christmas decor

Got a lot of catching up to do!  Here are some pictures I took of the house all decorated.  I really got the decorating bug this year.  I always love it but I was tasked with decorating Champions also.  You would think that would make me sick of it but not so much.  :)  We hired our superintendent's wife to help and she goes ALL out.  That wore off on me for sure...

dining room table.  i just layered greenery, gold ball ornaments and pinecones in my tall vases.  i had them filled to the top but it did settle some.  the lantern is filled with walnuts and cranberries.  love the burlap ribbon i tied on top!  i added the gold pinecone ornaments in the greenery later but am not sure i like them.

i added a small tree in the front window of the dining room.  champions' decor is all very natural and woodsy so i wanted the same thing in my house.  i love the leaf ornaments on this tree - and the ribbon!

the nativity granny made.

tree!!  look at all the presents.

with sweet banjo!

i bought this lenox table runner at tuesday morning but it was too short to use on the table.  so, i repurposed it for the table to tv sits on.  i think it's perfect!

i bought these matte white balls at hobby lobby and couldn't decide what to do with them.  this candy garland used to go on my tree but i don't have enough anymore and bought some red and gold garland last year.  so, the matte white balls and garland found themselves in this glass dish with some silver.  we'll see if it stays that way next year...

i have already purchased a lot of decor on sale for next year.  yay!!

crawfish au gratin

I have not been cooking much lately due to trips, Thanksgiving and parties.  So, for the latest home-cooked meal, I went all out!  This is a recipe from a past coworker in Birmingham.  Beware: NOT on the diet.

Crawfish Au Gratin

1/2 c butter

3-5 tbsp AP flour

2 c heavy cream (2 c half & half)

1.5 lbs clean crawfish meat

2 c sharp cheddar

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's

1/2 c green onions

1 box of pasta

Melt butter in saucepan and add flour to make a roux.  Adjust the amount of flour as you see fit.  Slowly add the cream, stirring constantly.  (My recipe doesn't mention adding the half & half.  I only had 1 lb of crawfish so I just added 1 1/4 c of cream.  That wasn't quite soupy enough so I added the same amount of the half & half.  Why not, right?  It was fat-free after all.)

Once that is nice and thick, add the crawfish (I got mine in the seafood freezer section - near the fresh seafood - in Publix.), onions, garlic and Tony's.  My scallions were old so I used my trusty onion flake and minced 4 gloves of garlic.  Add the cheddar to the sauce.  I added a little asiago too!  With my smaller batch, I used one c of cheddar and 1/4 c of asiago.

Cook and drain the box of pasta.  (I used penne but any will work.)  Mix the pasta with the sauce and place in casserole dish.   Sprinkle a little cheese on top and bake at 350 until bubbly.  Enjoy!

I didn't actually make any side dishes but have had this photo for a while and wanted to post it.  :)

Just saute some asparagus in olive oil and add salt and pepper.  Isn't it pretty??

holiday party

Monday night, we had our management-level Christmas dinner at Bonefish.  Afterwards, everyone came over to our house for dessert and drinks.  I figured this was the best opportunity to have them over since they were already in Richmond County.  Not many of them venture out of Columbia County much.  :)

Of course, no one was hungry for dessert.  That was eaten at work over the next couple of days.  The drinks were popular though.  These are all pinterest recipes.  Notice a trend?

Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies

These are so good and pretty easy to make.  Do heed her advice and roll them twice in the powdered sugar.

Smores Pie

A maz ing.  For some reason, my crust mixture was very wet.  It worked okay for the bottom layer but would not have rolled out for the top.  So, I just spooned it on top and spread it with a greased spatula as best I could.  However, this did not impact the taste at all.  A few people partook that night and it was gone by lunch the next day!

Cran Apple Vodka

This was great!  I couldn't find cloudy apple juice and my regular worked just fine.  It is just one cup of apple juice, one cup of cranberry juice, 50 ml vodka (all mixed in blender) and then topped with one cup of ginger ale and ice.  I am not sure the blender action made much difference so if you are pushed for time, I would eliminate it.  This is a teeny bit of vodka so you could always increase that too.  Ha.  I ended up tripling the recipe and it was all gone. 

White Wine Sangria

This was really yummy too.  Just a bottle of white wine, 3 cans of Sprite and a few ounces of orange-flavored liqueur.  I used triple sec because it's what we had but grand marnier would work too.  Garnish with pomegranate seeds and lime wheels.  I cut the limes over the sangria (and let the juice fall in) in order to infuse a little more flavor. 

This was all pretty easy and very good!  I did most of this the night before since we would be at dinner right before folks came over.  I just reheated the pie and added the carbonated beverages to the drinks. 

I also had to have the house fully decorated by then!  I made it and will post those pictures later.  :)

win's christening

Last Sunday, Natalie and I traveled to Louisville for Little Win's baptism.  We had such a great time visiting with this precious family!

Martha with Becca and Big Win holding Little Win.  Martha's Dad is an elder in the Thomson Presbyterian Church so he assisted. 

Little Win getting sprinkled.

Congrats guys!

thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend but, man, was it busy! 

Wednesday night we went to Thomson so Brad could hunt before the feast.  Mom cooked up a ton of food, we got in some nice visiting and were able to celebrate Levi's birthday too.  I made Granny's dressing for Brad and that turned out well.  I will post that recipe later...

Megan and Adi came over on Thursday evening and came out to Champions Friday morning to golf.  On Friday afternoon, we visited with the Thompson's at Nathan's parent's house. 

Mel holding Emerson and Allison holding Tensley.  These little girls were not happy to see another baby in their mother's arms!

Emerson was enamored with Brad's visor!

Friday night we had a get-together at the Trotters.  Saturday, we watched the Dawgs kick some Yellow Jacket butt and enjoyed some leftovers that Jay brought over.  Sunday, we visited with Megan and Adi again at Adi's parent's house. 

Good times!

mac & cheese soup

Mac & Cheese Soup

Total Time: 35 min Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Yield: 4 servings Level: Easy

Ingredients

Kosher salt
4 ounces elbow macaroni (1 cup of any high-surface area pasta)
Cooking spray
2 plum tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 1/2-inch-thick slices baguette
Freshly ground pepper
3 shallots
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 3/4 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups 2% milk
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook as the label directs; drain.

Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the tomato and baguette slices on it in a single layer; season with salt and pepper. Bake until the bread is golden brown, about 7 minutes.

Mince the shallots, carrot and celery in a food processor. Mist a saucepan with cooking spray. Add the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a boil; cook, stirring, until thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the milk, cheeses and macaroni and stir until the cheeses melt. Season with pepper. Top the toasts with tomatoes; serve on the soup.

Per serving: Calories 476; Fat 20 g (Saturated 12 g); Cholesterol 84 mg; Sodium 636 mg; Carbohydrate 46 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 27 g

* Jami's notes: I skipped the whole bread and tomatoes portion.  I figured we were having enough starch with the noodles and Brad and I aren't whole tomato fans.  I used onion flake and scallions due to no shallots in the pantry.  I used finely chopped broccoli in lieu of the celery.  I also shredded the carrot for a softer texture.

parmesan pea risotto

Parmesan Pea Risotto

PointsPlus® Value: 10
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 18 min
Cooking Time: 25 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate

For a perfect springtime dinner, pair our rich, creamy risotto with a tender green salad. Alternatively, a half portion makes a great side dish for lamb or chicken.

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium uncooked onion(s), chopped
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1 1/2 cup(s) uncooked arborio rice
5 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 leaf/leaves bay leaf
1 cup(s) frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 cup(s) parsley, fresh, chopped
4 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp light butter
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add rice and cook until translucent, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of broth and bay leaves and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time, waiting until liquid is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup (our risotto takes about 20 minutes to cook from the time the first liquid is added).

Remove bay leaves, fold in peas and cook until hot, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; fold in parsley, Parmesan cheese and margarine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon risotto into shallow bowls; serve hot. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

* Jami's notes: I actually made this one pretty much according to the recipe.  I did use my onion flake as usual and parsley flake is fine.  I will have to disagree that it only takes 20 minutes.  But, I love risotto and totally think the wait is worth it.  I did top with some pancetta I had left over from something else for a salty crunch. *