Christmas Baking Pt. I

My brother and I baked cookies last night! I usually bake with Mom and Grandma, but this year my brother came to stay with me while husband is gone. So.....we baked gingerbread cookies!

Here's the final product.

I was going to wait for him to start, but I realized that our dough needed to cool for 2 hours! Wowza. So...I went to the store after work and got the dough mixed up. My brother showed up about half way through mixing. So we "chilled" the dough and went out for supper. After a "short" stop at Wal-Mart for some last minute supplies, we made it home in time to start rolling out our cookies.

I ran out of molasses for the dough so it was a little crumbly. But, they turned out okay!

After cutting them all out, we started decorating while watching this movie. As we were baking and decorating we realized that one of the heads fell off. Soooo....what's better to do than make a decapitated gingerbread man! Hahaaaa.....okay...that's a little creepy. But he turned out kinda cool.  I was in charge of the rolling out and cutting and the outlining. And brother was in charge of the coloring in of the lines. Here they are!

Part II will be up after my baking adventure with mom this weekend!

And in case you're looking for a gingerbread cookie recipe, I found mine here.

Enjoy!

Jamestown: The Buffalo City

We are very blessed that we live so close to both of our families. Husband's family is only two and a half hours away and my family is only an hour away. Unfortunately his siblings are a bit further, so it makes it trickier to get home on the holidays due to work schedules.

Praise the Lord for cars and weekends, though!

We were able to go see his sister and her husband this weekend. They had a six and a half (ish) hour drive to get home for the weekend! Wowza! 

The only flaw in the plan was that Husband had a concert. Sooooo....we had supper with my brother and his lady friend where I drew thisssss lovely picture.

And then we went to Husband's concert afterward. They sang Handel's Messiah. The WHOLE. THANG. Wowza. We were in a beautiful cathedral with beautiful people and music.

Husband is right in the middle.

Our friend Evan is right behind the director and
 our friend Emily is to the right of the director.

Only after that did we get to leave for the Buffalo City. It was a snowy, dark drive, but it was worth it. On that drive I was able to work on my sister's gift and have some quality time with my guy.

Getting to spend time with Kyle's family is really fabulous. We knew that we were heading there this coming Sunday, but with his sister and her husband not being able to make it, we wanted to spend time with them. It wasn't a mistake at all.

We slept in on Saturday, enjoyed breakfast with everyone, and got to visit grandma! Then Saturday evening, we went to see Husband's baby sister sing in the University of Jamestown's Christmas Concert. She's adorable and so sweet. It was a great time to relax and revel in the relationships we have with each other.

Per usual, we had  to play games on Saturday night. It's not a night with the family unless we play games at some point. Here's a look at Pit. As a small child, this is the version that I remember. Bell and all. I sat out of this game and it was hilarious to watch the turns the game took.

And then...Sunday morning it was time to take off. Our drive home was faster than anticipated and we are really looking forward to heading back this weekend!

Taco Soup.

Husband and I look for recipes that can be made quickly, eaten for multiple meals, and will be filling. This recipe here is from our dear friend Aubrey who also loves to cook. This is a "dump it in and see how it goes" kind of recipe. What she told me is that the "key is a jar of black bean and corn salsa from Wal-Mart." So without further ado, here's Aubrey's Taco Soup. (with Kelly's modifications)

Ingredients:
Hamburger (ground turkey, chicken, etc)
Veggies of your choosing (I used onion, green pepper, and corn)
1 jar of Black Bean and Corn Salsa
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can White Beans
1 can of corn
1 can Rotel (your choice depending on how hot you want it)
Chicken Broth (water works too)

Step 1:
Brown hamburger. (I used 1.5 lbs) Add 1 pkg taco seasoning according to directions on pkg. While browning hamburger (or ground turkey, chicken, etc), start sauteeing 1/2-1 whole onion, peppers of your choosing, and any other veggie that you'll want, in a big stock pot.

Step 2:
Add taco meat to your veggies in your stock pot. Stir in your jar of salsa, corn, beans, and Rotel. Keep on Med-Low heat and add your broth or water. Add enough liquid so that your soup is as thick or thin as you desire.

Step 3:
Simmer on stove until it's hot or you're ready to eat. Your choice! Serve with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips, or plain. And enjoy!

When Aubrey sent this recipe to me (which I modified), I was a little skeptical. I don't LOVE tacos like husband does. I just liked them. But once I tasted it, I was a believer! This will now be a staple in our household this winter!

If you try this and modify it, please comment and let me know! I'd love to try new variations!

*Happy Friday!

10 on 10 (a little late)

(picking up treats for our students)

(picking up treats for my husband)

(empty classroom)

(grading)

(My happiness in my room)

(date night with myself)

(Frozen)