Lessons from Christmas 2011

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families.  The Confessions family just returned from a four-night stay with my parents and we just had a wonderful time.  I thought since I have been away for a few days that I would give a quick little recap.

Lesson number one… I think my child might just be the cutest thing I have ever seen in a Santa hat.  I know… I am biased. 

Lesson number two… my family knows how to do it right on Christmas Eve.  This tradition of pigging out enjoying goodies after church on Christmas Eve started way back since before I can remember.  Every Christmas Eve, we prepared all sorts of goodies to eat.  The menu varied from year-to-year, as we got older and were able to help, but some of the items were staples and reappeared each year: deviled eggs, summer sausage and cheese, my dad’s famous onion dip, shrimp, and veggies.

Lesson three… we are completely blessed.  Santa was very generous and we all received very special and generous gifts.  We are blessed beyond belief.

Lesson four… even when you haven’t seen your high school friends in three+ years, it’s like no time has passed.  The conversation didn’t miss a beat.

Lesson five… even if the doctor says, “This cough medicine is REALLY strong.  So please only use it at night."  That may not actually be accurate.  (Is it sad that I was so excited about my cough syrup with codeine?  So disappointed.  It didn’t help at all!)

Lesson six… after such fun and excitement, sometimes you have to come home to a super-easy dinner: meatball subs and homemade “fries.”  Oops. I just realized that we are missing a veg.  Well, we’ll try again tomorrow.

(Excuse the lack of photos.  I was feeling so bad that I just didn’t do a good job taking them.  Thankfully I am on the road to recovery now!)

Dixie-Style Dining: Butter Cookies

Friends, I learned something today.  Actually, I learned a few things. 

1.  Glee Season 2 is now available on Netflix!  Yes!  I had so much fun watching Season 1 this summer, and I was dying to see Season 2.  AND right now we are watching the Britney Spears episode.  Oh yeah.  It’s awesome.  I totally wish I could go back in time and be in Glee Club.  Well, only if it was THIS Glee Club.

2.  A cookie press is the coolest thing ever.  You can make so many fun shapes with this tool.

3.  You know how sometimes you bite into a cookie and it’s light and sweet and crunchy and amazing?  Well, I learned the secret to that.  It’s BUTTER. 

Every year, my grandmother would make tons of Christmas cookies.  She made chocolate chip, peanut, and butter cookies in various shapes.  She made gobs and gobs of them.  Every day she would refill the cookie platter and we never. ran. out.  Seriously, no matter how many guests we had or how many we ate… there were always more. 

Several months ago, as we were going through my grandparents’ things, I found my grandmother’s cookie press.  As I sorted through the little discs that make different shapes, I found the flower and tree I remembered, and I knew I had to have the press.  I always wanted to get one, but it’s so much more special to have my grandmother’s.  As I was making these cookies today, it was a special feeling knowing that this was how she made these cookies.

It was only fitting that I used her butter cookie recipe, too.

Dixie’s Butter Cookies

Now, let me be clear here.  These are in no way healthy or very good for you… but they are good for your soul and I promise you that they will melt in your mouth.  They are light and crunchy and have a rich buttery, sweet flavor.  You could probably make any shape cookie, but I used a cookie press to make little tree-shaped cookies.  I topped mine with green sprinkles to make them extra special!  I also made only half of this batch and made approximately 3-4 dozen cookies with it.  The recipe below is for a full batch.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. butter
• 2 cups sugar (I used white granulated)
• 4 egg yolks
• 6 cups flour (I used unbleached all-purpose)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 12 tsp (or 1/4 cup) milk (I used skim)

Prep:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together.  Add egg yolks and vanilla and mix well.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture.  Blend.  Add 1/2 the milk.  Mix.  Add another 1/3 of the flour, and then mix.   Add rest of milk.  Mix.  Finally add the rest of the flour and mix.  Shape cookies and cake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (the time really depends on the size of the cookie) until the edges are golden.  Cool and enjoy!

Southern Christmas Show Demo!

Hello, readers!  I have missed writing this week!  My laptop cord broke, so I haven’t been able to blog in a few days!  But I got a new cord today—Yay!—and now I am back!

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend! 

You know, the further we get into the month of November, the more excited I am about the upcoming holidays!  I absolutely love the Thanksgiving-to-Christmas stretch.  In fact, I’ve already been listening to some Christmas music!  ;)  Earlier in the week, i had an opportunity to help with a demo at the Southern Christmas Show.  The dance-fitness company I teach with likes to go out and do demos at differemt events, just to show what a regular Zumba class or DanceOut class is really like.  I always love attending the SCS, so I was excited to help with this demo. 

 

Here I am with 2 other fellow instructors:

Jenny, Kyle, and Me!  We were also joined by about 10-12 other participants.

If you want to get in the holiday “mood,” then this is the perfect place.  I had never been on “Preview Night” before.  One bonus—free parking!  And as a demo participant, I got to attend the show FREE! 

Our demo was lots of fun and we had lots of people interested in taking classes with us.  Afterwards, it was time to explore and shop! 

When I attended the SCS last year (click to view), I got hooked on  Duplin Wine.  Most of their varieties are too sweet for me, but I love their Burgundy.  I made sure to stop by their area and got a little care package for myself. 

I didn’t spend too much—just got a few gifts, and some Darby Creek Soups.  I always want soup during fall and winter, and I like these soup mixes.  They are really easy to make for a weeknight dinner and you can add in extra fresh ingredients to make it “sorta-homemade.”  I chose three varieties: Tortilla Soup, Navy Bean Soup, and Split Pea Soup.  I can’t wait to try them out! 

Actually, tonight I am making a different sorta-homemade soup: Broccoli Cheddar.  I can’t wait!  I’ve been thinking about it all day!

Happy Sunday! 

Post-Christmas Blues…

Today, Ryan and I (along with some help from my parents) packed up all of the Christmas toys, gifts, clothes, and goodies and headed back to our house in Rock Hill.  It’s always a little depressing when we get to this point in the Christmas vacation.  I call it the Post-Christmas Blues.  There is so much excitement leading up to Christmas, and then it seems like it is gone in a flash.  It will be nice to get home and just relax and enjoy not having anywhere to go or to be, but it is always sad to say goodbye to all of the family.  I think I have a feeling like, “What do I do now???”

As soon as we got home, the first thing I did was put away all my new dishes—a Christmas gift from my parents!  When we completed our wedding registry 10 years ago, we registered for colorful blue and yellow dishes.  If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you’ve probably seen them.  But I’ve been feeling like I wanted to go with all-white dishes.  I wish I could say we had some kind of creative dinner on the plates tonight, but this is what we had! 

LOL.  Little Caesar’s had a buy one get one free coupon.  You really can’t beat 2 pizzas for $5.55.  Just to make myself feel less guilty healthify it up, I did make a salad to go with it!

By the way, you’re going to hear more about this bowl.  Stay tuned!

 

 

 

So, on that note… WOW, do I need to hit the gym.  I think it was several months back, but a leader at my Weight Watchers Meeting showed us this cartoon.

“Merry Thanksgivoween!”  Her point in showing us this cartoon was that this is the time of year (October-December) when people pretty much give up and have an eating free-for-all.  (Oh yeah, and get too busy to exercise!)  Well, I didn’t completely give up, but I am feeling like I really need to get back into my routine.  

I refuse to say “I’m going on a diet.”  I am convinced that “diets” don’t work.  You have to make a lifestyle change.  No 6-week or 10-week program is going to change you forever.  YOU have to be the one to do it yourself. 

I also think that I need to do better this year about trying to change it up.  I have a good friend who loves Spin classes, but she says that is ALL she likes at the gym.  I’ve gotten into a routine of doing Zumba only, too.  I LOVE Zumba, so I am not complaining, but I think I need to do a better job cross-training. 

I’m not making New year’s Resolutions, because I think they have a habit of getting broken.  This is more of a promise to myself.  How about you?  Anyone making resolutions or promises this January?  Please leave a comment and let me know what you’re going to be working on/towards this year.

Sadie’s Christmas Morning Glee: Santa’s Gifts

Waffles to Order and Fun in the Snow!

This morning, Poppy gave us a special treat… homemade waffles!  One of my dad’s Christmas gifts was a new waffle maker.  He was excited to try it out for the fam this morning.  He had a bag of Waffle House waffle mix.  I didn’t know that you could buy the waffle batter at Waffle House restaurants!  I have been to Waffle House several times but have never ordered a waffle!  These waffles were absolutely delicious—very fluffy!

 

Zoe and Baylee enjoyed playing in the snow, too!

 

Sister Pic

 

Family pic

 

 

 

 

Adrienne’s mini-snowman

 

Leenie and Poppy

 

 

 

Meredith was playing with Sadie in the playhouse!

 

Have Yourself a Souper Little Christmas…

Merry Christmas!  I hope that all of you that celebrate Christmas had a great one!  This year was so much fun because Sadie was old enough to look forward to Santa’s visit.  When I get a chance, I will have to post a video of her coming into the room and seeing her Santa gifts for the first time.  

We had a very busy Christmas morning. 

Sadie’s requested item was a unicorn pillow pet.  She was delighted that Santa remembered!  She also enjoyed opening her presents from us and going through her stocking!  She was also excited about her new tricycle (pink with ladybugs—so cute!) and her Beauty and the Beast DVD. 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was on to Ryan’s parents’ house where we had lunch and lots more gifts to open!  Sadie loved seeing her cousins and “helping” everyone open their presents!

 

 

 

 

 

Then we got back in the car and headed to our final Christmas destination… Leenie and Poppy’s house!  Sadie enjoyed the ride.  She snuggled with Uni and watched Beauty and the Beast, another gift from Santa.  The coolest thing about our drive was the SNOW!  Can you believe it?  A white christmas in South Carolina! 

 

 

My mom decided a couple of years ago that she would stop doing the huge traditional meal for Christmas.  Instead, we have a variety of soups, which is perfect for cold (snowy) Christmas nights!  This year, there were three varieties:

Potato Soup with Bacon, Cheese, and Sour Cream

 

Taco Soup with Cheese, Tortilla Chips, and Sour Cream

 

and Turkey Noodle with Veggies

 

 

We ate until we were stuffed… but not too stuffed for some of this delicious Italian Creme Cake!

 

More pics to come… and the video, too!  Hope all of you had a restful holiday! 

As I type this, Poppy (my dad) is preparing to make us “Waffle House Waffles” for breakfast with his new waffle maker.  YUMMO!