Showing posts with label Blog Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog Challenge. Show all posts

Friday, September 30, 2011

Fabulous Fall: Blog Challenge. {Thanksgiving Memories}

Today is the last today of the Fabulous Fall Blog Challenege. It's been great getting to know all about everyones favorite time of the year! Head on over to Brunch With Amber to link up.

Every Thanksgiving my mom and dad wake up early, make everything and then we wait. My memere and pepere (grandparents) come over, my memere makes her famous gravy to go with our turkey and we sit down to an awesome meal. Just my mom, dad, me, my brother and memere and pepere.

For dessert my mom always makes chocolate cream pie and my dad always makes apple pie.
not ours



not ours either

I'm excited to say I'll be enjoying this once again. For the past couple of years, I have always gone with boyfriend and his mother to Clearwater, FL. As much as I loovee it there, we decided it was time to go somewhere else. (hence our cruise). But for a while that was our tradition. Leave Thanksgiving day, do a little shop with his mom on Black Friday & just chill out for the week.

But, I'll be honest I did miss my mom's Thanksgiving dinner. This year, boyfriend will be there too since his mom still plans on going to Florida then.




Thursday, September 29, 2011

Fabulous Fall: Blog Challenge. {Favorite Football Pastimes}


Amber over at Brunch with Amber is heading up a blog challenge called Fabulous Fall!
Everyday, she'll have a new topic to participate in for the next two weeks. Today's post is on Favorite Football Pastimes.
 
I lovee football. I don't watch it nearly enough though. I am a huge Alabama fan. {RTR!} The passion, the love for that team, everything made me fall in love with their program.
 

 
 
Unfortunately, I rarely get to watch it, since they aren't playing so hot teams, most of their games are not televised. ='( But I did get to watch them play Penn State, so that made me a happy camper!
 
I also loveee the NFL. My first pick is the Patriots, even if I don't totally love Tom Brady as a person. QB yes, person no. He just rubs me the wrong way. And I'd throw the Colts in there for good measure too. No one can hate on Peyton Manning.
 


 
Who are your favorite football teams?

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Fabulous Fall: Blog Challenge. {Fall Receipes}




Amber over at Brunch with Amber is heading up a blog challenge called Fabulous Fall!
Everyday, she'll have a new topic to participate in for the next two weeks. Today's post is on Fall Receipes.
 
I rarely cook or bake anything fancy, so I'm showing you some of my favorite, simple, classic receipes from cooking sites around the web.


Apple Pie

                                                (via Disney's Family Fun, receipe and picture)


Ingredients
  • 6 to 8 apples, such as Granny Smith, Cortland, Rome, or a local variety of tart apples
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • Flaky Piecrust
  • 2 tbsp. butter, cut into chunks
  • Milk (for glaze)
Instructions

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, show your child how to use a vegetable peeler to peel the apples. An adult (or older child who can handle a paring knife) can then core and slice the apples into 1/4-inch pieces. Place the apples (about 6 cups) in a large mixing bowl.

Next, pour the lemon juice over the apples and add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Toss well. Spoon the spiced apples into the lined piecrust and dot with the butter.

A pie's top crust is as much art as food. For a lattice style, roll out the second disk of dough, cut it into 14 strips about 1/2 inch wide, and lay 7 of the strips across the pie, 1/2 inch apart. Working from the middle of the pie toward one side, fold back every other strip, then lay a cross strip across the remaining flat strips. Return the folded strips, then fold back the alternate strips and lay in the next crosspiece. Continue, creating a weave pattern. When one half of the crust is woven, repeat with the other side. Finally, use your thumb and index finger to crimp the edges. For a top crust, place the rolled-out dough loosely on top of the apple mixture. With the tines of a fork, make a decorative pattern around the edges. Next, cut pie dough ornaments, place on top of the pie, and cut slits in the dough to allow the steam to escape. Brush the top with milk for a glaze.

Place the pie in the preheated oven (lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack below to catch any juices). Bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and you can see the juices bubbling. If the crust begins to brown before the pie is fully baked, cover it with foil.

Let the pie cool, then slice it into wedges. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a slice of Cheddar cheese. Serves 8.

Turkey Chili


   (via Disney's Family Fun, receipe and picture)
Pinecone Snack

(via Disney's Family Fun, receipe and picture)

Ingredients
  • Cream cheese
  • Round crackers
  • Almond slices
  • Pretzel stick
  • Celery, thinly slice
Instructions
  1. For each, spread a generous amount of cream cheese onto a round cracker. Starting at the bottom, layer almond slices on top of the cream cheese for the scales. Add a small piece of a pretzel stick for the stem and serve with thinly sliced celery pine needles.

    Fun Fact: Not all pinecones are pint-size! Cones of the Coulter pine are the world's heaviest, weighing up to 10 pounds. Sugar pines yield the longest: up to 2 feet.


Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
  • 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 to 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • Salt to taste
  • OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes until onion softens. Increase heat to medium-high, add ground turkey and stir, breaking up large pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the chili power, black pepper, and cumin; stir and continue to break up the meat to incorporate the spices. Allow mixture to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Add the black beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, 1 cup of chicken broth, and corn. Taste and add salt if needed. Continue to cook for 5 to 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth if the chili is too thick. To serve, ladle chili into bowls. If desired, top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Fabulous Fall: Blog Challenge. {Fall TV Shows}



Amber over at Brunch with Amber is heading up a blog challenge called Fabulous Fall!
Everyday, she'll have a new topic to participate in for the next two weeks. Today's post is on Fall TV Shows.
 
 
Returning TV Shows
 
-Storm Chasers
 
-Bones
 
 
-House
 
 
-How I Met Your Mother
 
 
New Shows
 
-New Girl
 
 
-The Hart of Dixie
 
 
-Raising Hope
 
 
-I Hate My Teenage Daughter
 
 

Friday, September 23, 2011

Fabulous Fall: Blog Challenge. {Things I'm Are Looking Forward to For Fall}


Amber over at Brunch with Amber is heading up a blog challenge called Fabulous Fall!
Everyday, she'll have a new topic to participate in for the next two weeks. Today's post is on Things I'm Are Looking Forward to For Fall.
 
 
Some of the things I'm looking forward to this fall are:
 
-new fall shows, such as New Girl & Storm Chasers!


-the Big E!


-Pumpkin Picking & Corn Mazes



-and finally, tons and tons of Pumpkin Spiced Lattes

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Fabulous Fall: Blog Challenge. {What Do You Do For Halloween/Halloween Memory}



Amber over at Brunch with Amber is heading up a blog challenge called Fabulous Fall!
Everyday starting today, she'll have a new topic to participate in for the next two weeks. Today's post is on Halloween.
I love, love, love Halloween.

I still love dressing up. But, usually it's with stuff from my closet. Why are Halloween costumes $70? I still cannot figure that out. And, why are they so skimpy? hahah.

Last year was a pretty quiet year. Dressed up as a beat up Yankees player (only because I had no Red Sox gear).


Boyfriend and his best friend and I headed on over to the our local sports bar and hung out for a while. Then it was off to Denny's for some food. Probably will be the same thing this year. And I love it.


What do you do for Halloween?


Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Fabulous Fall: Blog Challenge. {Fall Clothes/Trends/Makeup}


Amber over at Brunch with Amber is heading up a blog challenge called Fabulous Fall!
Everyday starting today, she'll have a new topic to participate in for the next two weeks. Today's post is on Fall Clothes/Trends/Makeup.

I have to admit. I'm fashion stupid. I have no idea what trends are in. I barely wear makeup. But, I do love boots. Like woah. So, I present to you, the top five boots I would love to rock this fall! (in no particular order)




Women's Mossimo Supply Co. Kayanna Riding Boots - Brown (from Target)




Women's Mossimo Supply Co. Kailey Tall Boots - Black  (from Target)











What's your favorite fall trend?
Low boots? Tall boots? Heeled boots? Flat boots?

Monday, September 19, 2011

Fabulous Fall: Blog Challenge. {Fall Traditions}



Amber over at Brunch with Amber is heading up a blog challenge called Fabulous Fall!
Everyday starting today, she'll have a new topic to participate in for the next two weeks. Today's post is on Fall Traditions.


I absolutely love, love, love fall. I have a couple traditions that I love doing every year. They include corn mazes, pumpkin picking, apple picking and enjoying some Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Lattes!

Boyfriend and I love going to Lyman Orchards. They have a fantastic corn maze. Every year the picture changes. Last year it was designed to look like the UCONN girls' basketball coach. After you pay for your ticket into the maze and head down to it, you can select a question sheet from the different genres they have to help you get out of the maze. We love sports so that's what we've picked the last couple of years.

The answers have which direction to turn next to them. It's hilarious when we think we know the answer and turn the direction that it tells us too, only to come to a dead end. But it's great fun!

This year's corn maze is patriotic. It looks to be a doozy, but I can't wait to conquer it.


After the corn maze, we usually wander around for a bit and then head over to select our pumpkins. Then we head home to deseed them and carve them. I can't say I'm very good at that though.



Another thing that we love to do is pick apples. We head on over to Roger's Orchards in nearby Wolcott for this. (Lyman's is pretty far).

I'll be honest, we only started doing this last year, but what boyfriend doesn't know is this will def become a tradition. Last year, I made my first ever homemade apple pie and it was soo good.



And finally, I can't forget my love for Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte. We only have one Starbucks in town, so I don't frequent it a ton, but I loveeee it regardless. Actually, think I'm gonna get one tonight. =)




What are some of your fall traditions?


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