Holiday Detox Soup

For the most part, hubs and I tried to stay away from too many treats this holiday season. However, over the few days we were visiting his parents and mine, we got a little overindulgent. 


Come Wednesday, we were ready for a bit of a detox. We needed some vegetation, not in the form of a creamy casserole. 


My mind immediately went to vegetable soup. Filling and full of veggies and fiber. This time, I decided to use barley. I've had soups with barley before, but had never made it myself. It offers the bite and heartiness of pasta, but without the refined carbs and too many calories.


So, my Vegetable Barley  (aka, Holiday Detox Soup) was born. Just a note, there's literally no method to my madness (like why I used chicken and veggie stock...or soy sauce.) Go with it. Embrace it. And trust me, you'll like this soup.

Vegetable Barley (Holiday Detox Soup)

1 container chicken stock (Those big cardboard containers, not the cans. I'd look up the ounces, but I'm too lazy to go upstairs to the kitchen.)
1 container vegetable stock
1 onion, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 zucchini, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups green cabbage, shredded
1 can of mushrooms
1 can petite diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 cup barley 
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt
Pepper


Heat oil in a large stock pot. Add onion, celery and carrot. Cook until softened (about 7 minutes or so.) Add zucchini, cabbage and garlic, cook until softened (about 5 minutes.) Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. 


It cures what ails ya. Trust me, I got my degree from WebMD. 

Christmas Hangover

I can't believe the holidays are over and we're headed into 2012. I said to hubs today that it feels like I was just putting up all the holiday decorations, and now I'm about to tear them all down. 


Santa was VERY generous this year. Perhaps a little too generous. Wait until my dad sees my mother's credit card bill ;) She definitely spoiled my sister, myself and both of our husbands. 


My favorite gifts this year were my Kindle Fire from hubs. I've pretty much been holding onto this thing nonstop since he gave it to me. I just finished my first book on it...The Hunger Games. If you haven't read this book yet, it's a must! Definitely one of the most captivating books I've read in a long time. 


Momma got us a Keurig, which we've been wanting for quite some time. There's something  to be said about brewing your coffee one cup at a time. 


She also got us a sherpa throw that it so warm and soft, I've been practically carrying it around the house like Linus's blanket since we brought it home. However, right now, Peanut has claimed it's cuddliness and is curled up in a tight ball taking a nap.


I also got some great jewelry from Lia Sophia. My momma certainly knows my taste! And we both got lots of clothes and odds and ends.


And my dad? He outdid himself this year and got my mom, sister and I all matching necklaces made from diamonds from my grandmother's ring. Definitely a special gift. 


The puppies? They got some bones. Plenty of snuggles and a Christmas bath. I'm sure they were grateful for everything but the latter. But at least they smell nice! 


Now that we're back in town, we're pulling the house back together. I've reorganized my kitchen about 5 times to fit the Keurig in just the right place. And my laundry pile? Rivals a small mountain. But hey, at least I'm off until Tuesday. I can tackle all the choirs...or waste time on my Kindle :)

The No Show-ers

This weekend we had ourselves a holiday gathering. This brings me to a rant, that I've definitely had before on this blog. The RSVP.


For this gathering, people actually RSVPed. And early. We had a head count of 18 people. Checked in with everyone a few days before, to confirm, then went out to shop for food and beverages. And if you've ever thrown a party, you know it's not cheap. From beer, wine, food, etc, it adds up pretty quickly and before you know it, you're spending triple digits. And taking time to make delicious cake pops complete with festive decor, like so:

Saturday comes. 8:30PM rolls around, and approximately 4 people (the old faithfuls :)) are still the only ones nomming on my food and drinking le Miller Lite (and some delightful mulled, spiked cider.) We had a drop in of 2 others, but with a baby, we knew they couldn't stay long.


We got a text from one other couple saying they couldn't make it. And the rest? Just didn't show. That Saturday I spent busting my ass in the kitchen, cleaning my house, making room for nearly 20 people? Kind of a waste of time. Although, our friends that did come had a lovely time and certainly enjoyed my food and drink, I was disappointed and mad that everyone else decided at the last minute not to show. We're all adults here, you know? The days of college parties with a case of Natty Light and a few bags of chips are out the door. We're a little classier in our shindigs.


Hubs was pissed. I was steamy. Sunday, I submitted myself to the couch for a day of Food Network, puppy snuggles and iPhone games. After all, I busted my ass on Saturday. 


The lesson? If you're ever thinking about not showing up to a party that you RSVPed "Yes, Plus 1" to...think about me. 

Christmas Pups

Hubs and I started a tradition long ago, when Wiggles was a wee Pug puppy, to take a photo of him and send it as the Christmas card for that year. 


That first year, he was in a Santa hat. Cute, simple, easy. 


Then we added Peanut to the mix and things got a bit more complicated. We dressed them up in silly Christmas costumes and somehow got them to sit still for a few minutes while we snapped their photo. 


This year was no different. My mom and sister were here this weekend, and my sister was kind enough to help me distract the dogs while I took their photo. Therefore, leaving hubs out of the frustrating process. 


I had many ideas for this year's card. None of which required the silly costumes we've used in the past. The first involved Christmas lights. Fail. Here's an outtake. 

Failed idea. Neither would stay still. And it looked like I was torturing them. 

Here's the winning idea...cropped. I don't want to reveal the card before they're out! I just wanted to show you all that I caught Peanut mid-yawn. Hysterical.

Talk about unflattering photos. If she could talk, she'd make me take that down. And untag it on Facebook.

I'll be working on placing an order with Shutterfly today! Which I'm especially excited for because I won 25 free cards from Cole! 

Thanksgiving - The Good, The Bad

Let's talk Turkey Day. Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that's really changed for me over the years since I've been married. 


When I was single, it was a day when my grandmother, Nana, sister, mom, dad, 2 aunts, 2 uncles and 4 kids would gather around the table and dive into my mother's turkey with the trimmings. It was loud. It was crowded. But it was what I knew and loved. 


Enter marriage. Becoming a couple means that holidays now have to be split. So, Thanksgiving is now dedicated to hubs' fam. Christmas is my fam. 


Thanksgiving to me now means:


1. Traveling over 3 hours in one day to see hubs' family. It's exhausting.


2. Gorging myself on hubs' sister's pumpkin roll. 


3. Pouring over all the Black Friday sale papers directly after turkey consumption.


4. Coming home after a long drive and trying to pass out on the couch, while two crazy, cooped up dogs want to play.


5. Fighting with hubs on who gets the leftovers.


6. Debating on whether or not I should muster up the energy to get up at the ass crack of dawn and head to snag some Black Friday deals. Sleep usually wins.


7. Getting out all the Christmas decorations and going to town. By the time I'm done, it looks like Santa threw up all over the house. 


8. Dragging hubs to get a Christmas tree. Making him hold about 10183 of them and "shake them out" so I can get a good feel for what they'll look like in my living room.


9. Starting my yearly tradition of slowly converting hubs from his scrooge-like state to enjoying every minute of the holiday season. This is complete with all holiday activities like cookie-baking, music-listening, gift wrapping, light putting-up.


This year? We're chopping down our own tree. As in, heading to a tree farm, picking the prime pine, hacking it down and dragging it to the car. I can only imagine this trip will end up like a scene right out of Christmas Vacation. 


You know what though? I'm very, very thankful that hubs is back in the country. Because this time last year? He was overseas for work. And I was missing our Thanksgiving and holiday traditions. Now that I'm married, the holidays will always be where he is. <3 

Pumpkins!

Happy weekend! Got any plans? Mine involve cleaning and organizing. Kinda lame.


However, some good news. First, I ordered my iPhone4S! Woohoo! It's back-ordered, of course, but it will be on its merry way on November 4th and I can't freaking wait. My Samsung Rogue is really crapping the bed lately. Not only does it shut down for no reason, but the touchscreen has decided to take a personal hiatus. 


Also, today my pumpkin lanterns are being featured on Mod Podge Rocks, one of my favorite crafting blogs! Go check it out, will ya? Thanks to Amy for featuring me :)


Speaking of pumpkins, we carved some this week. Our bestest friends, Chris and Julie, headed down to our place to take a look at the new basement, have some dinner, wine, beer and carve away. 


Here are the pumpkins...can you guess who carved each?

There are several with pretty intricate patterns. And one? Not like the other. It even still has Sharpie lines. Can you guess who's that is?

Yep, it was the hubs. He said, to Hell with patterns. He used his creativity. 

Did you carve pumpkins this year? Did you roast the seeds? We sure did. And in honor of Maryland, we added some Old Bay. Yum.