Monday, November 29, 2010

Well Hello There

So I got a little talking to by the hubs, when he *finally* visited the blog (love you Jess ;).  I know I haven't been the best blogger...  And haven't posted anything blogger-like lately...  Well, ok in a while.  Sorry about that.

I had a relaxing afternoon -- this morning I took the dog out for a walk (great since I haven't done that in a week because I've been sick...and we had snow for a while.  Which in Washington turns in to a BIG deal very quickly...  Stupid, I know...), packed up some fall decorations (now that I think of it I need another fall box to package up the rest of my fall pumpkins), and caught up on a few CSI: NY and NCIS episodes (anyone see the last two??  LOVE NCIS!) while enjoying two cups of coffee.

I got some inspiration while drinking coffee to make biscotti.  Anyone have any favorites?  Here are some interesting ones I found:

Best Biscotti Ever by Quite Curious

Brownie Biscotti from All Recipes

Double Chocolate Biscotti by All Recipes

Anyway, I will let you know how my adventure goes...If it's a hit or a flop!  I'm thinking about doing a chocolate, and if it's good...  Maybe Christmas gifts??  We will see I guess.

Have a great week!






Friday, November 26, 2010

Military Spouse Round-Up

Hope everyone had an
AMAZING
Thanksgiving!!

I will go into detail about my Thanksgiving week later, but until I do...
Join the Military Spouse Round up!








Saturday, November 20, 2010

Saturday Around the World

Want more followers?
Join in!!
Visit
Amanda & Don
And meet people from around the world!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Fill In the Blank Friday

{Courtesy of Little Moments}

1. My Thanksgiving plans this year will include Jesse, my parents, bro, Jesse's mom, two dogs, turkey, stuffing, cranberries, broccolini, pumpkin cheesecake, apple pie, and whatever else I can't think of.

2. My favorite Thanksgiving was probably the Thanksgiving after I met my husband.  We didn't spend it together, but still talked that day.  We had a great time and it was super laid back.

3. My signature Thanksgiving dish is.. I usually like this 'Watergate Salad,' but this year we're not doing it.  I can't live without turkey or ham, mashed potatoes...And dessert :)

4. My favorite Thanksgiving food is See above :)

5. Thanksgiving free association! Turkey.

6. Thanksgiving is a nice, relaxed day filled with food & family.

7. I am thankful for  My husband being home this Thanksgiving.  Also my family, pets, and all of my amazing friends that have gotten me through the past couple of years.

I hope you all have a great holiday!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Wine Wednesday

In celebration of last week's
Wine Tasting Day
that Jesse & I did, I felt like Wine Wednesday this week should be good.
And, with the holidays coming up, this is what I am going to purchase for Thanksgiving this year:
Domaine Ste Michelle
Brut Sparkling Wine

If you are curious what a sparkling wine is,
it is like a champagne but without the grapes from France.
You cannot have a champagne from the US unless its grape certified to be sold as a champagne.
I've heard there is one place in the US that is able to do this, which is in
California.

There are several different kinds of sparkling wine from Domaine Ste Michelle:
Blanc de Blanc, Blanc de Noirs, Brut, Extra Dry, & Luxe.
Here is a description of each so that you can find the one that you like:
{courtesy of Domaine Ste Michelle}

Blanc de Blanc
Style – Dry to medium dry
Aromas – Pear & pineapple
Flavors – Crisp green apple and a toast coconut finish
Pair with – Brie, chocolate desserts or creamy dishes

Blanc de Noirs
Style -- Medium Dry
Aromas -- Spicy ripe raspberry and strawberry
Flavors -- Delicate raspberry and fresh strawberry
Pair with -- Fresh berries & melons, Asian-inspired cuisine

Brut
Style -- Not too dry or sweet
Aromas -- Apple and citrus
Flavors -- Citrus with a light toasty finish
Pair with -- Spicy fries, artichoke or cheese dips, calamari and salty snacks

Extra Dry
Style -- Slightly Sweet
Aromas -- Rich, sweet, creamy
Flavors -- Deep apple with a lingering toasty finish
Pair with -- Sushi, Pan-Asian cuisine, Mexican food, or anything spicy

Luxe
Named for the international unit of illumination, Luxe is the product of diligence, finesse, discipline, patience and extraordinary raw materials.  Blended for complexity, flavor, and balance, it is a classic Blanc de Blancs vintage sparkling wine crafted in teh time honored methode champenoise tradition.  After primary fermentation in oak barrels, and 9-10 months of sur lie aging (aging on residual yeast), only the best lots of this first-press wine are used to blend the base wine.  Sur lie aging the bottled wine for 5 years gives it a lovely complexity.

Happy Wining!










Monday, November 15, 2010

Martha Stewart's Snickerdoodles

All I have to say is...YUM.
I'm not the
BIGGEST
Snickerdoodle fan, but these were
GOOD.
Mad props, Martha.

Makes 4 Dozen
::Ingredients::
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
  • 2 large eggs

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
  2. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.
  3. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.


Sunday, November 14, 2010

Marriage Retreat Weekend

I would like to preface this:
If the Army says,
We want to send you to a couples retreat...
GO!
This is the adventure that the Army sent us to:
{Click to View Website}
They estimated near the four digits spent per couple.
We had everything paid for,
minus gas to drive there and any drinks, extra food, or extra curricular activities you want to do.
Here is a photo:


You'll just have to guess where we are!




Friday, November 12, 2010

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

Link up @ Wife of a Sailor!


1. Were you named after anyone?

Not really.  My mother's name is Marian, her mothers name was Margarett.  My mother named me Marissa to keep up with the "Mar." So, yes and no?

2. What color, if any, are your toenails usually painted?

Depends on how I feel.  I do just about any color.  Right now I have them black with a silver sparkle top coat.

3. How do you flush a public toilet? Hands? Feet? Something else?

Usually with my foot, unless they're a normal toilet and I will use my hand.  I always wash my hands afterwards!

4. When you were a little kid, which TV character did you have a crush on?

Hmm.  I don't think I really had any big crushes on TV people.

5.Let’s say you had to lose one of your five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell).  Which one would you choose? Why?

That's hard!  Maybe smell or taste?  Even though both of those are important, I couldn't imagine losing sight, hearing, and touch...

Hope you all had a Happy Friday!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Reflections of October

::Recapping October::

Oktoberfest & HAMMERSCHLAGEN...

...Halloween {Birthday} Parties...

...Beautiful fall days...

...Foggy fall days...

...Scooby-Doo making an appearance, in costume of course...

...Real dogs looking pretty too...

...Homemade cupcakes...

...Store-made cupcakes...

...Brownies...

...LOTS of candy...

...And glass pumpkins!

Hope your October was a fun one!


Monday, November 1, 2010

What Color Is Your Food?

This is a great article (taken from here) which I thought was a good read & would like to share.  I know that I talk a lot about the foods that I eat...Or more particularly, bake, but I thought that this article was kind of handy!  Hope you all had a fun & safe Halloween....Happy November!




What Color is Your Food?

Labeling

100 Day Photo Challenge 30 Days 30 Days of Thankfulness 5K AMERICA Anniversaries April 2010 Photos Around the Skagit Atlanta Baking BBQin' Birthday Celebrations Black Friday Blog Awards Blog Hop BMW's Breakfast Food Breast Cancer Awareness Care Package Stuff Christmas Christmas Cards for Our Soldiers Color of the Day Cookies Courtesy of the Red White and Blue Crazy Internet Stuff Cupcakes December 2009 Photos December 2010 Dinner Recipes DIY Do the Puyallup Easter Eastern Washington Fall Family Stuff Fishing For the Love of Animals FRG Friday Fill In Friday Follow Friends Ft. Benning Ft. Lewis Georgia Getting Crafty Getting to Know Me Good Reads Halloween Happy New Year Hawaii Healthy Food Heartbreaking Homecomings House in Washington I love Starbucks Independence Day Instagram January 2011 Jesse Jesse Updates Jesse's Army Marriage Retreat May 2010 Photos Military Spouse Awesomeness Military Spouse Round-Up Misc. Food Info Moving Right Along My Job My Parent's House Navy Stuff New House News Stories of Note Nostalgia November 2009 Photos November 2010 Ocean Shores October 2010 Oktoberfest Orange Other FRG's Photo a Day May 2012 Photo Booth Photogenic Photos from February 2010 Photos from October 2009 Photos of January 2010 Pity Parties Pool Time Post-it Note Tuesday Quote of the Day Road Trippin' Run to Remember Seahawks Seattle shelter dogs Shopping Southwestern Washington Coast Spring Spuz the Cat St. Patrick's Day Stryker the Dog Superbowl Thank a Veteran Thanksgiving The 365 Project of 2011 Thursday Five Us Time Valentine's Day Veteran's Day Visit these LInks What I'm doing these 9 months Why I LOVE the Pacific NW Wine Wednesday Winter Wordless Wednesday Yakima Wine Country