.:Christmas cookies...

JThis weekend was a busy one for us! Working everyday of the week means that there is little time, save for the weekend, to get everything done.  Around the holidays it becomes especially difficult!

This weekend was designated for holiday baking and gift wrapping.  It was a productive weekend, but my goodness am I exhausted today! 

Two batches of cream cheese cookies, two batches of saltine toffe, and a double batch of butternut bisque later, I am in pretty good shape in terms of prepping for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There will still be food preparation to be done that day, however this puts a pretty good dent in the work!

Our cream cheese cookies are a Christmas tradition in my family.  As my sisters and I get older, the baking ordeal gets larger! Not only do we help mom and mammie (my grandmother) with their cookies,  but we do cookies for our own holiday festivities as well.  

The recipe is too delicious!  Please don't cringe when reading the ingredients list.  Just remember, a cookie or two won't make you fat, just like a salad or two won't make you skinny =) 

What you will need: 

1 lb butter (4 sticks softened)

6 oz. cream cheese (softened)

1 cup sugar

4 cups flour 

1 tsp vanilla 

Red sprinkles 

Green sprinkles 

Cookie press

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. 

Add vanilla, sugar, and flour (I recommend not adding it all at once) and combine. 

**I feel here is a good time to mention that I generally switch from using the spoon to cream the ingredients together, to using my hands to knead the ingredients together.  Good arm workout!

Once ingredients are throughly combined, load your cookie press. 

** we have the old fashioned crank kind of cookie press that we use in conjunction with the star plate.

Shape your cookies into candy cane or wreath shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheet. 

**I do mine on two separate cookies sheets so I don't mix the sprinkles!

Sprinkle cookies with red or green sprinkles and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until just turning a golden color. 

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. Enjoy! 

This recipe yields roughly 4-5 dozen cookies (they are not large cookies by any means!)

Happy Christmasing!! 

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

The Christmas season is my favorite of the year.  While I love the fall, look forward to the spring, and enjoy every moment of summer, there is something special about the holiday season.

My family has always done Christmas in a big way.  The house is always decorated with the most beautiful and festive decorations (sometimes before thanksgiving!), we have the most precious traditions that we keep to this day despite my sisters and I being 26, 24, 21, and 18, and we do we all can to keep the spirit of Christmas alive and well each and every day.  

My darling husband and I trimmed our tree and hung our stockings (for mommy, daddy, nemo, and rugby this year!) a few weeks ago: 

it looks so cozy! 

also a few weeks ago we had our annual gingerbread house "party" (read: COMPETITION!!).  It is a tradition that was started years ago and one we all look forward to every year:

I love my house this year! In years past I have felt my house was rather lackluster, however this year I was very pleased! 

With a little over a week left until Christmas Day, I have officially finished my Christmas shopping. My sweet husband still has a few things left to get, however with a little persuasion I plan to drag him out of the house this evening to finish! He would wait until Christmas Eve if it were up to him! 

We are enjoying every single day of this holiday season, one that seems extra special because we are eagerly anticipating the birth of our miracle baby boy!  I am just about 26 weeks now!  In two days, my due date count down will be in the double digits! (99 days!!) 

Six month "bumpie" (bump selfie!).  I am feeling great!! I wear out easily, but that isn't anything a few minutes off my feet can't fix!  I have been eating healthy, working out regularly (a post on my pregnancy workouts a little later!), and enjoying this ride! 

Feeling so blessed this holiday season.  I hope that you and yours are enjoying every day.  Love, peace, and happiness today and every day *

pork and littlenecks ... <3

This entry today is copied from my cooking blog that I am phasing out: wicked chic sweets.  My husband and I are planning this for dinner tonight and I needed easy access to the recipe! Enjoy xoxo

Seafood: a New England favorite!  I am a lifelong fan of all seafood dishes, but anyone who knows me knows that my absolute favorite is pork and littlenecks.

Having grown up half an hour south east of Boston, I live in an area that is heavily populated by those of Portuguese decent.  Skilled at both fishing and cooking, it is no surprise some of our favorite seafood dishes are heavily influenced by the Portuguese culture.  Not only are the dishes fresh and delicious, they are also readily available in the area.  Each of my favorite restaurants has a different take on pork and littlenecks, however each one is delicious in it's own way. 

Earlier my love and I were debating going out or staying in for dinner tonight.  We both agreed we needed to get pork and little necks somewhere. Instead of going out to dinner, we opted to stay in and cook instead. I can not take credit for this meal, it was all him (thanks babe)! The recipe is one that has been used in his family for a while now and is absolutely fabulous! The bare-bones recipe is phenomenal, however there are also plenty of modifications you can make (adding Goya seasoning, adding whole garlic, adding shallots, garnishing with hot red peppers, etc) based upon your own personal preference!

Pork and Littlenecks:

1 pound pork loin (cut into 1-inch cubes)

1 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. paprika

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

4 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 cup white wine (more to taste if desired)

4 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)

20 littlenecks (rinse well)

5 or more whole cloves of garlic (optional)

3 shallots, thinly sliced (optional)

Vegetable oil for frying potatoes and pork

Portuguese red pepper for garnish

In a small bowl, combine salt, paprika, pepper, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, garlic, shallots, and wine.  Pour over pork cubes and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Drain the pork and save the marinade. 

In a large skillet, brown the pork in the vegetable oil.  Add the marinade and additional wine if you decide you want more (to taste). Over medium heat, simmer the pork until 3/4 of the way cooked through.

Deep fry potatoes in oil until browned and add to the pork and littlenecks pan.

Bring sauce to a boil and add in the littlenecks.  Cover and cook until done (when littlenecks are open).

Garnish with a red pepper if you so choose and enjoy!

23 week update...

I hope you and yours had a wonderful thanksgiving! My thanksgiving was exactly what I had hoped for.  It was a relaxing day filled with laughter, love, and delicious food! 

Just one of the delicious turkeys we had! 

My handsome hubby and my beautiful niece playing play dough on the couch after yummy turkey dinner! 

Loving me some holidays! I have been decorating for Christmas all weekend.  Christmas shopping is almost done!  I love this time of year =) 

In other news, we are currently 23 weeks 4 days along in the pregnancy!  Last night my husband was finally able to feel the baby kick =) I have been feeling him kick around for a few days now, but my babe was unable to feel movement on the outside of my belly.  I have an anterior placenta (placenta is directly in front of the little one) which basically means that baby has a few extra layers to kick through.  As a result, I felt him move much later in the pregnancy than some others without an anterior placenta may have.  Last night was a special and memorable moment for us.  

Just a quick pregnancy rant for you all! My goodness I am getting slower and slower in my workouts! I am someone who enjoys working out (jogging, HIIT, pilates, kettle bells, you name it!).  I try for a minimum of 30 minutes a day depending on my schedule.  I have tried to remain consistent in my workouts (with the approval of my baby doctor I should add!), however I am noticing it has been struggle city for me lately. My runs take me much longer (not to mention the bathroom break every mile or so), my HIIT workouts are all done with the modifications for the most part, and my muscles tire out much faster.  Thank goodness for the motivating powers of fitnessblender and blogilates!  Without these two YouTube channels, my pregnancy workouts may have been nonexistent! 

Anyway, finishing up work and headed for my 24 week checkup with my babe! 116 more days little one! 

nantucket cranberry "pie"

I love cooking. I love baking. One of my most favorite rooms in our house is the kitchen!  My husband and I are absolutely "foodies".  We love trying new restaurants, we love trying new recipes, and we love, love, love local flavor.  We are blessed to be from a unique area of New England that is steeped in history and culture, as is evident in our local flavors! One New England staple I can not get enough of is the cranberry!

Today, after returning home from work early (love working at a school!), I started on my cooking and baking for Thanksgiving tomorrow.  Thanksgiving will be at my mom and dad's house this year,  but we have our contributions we make to the feast every year!  Our chourico stuffing (...to die for, if I do say so myself! Recipe for that in a later post!), a butternut bisque (!!), an apple pie, and a new addition this year: a nantucket cranberry pie!  This pie came out delicious!  

I recommend you try it! Let me know what you think =) 

Ingredients:

• butter to grease your pie dish 
• 2 cups of cranberries (I probably used a little more than that!) 
• 3/4 cups pecans (chopped) 
• 2/3 cups sugar (for pie filling)

• 1 cup flour 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter (melted) 
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almost extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a cake pan or pie pan (I used a glass 7" by 11" rectangle pan! It was all I had available) 

Add cranberries to the bottom of the pan. Add chopped pecans and 2/3 cup sugar.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, melted butter, eggs, almond extract, and salt. Stir until combined.

Spread batter over the top of the pie.  *this is tricky! I spooned it on the top and pressed it flat with my hands*

Bake for 40-50 minutes.

It is really that simple! How yummy does that look?!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours <3 Enjoy family, friends, food, and football (if you are into that)!!

maternity pants?!

Ahhhh! I have reached a milestone in my pregnancy!  My first day in maternity pants!

At 22 weeks 4 days, I am still able to wear my pre-pregnancy pants comfortably (occasionally with my trusty waistband extender) with the exception of my go to straight leg black dress pants.  Due to the clasp closure, I can not use my waistband extenders! 

It was rather warm this morning (...enjoying it while it lasts! Snow tomorrow. Ohhh New England) and I didn't want to wear my boots. Instead I looked through the Rubbermaid bin of maternity clothes my girlfriend Stephanie gave me last Friday.  Right there on top was the cutest pair of black gap maternity pants size 2.  Tried them on and ohmygoodness! So comfortable! 

I am not sure how much longer I am going to be able to wear my regular pants comfortably! It may be time to invest in a few maternity staples =) 

Hurry up little one.... We still have a few months left, but mommy and daddy can't wait to meet you! 

... a wedding story

It's not every day you are lucky enough to marry your best friend and soul mate.

For me, that day was a little over a month ago: Wednesday, October 22, 2014.  That day marked the ten year anniversary of our very first date. The date was important enough to us that we went ahead and got married on a Wednesday evening in the company of our immediate family.  It could not have been a more perfect night. 

Having met ten years ago in college (I went two years early, he went one year late... fate? We think so!), we had a whirlwind of a relationship that was not always easy, but was always there for us.  We grew together, we grew separately, and ultimately we determined our love was the lasting, forever kind of love.  We talked of marriage, of houses, of babies.  We worked hard to establish ourselves in our respective careers before happening upon the most perfect little house for our family (the two of us, an annoying cat named Kitty, and one little Maltese, Nemo).  We took a risk, put engagement and wedding plans on hold, and became first time homeowners in November of 2013:

Is it not the most darling house you have ever seen? We are in love. 

As we settled into our new life, adopted a new little fur baby (Rugby the Maltese/Shih Tzu), and started on home renovations, marriage talk took center stage.  

I had predicted we would be engaged on October 22, 2014... our ten year anniversary, and as a result I started on the plans for a late summer 2015 wedding! Little did we know we woud receive life changing news in August 2014! 

It is a story I will share in a later post, however my handsome husband was told he would be unable to have children.  As a result, we had both agreed when the timing was right, we would begin the process of in-vitro.  Life is full of miracles, however, and the universe had alternate plans for us.  In August of this year we discovered we are expecting a little baby boy in March 2015. We were over-the-moon ecstatic!! There was just one small detail we wanted to finalize before the baby was to make its grand entrance: we wanted to be husband and wife.  

Can you really call it a shotgun wedding after ten years of being together? We don't think so!  We decided what better way to celebrate our anniversary and the great news of our son, than to marry on October 22.  We put the plans in motion in September, decided on an intimate elopement within the comfort of our own home, and had the most beautiful ceremony despite the rainy and windy nor'easter that was blowing outside.  It was perfect <3

I could not have asked for anything more!  Since it was only immediate family involved in the ceremony, my husband and I have decided to keep the late summer 2015 plans for our reception and celebration.  It will be so much fun! Now we (by we I actually mean "I") are debating on poses and background scenery for our "save the date" postcards! 

We have always been a couple that prefers to do things a little out of order =). It just works for us! 

welcome to my world:..

Hello world <3

I've always been one to journal. I kept a pen and paper journal for ten years and only missed four days in total.  I've decided that eight or so years is enough time off... it is time to get back into it!  My life has changed in so many beautiful ways since then and I can't wait to share it all with you! 

I am now 26 years old, in love with my wonderful and amazing husband, and expecting a baby! I could not be happier!! I can not wait to get started on this incredible journey with you all...

... That will have to wait until next time, however =) I am 22 weeks pregnant, just got home from work, enjoyed a delicious dinner with my husband, and now it's cuddle time with my boys (hubby and puppies) because this mama is sleepy <3