Bye 2008, Hello 2009!

Happy New Year!!!

I can't believe 2008 is just about over! It's just nuts! I feel as though this year has completely flown by. Even though soooo much has happened - very little has actually changed. The biggest thing that has happened this year is that Kevin and I got married! Our wedding was such a wonderful and very blessed time. Not only did we have a beautiful wedding but, we were able to spend a whole week with our awesome friends and family. In addition to our wedding, we went on an amazing honeymoon! We are so blessed. 2008 was definitely a very busy year! I can't wait to find what 2009 will bring for us!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun evening! May God bring you lots of blessings in 2009!

Our Christmas Story

Our Christmas turned out a bit different than we expected and....I couldn't be happier! I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas.

It all started two weeks ago (in the middle of finals week - yuck), Kevin had left and wouldn't return until Christmas Eve so, I decided that as soon as finals were over I'd jump in the car and head to OKC to spend some much needed R&R with my friends and family. I thought I'd leave bright and early Saturday morning and drive back Tuesday (the 23rd) so I could make sure I was here when Kevin returned.

Except the fact that I forgot my camera the trip was perfect! It's odd trying to explain but, it's as if I didn't realize how much I missed my friends, family and OKC until I was down there. We had the best time together. We went to a OKC Thunder game (which, they almost won - yay), we went to Eischens (home of the BEST fried chicken - seriously, it's AMAZING), we went shopping, of course ;) and we went to some new places too - like, The Wedge Pizzeria (I highly recommend the Truffle Shuffle - super yummy but, everything is really tasty). The best part was just hanging out with 2 of my best friends in the whole world talking about nothing and laughing about everything. I cannot believe how much I had missed them.

By the time Monday night had rolled around I realized I wouldn't be heading back on Tuesday as I had originally planned. I just kept thinking the same thought, "I'm just not ready to leave." Since I have a very supportive and thoughtful husband, he immediately understood. Kevin offered to hope on a flight from Offutt (the base in Omaha) to Tinker (the base in OKC) so that we could spend Christmas in Oklahoma. I was ecstatic!

I couldn't have asked for a better first Christmas as husband and wife. It was absolutely perfect. I was just so thrilled to be home, with my friends, family and husband....there really wasn't anything else I wanted.

Here we are with our friends Heidi and Eric - they were our very gracious hosts! :)

I know it's a bit late but, I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Have a blessed day while celebrating the birth of our Lord!!

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays....

That is one of my all time favorite Christmas songs!

I know I say it a lot but, I'm pretty homesick and now that it's the holiday season I am a TON more homesick. So I decided that since I was done with finals and since my husband is out of town that I would go home! I'm super excited! It will be so nice to see my friends and family and be in good old OKC. YAY!

So, I will be off shortly....

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Finally, done with Finals!

Huge *sigh*

First, I want to thank everyone who has been praying for me and thinking about me. I want to especially thank my friend Jennifer. She is such an awesome friend and her constant support is so encouraging! I just love her to death!! :)

It's been a super long couple of weeks! I feel as though I've been trapped under a mountain of books....oh, wait - I totally have! And, oh wow, do I have a TON of laundry to do. Lol!! :)

Since I've been spending 90% of my time on campus recently I completely lost track of what day it is and last night when I ventured out to the grocery store (by kitchen is a sad site right now) I asked the cashier what day it is and when she said, "It's the 18th." I seriously almost had a massive heart attack! I did not realize that there was only 7 days until Christmas!! We do have a tree up (it only took a week to decorate it...very sad, I know) and other decorations BUT I haven't started Christmas shopping - at all. Usually, I am SO on top of Christmas shopping. I've never been able to understand people who can wait until the last minute....drives me nuts. I guess this year I will be one of those people.

So, for me....Christmas shopping has officially begun! Yay!

My GREAT idea for a study break

That title could not be more sarcastic. :)

After studying all morning, I decided I'd try to set up a twitter account. Yeah, not a good idea. I thought it would take about 30 minutes max. But, since I'm such a perfectionist I didn't want to stop until it was exactly how I wanted it....well, after 45 minutes of trying to upload a picture, find a cute background (which never happened) and "find" friends (also didn't happen) I chose to quit trying. So frustrating...

I really like the twitter idea but, I think I'm going to have a wait until after finals. I think that my little brain is just so full of nursing information that it can't possibly hold anything else! Maybe a nap would be a better study break ;)

Tis' the season....

....To study for finals. Sad, I know. I've been studying for the better part of today and I'm just so overwhelmed with information. I *feel* pretty ok with where I am in my studying. My first final is next Tuesday. Even though it's a week out, I'm already pretty stressed. It's just that it covers A LOT of information - it's over OB and Pediatric content. It's the test I'm most concerned about. I have really enjoyed learning about these two areas and really want that enjoyment to be reflected in my final. If there happens to be any nurses (or fellow nursing students) reading this post, please feel free to leave tips. :)

Ok, I'm done venting. :) Blogging is so therapeutic!! Lol!!

I hope everyone's Christmas Holiday season is going absolutely wonderful.

To keep my Christmas Holiday spirits up, I found a fun picture of our cute little downtown all decorated with lots of sparkling lights. Hope you enjoy it too. :)

Our Christmas Card

Here's a look at our 2008 Christmas card. Our friend, Courtney, designed all of our stationary and paper products for our wedding so, we thought she would be the perfect person to do our Christmas card this year. Kevin and I think she did a fantastic job!! :)

I hope everyone is have a wonderful Christmas season!

To my Girls.....

Earlier today, I received an email that included the following prayer. I rarely forward on chain letters but, I really enjoyed this one and I forwarded it on to two of my close friends. My friend Jennifer liked it so much she posted it to her blog. Which I thought was such a great idea that I've decided to copy her and post it on mine too....please feel free to pass it on :)

Dear God,
The lady reading this Is beautiful, classy and strong, and I love her.
Help her live her life to the fullest.
Please promote her and help her excel above her expectations.
Help her shine in the darkest places where it is impossible to love.
Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you the most.
And Let her know when she walks with you, she will always be safe.
Most of all Lord, thank You for her friendship.

No bread...no problem!

In Jamaica we learned that there really aren't any problems, just situations. Well, I'd say Kevin and I are in a "cooking/eating situation." We recently found out that he has a gluten allergy. Which, means no wheat, oats, barely or rye. So....it kinda limits the baking I've been doing recently...until I found this blog - The gluten-free goddess. She has LOTS of super yummy looking recipes that I cannot wait to try!

It seems to me that there is a blog about just about anything and everything. How fortunate that I was able to find a great blog to help Kevin and I with our Christmas baked good needs. :)

Back from our Honeymoon

Hello Everyone!!

It was a bit shocking going from the warm weather in Jamaica to the chilly weather in Omaha. It's suppose to snow tomorrow - LOL!


Kevin and I had the most wonderful time in sunny Jamaica! It was an absolute blast! :)



I'm going to do a HUMONGOUS post on it later this week....when my tests are over. ;) In the meantime, I just wanted to say HI! And...I hope everyone is having a fantastic week!



Here's a pic of us on the beach at sunset.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Great Day just got BETTER!!!

Seriously, this has been an amazingly wonderful day!
First, Kevin and I are leaving for our honeymoon tomorrow (or, in a few hour - however you want to look at it - lol!).
Second, when I was in class today, one of my friends mentioned that Omaha is getting a Trader Joe's! Which is an AWESOME inexpensive organic grocery store.
Then, my fantastic photographer sent me an email saying that she posted the wedding pics! Yay!! Woo Hoo!! Yippee!! Cassie is the BEST photographer EVER! She is truly blesses with an amazing gift!! She is an absolute doll and we have become good friends - if anyone is in the Omaha or Kansas City area, I HIGHLY recommend her!
Lastly, I went to get my haircut today. It's a L O N G story BUT, over the course of this semester I have decided to cut my hair and donate it to Locks of Love. Gina, my stylist, did a great job! I was kinda nervous but, I think it looks great! :) The pics are below.

The "Before" picture

Going....

Going....

Gone! The official "After" Picture

My first short hair picture with Kevin :)

Now, I'm offically done until after the honeymoon.

Happy Thanksgiving....again ;)

We're outta here....

.....Ok, well we aren't off quite yet. BUT, we are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning and will be in Jamaica by tomorrow afternoon! We are super excited!! It's funny that it's suppose to snow tomorrow morning - so, we will be leaving snow and arriving in the tropics. :)

Before I left I wanted to be sure to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

Festive New Background

Since Christmas is just around the corner I thought I'd it would be festive to change my background. I cannot believe how fast November is going by!!!



I can't even believe how fast this week has gone by! It's been absolutely NUTS! In school, we have had sooo many papers & projects due it's been pretty crazy. Not to mention that Kevin and I are leaving for our (much overdue) honeymoon Saturday. Yippee!! Which reminds me....I should probably start packing....

Study Break

The other day, I was talking to my friend Jessica. Jessica and I have been friends since junior high and we have LOTS of great memories together. :) When I mentioned that I would be doing a lot of studying and paper writing this weekend she suggested I make some popcorn – just like we used to make when we studied together in high school. There were so many late nights we would stay awake studying for something and would eat a TON of popcorn and drink our weight in Dr. Pepper (from Sonic, of course). Lol!

She inspired me to make some popcorn. Then I remembered that Paula Deen has some AWESOME popcorn seasoning recipes in her holiday magazine. I have been waiting for an opportunity to make one of them so, what a better time than a study break!

Even though there were TONS of yummy popcorn seasoning recipes, I chose to make Paula’s ranch popcorn seasoning.

Here’s the recipe:
½ tablespoon dried chives
½ tablespoon dried dill weed½ tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ cup dry milk powder
In a spice grinder, combine chives, dill weed, parsley, onion powder, salt and garlic salt; pulse until mixture is ground into a fine powder. Stir in dry milk powder. Sprinkle over hot buttered popped popcorn.

Also….when I asked Jessica what she would be doing this weekend, she said she was going to Women of Faith. I can’t wait to hear back from her on how it went.

The Holiday Season has Offically Started......

....or, at least it has in our house. :)

Growing up we always made and decorated ginger bread houses for the Christmas season; it’s a tradition that I’ve tried to keep up. Last year, Kevin, John Paul and I made a ginger bread house and church – we had such a great time!

When I woke up on this cold Sunday morning, it really felt like the holiday season – especially when I turned on the morning news and saw snow in our forecast – yippee!! It gave me a HUGE craving for gingerbread cookies! Since I knew I would have a ton of things to accomplish today and would not have time to make cookies, I chose to look-up a recipe for gingerbread pancakes. It turns out that Williams Sonoma has a great one! I LOVE Williams Sonoma’s website for recipes. The pancakes were delicious!!!

Here's Williams Sonoma's recipe.

Growing up, my family made and decorated ginger bread houses for the Christmas season; it’s a tradition that I’ve tried to keep up. Last year, Kevin, John Paul and I made a little ginger bread village – we had such a great time! The pancakes were a great reminder of how much I love ginger bread!

I hope everyone is having a super Sunday!!!

Good Morning Pumpkin

I have a mission to finish the semester really, really strong. So, I made a plan to study as much as possible and, to help me with my mission I thought I'd start the day with a sweet and hot cup of coffee with some awesome pumpkin spice soymilk. Since I was solo this morning (Kevin is out of town) I decieded to use our fantasitc french press that my good friends Heather & Meagan got Kevin and I for our wedding. It's the perfect size for 2 cups of coffee! I can't wait to try the pumpkin spice soymilk in some hot chocolate too! I am a big fan of hot chocolate!

I hope everyone is having a great Fall weekend!

The Great Pumpkin Post

It's no secret that I LOVE the Fall. The weather is perfect, football season starts, pumpkins are EVERYWHERE and... it's when my wedding anniversary will be :-)

I'm sure it's completely obvious that I'm totally in LOVE with pumpkins. I love to decorate with them and even more...I LOVE to eat them - lol! Since I've been super busy with school, work and wrapping up wedding stuff I thought I'd share some recipes I've made but haven't had a chance to post.

Here in Omaha, we are suppose to get our first snow tonight - yay!!! I think I'm going to start making another pot of the pumpkin chili - that will be the perfect "1st snow of the season" meal! :)

Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter

I made these a while ago. They were a bit time consuming but so much fun! Definitely a good weekend project. Very tasty!

Whole Food's Turkey & Pumpkin Chili

Perfect Fall treat! So easy! I served this chili in bread bowl that I picked up from Panera.

Williams Sonoma's Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

I heart Williams Sonoma! Their recipes are so wonderful! In this recipe there are instructions for a ginger snap crust and if I would have had more time I definitely would have made it....using the super neat spring form pan my Aunt got us as one of our wedding presents. :)

My Aunt's Fall Visit

My awesome photographer and friend, Cassie, and I thought it would be fun to do “Trash the Dress” pictures and after I intended to give my wedding dress to charity. Well, when I told my Mom and Aunt this news, they were less than thrilled about this decision. Apparently, trashing my wedding dress and giving it away would be something I would have regretted. Lol! :) My Mom and Aunt know best and…they make sure I know that fact. :) So, we all compromised on doing lots of fun after dress pictures. Since my Mom flew up from Florida to be with me for my Bridal Portraits my Aunt decided she would come up for these pictures.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather! It was gorgeous! We took so many fun pictures. We all had a blast together. It was so awesome to spend the day doing ultra girlie things with a group of fun women! :)

The next day, my Aunt and I went grocery shopping and began making a HUGE meal. In fact, while we were making dinner my Mother-in-law called and she asked what we were making, I began to rattle off everything and at the end of my list she aksed, “And, who is going to eat ALL of this food???” Lol! It was pretty funny. My Aunt and I love to cook when we get together and it’s always nice to have lots of leftovers to eat during the week.

For an appetizer we made muscles with a white wine sauce with French bread (perfect for the sopping up the white wine sauce – yum!) and, butternut squash fries – both were super tasty! :)

Then it was onto our main course, it was: Panko Breaded Chicken served with a pumpkin cranberry white wine risotto alongside sautéed squash and zucchini.

For dessert we had pumpkin bread pudding, made with challah bread. It was soooo yummy

While she was in town, we also visited the Durham Western Heritage Museum. It is housed in the Omaha’s historic Union Station. It’s such an awesome old building. I love museums! I’m such a dork like that though – lol! :)

Here’s one of the pictures I took, I was playing in the leaves – so much fun!

Happy Halloween

This year we spent Halloween with a couple of couples. Our friends Heidi and Matt hosted a small dinner party at their house. Heidi made her awesome organic (ingredients mostly from her OWN garden) chili and apple crisp. I brought pumpkin muffins, Paula Deen’s spiced caramel dip (for apples – think caramel apples) and cream cheese filled pumpkin muffins. In case I haven’t mentioned, I’m a bit on the pumpkin obsessed side. I LOVE pumpkin!

Here's our adorable buffet table

Here's our Menu:
Pumpkin Muffins
Organic Chili
Garden Veggies & Dip
Crackers & White Bean Dip
Carmamel Apple Dip & Apples
Organic Apple Crisp
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Since the weather was super nice, we ended up eating dinner on Heidi & Matt’s adorable back deck. We were so blessed with such a nice evening. It was great to be able to eat outside while watching the adorable children all dressed up in cute little costumes go bounce around excitedly from house to house collecting candy. Some of the costumes were just adorable, my favorite was a little girl dressed as Tinker Bell – she looked exactly like her! She was just a doll!

After dinner, we all sat down and played a very entertaining game of Apples to Apples. We all had a blast with this game! It was two of the couples first time to play it and are now big fans of the game too! I highly suggest this game at your next get together.

We all had so much fun that we decided we would have to have a monthly get together and each take turns hosting. Get togethers are so much fun! I hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween!

Happy 1 Month Anniversary to Us!

Kevin & I had a very productive day - while I can't say it was "exciting" it was nice to get some things checked off our to-do list.

First of all, we slept-in....woo hoo!! Then, we went to church and heard an especially awesome sermon! Afterwards, our church had a delicious pancake breakfast - with super yummy bacon! Kevin and I then went to Dillard's to get a few things with some of our wedding gift cards. Gotta love the gift cards! ;)

But sadly, when we came home it was time to buckle down so we could both get some studying done.

This afternoon Kevin rushed in our room to take a picture of me studying. I have trouble sitting still while studying so I often move from room to room and from place to place. For whatever reason I thought it would be a good idea if I studied for Microbiology on my bed.....not really sure why. Maybe because Micro is really boring and if I fell asleep reading, I'd be in a perfect place for a nap - LOL! But seriously, I struggle with Micro!

Since we both knew we would be busy, we decided we would have our slow cooker make our dinner. :) It couldn't have been easier. When we arrived home we threw a pork loin in the slow cooker with some root beer (I know it sounds weird but, it's really good) and spices and let it cook. And before serving we made a chipotle sauce for the pork. Five minutes later we were eating tacos!

Here's the recipe:
1/2 Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
Combine on low heat. Thoroughly coat the pork.

Here's a really blurry (not quite sure what happened) picture of my taco:

I <3 the Melting Pot

Kevin & I met some of our friends at the Melting Pot to celebrate my birthday! We had such a great time!

We recieved a fondue set as a wedding present and I can't wait to try it out. This trip to the Melting Pot has inspired me to make our own fondue.....stay tuned for recipes..... ;)

Fireproof Update

And, it was AMAZING. The story line was great. The music - well, let's just say that I have to get the soundtrack! It is obvious that the writers, directors, actors, and everyone else involved with the movie is filled with the Holy Spirit. The light of Christ shines throughout the film. Kevin and I went with another couple and they also enjoyed the movie. I feel so blessed to have so many Christ-centered couples in my life and in my blogging life. I truly appreciate how much I receive from all of you. :)

My only piece of advice is to bring lots of tissue!

Spaghetti Carbonara - Fast

Have you ever had a day that you thought would be calming and relaxing only to realize that it will actually be very hectic and rushed? Sadly, that is what today has been for me. Last night I mentally made a note of what I had to do today, that list had 1 item on it. This morning, after sleeping in until 9:30am I decided it would be best if I wrote a list out. Well, half way through my list, it hit me - I have A LOT to do today. A whole lot!

So, I grabbed a quick bowl of cereal and started on my to-do list. Around noon I started to get a little hungry but was determined to get just 1 more thing done. Well, around 1:30pm my stomach started to growl. It was also that time that Martha Stewart was making Spaghetti Carbonara. How perfect for a fast and tastey; not to mention well balanced - protein, carbs (no, they aren't all bad and when you need energy they are a must) and um, bacon! Perfect. It's been so simple and fast to make. The longest part is actually been boiling the water for the pasta. And, I already had all the ingredients on-hand. Huge thumbs up from me!

On a completely separate note, I'm going to see "Fireproof" tonight! I have heard nothing but good things about this movie and can't wait to see it!

Here's Martha's recipe

Ingredients :
Serves 4
· 8 ounces bacon (8 slices), cut 1-inch thick crosswise
· Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
· 1 pound spaghetti
· 3 large eggs
· 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
· 1/2 cup half-and-half

Directions :
1. Set a large pot of water to boil (for the pasta). In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
2. Salt the boiling water generously; add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package instructions.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan, and half-and-half. Set aside. Drain the pasta, leaving some water clinging to it. Working quickly, add the hot pasta to the egg mixture. Add the bacon; season with salt and pepper, and toss all to combine (the heat from the pasta will cook the eggs). Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.

Fireproof.....

Ok, first I should say that this is a non-food post....which I'm sure is obvious. :)
As everyone knows, I don't have much of a life beyond nursing school and I rarely see movies in the theater. HOWEVER, I am so going to make an exception for the movie Fireproof. I'm not sure why I feel such a huge desire to spread the word about this movie but, I do. God has really impressed on my heart the desire to tell of this movie's mission. I haven't seen it yet but, from what I've read it's about 2 good (I think Christian - I think) people who have entered into a marriage that is dissolving and neither knows how to save it and divorce seems to be the only choice. Here's the link to their website http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/

Kevin and I went through the most amazing marriage preparation classes. We were so blessed to have such wonderful God-centered couples as teachers who provided great literature and scripture to enhance the course. At the end, we were both left feeling very strongly about the bond of marriage and very strongly about sharing this feeling.

I know so many married couples facing hardships and I just wish I could sit them down explain to them how important it is to put your marriage first. I understand that today with ALL of the many things we have going on in our lives (I'm definitely talking to myself on this one! Lol!) that it is easy to not put 100% into our marriages. In our society, it's so easy to give up.....in my opinion, too easy.

Ok, I'm climbing off my soapbox. I certainly hope I haven't offended anyone. If I have, please know that it wasn't my intention. :)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Fall day!

Leftovers are easy as PIE!

Today has been a great rainy Fall day. When I googled pictures of rainy Fall days, this picture popped up. I thought it was a perfect fit!

This morning Kevin and I woke up, had a quick workout together and then we both went to the kitchen to figure out what to do with ALL our leftovers. We had a ton of apples, carrots, sweet peas, 1/2 bag of frozen pearl onions, 1 potato and a few sheets of puff pastry. We decided on apple pie and chicken pot pies (I always keep chicken breasts in the freezer).

Since Kevin makes an AWESOME apple pie, I cut and sliced the apples and he assembled the pie. While he was making his pie, I started making the chicken pot pies. The whole process didn't go quite as fast as I would have liked but, everything was ready to go for lunch.

Here's kinda what he did for the apple pie:

6 peeled, cored & thinly sliced apples

2 tbsp. flour

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 tbsp. butter

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 tbsp. cream or milk

Mix sugars, flour, salt and spices together. Mix in apples. Place this mixture in a 9" unbaked pie shell. Lace the pastry dough lattice work for the top of the pie and dot with butter and spoon cream over all. Bake for 15 minutes in a 425 degree oven, then 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until apples are tender.

The chicken pot pies were easy....just took a while for the chicken to thaw.

Ingredients:

1 Cup baby carrots

1 Cup sweet peas

1/2 bag frozen pearl onions

1 potato

1 sheet of puff pastry

Salt

Pepper

1 Clove of garlic

3/4 Cup of chicken broth

While I waited for the chicken to thaw:

First I peeled and cubed the potato and put it in a pot of salted boiling water to cook.

While the potatoes were cooking, I chopped the carrots and set them aside.

Next, I sauteed onions and garlic. To that I added butter, salt and pepper. Then added flour, stirring until it was well mixed. Since this is the base of the sauce it's important to make sure it's well blended. Once the roux was well mixed I added chicken broth to deglaze the pan. When it became thick, I added milk. Then I just lowered the heat to low and let it simmer.

Back to the potatoes, since they were almost done I added the carrots - I figured since everything was going to end up together, why not?!?

When the chicken FINALLY thawed, I quickly threw it into the oven and waited.... When it was done I quickly chopped and cubed it.

In an attempt to save some calories, I thought I'd just top the pot pies with puff pastry. Believe me, I like puff pastry as much as the next person but...wow, it is not low fat! So, I poured the filling into the oven-safe bowls and topped each with puff pastry.

Brush the top of each with egg wash and bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Patch Weekend

Kevin and I have had such fun & busy weekend. After the OU game, We spent the majority of Saturday afternoon going through our wedding gifts, setting them up exchanging duplicates and, using some of our gift certificates. We had a fun time with all of our awesome presents. At the end of the experience, I know we both left feeling extremely grateful to our friends and family for all our wonderful gifts!

Saturday evening, we met up with some of our friends, and their adorable children, at Vala's pumpkin patch. This place is no mere pumpkin patch - Vala's is more like the Disney World of pumpkin patches, it's HUGE! We spent over 5 hours there and still didn't do everything they offer! It was such a great time. Kevin & I are so happy we had the opportunity to go with children, we are both so ready to have a family and this experience just enhanced those feelings!

Here are some pictures of us at Vala's:

Getting Lost in the Corn Maze - it was pretty challenging!

Yay! We found our pumpkin!

While we were actually in the "pumpkin patch" Kevin and I decided that we HAD to make pumpkin waffles for breakfast Sunday morning.

So this morning, we woke up, got a recipe, and got to making the waffles. They were so AWESOME! These waffles would be perfect for Thanksgiving breakfast, Christmas breakfast....or really any other breakfast - lol! :)

The recipe is from Williams Sonoma. I love going to their website for recipes, it is always a great source of inspiration. Here is the link to the pumpkin waffles.

Ingredients:
5 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup pumpkin puree (you can use canned puree)
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. double-acting baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat a waffle iron. If you want to hold the finished waffles until serving time, preheat an oven to 200°F. Melt the butter; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Using a rubber spatula or handheld electric mixer, mix together well. Stir in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. The mixture will be thick and a little lumpy. Don't try to smooth it out; just mix until the ingredients are incorporated. In another bowl, beat together the milk, sour cream, eggs, rum and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the melted butter. Whether or not your irons grids are well seasoned or made of a nonstick material, it is best to lightly butter or spray the grids for these waffles because the batter is quite sticky. Brush or spray the grids again only if subsequent waffles stick. For a Belgian waffle iron, spoon out 2/3 to 3/4 cup of batter (or the amount recommended by the manufacturers instructions) onto the hot iron. Use a metal spatula or wooden spoon to spread the batter evenly over the grids. Close the lid and bake until golden. If the waffle is hard to remove from the iron, peel it off gently and carefully. Serve immediately or keep the waffles, in a single layer, on a rack in the preheated oven while you make the rest.

Perfect Fall Day....

Today was the perfect fall day. First, my *husband* is home – woo hoo! I’m done with my midterms, which is a HUGE relief. Then, the weather is absolutely perfect! This morning it was chilly (great for thick long-sleeve shirts), by this afternoon it was 73 and now, we have all the windows open and are enjoying the cool breeze. When I started thinking about dinner, I knew I wanted to make a Fall-ish meal for Kevin and I but, I also didn’t want to spend a *ton* of time in the kitchen. So, I decided on corn chowder and pumpkin cornbread. I LOVE pumpkin and during the Fall I find a way to put it in absolutely everything.


The chowder is from Rachel Ray and the cornbread is from the recipe girl.


Here's what I did for the chowder:

Ingredients:
8 ounces kielbasa, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
One 14.5-ounce can chicken broth
1 large baking potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup half-and-half
One 1-pound bag frozen corn, thawed
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Heat a deep skillet or a wide 4- to 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the kielbasa and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate. 2. Add the onions and butter to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the broth and potato and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer until the potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the half-and-half and corn and cook, stirring, until heated through. 3. Using a blender or food processor, puree 1 cup chowder until smooth. Stir the puree back into the chowder along with the browned kielbasa and season to taste with salt and pepper.


Here's what I did for the cornbread:


Ingredients:
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup cornmeal
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or freshly cooked and processed)
2/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup canola oil
1 Tbs molasses

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 10-inch glass pie pan or 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Sift flours, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in cornmeal.
3. In separate bowl, beat eggs lightly. Whisk in pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and molasses.
4. Make a well in the dry mixture. Add pumpkin mixture and blend batter with a few quick strokes (just until blended- don't overmix).
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cornbread is browned and the surface has a slightly springy feel. I highly recommend the cornbread with honey butter! :)