gobble your little hearts out.

if anyone knows me, they know i love food.  so it wouldn't be surprising for me to absolutely love the holidays for that reason alone. that excuse to eat more than the food pyramid is comprised of or what all the foodie, know it all, dieticians recommend for a daily, weekly or possibly monthly intake. thankgiving is also about giving thanks, which i started here, but this post is an ode to some of my thanksgiving and/or holiday favorites.  i mean christmas is only a few weeks away, where i will happily repeat this cycle of overeating in an order to please the inner over eating fool thats aching to get out.

below is one of my favorite recipes for the holidays - which i usually end up making and taking to our family meals.

the next four days of mine are going to be jammed packed of holiday meals, family visits, black friday shopping (heck yeas!) & just some nice relaxtion.  i will be back next monday with a recipe for yummy sweet potato casserole!

from the husband and i, we hope you have an extremely blessed & loving Thanksgiving with the ones you love. eat lots, drink some, watch some terrific turkey day football, sleep plenty, shop your hearts out & enjoy the holiday!

love you all.

we are all thankful for something

thanks

thanksgiving is two days away! yikes! but i'm ready. for turkey & cranberry relish & sweet potato casserole & all the other amazing deliciousness the day brings.  but more importantly, i have so many things to be thankful for this year. this life. and here's some of them, both serious & a little quirky.

husband

family

my cozy little apartment

christmas music

the clean kroger store containing all my favorite foods

a job that offers amazing benefits, including health insurance

twinkling christmas lights and yard decor

clearance books at half price - i mean $1 for a book people!

sleeping in on the weekend

the smell of coffee brewing while finishing my morning routine

personalized mail besides bills

cool fall breezes

sunshine

being able to get out of bed every morning even when i dont want to

rain

talks with mom on the way home from a long day

dollar menus

knowledge

a full fridge & pantry

my kitties

being free & having my own mind

hugs & kisses

being married to the man i chose

spontaneous evenings full of laughter

being able to see the world in color

love

cable tv

clean clothes every day

bruce my car

all things peppermint

font type - homeade apple

i still can't believe its the monday before thanksgiving

seriously, where did november go?! it seems as i blinked & now its time to consume ridiculous amount of tryptophan & catch up on gossip while the boys watch turkey day football.

but while i still have a few days before the ovens crank on & the kitchen mixers begin their chores of whipping a million pounds of potatoes, i figured i would fashionize the blog some, post a little fun find & share some hollywood gossip.  because thats all we need, right?

i'm gradually working on adding a few fun items to the blog, like headers and such. and if you can't already tell, i've gone back to my single sidebar days to allow for a wider sidebar.  i'm still working on it, but i'm liking the way things are turning out. maybe even lure in a few sponsors for december?  you still have a little more than a week left to email me if you are interested in becoming a sponsor.  i would love to have you.


okay is this nail art just not the cutest??  but then i love everything snowflake, winter, etc., so its not too hard to please.  i'm going to have to go on a hunt for something like this, because this is just the thing i need right now for alittle extra added holiday cheer. 

and holiday cheer is what i'm all about. seeing that black friday is this friday! (say what!) i've made it a point to turn my radio dial to the christmas music station and really get this holiday thing going.  have you auto tuned to you city's christmas station yet?

totally random, but i must put my two cents into some hollywood gossip. do people seriously think by going on the bachelor that they will find their true love? yea, i don't think so.  another case in point.  but then i really dont follow the bachelor too much, i just find it rather amusing how many people out there think that this show is really the answer to finding their soulmates.  sad. pathetic. and i kind of feel sorry for those that do.

besides everything else, i hope everyone is having a terrific, productive start to their thanksgiving weeks.  i will be back before thanksgiving to share another recipe or two & a thanksgiving post.  stayed tuned loves.

a recipe - sweetheart cherry cheese danish

so i promised a few days ago that i would start sharing some of my favorite holiday recipes with everyone. 

here's one of my absolute favorites!

its perfect for any holiday, but we love it for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

i dont like cherry that much, but this treat is sure to be a hit around the dinner table, even with non-cherry lovers like me. and the best part, its super simple & can even be eaten for breakfast!

Sweetheart Cherry Cheese Danish

Ingredients:

• 2 8-ounce tubes refrigerated crescent roll sheets or dinner rolls
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 21-ounce can LUCKY LEAF Regular or Premium Cherry Pie Filling
• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

How-to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Unroll 1 package of crescent rolls and fit into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13" baking dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes
3. In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar & vanilla. Spread mixture over hot dough in baking dish.
4. Next, spread a layer of LUCKY LEAF cherry pie filling over the cream cheese mixture. Unroll remaining crescent roll dough & lay on top of the pie filling.
5. Combine 1Tbsp sugar, almonds and melted butter. Sprinkle over top of dough.
6. Bake 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 12 servings.

Enjoy!  

Few tips

- they say not to grease the pan, but I experienced extreme frustration when I didn't, so I suggest lightly greasing it.
- i actually make a little more topping (sugar, butter, almonds) so we have lots of nutty crunchiness on top.
- you can experiment with our pie fillings, like blueberry.. its pretty awesome too!