Happy Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Weekend!

Well, as you can tell, I've been really slack about posting over the holiday!  We've been busy, busy, busy!  But enjoying some time with family and friends. 

Did you hit up the stores for some Black Friday deals?  We did a little shopping.  Ryan and I actually hit Big Lots at 8:00 a.m.... only to find out that the deal we wanted didn't actually start until SATURDAY.  Oops.  Later on, I headed out with my mom, sister, and Sadie.  I did find a few goodies, but I can't share, because most of them are Christmas Gifts!  But I was totally excited to find a set of Spode Christmas Tree Highball Glasses at Marshall's!  I try to add at least one piece to my Spode collection each year.

So this morning I want to share a FABULOUS dessert recipe with you.  One of my favorite holiday desserts is bread pudding.  A few years ago, I was in Nashville and stayed at the Opryland Resort Hotel.  They had this amazing bread pudding with a Jack Daniel's sauce.  I thought about it for weeks and weeks afterwards.  So then I started looking for recipes online.

Sandra Lee, of the Food Network, has some wonderful bread pudding recipes.  I have made her Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding with Cream Soda Sauce several times and LOVE this recipe... especially because it can be made in the crock pot.  But for Thanksgiving this year, I decided to try her Pumpkin and Maple Bread Pudding. 

You can click the link above for the recipe for this dessert.  The only thing I had trouble with was finding the Hard Sauce she mentions.  So I served it with whipped cream intead.  Just mix in a little cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg to make your whipped cream extra special. 

Here's a glance at the finished product...

I also made a big dessert tray with pumpkin mini-pies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls, and Butterscotch-Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls. 

The mini pie idea came from Hero Cake Pops.  Remember the day before Thanksgiving when I made those little pumpkin pie lollipops?  Well, I used that same batter for the mini pies.  So cute and delicious!

And the cookie dough balls came from my friend Diana.  Here is a link to both recipes.
--Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls
--Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
Diana has great detailed directions and photos to help you along the way.  I overcooked these twice, so I learned that these need to cook for 10 minutes in my oven and NO longer.  Otherwise, the inside doesn't taste like dough, but like dry cookie!

One of the most fun parts of Thanksgiving was watching Sadie and her cousins play in this enormous pile of leaves my father-in-law raked up for them.  They were in heaven!

Today we're having a few more fun family outings.  Hope you are yours had a wonderful holiday!

Pumpkin Lollipops???

This morning, I was trying to make some final decisions.  About Thanksgiving desserts, that is.  I knew all along I wanted to make bread pudding, but I had to decide on a recipe.  As I Googled and looked at fellow food bloggers' ideas this morning, I came across Hero Cake Pops's post on Pumpkin Pie Pops. 

As soon as I saw this blog post, I knew I had to try these-- just for fun.  I mean, how cute are these things???

Can you believe there's a little pie in there???

Click here to see Hero Cake Pops's post for the directions, plus pictures throughout the process. 

And I know they're cute, but...

YUMMMMMMM...

They taste even better than they look!

Stay tuned... more treats coming soon! 

New Food Find: Health(ier) Ramen Noodles

So... let's revisit the college days...

You remember those nights.  You just spent 3 hours dancing at the local college hangout (Scandal's, for you local Rock Hill people) and made it back to your dorm room around 2 or 3 a.m.  And of course... you are starving!  What can you eat?  You go to your pantry  crate under your bed and pull out... a pack of Ramen Noodles!

Come on, admit it... you ate them in college, too, right?  I remember going to the grocery store and I swear you could get like 20 of those packs for like $2.  That's the life of a college student.

Well, I really haven't eaten Ramen Noodles since I left the dorm, but I'll admit... I miss them!  They're just so fn and curly :)  I've avoided them because they're actually fried noodles (a.k.a. seriously fattening).  But on Saturday I made a trip to Earth Fare and made a discovery...

Low Fat Health(ier) Ramen Noodles!

These were actually really tasty.  The only down side is high sodium content. 

GREAT to keep in your desk at work for an emergency lunch.  You can easily add veggies to these noodles, too.  I micro-cooked them and thought they would be great with some edamame mixed in.
So if you're missing your college days... stop by Earth Fare and find these.  They'll take you back...

Weekend in Pictures

A trip to the Riverwalk...

 Playing in the leaves...

 A Hungry Girl recipe... Mini Pigs in a Blanket...

 And a little something I am working on... Whole Wheat Cranberry Muffins!  This was take two... they are just about right... one more try and then I'll share the recipe.

Anniversary Dinner: The Concord Cove (Lake Wylie)

So, remember how I told you that Ryan and I were celebrating our 9th anniversary on Wednesday?  Only, I went with my friends to the Southern Christmas Show, instead?  Well, last night we decided to go have a (child-free) special dinner to celebrate.

We couldn't decide where to go.  We considered heading to Charlotte, but in the end we decided to try The Concord Cove in Lake Wylie.  We've been meaning to go there for a while, but you know how it goes... life gets in the way...

We looked at the menu on the web site and we were drooling... it all sounded so delicious!

These pictures are terrible... the lighting was low and everything looked awful, no matter what setting I used.

I ordered a glass of the Ruffino Chianti, which I really liked!  I am going to have to try more Chiantis.  Lately, I've been on a Pinot Noir kick.

We had some delicious warm bread...

I loved that it was served on a really warm plate.  It kept the bread warm until we finished it. 

They also had hand-stamped butter, which I love.  How can you not like flower-shaped butter pats?  And that little dish over on the left had 3 different spreads.  The first was a pimento cheese, the second tasted like a pesto, and not sure about the third, but maybe a garlic spread?  All were delicious.

Ryan and I both had salads...

We had a little bit of a wait for the main course, so we tossed around ideas for our 10th anniversary trip... Chicago?  California?  Hmmmmm...... But when we got our entrees, it was worth the wait.

Ryan ordered the NY Strip with Garlic Mashed Potatoes.  It came with a pepper cream sauce.  Yum.

I opted for the special: almond-crusted sea bass with a lemon-butter sauce.  This fish.  O.M.G.  It was really amazing.  I LOVED my entree.  The fish was cooked perfectly-- still firm, but it flaked easily, and the almond crust on the outside was crunchy and delicious.  I had a baked potato, but I was kind of wishing I had gotten a vegetable.  The people across the aisle from us got asparagus and broccoli and when I saw that I had some food envy. 

We were so stuffed, we couldn't order dessert!

All in all, it was a great dinner.  I didn't ask about the price of my entree (it was a special not listed on the menu) and when we got the bill I was a little surprised... it was more expensive than I was expecting at $32... more than other menu items... but we did have a City Pass coupon, so that helped!

I would definitely give this restaurant a try if you haven't been there yet. 

Giveaway Winner!

Several of you entered my drawing for the POM Wonderful bag.

and the winner is...

LYNN!!!

Thanks to everyone who entered by commenting!  I wish I had more bags to give everyone one!

Here's a look at what you're getting, Lynn:

For those of you who don't know Lynn, she's one of the most inspiring people EVER.  And she is a fellow blogger, too!  Check her out at her blog, Hill Warning.

Lynn, get ready to try pomegranates for the first time! :)

Ok, now I am headed to dinner at The Concord Cove in Lake Wylie for our anniversary dinner...

Happy Friday!  Hello weekend!!!