Christmas Celebrations

Tim and I drove around a lot for Christmas... We had Christmas with Tim's side. That was a really nice Christmas. I made some desserts and brought them for dinner. =) It was fun playing with the little kiddies. After Christmas, Tim and I really wanted to show his brother Jalal and sister in law Mary our new apartment. They're pretty far from us, so we figured this was a good opportunity to show 'em. So, we drove back home for the night and left out again the next day. (Lots of driving)=) hehe But it was nice to hang out with them at home too. After that, we drove back to Chicago and then headed to Michigan. We hung out with Tim's cousin in East Lansing... had some bubble tea at Bubble Island (of course) =)
I wanted to have a little After Christmas dinner for my brother and friends here at the condo. So, last night, I cooked up a meal for all of us. Everyone enjoyed it, ... everything was eaten up reallly quickly. It was very nice to see. =) I roasted a couple of chickens and a few sides. The chickens turned out yummy and moist. We had a lot of fun playing Guitar Hero all night long too. It was really nice to see my friends and family last night.

Here's our "Family Photo" haha.. our kids are growing up so quickly!

Christmas Gift!

I got a Barefoot Contessa cookbook in the mail today.. my brother Warly got it for me. =) I was pretty excited to get it. I decided to cook something from it for dinner tonight. I already had some chicken breasts in the fridge... so I decided to try out Ina Garten's Chicken Piccata. I love chicken piccatas..so this was an easy choice to make. Her recipe made a great one. It's not too saucy/soggy and just the right amount of lemony taste. Tim really liked it. I liked it a lot too - really tasty. We cooked up some pasta to go along with the chicken. We like having Buitoni fresh pasta on reserve in the fridge. Those are good stuff. These were mushroom agnolottis... just big raviolis. Delicious. Just cooked and then tossed around a little with olive oil and freshly grated gruyere cheese. Mmm... good dinner tonight. =)

I can't believe Christmas is just days away...

Party x 2!

This past weekend, Tim and I drove to Michigan for the Benchmark Logic Company party. It was a lot of fun. We had dinner at Ocean Prime Restaurant. Very good restaurant. Tim enjoyed some Alaskan King Crab or something and I had a delicious Steak with Scallops (my fave combo). I'm allergic to crabs, but whenever Tim gets a chance to eat it at a restaurant... he takes it! Oy.=) But dinner was a lot of fun and we all drove to a club called Main Street in downtown Rochester for some dancing and billiards, etc. We had their VIP room for the night, so we got to chill in there whenever we wanted. Good times.

BENCHMARK LOGIC

We haven't really had many friends come over to our apartment... really... it's only been my family and one friend who has really visited and hung out at our place. Tim and I decided to throw a little Christmas party for our friends here in Bloom... most of them are Benchmark people and State Farm people... =) A couple of the guys also helped us move back in late August.. so, this was a nice way to say Thanks again.. =) So, our party was last night and it was a lot of fun. I think everyone had a good time and everyone was pretty stuffed. I'm glad they enjoyed the food, and also the cooking show Tim and I provided in the beginning. Hah... I was running a little late on my schedule and Tim wanted to make his guacamole when he got home... so, when the guests arrived, they all sat or stood around the bar and watched us finish things up. Heh it was cute. A couple helped out in making the sangria. Yum. =)

Overall, it was a great time and we're glad people made it out to our place. We really like entertaining. And it's nice to see friends have a nice time at our place and eating stuff we made for them. We made a lot of things for the night... I made some chocolate covered pretzels that morning. We had pulled pork sandwiches, a strawberry & blackberry trifle (yummy), a caprese salad,chips & guacamole, a pesto chicken feta & pine nuts pizza, and a yummy & decadent bread pudding. It was my first time making the bread pudding and it turned out pretty good. Definitely rich. But tasty.

Chii-cken!

Hm. I spent almost 95% of my day at home yesterday... the snow and cold didn't make me want to walk to my car and go anywhere. hah I'm really not made for cold weather. Especially the bitter cold wind.... that's what gets me. =P But I like snow activities... like snowboarding. Hopefully Tim and I can do that some time this winter...

Last night, I decided to make some chicken tenders and pesto pasta. They turned out yummy. I was pretty happy. I think I always get happy now when I don't burn chicken on the stove. That used to happen to me often years ago.. I would burn at least one and then get the hang out it for the rest. I'm like that with pancakes too! But lately, I've been feeling a lot more comfortable cooking in the kitchen. Things don't freak me out as much. =) These chicken tenders were tasty.
This past weekend was nice. We helped celebrate Tim's nephew, Gabe''s birthday. He turned 4 already. It's so fun to see our nieces and nephews (on both sides) grow up ... they're all so cute and adorable... each with their own awesome personality. Tim mentioned that 4 years ago that all of our nieces and nephews didn't exist yet. It's a crazy thought. Gabe is the oldest of the 6 total from my side and his. Time really flies.

Daisy Days

Our friend Daisy visited us in Bloomington for the first time. She's one of my good friends (and one of my bridesmaids too!).. It was really nice of her to visit. She took an amtrak over on Wednesday night and she'll be leaving tonight. We've had fun the past couple of days. I just showed her around town and to some places Tim and I like to go to. Last night, we all ended up going to see the new Boondock Saints movie.. we all liked it. I loved the first movie and the second one was just as entertaining. We had Tim watch the first movie last night before going to the theater =)

The night Daisy got in, I wanted to make a nice dinner. I made a roasted pork with a roasted garlic vinaigrette. It turned out pretty yummy. =)
Daisy and I walked around downtown yesterday. It didn't last too long 'cause it was sooo collldddd. My gosh, it got bitter pretty quickly. But I think it was still a fun time. I took some "senior photos" of Daisy while walking around - haha =) At the candy store... the brick walls of downtown... hahah Fun times.
We went to Barnes and Noble for a quick cup of coffee.. we were just pretty cold to be honest. And we saw these magazines... and found them pretty entertaining. (We're not really big Twilight fans) but it was still fun to take pictures of our teams. hahaha
Last night, before going to the movies - I decided to make some chocolate covered pretzels. They turned out cute. I added some sprinkles on some of 'em .. for color and to be a little festive. =) After going to the candy store during the day, the smell of chocolate really got me to make my own at home instead of buying one stick for a dollar something. =P

Fondue For You

I bought a fondue set years and years ago during college.. but have never used it. I needed denatured alcohol for the little burner and I never really knew or cared where to get one. (hah) But finally, I decided I wanted to use it. So, I bought everything I needed and set it all up. I wanted to make a special dinner for Tim tonight.. something fun and different - and fondue sounds fun right? =) He was a great host during Thanksgiving break... and a wonderful helper for everything and anything. I couldn't have asked for a better hubby. =) (Puke if you must, I know it's cheesy) =) Oh well. hehe

So, fondue it is.

Tim was pretty surprised when he saw the setup for dinner.. =)

Forget using the picks! I can use my hands!! haha

Thanksgiving Vacation: Success! =)

Thanksgiving has come and gone! Most of my family left this morning. The only one left at our apartment is my brother Herman right now. It was so much fun having my family around this week. We loved seeing the little kids play together (that was so insanely cute!). We enjoyed each others' company and ate a lot. That's always a great combination right? =)

This was mine and Tim's first Thanksgiving and we really wanted it to be memorable for my family. I made a number for things for the meal with help from my hubby. =) For starters, Tim made his special Caesar Salad. That was really delicious. For appetizers/sides, I made a caprese salad, roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and fruits with fruit dip made of homemade whipped cream and strawberry yogurt. I was pretty excited to make things for the first time like mashed potatoes and the gravy! They all turned out pretty yummy =) I was really happy that they turned out nicely =)

And of course, the turkey... I was very excited to make the turkey. I've never really been a fan of turkey and my family too, are not big fans. So... making a turkey that would be enjoyed by everyone was my challenge =) hehe I was very very happy to see and taste the turkey! It turned out really good and my family loved it. It was really nice to see everyone get more of everything and then to see barely anything left of the turkey!! =) It was awesome to have no leftovers!! I think everyone really liked everything - which definitely gave me a great feeling. I really loved this Thanksgiving.

For dessert, I made a pumpkin pie and marshmallows... both I've never made before. And both turned out pretty yummy. =) hehe Tim made some Arabic tea after dinner, which was a perfect way to end the evening. It was so fun to see everyone, especially the kids enjoy the desserts. One of my nieces has many food allergies and I made the marshmallows especially for her to enjoy. It was cute to hear her say "yummy!" after tasting it. hehe I love my nieces and nephew. They are too cute for words! I really loved this Thanksgiving and I'm so thankful my family visited and spent it with me and Tim.

Throughout the week, Tim and I cooked a lot of food for everyone. I think my family was pretty surprised that I could cook for them. Heheh That was a cute reaction to see. =) All in all, this was such a refreshing vacation with my family. It was so nice to have them see our apartment for the first time and to be able to relax and enjoy themselves here in Illinois.

Here are my cute nieces and nephew. I loved loved loved being able to play with them this week. I miss them all already! The apartment is so quiet now! hehe
Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving:

Inay (my mom) and her boys

The Whole Group!

Waiting around for dinner while Tim and I finish getting things set up

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Our First Thanksgiving Meal!

The appetizers/sides

Can we eat yet??My brother-in-law took some awesome photos =) *yay!*

My special homemade marshmallows!

We are both so grateful to the Lord for all of the blessings in our lives.

Our First Christmas Tree!

Tim and I decorated our tree tonight =) (right before visitors arrive! haha) We did some last minute cleaning and then had some fun decorating. Throughout the months that Tim and I have been married, I realized something about us... we are both very picky and detailed oriented about everything (from cleaning to tree picking to decorating, etc etc and everything else!). But we love it and we love the end results, so we're happy =)

My family from California are coming into town tonight and we're very excited - we're just waiting for them to arrive. We're both pretty excited to see my niece and nephew. It's been awhile since Tim has seen them (it was at the wedding!). And I guess, Lily is very excited to make purple cupcakes with me. I told her months ago that we would make them and she hasn't forgotten! Smart girls I have for nieces!! =)

I went grocery shopping today for the week. Crazy stuff. The cart was so heavy! =P haha I went to Walmart yesterday and it was pretty crazy. People everywhere.. so I thought today would be pretty bad, but I went prepared and on a mission. hah I was out of there in the time I told myself I would. Wish me luck on making this week's Thanksgiving meal. =) hehehe

Here's our finished Christmas tree!

We Have Our Tree!

Thanksgiving is this week already?? =) Yuppp... and my family from California are flying in tomorrow night. I went to Michigan for work this past weekend and after the long drive back - Tim and I wanted to get our Christmas tree last night. We invited my brother, sister in law, and niece to help us =) Samara was so cute at the tree place. She lovvvess Christmas trees and lights. She was so adorable when she was walking around in her sing song way. Too cute. I'm gonna miss her a ton when they leave for the Philippines!

Tim and I got the perfect tree. We're pretty excited about our first tree =) We set it up and put the lights on it once we got it in our place. We're gonna finish decorating it tonight before everyone arrives.=) This is my first time having a real tree. Looks lovely. =)Our Tree!

Daisy's Birthday Weekend

I consider myself a blessed person - I have a great hubby, family, and friends. I really think I have a great life with wonderful people in in that I'm very grateful for. One of those special people is my friend Daisy. My friends (and their significant others) celebrated her birthday this past weekend in Chicago. My girlfriends and I have been celebrating each girl's birthday for 3 years now.. each one special in their own way. Sometimes some can't make it, which is understandable - but we all know that we try hard to attend. This time, we all made it for her birthday (and we haven't all been together since mine & Tim's wedding) .. so this was a great celebration. We were all pretty excited about it many weeks before the actual weekend =) I love how when we get together - somehow there really is magic. And I don't mean to be cheesy, I really don't, but there is that aura that surrounds everyone that just makes things fit. It's a great feeling. And we have a ton of fun together. We laugh almost 98% of the time we're together, and really, if you haven't hung out with all of us before, you would laugh too. It's just a great time for everyone.

This birthday celebration actually included some of the girls' significant others (which meant more taxi cabs! heh) This was different because most of the times it would just be us girls or us girls and Michael. This was great. It was a lot of fun to have everyone together. Over the years that we have been doing this - it's always nice to see that everyone is changing and growing up - but it's always comforting that we can all still laugh and have a great time together no matter what.

I made a 3 layer red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting for Daisy and it turned out to be a big hit. Most of it was eaten on Friday night, and it was definitely devoured on Sunday morning. Made me happy =) I love that my friends eat! Makes for good times! =)