Christmas Cooking

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This year I have been really motivated to do more with other people than just myself. I mean, I can have lots of fun myself; it doesn't take much to keep me busy, but what good is it really to keep everything to yourself!?  What's the benefit from anything if you are the only one enjoying it?  That's something I've tried to apply over the years since I heard Mark Hall of Casting Crowns say at one of their concerts, "We're not blessed so we can have; we're blessed so we can give."  I've tried to work that into every part of what I do. God has graciously given me so much that I don't deserve, and I should not be selfish with it. I make good grades, so I should share how I work for school. I have lots of pretty notepads and stickers that make me smile, so I shouldn't keep them all for my own crafts and notes, but use them to leave others happy notes, too!  I know lots of Bible verses and songs to go with various situations, so I should encourage others when it's relevant to their lives. The list goes on. You see what I'm getting at?

Here is something that I added to my "to-do" list for Christmas Break: cook with some friends!

I have a collection of recipes on my laptop and in a binder along with a list of new ones to try and the ones in the "archive." There are just so many that I want to make that there's no way I could eat it all!  Mom and dad won't eat my food either. Occasionally we will make a new dinner, but usually it's just for me. To spread the love, cost, and food, mom let me invite friends over to cook with me!  That made it more fun, affordable, and manageable for the kitchen and fridge. 

Mom is always worried about the messed I make on the kitchen, but with Chantal and Cherie, and I, there was nothing to fear!  We are the master chefs!

These chocolate peanut butter balls turned out even better than I expected!  They also helped me win another Instagram contest, #FestiveFoodie by Nature's Path. We used their Panda Puffs cereal and one of their recipes as a guide.

Rolling out the dough!

I had saved up my mini cupcake cups for a ball or truffle recipe.

Finished product: success!

This is the spicy pumpkin bisque we made that afternoon as our "food food."  The night I ate it, I added in some corn and beans to pack an extra punch!

My second round of cooking with friends was with Katlyn and Emma for another soup and dessert!

The onion was so strong Katlyn was crying. The chopper also amused her.

Teamwork!  Cake in the oven and soup on the eye.

This soup we made was tomato sqaush!  The night I warmed it up I added peas and corn for it's extra umph.

 

Silk Nog Pumpkin Spice Cake with pumpkin maple drizzle. Here I also added ice cream and cool whip!

Of course I still whipped up concoctions of #KenziesCreations, too. 

The seasonal Clif Bars are my favorite, #1 being gingerbread, so when I saw them at Food City I bought three. Good thing, because by the next day when Chantal and Chérie went to get some, they were already gone. 

This delicious desser was cool whip and vanilla frozen yogurt flavored with "marshmallow gingerbread snickerdoodle" peanut butter powder from myoatmeal.com to create a matching ice cream for my bar!

Dark chocolate and mint are a seasonal staple, too.

Another recipe that had been on my list for years was sweet potato bald I could in a really old Christmas cookbook. Finally baked, they went great with my Bart & Judy's sweet potato cranberry cookies. 

So simple, too!

All you need is sweet potatoes, cinnamon, and marshmallows!  Then coconut, powdered sugar, or whatever you want to roll them in.

My new pancake mix I ordered from the feed is so pretty!  It was inspiration for pumpkin pancakes of course. I'm also hooked on this Silk pumpkin spice almond nog. I got one to try, found a coupon and bought two more!  I use it in everything from pancakes to coffee to oatmeal, cereal, dessert blends, etc.

Christmas parties are the most popular time for finger food buffets, and I love getting to try little bits of everything. This also gives me a excuse to cook and share more!  For our sun Deb party, I made Mediterranean chicken meatballs and a southwest bean dip.

The ninja has become my best friend. I use him every day. Some days, even multiple times and for multiple meals. It makes things so much easier.

 

 

I wanted to make a cute little treat for the class that I peer tutor, so I got this idea for sweet snowmen!  They are really easy, too. Oreos, marshmallows, icing, and mini Resee cups

Another simple gift idea: flavored hot drink spoons!  These are dark chocolate and marshmallow, obviously.

For the church Christmas party I made mocha mousse!

Days off from school are my favor when I get to do my morning run or workout then make a tasty breakfast with coffee.

I got crafty with mom and dads gifts because I wanted to get them more stuff, but just didn't know what to get!  I know mom loves her oatmeal packs that she takes for lunch, so I made some in cute jars with punny names.

Mom and Dad got punny named fudge made with some of their diet staples, including Cheerios, Wheaties, Yorks, and chocolate.

Another delicious dessert bowl featuring friends gifts. Chantal and Chérie got me the coffee thins and mom got me the complete cookies!

 I've also been on a bit more of a pumpkin/apple/carrot/sweet potato kick for desserts lately, partly because of all the seasonal items that I've just happened to accumulate!  They also make the best dessert blends.  This Oikos pumpkin pie is one of the best!  However, I think mom bought the last one available at our nearest Walmart just today.  Sorry guys.

 Look at all the pumpkin spice!  Enough to keep me going all day long.

I do love my spicy food.  Stole this from an instagram or snapchat account.  I always find relevant things on there.

Winter is just now getting started as we've had 3 snow days in a row now!  That leaves plenty of time to get cooking!

Week-Long Weekend

Well, I am pretty ticked off right now.  I went to update and publish this post that I had worked on for a long time last night, and it deleted every bit of typing that I had done, even after I had saved it multiple times.

So here goes round 2.

I can't remember ever seeing this much snow on our back porch!  I snowed for over 12 straight hours!  We had no idea that we would be getting any snow at all, so this was a very pleasant surprise.

During cold weather, Mom lets Sophie inside, and she always makes a beeline straight for my room.  I woke up multiple days this break to a cat literally walking across my face.  She also loves to sit in my desk chair and refuses to move.  She finally sat up and took a very short look at my AP US Government and Politics.

I got this idea from a retweet I saw on my Twitter feed.  It's a peanut butter banana roll!  All you do is flatten out a slice of bread, spread some nut butter on it, and roll up the banana!  I used Peanut Butter & Co's The Bee's Knees, which is the best PB I think I've ever tasted!

What could be a more exciting food to try than cereal?  This week I found

Nature's Path Sunrise Crunchy Maple, and it is fantastic!  Honey or maple makes everything taste better!

While I was snacking on some cuties the other day, I had some "defective" ones that wouldn't peel right, so I had to slice them.  Sucking the innards out, I thought of how silly I looked, so I decided to capture the moment.

Friday, Mom was no longer afraid to drive on the roads because most of it had melted on the main roads, so she took me to the Jefferson City Community Center to swim and run on the treadmill while she went to Walmart.  This was probably the best workout there I've had!  It felt great!  Afterwards, we made a lunch date at The Creek Café again.  I love going to small businesses and helping people out, so I made sure to get some of the Fair Trade coffee while I was there!  I also added some cinnamon hazelnut to it as well.

Yum!

Today is Small Business Saturday!

Their coffee cups are cute, too!

This morning, Dad and I got up early and headed to Cataloochee to get in a morning of skiing.  Conditions weren't too bad, and it wasn't cold out at all!  (Compared to some days we've had lately, anything above freezing is a heat wave.)  Crossing Douglass Lake, we were shocked at how much ice was still over the top!

Queen Sophie claims her overlook of her kingdom while I enjoy the warm weather, actually getting to wear shorts and a tshirt!  I hadn't shot basketball in so long, so I decided that I would go for it.  No matter how long I go without playing, my muscle memory always comes through!

This is my wonderful Dad!  Although he is the biggest procrastinator I have ever met, when he does get around to doing things, he always does a great job.  Spaghetti is one of those things.  Whenever Dad is going to make spaghetti, I just expect it to be hours after normal dinner time.  But there is not a spaghetti out there that can compete with his!

Look at all those peppers and celery!

Last Friday of Break

I am very sad to say that today is my last real day of break.  Yes, I still have the weekend, but I would usually be off from school those days.

However, I am determined to live it up while I can!

Two verses that I decorated my AP government and politics binder for next semester with go great with that mindset.

"Be happy, young one, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy..."  Eccelesiates 11:9

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation always be full of grace..."  Colossians 4:5-6

This afternoon, Mom took me to "The Corner of Happy and Healthy" to get my flu shot.  I love the Band-Aid.

I have been trying to get rid of leftover and close-to-expiring foods, so today I made this smoothie as a late-afternoon snack before going out to dinner at Akita.  It has milk, lots and lots of grapes, a banana, a little frozen mixed fruit, and protein powder.  The grapes were the new thing I tried adding, and I will definitely have to remember that; it was fantastic!

After dinner, Mom wanted to go to TJMaxx, since we were so close.  I love going in there.  The items in stock are forever-changing, and there are a ton of things you may not find anywhere else (and not any cheaper for that matter).  This is an organic granola that I thought looked awesome; I mean, how can you go wrong with carrot cake?  I was right, it is amazingly tasty.  I came right home and ate it with some frozen yogurt and greek yogurt, which is shown mixed up below.  It has carrot, pineapple, granola of course, pecans, raisins, and a few other things that aren't obvious to me right now.  I just love getting new, healthy foods to try!