Unique Advent Calendars

Someone on my baby board mentioned Cookie Sheet Advent Calendars, and I had to Google them. Wow, are they precious! This would be such a fun project that you can absolutely personalize. Check some of them out below:

Craftzine
Christmas Countdown on Flickr
Scrapscene
Tater Tots and Jello
Little Miss Scrapalicious
Photobucket pic with magnetic tins filled with goodies for each day

Great Product and Giveaway

I LOVE this idea. My sister, Amy, suggests on her blog that this would be a great necessity for transitioning Hannah to her big girl room in preparation for her baby brother. I completely agree. Go to Adam and Andrew's blog to learn more.

Christmas Card Freebie

This is an offer too good to miss - 50 free photo cards. Make sure you order by November 30th!

Great new product

What an awesome idea! I saw these the other day and wanted to pass it on to you. These are called McCormick's Recipe Inspirations. It's a recipe card with all of the pre-measured seasonings on the front. They come in a wide variety of recipes using pork, chicken, beef, and vegetables. Yum, and easy! I can't seem to find them online, but our local grocery stores carry them. Hope these will be helpful for the holidays!

Outta the fryin' pan

I guess since I live in Texas I should be adept at fryin' stuff. Our State Fair hosts the biggest array of fried foods you can find; fried oreos, fried cheesecake, fried Snickers, and even fried butter. Surprisingly last week was the first time I'd ever fried anything. I wasn't sure how they'd turn out, but it was a huge hit, so I thought I'd share. We were having sirloin on the grill, and I was in the mood for potato chips or steak fries to go with them. Seeing how small the bottom-of-the-bag potatoes were, I chose the former.

Alicia's Homemade Potato Chips

handful of potatoes, washed and dried

oil (I used canola because that's all we had)

1/4 Tablespoon seasoning salt

1/4 Tablespoon salt

1/4 tsp powdered garlic

1/2 Tablespoon white sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper

a dash of cayenne pepper

In a small bowl, mix all of the spices and sugar. Fill a pan about 1-2 inches full of oil, and heat over medium heat. While the oil is heating, use a mandolin to thinly slice your potatoes. Use one slice to test the oil. It should bubble up around the edges of the potato if it is hot enough. When it's heated, add a handful of potatoes. Turn them after 2 or 3 minutes. They'll take a total of about 5-7 minutes at this temperature, but fry them to your desired doneness. Scoop them out of the oil and onto a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle generously with the spice mixture.

These will last a day or so in an airtight container, but they're best fresh. Enjoy!

Yum

This is a great idea! It would be perfect for a Fall get together or even a yummy snack for game day.

Java

I am a coffee lover. Sadly I just cannot get any past my lips during the first (and some of the second) trimester. In the past couple of days I've been able to reintroduce coffee to my morning routine (decaf, in case you're worried). While I was grocery shopping the other evening, I picked up an egg nog, one of my favorite holiday treats, to use as coffee creamer. I just thought I'd share that it has been delicious and amazing! Try it. It's like an at-home version of an eggnog latte. Yum!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Last week I signed up to bring a dessert to Bible study. I wanted something pumpkin-y being the week before Halloween and finally Fall. I couldn't find any recipes for a pumpkin bread pudding that looked good, so I threw this together, and I ended up loving it. Thankfully I wrote everything down this time so I could post the recipe for future use. Here you go:

Alicia's Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

1 loaf of dense bread (I used a homemade - not by me - loaf of whole wheat)

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups half and half (or heavy cream or even whole milk)

1/3 cup apple cider

1 cup brown sugar

1 can pureed pumpkin

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Cube the loaf of bread, and spread into a well-greased 9x11 baking pan. Whisk the remaining ingredients until well-blended, and pour over the bread. Use the back of a spoon to press the bread down to ensure that it soaks up the custard, then refrigerate overnight.

Topping:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup apple cider

2 cups chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Melt the butter, brown sugar, and cider in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the nuts. Pour over the bread pudding.

Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

*I only added 1/3 cup of brown sugar to the custard mixture, and it was not enough. To combat the savory flavor, I made this caramel sauce to drizzle over the top. I loved it. If you make the sauce, make sure you reduce the amount of brown sugar you use in the custard so it is not too sweet.

Thankful Hands

I saw this cute recipe this morning and thought I'd share. What a sweet project for Thanksgiving.