in review.

Twenty-ten was a long year and a whirlwind year at the same time.

It had major ups and downs--from the birth of our niece and our wedding to my (seemingly) never ending job search and the passing of a family member on husband's side.

Here's a quick review in photos...

We "ran" a 5k in March.





Brookes joined us in June...

 


love.

 


I think we'll keep her.



We celebrated friends' birthdays.



We celebrated children's birthdays.

  


We wed in October.

 



Officially Mr. and Mrs.

 


We honeymooned in Hawaii.

 




We realized a dream.

 






We communed with nature.



I moved in here.

  



Next door to this guy.



We had our "first" Christmas.

We are excited to see what God has planned for us in 2011.

For now we will just work on being faithful and patient.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Food. Delicious Holiday Food.

Here is what I was "in charge" of bringing this past weekend:

Pineapple Casserole

1/2 C sugar
5 Tbsp all purpose flour
20 oz. can of pineapple chunks in juice, drain and set juice aside
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar (I like to hand grate mine)
Ritz crackers, crushed
Butter

Combine sugar, flour, and juice--mix well. Add cheese. Mix. Spray casserole dish. Add pineapple to casserole. Pour cheese mixture on top. Melt some butter--combine with ritz crackers. Sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

YUM!

Next up, Baked Garlic Cheese Grits (courtesy of Mrs. Paula Deen)...



Ingredients....notice the improvised top on the milk.
The real top was stolen--by a cat. It is still missing to this day.



Bring the broth to a boil--then add the grits and simmer.



Cube your yellow cheddar and grate your white--and definitely eat a piece. Or two.




Add the cubed cheese.



Add the butter.



Stir it up.




Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle with white cheddar.



Baked Garlic Cheese Grits

6 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups regular grits

16 ounces Cheddar, cubed

1/2 cup milk

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

8 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 4-quart casserole dish.

Bring the broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cubed Cheddar and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the white Cheddar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.

**Please note that this makes a TON. I halfed this recipe for Christmas morning for 6 adults.**

Alrighty...now for Dreamy Apple Pie (courtesy of Mrs. Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman)



Start by coring, peeling, and slicing your apples SUPER thin





Put the apple slices in a BIG bowl





Mix these together for the filling....



Mixed!



Pour over your apples...at this point, you should definitely sample the recipe.





Divide into two unbaked pie shells--or one deep dish pie shell.



Mix together ingredients for the yummy topping...



Take a moment to look at my huge mess.





Topping--after being mixed in the processor....





Finished!

Now for the Hard Sauce....



Simple (or sample) ingredients.




Mix with handmixer....




Finished!



Dreamy Apple Pie with Hard Sauce

1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust (deep dish or 2 regular)

Filling:

• 3 whole Large (4 Or 5 Small) Granny Smith Apples, Peeled, Cored, And Sliced Thin
• ½ cups Brown Sugar
• ½ cups Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• ⅛ teaspoons Cinnamon

Topping (I had two pies, so I had to double...)

• 7 Tablespoons Butter
• ¾ cups All-purpose Flour
• ½ cups Brown Sugar
• ¼ cups Pecans (more To Taste)
• Dash Of Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add apple slices to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together cream, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over apples. Pour apples into pie shell.
In the bowl of a food processor (or you can mix by hand) combine butter, flour, sugar, pecans (chop if you’re not using a food processor), and salt. Mix until everything comes together in clumps. Pour topping over apples.
Attach foil to the edges and lay a piece of flat foil loosely over the top of the pie. Place pie pan on top of a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for one hour. At the end, remove foil and allow to finish baking and browning. Can bake for up to 15 or 20 minutes more if necessary.
Remove from oven when pie is bubbly and golden brown.
Serve warm with hard sauce, whipped cream, or ice cream.

**NOTE: I did not use a deep dish pie crust and ended up with two pies!**

Hard Sauce

1 stick (1/2 Cup) Softened (not Room Temperature) Butter
1-½ cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Whiskey (more Or Less To Taste)

Beat butter in mixer with paddle attachment until fluffy. Add powdered sugar gradually until incorporated, scraping sides of the bowl twice during the process. Add whiskey and beat again, scraping the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed together.
Spoon into a bowl and serve, or keep in the fridge (it will last for days covered in plastic wrap) until you need it.

NOTE: The hard sauce will harden in the fridge, so be sure to remove it at least a couple of hours before you want to serve. Hard sauce should be smooth and easily spooned onto desserts.

All of these were SUPER yummy--enjoy!!!

Christmas Run Down.

I have all of the presents wrapped and under the tree.

Well, all of the ones that have arrived to date.

It only took about 30 minutes...either I am really good at wrapping presents or there weren't many to wrap.

Anyhow, it's DONE. No wrapping at midnight on Christmas Eve...

At least not presents that I am giving.

So, husband and I are going to Birmingham Christmas Eve and coming back to Montgomery Christmas night. We were really hoping he could have the 26th off (my birthday is the 27th, hint, hint), but that ain't happenin'.

Kinda had a hunch.

I don't know what your family does for the holidays, but here is a run down of how the "Defnall" Christmas will mostly likely occur this year:

1. We usually eat some delicious "finger foods" Christmas Eve, i.e. lime sherbet punch, swiss/ham/poppyseed sandwiches, chips and BARBERS french onion dip.

1a. We will not be in town until 9:00 pm, so hopefully all will not be eaten by then.

1b. My sister and her fam are going to the Christmas Eve service at church, so they (aka the children) will probably be worn out after that (code for: they are not coming to Mom & Dad's on Christmas Eve).

1c. With that said, we should probably just eat at McDonald's in Prattville because Mom will probably decide not to go to the trouble of making the afore mentioned "finger foods".

2. Nana and KK are spending the night at Mom and Dad's house Christmas Eve.

3. We will wake up at 8:00 am Christmas morning (because I am no longer able to sleep past then) and stare at each other have coffee and hot chocolate until Sister and her family get through seeing what all Santa brought to their house and they decide to make the long trek from Bluff Park to North Shelby County. By this time it it probably 10:00--please note that we have not opened a single gift, nor eaten ANYTHING.

4. It is mid morning--time for brunch! This usually consists of orange sweet rolls, Sister Schubert sausage rolls, cheese grits casserole, and breakfast casserole. I think we should also have Mimosas.

   -Now I am really hungry--in real life.

5. I will then eat too much because I am starving.

5a. I will text Meghan and tell her Merry Christmas and that I ate too much.

6. Time for gifts!!!! We like to open presents one person at a time--this takes approximately 2 hours.

7. Find a spot on the couch that is not covered in wrapping paper or tissue and take a nap.

8. Wake up.

9. We then have an "afternoon" meal--much like a second Thanksgiving meal. This year, I will be making pineapple casserole and Dreamy Apple Pie. I will post recipes later this week when I make them.

9a. I will send Meghan the same text I sent her earlier.

10. We will gather all of our gifts as best as we can and head home.

11. I will get on the scale the next day and will have lost gained 5 pounds.

That made me tired just thinking about it.

Patience, Planning, & Miscellaneous.

Let's start with this:

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:4-7

Hmmm. Did you need to read this as badly as I did this morning?

Commit.

Trust.

Wait--how?

Patiently.

Ugh.

Need some help on that.

So, other than commiting, trusting, and waiting, I will also plan--patiently.

Plan for a job.
Plan for a house.

Plan for a vacation. To here...

To see these...



Buffalo




Grand Prismatic




Old Faithful



With a stop off here...



Jackson Hole

To see these...



Tetons and Snake River



We are planning on visiting Yellowstone/Grand Tetons in late summer with husband's parents and grandmother. This will be the first visit for husband and his dad.

Excited!

Now for the miscellaneous part.

While in Florida over the weekend, I purchased these:



J Crew Matchstick Cords

Ok, as most of you know, my bottom half looks nothing like this model's bottom half--hence the Weight Watchers. BUT, I tried these on and thought they actually looked pretty good! Especially since they were all of $25. So, if you see me wearing these "skinny cords" around, a compliment (aka boost of confidence since I am wearing something OTHER than jeans) would be much appreciated!

Latelies.

It's that time again. Time to fill you in on all the random goings-on around here.

1. I have confirmed with Santa that I will indeed be receiving the following items from 'My Favorites': the LOFT sweater, the Ugg clogs, and a watch VERY similar to the Nixon watch....but Fossil. I know, I know, you shouldn't pick out your Christmas gifts...but I do. Every year.

2. Newsflash!!!!! Husband found the Dr. Loosen riesling at World Market. GO NOW and buy it. Then drink it all by yourself, so you don't have to share. Also, wear your LOFT sweater so you won't sweat while drinking it.

3. We should have gotten two bottles.

4. Yesterday was husband's birthday. The big 3-2.

5. Right now he is at the doc-in-the-box because he is sick.

6. I am probably a bad wife for not going with him. Sorry.

7. We were in Florida over the weekend and I saw ALL SORTS of wildlife: deer, a bald eagle, our nephews, an alligator, dolphins, and not ONE but TWO live armadillos. I think I love armadillos.

8. Weight Watchers has revamped their "points" system...now everything has a different points value. VERY CONFUSING.

9. Meghan (she said I could start using her real name), is beating me at Weight Watchers. I need to step up my game (aka actually follow the program).

10. Husband has strep throat. Poor guy (*not sarcasm*)...

11. We have a REAL Christmas tree!!!!! It smells SO SO good. Check out the blurry pic below...



Merry Christmas from the germy Harris's!