Earlier this week I published Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts. Enjoy the more savory notes of the rosemary almonds, below!
Ingredients
Directions
Nothing fills the house with the comforting warmth of holiday cheer like toasted nuts.
I made a bunch of new dishes over the Christmas holiday that I will post here in the next few weeks. Related posts include Rosemary Almonds and Spiced Honey Almonds!
These Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts are wonderfully delicious – sweet, salty and a little spicy! A great holiday treat, but really.. who doesn’t like glazed nuts any time a year? Great for gifts, taking to parties, as an appetizer with cheese, meat and fresh fruit perhaps, or a simple dessert!
Ingredients
Directions
Thanks PCC Natural Markets!
Happy NEW YEAR!!!
Truth be told, I made these last week. I’m not going to lie. I almost said &*^% it to the cookies for Santa this year (BAD MOMMY!!!), but…someone kept me honest. AND…I’m always on the hunt for a healthier version of a cookie that I love. Honestly, I set out to make Gingerbread men…decorated and all. AND THEN…life happened. So, honestly, we are lucky these cookies happened at all! Our entire family is a sucker for gingersnaps, so I thought this might be the perfect thing to try.
The biggest dilemma (in my opinion!) is underbaking vs overbaking vs just right baking. WHO KNOWS??!! I’m usually a fan of underbaking. The ooey gooey goodness is spot on as far as I’m concerned. BUT…when you are talking Ginger SNAP…well, snap leads you towards the more crunchy aspect, no?
I cooked the two batches a little differently. One for a little longer, and one for a little less. I’m still on the fence about which one I liked better ha!
What you need…(makes 2 dozen cookies)
What to do…
Maya deciding exactly which one she wanted 😉 
Adapted from Gourmand In The Kitchen- Thank you!
And then…a holiday miracle was bestowed upon me!! My brother decided to come up and visit this last weekend, and it was pretty much instantly decided between me and my mom-FAMILY PICTURES!!!
We had all been to Maui over the summer for my parents 45th wedding anniversary (a couple posts can be seen here and here), yet due to all the various activities with 3 families the only picture we got of ALL of us was one taken by a waiter at one of our family dinners :{ I even brought my tripod!!! It never saw the light of day though…sigh.
And don’t get me started on my immediate family. With a teenager that works while also taking college courses, another teenager who is in high school and sports year round, a husband who travels half the week, and me who works on the weekends…oh, and rainy Seattle. Our family pictures had just fallen by the wayside this year…
And…I’m not going to lie. I was bummed.
And then…it happened!
My mom got these of me…
Yup. Every once in a while, I call to my daughter like she’s a dog 😉
And then…Because she needed a little warming up, and me being a monster seemed appropriate ha! THIS is what family pictures really consist of haha 🙂
In another post, I’ll show how cute these boots are! I found them for $4, and then later realized they retailed for over $100! SAY WHAT?!!
Seriously, DYING!!! Her dress….it’s the PERFECT twirl dress, which she happily did all around our house. In the cold with a bunch of layers…not so much. Thankfully, I bought it in a size 6 hahaha. SO…be prepared to see this dress and another one just like it a LOT! SO CUTE! 
And, because it’s rare to get the Huz in some pics…
Maya CANNOT handle people getting their pictures taken without her. I got 1 shot of my parents before she photobombed them! Yet, on the way there her exact words were
“I don’t want to be in the pictures, NO WAY! I’ll just hide behind you.” Oh boy…and yet, I’ll happily be photobombed!!
And then!!! Honestly, I always think “All I need is ONE!!”
But we got a couple of super cute ones!
THANKS MOM!!
And then, I had to get a few of the kids, because…are you kidding me??? 
I can’t even handle this… 
On me…
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, except for mommy wrapping presents..!
And she needed some coffee!
Not really. But maybe. It certainly will be a good Christmas breakfast drink tomorrow morning. Coffee, spices, hot milk and some optional whipped cream on top. This is delicious. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Chocolate bark is a lovely and festive holiday treat! This was my first batch and it was easy to make and as delicious as it looks. I used crushed pistachios and pecans, dried cherries, toasted coconut and sea salt to top melted dark chocolate – make this for an easy dessert, hostess gift or party favor! 🙂
Ingredients
Directions
I flew down to Austin yesterday to meet up with my husband, who works there for half the week. His company holiday party is tonight, and this is one of the options I brought with me. The romper I thought about wearing ended up getting nixed because while it’s been warm here during the day, it’s been dipping down into the 30’s and 40’s at night-BRRRR!!!!
So….option 2. You can never go wrong with all black!
Envision dozens of cars driving past me right now…AWKWARD 😉 
On me…
I posted last week how to make these Healthy Popcorn Balls.
To be honest, I always had these envisioned in the back of my mind. Weird? Yes, but that’s me!
This was one of those times that I actually thought of an idea, and it ended up turning out pretty close to what I envisioned!! Because obviously…that doesn’t always happen-proof here. 😉
What you need…
What to do…
Enjoy!
So, this is my first post without Maya in a loooooong time! Feels a little weird…
I have a few parties coming up, and I’m determined not to save my outfit for the last minute (like I ALWAYS DO!!!) I usually have an idea in my mind of what I want to wear, and then when I put it on the night of, I always change my mind! Insert tornado of clothing in my bedroom, about 5 outfit changes and usually a LOT of cursing…all in the span of about 30 minutes. The poor Huz…
And I swear when I blog something, I either think “Huh…yes, that’s good!” or… “OMG, I WORE THAT??!!” So, I’m using this blog as my test haha 🙂
One party I’m going to is next weekend in Austin. My husband’s new company is based there, so I’m flying down there with him for a little weekend of fun! Added bonus? It’s been in the 70’s during the day!!! I can’t wait!
Invitation said “Austin Chic/Dressy Casual”
Ugh…there is SO much leeway with that!!
Here’s my first option…
Yeah, right about now, one of my neighbors came home. Don’t mind me in shorts…while it’s 50 degrees. Oh and this tripod? Yeah…don’t ask. AWKWARD! ;} 
I’m thinking if I DO go with this outfit, I need to adjust the drawstring, because from the back???? NOT GOOD! Again…things I can’t really see when trying it on in my room. YAY blog! 
Add New The fact that this romper has pockets is a solid mark in it’s favor!!! All the tiny buttons up the front when I’m sure there will be drinking and much needed trips to the bathroom…not so much. Things you need to think about!! 😉
On me…
A deliciously refreshing icy dessert for hot summer days (or Christmas holiday season). The Jalapeno adds a bit of heat (you can remove the seeds for a milder taste), so this is not really a kid dessert. Someone mentioned topping oysters on the half shell with this spicy-sweet ice, but I have not been that brave yet. 🙂
Ingredients
Directions
dit-elle.org 