Christmas Memories 2010

This Christmas, my family came to Colorado to celebrate with us.  It was such a blessing to have them here, and after a hard year for our family, it was special for us to be together for Christmas.  They spent 4 days on the road driving to be here in Denver for 3 days!  It was a long trip for them, but we really appreciated their sacrifice.  Here are a few of our Christmas memories:

 After going to church for the Christmas Eve Service.

 I made our 2nd annual PW's homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning. 

 My brother created a portmanteau for us on Christmas morning.  Ha!

 We spent Christmas afternoon at Red Rocks park.  The weather was so beautiful we didn't even need coats!  We took some family photos.  This one was my favorite.

We drove around Downtown Denver to see the Christmas lights.  The Denver City & County building was the highlight!

Happy Birthday to my Hubby!

I took a little unintended break from blogging over the holidays, but I am back and have lots of catching up to do!  We have been busy and I have several sewing and craft projects to share as well.  I hope to have lots of posts coming up in the next few weeks!

In mid December, we celebrated Truman's birthday with a 2 day celebration! 

On his actual birthday, I made him dinner (a favorite pasta dish that he requested) and a birthday cake and we had a quiet, relaxed dinner at home.  After he blew out the candles and we enjoyed dessert, he opened some presents.  We rented a movie of his choice (Iron Man 2), but I was unsuccessful in staying awake to watch, so I guess that technically he watched it alone.  Sorry babe!

The next day we headed up to Vail for a day in the mountains and he got to celebrate with some friends.  We started the day off with a breakfast date at Ludwig's, a restaurant in Vail Village that we'd been hearing over and over from friends had an awesome breakfast buffet. 

It was delicious, but just as wonderful is the view!  There is a sunroom with beautiful views of the snowy stream. 

And the coffee is plentiful in their giant mugs!

After breakfast, we headed over to the lift and Tru met up with a group of friends who joined him for a day of snowboarding.  Snowboarding is one of his favorite hobbies in Colorado, so it was a perfect way for him to enjoy his birthday with friends!

After snapping a few photos, I read at Starbucks while they hit the slopes. 

I hope his birthday was a reminder of how special he is and how much he is loved and appreciated!  I am so thankful that he was born!

Merry Christmas From Our Home to Yours!

Food For Friday: Bacon & Brie Mac 'N Cheese

Colder weather always puts me in the mood for soups and warm comfort foods.  Brie is one of my favorite cheeses, and I recently got a slice of brie on clearance from the grocery store.  We were in the mood for mac 'n cheese, so I created a rich and flavorful brie, bacon & rosemary mac 'n cheese.  My husband declared it a winner and said it's definitely a dish we should have again! 

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/4 cup heavy cream or half & half
8 oz. whole wheat elbow pasta (I used Barilla Plus)
4 slices bacon
6 oz. brie cut into pieces, rind removed (I use a vegetable peeler to shave off the rind)
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped finely
10 crackers (I used Toll House)
Salt & Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the elbows and boil until tender, according the package directions.  Drain.

Chop 4 slices of bacon and saute over medium heat until crispy & browned.  Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. butter.  Mix in the 2 tbsp. of whole wheat flour until well blended to create a roux.  Slowly add the milk, whisking to combine and removing any lumps.  Stir in the cream or half & half.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Turn heat down to a simmer and add the rosemary and brie, stirring until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth. 

Mix in the cooked & drained elbows, then stir in the bacon. 

Preheat the broiler to low.  Spray a casserole dish with olive oil or cooking spray.  Spread the mac & cheese mixture into the dish.  Crush the crackers and sprinkle on the top.  Broil on low until golden brown and crispy on top.

It would be a perfect dinner served with a spinach salad and rosemary sea salt rolls.

Now, if this chillier weather would just bring our first big snow!

Unexpected Getaway

Last week, we were blessed with a very unexpected and last minute getaway to Breckenridge for 3 days.  The parents of a student who was involved in the ministry that we work with have a condo timeshare that they were unable to use last week, so they offered us to stay there for a few nights. We were so excited to head up to the mountains for a few days...for free!

We had a wonderful time and it was a much needed and refreshing break for us.  We relaxed, read, spent time with the Lord, ate, and enjoyed the hot tub under the stars each night.  It is a ski-in ski-out condo, and Truman was able to get a lot of snowboarding in.  I took this photo from the balcony of the condo.  It was fun watching him snowboard right up to the building and I even headed down to the lodge one day to catch him at the end of some runs.  I've never gotten to watch him board before so I enjoyed getting to see him do something he loves.

Breckenridge is a very charming town and it was beautiful all lit-up for Christmas.  When we headed to Main Street in the evenings, I loved how festive it felt. 

We still haven't had a big snowfall in Denver yet, so it was also fun to be surrounded by snow for a few days.  We were so thankful to the Lord for this surprise time away!  There is something special and refreshing for the soul about being in the mountains, in the midst of His magnificent creation.  3 days of fun memories!

A Date with Shrek

This past Sunday, we took advantage of our credit card rewards to treat ourselves to a fun date night in downtown Denver!

 

We started the evening with dessert at The Cheesecake Factory.  We shared the Reeses Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake and it was delicious!  And rich!  It is one of my new favorites.  I never have room for dessert if I eat a meal there, so I love going just for dessert.

After dessert, we saw Shrek The Musical at the Buell Theater.  We really enjoyed it!  It was humorous and light-hearted and just an all-round fun show. 

We are both fans of musicals, so it's a fun thing for us to do together.  And I love any reason for my handsome hubby to get a little dressed up!  It had been a hard week for us, so a funny musical, laughing together, and eating dessert was a perfect & much needed evening out.

When we came out of the show, snow was falling, and as we walked back to our car, it began coming down even harder.  We were pretty covered in snowflakes by the time we got to the car. 

It was beautiful, and a fun surprise to come out to snow falling, but sadly, it didn't even look like it had snowed at all 10 minutes away at our house!  We are still waiting to wake up to that first big snow of the year.  I am thankful to have made fun memories & enjoy a night out with my best friend.

Copycat Starbucks Peppermint Mocha

It's officially my favorite time of the year....the Christmas season!  We decorated the day after Thanksgiving and I'm enjoying the festive white lights every evening.  My perfect winter drink is a Starbuck's Peppermint Mocha.  But, when I'm cozy at home and it's cold outside, I don't always want to bundle up and head out for coffee.  I was excited when I came across a copycat recipe I could make at home, and I was even more excited when I tried it!  It's so close the real thing (and a lot less expensive, too!) 

You will need to purchase Starbuck's Peppermint Syrup.  You can buy a very large bottle of peppermint syrup at Starbucks for $7.99.  Just ask at the drive-thru or counter and as long as they have enough bottles in stock, they will sell you one.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons powdered rich hot cocoa (I use Ghirardelli hot chocolate)
3 tablespoons hot water
1 1/2 tablespoons peppermint syrup (Do not try to substitute mint extract.)
1 serving of espresso (I use our small stovetop Bialetti to prepare the espresso)
1 small mug of warm 1% milk (I just heat it up in the microwave)
Optional:
whipped cream
red sugar crystals

Directions:
Warm the milk in the microwave in a small mug or on the stovetop.
Place hot cocoa powder in the bottom of a large mug.  Add the hot water and stir to combine well, dissolve the hot cocoa powder, and make a thick chocolate syrup.  Stir in the espresso.  Add the warm milk & peppermint syrup and stir together.
If you want to make your drink more festive, add whipped cream & sprinkle with red sugar crystals. 
Enjoy!