Happy New Year

We're about to take off for a party. I just wanted to wish you all a happy and safe New Year. I hope you all have fun, whether it's at home, at a party, out to dinner, etc. as we bid farewell to 2008 and say hello to 2009!

In addition to the Oreo truffles, I decided to make a cookie cake and decorate it in honor of the holiday. It didn't come out as well as I wanted (I need some serious practice on my writing), but I guess it's still cute:

I used the Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but obviously just spread the dough into a pizza pan. I sprayed the pan liberally with nonstick spray, and I only spread the dough out to about 1-2 inches from the edges to allow for spreading. I baked at 325 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes.

Hopefully my fellow party-goers will enjoy.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Read more...

Oreo Truffles

After tackling the cupcake bites a couple of times, I figured the famous Oreo truffles would be easy. And while still time consuming, they did take less time (less steps!).

I followed the "alternate" recipe (uses condensed milk instead of cream cheese), which allows the truffles to be kept at room temperature. I chose to dip half of the truffles in milk chocolate, and half in white chocolate. Then I drizzled them with colored candy melts.

I made these tonight so we can take them with us for a New Year's party tomorrow night.

Oreo Truffles
(Source: Kraft Foods)

Ingredients:
- 1 package (1 lb., 2 oz.) Oreo cookies
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk OR 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
- 1/2 lb. milk chocolate candy melts
- 1/2 lb. white chocolate candy melts

Directions:
1. In food processor, grind Oreo cookies until completely crushed.

2. Place crushed cookies into a large bowl. Add condensed milk or cream cheese, stirring until combined. The cookie crumbles should all be moist so that they easily stick together.

3. Shape cookie mixture into 1-inch balls. Lay cookie balls on cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Place into freezer for a few minutes to harden.

4. Dip cookie balls into melted chocolate, and return to wax paper to dry. Drizzle with additional melted chocolate or candy melts for decoration (if desired).

If you use the cream cheese version, truffles must be kept in the refrigerator. Recipe yields approximately 30-50 truffles, depending on size.

Read more...

Marley & Me

This afternoon, I went to see the Marley & Me movie with my mom, my brother and his fiancee, my cousin and her husband, and my other cousin and her daughter.

And I'm not going to lie. It was rough.

However, the tough parts (toward the end) were totally worth it because of the story in its entirety. I read the book 2 or 3 years ago, and I loved it. Reading the book also meant that I knew what I was getting myself into with the movie--and I was a little bit afraid to see it. But I had heard good things, and so many of my family members wanted to see it, so I figured I'd give it a go.

I think we're all aware of the rule: Movies based on books cannot possibly be as good as the book. I usually go to see book movies and leave completely disappointed. To take just one example: The Da Vinci Code. Holy crap did that movie suck. And that was Ron Howard. Ron Howard!! He generally makes fantastic movies, so I had high hopes for that one. But it suuucccked. Really sucked.

To my surprise, this was not the case with Marley & Me. Maybe it's because there were a few years between my reading the book and my seeing the movie. Maybe it's just because it's a great story, and is seemingly impossible to mess up. Whatever it is... I really enjoyed this movie.

As far as I can remember, they followed the book pretty closely. Obviously there were little jokes added in, and things here and there that were changed for the sake of film (and things that were cut out for time), but the general plot, and the way that things happened--all of that was mostly the same.

They also added in a character (played by Eric Dane from Grey's Anatomy), a coworker/friend of John's, to help viewers understand Grogan's career goals and the dreams he had for himself (and how life ultimately does not go as Grogan may have originally planned). Eric Dane was perfect in this role, as it is almost exactly the same character he plays on Grey's.

But all of the fundamentals, the pieces of this story that make it great--love, life, and laughter--were all there. I read a couple of pretty bad reviews that complained that there was too much "me" and not enough Marley. I wonder if those reviewers ever read the book.

Every time I've described this book for someone who hasn't read it, I've always explained it's pretty much an autobiography that centers around 13 particular years of the author's life, but it also focuses a lot on his and his family's relationship with their dog. Sure, it's the story of a dog. But it's also the story of a man, his wife, and ultimately, their family. Of which Marley is a huge part. That's kinda the whole point of the story, and I guess some people are missing that.

For the record, my 6-year-old cousin did not like the movie. She thought it was boring, and when everyone else was crying, she said "But it's just a dog!" So maybe not necessarily a movie for the whole family. I think she was a little too young to really get it.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed Owen Wilson. I liked him in Wedding Crashers, and he's had a few other funny, quirky roles, but I will admit that when I heard he was playing John Grogan in this film, I was not impressed. But he did a much better job than I ever anticipated. Jennifer Aniston was good, too.

About 18 months ago, my mom, my brothers and I had to put down our family dog. She was 14 years old, and we had rescued her when she was only about 6 months old. I was 11 when we got her, and was just a few weeks shy of 25 when we put her down. I felt like I had had her all of my life. It was one of the hardest things ever. So for me, I could totally relate to this story, and I thought the movie was completely genuine.

You can never understand the love of a dog (and the love you feel for a dog) unless you've ever had one. The love, the joy, the anger, the frustration, the commitment... everything involved. But really, that's for any pet. Our pets generally don't outlive us, we outlive them. So when we take them on as members of our family, we do it knowing that someday, it is destined to end in heartbreak.

And we do it anyway. Because it's worth it.

So is this movie.

Read more...

Butternut Squash Fries

My brother's fiancee, Marie, bought me the Hungry Girl Cookbook for Christmas. Tonight, we decided to try the butternut squash fries with our sloppy joes.

I love a good ol' fashioned potato. Really, any way you cook and prepare it--baked, mashed, sliced, diced, french fried, au gratin, twice baked, peeled, with skin--whatever their form, potatoes are good eats in my book. So I was skeptical that these butternut squash fries could fill the shoes of my beloved potatoes.

But while these definitely don't take the place of french fries, they were good. I just don't think that the effort required to make them is something I'm going to be willing to do on a regular basis. They're actually not that difficult, but compared to a bag of oven fries picked up in the freezer section, they take a lot more time.

I do encourage you to give them a try, though. Especially if you're on a diet and are looking to fill a void. :) Because these babies? They are only 125 calories per serving. And a serving size is half of the entire batch! Hell, if you're REALLY hungry, and you REALLY like them, you could eat the entire batch for a "whopping" 250 calories. That right there is a calorie bargain.

Bake-Tastic Butternut Squash Fries
(Source: Hungry Girl by Lisa Lillien)

Ingredients:
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds--large enough to yield 20 ounces of uncooked flesh)
- 1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Use a sharp knife to remove the ends of the squash. Cut squash in half widthwide (making it easier to manage), and then peel squash halves using a vegetable peeler or a knife. Cut squash in half lengthwise and then scoop out all seeds.

3. Next, cut squash into french fry shapes. Use a crinkle cutter to make authentic-looking crinkle-cut fries (they'll taste great any way you slice 'em, though). Using a paper towel, pat squash pieces firmly to absorb any excess moisture.

4. Place squash into a bowl, add a light mist of nonstick spray, and sprinkle with salt. Toss squash to evenly distribute salt and then transfer to a large baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Use 2 pans if needed. All squash pieces should lie flat in the pan.

5. Place pan(s) in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or so (longer for thick-cut fries, shorter for skinnier fries), flipping halfway through baking. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and get crispy.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Per Serving (1/2 of recipe): 125 calories, less than 0.5g fat, 158mg sodium, 33g carbs, 3g fiber, 6g sugars, 3g protein

Read more...

Slim Sloppy Joes

We have been using this recipe for sloppy joes for a few years now. It is a "light" version (thanks to a Cooking Light cookbook), but if you're expecting it to be like Manwich, it's not. It's definitely tasty, though.

Slim Sloppy Joes
(Source: Cooking Light 15-Minute Cookbook)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground round (we use 90% lean ground beef)
- 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp. unprocessed oat bran
- 1 tbsp. low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp. prepared mustard
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 (8 oz.) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 6 reduced-calorie hamburger buns, split and toasted

Directions:
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground round and onion; cook until meat is browned, stirring until meat crumbles. Drain and return to pan.

2. Stir ketchup and next five ingredients into meat mixture; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring often.

3. Spoon mixture evenly over bottom halves of buns; cover with bun tops. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Per Serving: Calories 250; Fat 5.9g (sat 1.9g); Protein 22.0g; Carbohydrate 29.6g; Fiber 4.4g; Cholesterol 43mg; Iron 3.4mg; Sodium 391mg; Calcium 44mg

Read more...

Christmas with Brendan

Melissa, Andy, and Brendan came up to visit today. They didn't get to come up for Christmas because of their work schedules, so today was sort of our holiday with them. We exchanged gifts, but other than that, it was just like any other visit.

Brendan is now really good at running around (and getting into trouble, haha). He is also learning to say more and more words, and he plays the "Where is your nose?" "Where is your hair?" game really well. :)

He was pounding the tray with his hands. Our translation was "WHERE IS MY FOOD, MAMA?!"

Family! (Most of it, anyway.)

Andy trying on his new Sabres hat.

Brendan trying on Daddy's new hat.

My sisters-in-law and me.

After another fun--but long and exhausting--day, we are at home again. I just poured a glass of wine and we're going to watch a movie (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).

Ahhh... vacation. This life is good.

Read more...

More Christmas

We woke up to do our own Christmas morning at home before going over to our respective family's houses.

The TV was Michael and my Christmas gifts to each other this year, so we just did stocking stuffers for Christmas morning. Here are our stockings, all stuffed:

Once Tessa realized that there were things in her stocking, she was anxious to get her paws on them. Here I am, trying to get it down. Not fast enough, of course.

Tessa immediately got to work ransacking her stocking and unwrapping her gifts.

Obligatory self-portrait.

While we opened our gifts, Tessa enjoyed one of the new chew sticks that Santa brought for her (he brought her a 100-pack of them since they are her favorite!). For the record, she also received what we have dubbed "Micro Bobo" (yes, Bobo #4 now!), and a stuffed turtle.

Soon after, we both left the house to go our separate ways. I still had gifts to exchange with my family (we always do it on Christmas morning), and Michael wanted to spend some more time with his. My brothers, mom, and I all exchanged gifts, then we had a pancake breakfast.

Tessa in front of the fireplace at my mom's house.

My mom and Tess. Cute pic.

Eventually, Michael met me over at my mom's, and we headed home for a few hours to unpack gifts and try to relax a little. Then we went back to my mom's to enjoy Christmas dinner with my family.

Are you exhausted yet from reading about all of this back and forth? Because yeah, it was exhausting. But it's worth it. I think we've done a good job achieving balance between spending time with both of our families. It works for now... and I think it'll still work once we have kids someday, but I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Overall, a great Christmas (as always). Now I need to work on recovering from it before we get to New Year's next week! Good thing I have all this time off of work.

Read more...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Last weekend, we tortured Tess by putting a Santa hat on her. She looks like she's enjoying it, doesn't she? Um, yeah. Not so much. But it was damn funny. I figured that in honor of the day, I'd share a picture:

On Tuesday night, after I was finished with my baking, Michael and I took Tessa and we went for a ride to look at Christmas lights. There is a wealthy woman in our area who is known for her fantastically tacky display of lights, and it's pretty much an annual tradition to go take a gander. This year, I remembered to bring the camera so we could snap a few photos:

Yes. that's Santa in a helicopter!

Yesterday (Christmas Eve), we got up early so I could participate in a special 90-minute aerobics class with my regular instructor. She really worked us hard, so it was nice to get such a good workout in before all of the holiday eating.

After that, we ran home, ate a little breakfast, and started getting ready for the day. After showering, I got to work wrapping all of the presents (helloooo, procrastination). Before we knew it, it was time to head out the door for 2:00 mass. It's always really crowded, so we had to plan to get there by 1:30 or so. We were able to save seats for Michael's parents and sister. When it was over, we went back to Michael's parents' house to hang out with them for a bit.

Around 4:30, we left to run home to let Tessa out and do a few more things at home before heading to my cousin's house for my extended family's Christmas party. After a while, Michael left to go have Christmas Eve dinner with his family while I stayed to enjoy the time with mine. A few photos (mostly of my little cousins!):

My 17-month-old cousin, Mia. She was so good! She and Brendan are around the same age, and I couldn't believe the difference between them. Brendan is a little boy through and through--so active, getting into things, etc. Mia was content to sit and open presents, and play with her little doll for most of the night. Too cute. Naturally, most of my photos from the night ended up featuring Miss Mia.

Opening up her brand new baby doll.

More little cousins. Sisters Jada and Kiara taking a short break from coloring to smile for me.

I *love* our camera! Not as detailed here because of the resize, but in this photo, you can see every. single. eyelash, and even the fine blonde hairs on her face. Love it!

Feeding her baby. I couldn't believe how into the doll she was, considering she is still just a baby herself!

Pretty blue eyes.

Kiara (4 years old) got a new doll, too. Right after I took this picture, I asked her, "So... did you name your baby yet?" She said, "Yep!" I said, "Well, what'd you name her?" She matter-of-factly replied, "Umm... Fragile!" Hilarious.

My brother, Tyler, and his fiancee, Marie

The expectant parents: My brother, Trevor, and girlfriend Kara

Last year, my cousin's husband, Jeff, dressed up as Santa Claus to act out a "Santa sighting" in the backyard. This year, Trevor was tapped for the job.

All the kids got a huge kick out of seeing Santa walk through the backyard. He even stopped and waved, which thrilled some of the kids, and completely freaked out others. :)

Mia's all dressed for bed and getting ready to leave... but not before Aunt Lindsay makes her giggle for her "audience."

After the excitement of the Santa sighting, Michael and I left my cousin's to go back to his parents' house to open gifts with his family.

Michael's sister, Cristina.

Michael's parents. They're looking at the parents' wedding album we got them for Christmas. I designed all of the pages, and we had it printed and bound. We made one for my mom, too. I'm going to take pics of the pages and post about it (and a full review) soon. We were SO HAPPY with the quality and how everything came out.

After exchanging gifts, we were exhausted and decided it was time to head home. We went to bed knowing we had another full day of Christmas tomorrow!

Read more...

Santa's Surprise Cookies

A few years ago, we went to a little holiday gathering with friends. Our friend, Sarah, put out a cookie platter with an assortment of cookies. Well, one bite into one of these babies and I was completely sold. Because the "surprise"? It's a Snickers miniature.

Um, yeah. It doesn't get much better than that.

Of course, I got the recipe from Sarah that very same night, and I've been making them for my family's Christmas Eve party every year since. Everyone loves these. They have quickly become a family favorite, and I'm quite certain that if I were to show up at a Christmas Eve party without them, I would be shunned.

This year, I decided to add the Peanut Butter Cup Cookies to my platter as well. I know that my family members will love them, too. Here's my platter, all set to go to my cousin's for the party:

And another, smaller platter to take to my in-laws':

These are a bit time consuming, but not awful. The dough is easy to throw together, but it needs to be refrigerated for a few hours so that it can stiffen up a bit before working with it. When first made, it is quite sticky. Also--opening all of those Snickers miniatures takes a while, too. Especially when you have to keep sampling them (a difficult job, but somebody's gotta do it).

In the end, the time spent making these is worth it.

Santa's Surprise Cookies
(Source: Unknown)

Ingredients:
- 2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 bags Snickers miniatures
- chocolate candy melts, for drizzling
- powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:
1. Using a mixer, combine the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and mix until combined.

2. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Gradually add dry ingredients to the mixture.

3. Cover and chill dough for at least 2-3 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Unwrap all Snickers.

5. Remove dough from refrigerator. Using a tablespoon, measure out a round tablespoon of dough. Put piece of dough on your work surface and flatten with the palm of your hand. Place a Snickers miniature in the center of each piece of dough. Wrap edges of dough around the Snickers, then roll dough between your hands to form a ball. (See picture below.)

6. Place on greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. (Baking time and temperature may need to be adjusted if using bigger pieces of dough. For me, the perfect amount of baking time was about 15 minutes.)

7. Let cookies cool on wax paper or wire racks.

8. Drizzle cookies with melted chocolate. Once chocolate dries, sprinkle powdered sugar over cookies.

Read more...