December 31, 2011

New Year Prayer





What a great year it has been! I'm so grateful for so many exciting life events to include: graduating from college, becoming a nurse, getting married, moving to Portland, and getting a "big girl" job. Whew! Looking forward to a year of stability... at least that's what I'm hoping for!

 

Just One Request

Dear Master,
for this coming year
Just one request I bring:
I do not pray for happiness,
Or any earthly thing—
I do not ask to understand
The way Thou leadest me,
But this I ask: Teach me to do
The thing that pleaseth Thee.

I want to know Thy guiding voice,
To walk with Thee each day.
Dear Master make me swift to hear
And ready to obey.
And thus the year I now begin
A happy year will be—
If I am seeking just to do
The thing that pleaseth Thee. 
--Unknown Author 
 I'll share photos from our beach trip & New Years resolutions soon!

December 28, 2011

Favorite Weekly Pins

  
1. Dream House
2. Looking forward to some Oregon Coast time in 2 days!

Life is always better when you spend it with someone you love

Always true. Story of my life right now. 

 My hubs is obsessed with dinosaurs. This makes me think of him.

A great reminder. 

Sorry these are blurry.... You can thank Pinterest.

Have a fabulous day! I'm headed to bed :)

December 27, 2011

Hubby & R-Family Christmas




 R Family photo from Christmas Eve. "The wives" (me and Nick's wife Michelle) were at work  :(

Here's a few photos taken by Uncle Mark from Christmas with my hub's side of the family. They have SO many fun traditions and it was so much fun to have Christmas with such a large crowd! I wish I could show a pic from the whole group- the more the merrier! 

Christmas with the R's is full of games, everyone opening their gifts one at a time and taking part in each person's excitement, delicious food, scavenger hunts, and Dance Central! Such a fabulous time to simply enjoy one another. I'm thankful to have joined such a loving family.

***
Finally it was Andrew & Jenna Christmas time... 
 


Like I said, the longest Christmas ever...  But we finally made time for some Christmas as a couple. Though it didn't happen until 1AM this morning (the 27th), it finally happened and it was glorious. We will probably still be figuring out our own Christmas traditions over the next many years, but we were sure to have a few sweet treats and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus before opening gifts. 
 

My hubby's face was priceless when he opened his Star Wars Trilogy movie gift. I still don't understand how someone could love star wars so much, but I'm happy to make him happy with such a simple gift.
I'm SO excited for this as our speakers busted a few months ago. Thanks Andrew!  

We had a great time opening gifts and just being with each other. We've had a festive, wonderful, and exhausting last 2 days but it's back to work for the next 3 nights for me... Then it'll nearly be New Years! 

December 26, 2011

Stretching Christmas

 
This has been the longest Christmas ever! How could that ever be a bad thing? Never. Bonus to being married= family multiplies exponentially. It's been such a joy to be surrounded by family the past 2 days. Here's some photos to share Christmas with the C's (My folks). Since I have these photos, I'll share this Christmas first, though it was the last event of Christmas day (will share Christmas morning pics/events soon).

When we began, I'd been up over 24 hours (with the exception of a little nap) from working Christmas eve. I was sleeeeeeeepy.

When we arrived (not looking like we do in the photo above, that's from the next morning), Mom was cooking away in the kitchen. She always makes the best food!

We sang Christmas hymns, read the Christmas story, and opened gifts after dinner.  

Dad is excited about his new fishing waders.... I told him I didn't like the idea of him going into the water up to his chest.... scary. My favorite gift is a new bible that I'm in love with. Can't wait to enjoy reading it and making new notes in the margins. 

Andrew and I are so excited for numerous gift cards to go in our Date Jar. So many new places to try and little dates to enjoy. They'll probably last until next Christmas! So exciting!

We had a great night's sleep and headed back to Andrew's folk's and as I speak, the crew is playing a board game that is far too complicated for my patience. But they're having a great time!

The best part: Andrew and I still have our own Christmas to celebrate tonight when we get back to Portland. Can't wait to open each other's gifts and just enjoy being the two of us.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

December 23, 2011

Christmas Extravaganza Part 2: The Eats

Main dish: Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan Bread

Chicken Tikka Masala has an Indian origin, and is just about the only Indian dish I've ever liked. So, thanks to my college friend, Mary who introduced it to me, it's a favorite. 
Here's the recipe I roughly followed from allrecipes.com. 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper ( I didn't have cayenne, so I used chile powder and paprika)
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 4 long skewers (you can grill or bake... I baked)
_________
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • I added chopped  sauteed onions

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour (I marinated over 6 hours).
  2. Preheat a grill for high heat or bake on 350 for 45 minutes or until fully baked. 
  3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
  4. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro. 

Naan Bread 
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/naan/

Ingredients

  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
  2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
  3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
  4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Dessert Time!
Desserts: Gluten free Peanut Butter Balls (some dipped in chocolate), Coconut Mounds, Whole Wheat Cherry White Chocolate chip Cookies, and No-Stir Bars (from Carolyn). YUM.

 

 Peanut Butter Balls

Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Truffles
makes about 50-60 balls, if teaspoon sized
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup crisped rice cereal (I used gluten free rice crispies)
2 1/2 – 3 cups milk chocolate chips

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat peanut butter and butter until creamy and smooth. Gradually add in vanilla extract and powdered sugar with the mixture on low, speeding up once it becomes more combined. At this point you should have a cookie “dough” (depending on your brand of peanut butter you may need a little more sugar – add it 1-2 tablespoons at a time while mixing). Using a spatula, gently fold in crisped rice cereal so it gets distributed through the batter, adding more is desired. Be careful not to crush all the cereal so it stays crispy.

Once combined, roll dough into balls (mine were slightly more than teaspoon-sized) and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Some of the balls will have crisped rice edges sticking out and some may be crumbly – that’s okay, just roll as smooth as you can occasionally squeezing the dough together if needed. Refrigerate for 60-90 minutes. Melt chocolate in either the microwave (I melt in 30 second increments while stirring) or in a double boiler. Remove peanut butter balls from fridge and dip in chocolate, then place back on parchment. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. Store in the refrigerator!

Note: if you want the peanut butter drizzle, I simply melted 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips then used a spoon to drizzle.

Check out the original posting here at 'How Sweet it Is'. She's got tons of other fabulous recipes and great photos!  





 Mounds

3 ounces sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces sweetened coconut
Almonds (I ommitted these)
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
1. Combine the milk, butter, sugar and coconut in a bowl and mix well.
2. Roll the mixture into small balls and place in fridge to cool (2+ hours)... I did them over night
3. Once cooled, dip in melted chocolate and allow to cool in the fridge.


Delicious! 


Whole Wheat White Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies recipe Here...

These definitely have a 'healthier' taste...  


 Lastly, I do not have the recipe for the no-stir bars....  But, they were richly delicious! 

PS- Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Make one of these treats and surprise your family! They'll LOVE you.--the peanut butter balls are the quickest and easiest & I think people liked them best!


December 22, 2011

Christmas Extravaganza Party Part 1

We hosted a Christmas Extravaganza party at our apartment for some of our friend from high school days. It's rare to all get together and so nice to catch up. We enjoyed dinner, a white elephant gift exchange, delightful conversation,  pictionary telephone game ( I don't know the actual name of the game), and some dessert time around the fire. I think the pictures say it all... Great night!
Part 2 comes tomorrow (the food & recipes by request of guests)



Some favorite gifts: A framed photo of Jimmy with a bonus Delux Massage from Jimmy (given by Andrew), an awesome Sherlock Holmes Nutcracker, a Pineapple, and princess smelly bubbles! 
The fact the the gifts were so desirable truly made for an exciting game...

Next we headed up to the roof for some hot cocoa, dessert, and fire pit time. 

Most fashionably dressed: Adam & Jimmy! 
I loved Adam's snazzy dress shoes!
And Jimmy took the cake by sporting his European look- scarf and all! Very nice Jim!


 I leave you with this ecstatic face!


~Thanks Caitlin, Adam, Joe, & Brandon for helping take some photos~