New Year's Eve appetizers

This was so good and so easy! I promised you a picture, so I made it again.

Pesto (I had an abundance of basil, so I made some)

tomatoes

kalamata olives

feta

Mix, let sit for an hour or so to marry the flavors and enjoy with pita chips.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I'm also serving cream cheese with Jalapeno Jelly and crackers!

Christmas Eve and Holiday Recipes

 

 Tonight, we are hosting my parents and brother for Christmas Eve. I used a quilt topper my mom made. I love the simple colors in it and how well the plates, candy poppers and centerpiece marry with it.

I used two sets of plates, since there are seven of us. All the salad plates are from Cracker Barrel from 3 and 4 years ago. I've had the red glass plates and poinsettia napkins forever. I used an eclectic mix of silver, stainless and red handled flatware.

Each plate is adorned with a chocolate ornament or Santa with a couple thrown around the centerpiece for those who've been extra good!

   

Walnut Snowball Cookies

These were heavenly. I made them for a cookie exchange I hosted Saturday. I doubled the recipe and it made 40, plenty to share and keep for my boys. They remind me of cookies from Romania, so my husband was overjoyed!

Each lady brought 2 dozen cookies, so everyone took home a couple of each.  I served a couple appetizers and wassail. The Greek Feta Dip was long gone before I took of picture, but if I make it tonight or tomorrow, I'll snap a photo...it was a simple mix of pesto, feta cheese, kalamata olives and grape tomatoes. Serve with pita chips. I also made a cheese ball.

I also made Texas Jalapeno Jelly with my October surplus of jalapenos. Another huge hit, I gave this to family, church friends and my husband's coworkers. It made everybody happy!

May your days be Merry and Bright!

Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish

BNOTP

Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

Merry Christmas from the Mozas

 This week, my table is filled with Christmas berries! I adore Christmas plates. I collected sets of 4 salad plates for years to entertain with, host cookie exchanges, or just to decorate. I bought these salad plates the year Adrian, now 5, was born. They have 2007 on the back, so I know they are his. He even went shopping with me, after Christmas, probably 75% off. I have a couple small serving bowls and a cream and sugar to match.

 My tip--Christmas traditional patterns are so very easy to mix and match, so don't fret if you can't find a set of 12. Red berries and green poinsettias look beautiful when tied together...the napkins, the plates, the serving pieces, the candles...all have elements of both.  

My snowmen collection abides happily around the house...

Merry Christmas! From my family of boys to you!

I'm joining these blog hops

Cuisine Kathleen Let's Dish

Stone Gable

Texas Jalapeno Jelly

I changed this up a little bit. I don't like green bell peppers, so I used Anaheims. It turned out really well and I hope my family and husband's coworkers love it as much as I do!

Texas Jalapeno Jelly

Breakfast Quesadillas

 This morning we had some hearty breakfast quesadillas. 

Usually, I buy homemade tortillas. I can get them at my local HEB grocery for less than $2 a dozen and every Tex Mex restaurant here will sell them to you in the drive thru. Trust me, I'm not lucky, it just means I have to hit the gym that much more!

 I bought a package from Costco because my boys aren't tortilla snobs like me. I usually buy 'cheap' tortillas for quesadillas because a little butter and a skillet can make any 'cheap' tortilla taste amazing.

I made 3 slices of bacon and then cooked hash browns in the grease. In another skillet I made scrambled eggs. I pulled cooked sausage out of the freezer. I cook the whole pound, then store it in the freezer to use as needed.

Once everything was cooked, I got started. 

Tortilla, cheese, eggs, bacon, hash browns and sausage. Add a tortilla on top. Butter the pan and the tortilla on top. Let it cook and flip. Cut in half and then in thirds. My boys ate theirs with apples on the side.

I'm joining these recipe swaps!

A Perfect Snowman

 I LOVE Christmas. 

I think it's a magical time of year. 

The history of Jesus born in a manger to save the world 

from all its sin still amazes me. 

He sent his Son to save a wretch like me.

We celebrate Christmas in all its capacity. My boys have a Jesus Advent Tree (pictured above). We read a devotional each day and hang an ornament to represent the waiting time for Jesus' birth, how each story leads us to Jesus and what he came to do.

 We also LOVE snowmen. 

I've been collecting snowmen since I was in college. I found this book at Cracker Barrel and thought it perfect for my boys. My sweet friend Lisa invited us and 100+ other people to her friends and family 45% off sale and regular priced items last night. 

We'll read it tomorrow since my boys are home with me on Fridays and eat another snowmen lunch!

The Christmas tree silicone cups were in a baking set a couple years ago, but you can still find them online. The snowglobe picks are from bakeitpretty.com. The ornament picks were from Target a couple years ago.

Muffin Tin Monday

A simple snack to start the season off right!

Apples, grapes, salami, marshmallows and Apple Butter and PB trees!

The picks are from Bake it Pretty. They had a great sale a few months ago.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!! 

I added red glasses for a little more color 

and the turkey place cards for all my guests.

 The boys are sitting at the end of the table with their special turkey plates. I got these from Pottery Barn Outlet a couple years ago. World Market has cute kid plates too, as see on Bab's blog!

I made these turkey napkins for their lunches, but thought they looked cute with their plates. I used mason jars covered with a cupcake liner (avoid spills!)  

 Our menu includes

Roasted Turkey 

Giblet Gravy

My Mimmie's Oyster Dressing

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Sweet Potatoes

Hashbrown Casserole

Green Beans with Bacon

Pumpkin Pie

Triple Berry Pie

Fudge

Fresh Fig Preserves with cream cheese and crackers

I'm joining

Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

Happy Thanksgiving Tablescape & Bynto

 

 Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogging friends out there! I finally set up a table and took pictures! 

(My 3 year old is napping while I'm writing this, but I actually set it up yesterday and made dinner, changed a diaper and read stories in between all the set up!)

 I've used everything before, except the chargers. They are from Walmart, just right for fall, but I might try them for Christmas too! 

 The tablecloth is from a friend...it's Romanian linen.

I used Italian Countryside plates, red glass bowls, my mom's wedding crystal with my Marshall's goblets and my Wallace Antique bead stainless.

Just realized I didn't put the napkins on the table! That's what I get for changing diapers and making dinner while doing this!

 The centerpiece is a few mosaic hurricanes from World Market, fall greenery and red glass votive holders.

Here's a closer look at the charger...

I'm joining

Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish

BNOTP for Tablescape Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving from all my turkeys to yours!

A couple Fall lunches

The boys received cheddar popcorn from one of out neighbors Halloween night. They were both super excited to eat it for lunch the next day. Along with a couple cookies and candies from Halloween, cheese bites with an acorn pick and an acorn and little bear sandwiches.

Today, I changed it up a bit with rockets...

A rocket shaped sandwich with rocket cheese, surrounded by marshmallow martians and galactic fruit snacks,

cheese and chex mix and apple slices!