Goin' Out with a Bang

I started this blog on January 1 of this year.  It's now December 31 and I feel it only fitting that my last blog of the year be on the last day of the year.

Overall, I am considering the first year of blogging a success. I will have posted 15 times, an average of once a month. Considering that my last blog had 20 posts over a 3 year span, I consider this a win.  I also have over 1,000 views...and my last blog had a whopping 263.  Oh the power of Facebook.

Besides actually posting, I totally did what I set out to do - I domesticated the crap out of myself.  I did two cake decorating courses.  I have canned like it's my job. And I have cooked. A lot.  I did a few of my post-wedding projects, but I still haven't finished the scrapbook. Oh well.  I'm still calling this a win.

The finale to my domesticated year is the domesticated holidays.  We (and by we, I mean me with the dishwashing support of Aaron Zinn) did food gifts this year for our friends and family.  I also hosted my first cookie exchange!

The idea for food gifts came about when I found Taste of Home's Food Gifts magazine.  I love the specialty Taste of Homes magazines - they even have a canning one! They always have really good recipes that I end up making over and over.  I already knew that I wanted to give our friends jam as part of their Christmas, but I ended up adding cookie mixes to the gifts as well.

The inspiration to my holiday domesticated madness!

Mixes - oatmeal cookies, holiday M&M cookies and peppermint hot cocoa

I will say that the original idea was to wrap the jams and the cookie mixes with a base in cellophane.  That turned into a painful and expensive experience and thus, the gift bag is what I ended up going with for most of the gifts.  I also laminated the recipe card for the cookie mixes because, well, I have a laminator and I can.

The base that I originally wrapped with my printed out and laminated recipe

My vision of what it should look like.  I forgot to take a picture of a finished product - just know it was beautiful, but a pain.

Another idea that came from the Taste of Home magazine was a cookie exchange.  I had heard of cookie exchanges before, but never really wanted to do one.  Until this year, the year of the domestication and food gifts.

A cookie exchange is quite brilliant if you give cookies as gifts to co-workers, teachers, or friends.  Each person makes multiple dozens of the same cookie and then you swap the cookies.  This allows each person to have a variety of cookies to give (ahem - or eat) without having to bake a bunch of different recipes.

I used Paperless Post to create my invite and sent it out via email about a month ahead of time.  The holidays are crazy with our crowd - we usually have at least 3-4 Christmas parties to attend - and it gives people time to plan what they want to make.  I also used Paperless Post because I had a second card that explained "the rules."

My evite from Paperless Post.  Fun fact - we used them for our wedding save the dates!

The rules!

Overall, it turned out really well! Everyone brought enough cookies and I was able to make 6 cookie boxes for my co-workers.  I didn't have enough wrapping supplies for everyone to use, but I have totally rectified that situation for 2015.  After Christmas, I stopped by AC Moore, Michael's and Joann's and cleaned them out of their food gift supplies.  I was able to get over 60 boxes and bags for about $20.  Get ready ladies, because 2015 it is ON!

Our super full dining room table covered in snacks and cookies!

The cookie boxes

Inside the cookie boxes

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and 2014.  I have super high hopes for 2015 as some big changes are coming (and no, they don't involve a baby).  I also received lots of new kitchen toys for Christmas so expect some posts - especially with Bertha, my new massive pressure cooker! See you all in 2015 and thanks for reading my ramblings!

Thoughts During a Pioneer Woman Recipe

I have found a new love in life. Her name is the Pioneer Woman.  I blame this new love on my best friend, Katie, who may or may not be slightly obsessed with her.  I pretty much started watching the show because of her, but now I'm hooked. So hooked, that my mom bought me a Pioneer Woman cookbook for my birthday!

I've made a Pioneer Woman recipe before - garlic mozzarella cheese bread (see here for the recipe).  After I made it the first time, I found a few ways to made it simpler.  So when I flipped through the cookbook this past weekend and found a "simple, easy enchilada recipe" I figured it would be a good second recipe, first full PW meal to try.  I mean, I can do simple, right?

I grated cheddar cheese the night before, but everything else I did tonight. I started making the recipe and after the first few minutes, I decided this was not a "simple, easy recipe."  So, without further ado, here are the thoughts of Sarah while making her first full PW recipe. Enjoy.

The Sauce

Mmk. One tablespoon of canola oil and two tablespoons of flour.

Hm. That doesn't look like the picture.  The picture does not have clumps. (Throws out mixture)

Let's try this again. One tablespoon of oil, two table spoons of flour. 

Dang it! Why is this not working! (Throws out mixture).

One tablespoon oil, two tablespoons of flour.  Yes! Bubbles! (Whisk a little) No! Why is it clumping! 

Screw it. (Dumps in the read sauce and everything else).

Simmer.  That I can do.

The Meat

I hate onions. WHY are there so many onions?

OMG. Can't breathe. Crying.  (Wipes eyes and all the eyeliner off)

So. many. onions!

K. Browning ground beef. I can do this. (Dumps in green chiles).

Too many vegetables.

This better be good.

Putting it All Together

Holy crap - another pan! Guess I might as well get out the rest of the pots and pans.

PDubs has obviously never cooked in a small kitchen. This is ridiculous.  

I need alcohol. 

That works. 

Tongs. I need tongs. Do we have tongs? 

"Aaron! Do we have tongs?"

Aaron: "Of course we do!" (runs outside, comes back in with grill tongs).  

"TONGS!"

Frying. I can fry tortillas. 

Yeahhhhh. I can fry tortillas! 

Dip the tortillas in the red sauce. Use the tongs to dip the tortillas.  

Tortilla rips with tongs.  Second tortilla rips.

Screw it.  

I'll use my hands! 

(An hour after I begin) DONE!

Whoa, that's a messy kitchen.

Oh well. I'll drink more eggnog wine!

Easy my butt. Drink more wine. 

But it turned out pretty! And tasty!

Also, Aaron is still doing dishes thirty minutes later...