Catching Up

Jeff and I spent three days in DeLand for Christmas. We spend Christmas Eve with the LaSage's and Christmas Day with the Hyman's. Before heading home on Friday, we made a trip to Ikea. Love that store!!!!

First and foremost....this was the temperature last Tuesday....and it only got hotter. I'm just about over Florida!

At the Hyman's house about to head to the LaSage's.

This is a picture of all the stockings at the Hyman's. The little stockings are for all the pets! haha!

I made this cake for Christmas. I clipped the recipe from the Kraft Food & Family magazine a long time ago (circa 2005 to be exact) and finally got to make it. It was okay....not as great as I thought it would be. The recipe is here.

My sister-n-law just adopted a Scottie, named Molly, and the girls bonded in no time.

Unfortunately, Elliot has been moping around the house for the last three days. I think she misses Molly & Pepper desperately. Every time I see here, she has this sad face. She won't even play with Sabrett!

Having time off work and cookies has allowed me to actually make dinner. Sunday night I roasted a turkey breast with vegetables. Yummo! I also made stuffing, homemade gravy and Melissa's Broccoli Casserole. What is Melissa's Broccoli casserole you ask? Well, it is my version of the stupid green bean casserole. I hate green beans with a passion and of course, this casserole is always a main attraction at every holiday dinner. So this year, I made my casserole for Christmas and again with the turkey breast.

Here is my recipe:

1 bunch fresh broccoli

1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup ( you can use mushroom if you so desire, but I also hate mushrooms)

3/4 cup milk

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 oz. shredded cheese (whatever you like...colby, cheddar, etc)

salt/pepper

French's Onion things

Boil broccoli florets for just a few minutes. I don't like mushy broccoli. In a separate bowl, mix soup, milk, garlic, cheese, 1/2 cup French's Onion things and some salt/pepper to taste. Mix in cooked Broccoli. Spread in a casserole pan, top with another 1/2 cup of French's Onion things, bake for 30 minutes on 350 and voila Melissa's Broccoli Casserole.

Last night, I made P.F. Chang's Spicy Chicken. It almost tasted the same. I know how to tweak the recipe next time so it tastes better.


Back to our trip to Ikea....we bought this chair and foot stool for the living room. My in-laws have this set and it is so comfortable. We moved the big bulky recliner upstairs and replaced it with this:

We also got a new dresser. I love, love, love this dresser! However, it took us over 2 hours to put it together!!!

Last but not least, I have to share my new holiday decor purchase. Of course, I bought this last Tuesday, so I didn't get to enjoy it very much, but there is always next year. This is a reindeer family from Pottery Barn. How cool is this set?