more and more uses for fennel – seriously, look it up, so many health benefits) we’ve been having it fairly regularly. The lemon adds a nice tartness to the sweet licorice taste. Another win.
Then, for dessert, I made Chocolate-Peppermint Striped Delight. I was worried that it might be *too* sweet, but I think it turned out pretty good.
The holiday party was a success (albeit a stressful one in the hours leading up to it), and now all that’s left is deciding what to make for Christmas day with the extended family and wrapping a few gifts.
On a completely unrelated note, my birthday is coming up (I’m turning 29) and I’m compiling a list of 30 things I want to do before turning 30. I have a good idea of a few things I’d like on the list for sure (some are totally possible, and others… less likely). But is there anything that you wish you had done earlier in life? I’m looking for any/all suggestions and in a few weeks will post my final list. I’m hoping that by posting, it’ll help create a bit of accountability so that I don’t brush it aside until a few weeks before my birthday and try to squeeze in as much as possible without actually enjoying whatever the experience might be.
If I don’t post before, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

a time to be thankful…

On By HanneIn Health, Stress, UpdateLeave a comment

The past few months since I posted, I’ve really struggled with my health. While I didn’t do too bad on the antibiotics, it completely destroyed my immune system and I’ve been struggling with respiratory crap since July. I ended up back on antibiotics for 7 days earlier this month, and while I’m not coughing much anymore, I’m *still* congested. Ugh. Being sick pretty much for 5 months straight has left me feeling blah, uninspired and just… down.

imagesBut I also realized that while life has been a bitch for the second half of 2013, there are people out there that have it much, much worse. Sure I’ve been on some hard core meds over the course of those five months – but at least I can afford it (even if it pains me to pay for it). So over the past few weeks and over the course of the next few weeks until Christmas, I’m trying to focus on helping those that are having a hard time. And I’m having a good time doing it.

A week or so ago, I took my little buddy Evan for an ‘adventure’ (we go on ‘adventures’ rather than errands, because really… what sounds more fun?) to the grocery store to do a big shop for the Northwest Harvest food drive the radio was doing. We went up and down almost every aisle* looking for stuff on sale to maximize what I was spending and also for stuff a little different than the basic canned tuna, peanut butter, and pasta. I wish I had the link for a blog article I stumbled upon awhile back. Basically, a woman overheard a comment directed toward someone who was donating a couple jars of Greek olives, and something else considered ‘fancy’ and how the people at the food bank wouldn’t know what to do with those items. The woman writing the blog had been on assistance at one timeand while she wasn’t a chef, she could pull together some good meals out of various ingredients and *loved* to find different things at the food bank. Now she’s got a good job, writes a column, etc and likes to donate items that aren’t traditional to give a little variety.  So I tried to get a mix of basic items (because buying rice, pasta, etc. For me it was a trip to the grocery store. For Evan it was a chance to point out the things he knew, a chance to practice colors, and best of all (in his eyes) he got to put everything in the cart for me (he loves to be a helper).

Another way I’ve tried to boost the holiday cheer, is by getting a head start on my Christmas cards. Costco had a great deal on personalized cards, so I got a bunch and have been getting those started (big batch to go out this weekend). For those of you also doing Christmas cards, consider sending a card to a service member through Holiday mail for Heroes. The deadline is Dec. 6th, so if you’re lazing around this weekend with a belly full of Turkey, consider writing a few Christmas cards.

As most probably saw on FB, I didn’t get the grant that I applied for back in May. It’s not a surprise, but at the same time, it’s a big let down. I had big plans for that, and while not getting it this time around certainly won’t stop me, it’s put a big kink in my plans and it still hurts. I’m just going to take a little time over the holidays to not think about it (I’ve got enough going on already) and then time to dust off and keep moving forward.

Will try to keep this updated a bit more than once every 4 months.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

*My goal in life is to spell the word ‘aisle’ correct without having to let spell check fix it for me. Ugh.