It's the most wonderful time of the year

Christmas for my side of the family is all about warmth, lights, family, smiles, friends, a family and friend Christmas party at my parents home, the San Diego parade of lights, treats, and celebrating the joy that comes in remembering what the holiday is all about to us- the birth of a Savior. Here are some glimpses from the last week of relaxation and festivities!

Some treats my sister, mom, and I made for a Christmas party

Grant dressed as Buddy to help deliver some presents for a secret santa family a few nights before Christmas

Pre-ugly sweater party

Pecan walnut praline clusters

Peppermint-cocoa marshmallows and the annual cinnamon roll distribution

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight! I hope you are having a wonderful time with family and friends, wherever you are!

Oh Christmas Tree!

How lovely are your branches...

I love little trees! I also love making simple paper ornaments each year; it get's me into the Christmas spirit! Each year I just kind of make whatever I feel like or have around and hang it on the tree, and Grant is a good sport. This year I went really simple; I just love the look of an old fashioned tree (it just feels "homey"!). The tree is topped with a darling little 1950's red sparkly topper that I inherited from my Grandma last spring.

Poor Grant's been sick with the flu (only time in the past 10 years!), so today we enjoyed sitting on the couch in rainy weather, watching Christmas movies and keeping the tree lit all day. I wish the Christmas season took up 2 months, at least!

I hope you are enjoying your Christmas tree! I wish the glow and the tree smell could be a permanent fixture through the colder months. Aren't Christmas trees magical?

Go-to Christmas Desserts

Excuse the absence; I've been working on a new, simpler blog design and it always takes me forever- especially during the busy Christmas season. It just flies by too fast, doesn't it? Today I'd love to share some of my go-to Christmas party desserts and treats with you. A few favorites consist of berry pavlova (named after a ballerina, it reminds me of the sugar plum fairies), plain madeleines (or coconut orange), russian tea-cakes, baklava, a yule log cake, and the pioneer woman's cinnamon rolls (I think they still can't beat my mom's, but they're very close and make a huge batch!) Here are the ones I made and actually got a picture of.

The pavlova meringue base after it bakes- Once you use a Silpat mat, you won't go back! (If you'd like the recipe for this one, it's got graham cracker in the crust and is in a book I have- I'd love to email it to you)

Madeleine's- Sometimes I add coconut and a little orange zest

I prefer to halve the Pioneer Woman's recipe, tamper with the frosting and omit the coffee and maple (just personal taste), and then wrap in give-a-way dishes wrapped in dark red cellophane and pretty ribbon.

Baklava made with phyllo, apricots, honey, almonds, bread crumbs, and walnuts.

A sugar cookie date night to start off December 1st

What are some of your favorite Christmas treats? Happy baking!

Thanksgiving Recap

(A fall arrangement my mom made for a pre-Thankgiving family dinner)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I tried to post a few times last week but had some difficulties with blogger. This year, my husband and I enjoyed a wonderful, relaxing San Diego Thanksgiving with my my parents, siblings (except for one brother serving a church mission in Mexico), sister-in-law, baby nephew, and my aunt's family. I always feel so uplifted and happy around so much family, and it was such a joy to be there, especially around our new sweet nephew Hudson, who everyone fawns over. Can you blame us? With all his tummy, arm, and leg rolls and red cheeks, he looks like a little Santa.

(my sweet husband with my older brother's son)

Mom makes the dinner every year with a few of us adding extra dishes, Aunt Judy brings the pies, my sister, Annie, sets the table and makes place cards, I usually do the centerpieces, and my dad does the dishes (yikes!).

I look forward to the dinner all year- it has so many fond memories for me, like so many other families! Our Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, mashed Idaho potatoes and turkey drippings gravy, yeast rolls (my grandma's recipe-my favorite), a green bean casserole, stuffing, a cranberry/pineapple dish, and candied sweet potatoes. This year my sister made a Bobby Flay brussels sprout dish and my sister-in-law Jess brought a family corn pudding dish- both were fantastic.

(My sister-in-law and I picked these beauties off a nearby tree)

I love Thanksgiving because it's all about gratitude, which brings joy. I'm so thankful this year for my abundance of blessings, especially my family, and also for the small trials in my life which have provided me with more faith, understanding, and empathy. I hope you're enjoying the beginning of the holiday Christmas season; can't wait to share some decorations and projects!

A Hope That a Fish Will Rise

My joy became more full when I realized my husband loves to fish. This may sound funny, but I worried when I was younger, what if my future spouse doesn't enjoy the outdoors or fishing like my family does?

What does fishing have to do with anything on this blog? Well, I guess that I look at it like a simple, yet sometimes complex, form of art.

Fishing has been in our family blood for a long time; my great-great grandparents livelyhood depended on the amount of trout they could catch seasonally and salt and store through winter. Dad taught mom, who eventually did some guiding in Jackson Hole. For my past 24 summers, our family has bonded over fishing in pretty remote places in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Even as babies, mom would strap us on her front and fish the willow-lined rivers as the older-siblings played and napped in a miniature makeshift tent on the rocks. Trout have beautiful coloring, and us children loved identifying them by their colors; Rainbow, Brookie, Cutthroat, Brown. We learned about the importance of catch and release, how to clean our own fish, and that my grandma (the primary trout eater) liked them pan-fried with lemon over a fire. At BYU, some teammates of mine would laugh as I pulled my large fly box and waders out of my locker after practice so I could take off to fly fishing class along the Provo river and learn to tie flies. I still know so little, but am grateful that a love for fishing allows me to spend time with family.

A few weeks ago, we were able to enjoy a beautiful evening fishing together. It was one of those memories you hope to always have frozen in your mind: laughing and tromping through the tall grass with my mom and husband, the pale evening light and smell of the cottonwood trees, shimmering of gently swaying yellow trees, and the sound of the water.

We normally fly fish, but on this particular day, we were feeling a bit lazy and wanted to do some fun catch and release with a worm. When fishing, I often reflect on what has become one of my all-time favorite books, "A River Runs Through It." I remember reading it in high school and not really understanding it, but after more recent experiences in my life, including the loss of my grandmother who we always fished with, it now resonates deeply.

Two favorite quotes from it are:
“Each one of us here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: We are willing to help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? For it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it is those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them - we can love completely without complete understanding.”

Any my favorite quote that reminds me of the many summers I spent fishing with all my family and late grandmother: "Like many fly fishermen in western Montana where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."- Norman Maclean

My favorite cookie- loaded oatmeal

After that healthy snack post, it's time for the goods... And the good news is, our favorite cookies are somewhat healthy (at least I tell myself that.) A few months ago, Grant and I tried the best oatmeal cookies we'd had at a place in Phoenix. They were really thick, soft, slightly chewy, and had a great cinnamon/ traditional taste. Up until that point, oatmeal cookies had turned out flat and way too crunchy for my liking. I was determined to replicate these in our own home and came up with a recipe after studying a Smitten Kitchen recipe. After tweaking it a lot, I've finally gotten it to a point where I wouldn't change a thing- they are our favorite! I found that the key to a soft, thick cookie is to refrigerate the cookie dough before baking so they retain their shape and fabulous texture.

The dough. is. so. so. good. With oats and whole wheat flour (fiber), macadamia nuts, brown sugar (no white) dried cherries or cranberries, coconut, and white or dark chocolate chips (anti-oxidants), you can enjoy them with a little less guilt (okay, they have a lot of butter, but at least it's natural fat)! You can add or omit any of the add-in's as you like- add walnuts instead of macadamia, etc. However, we like them just the way they are!

The LaBarbera's Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

(awesome name, I know, very original- originally outlined from this recipe but with major ingredient changes and additions)

Makes about 14 cookies, depending on the size you scoop

Ingredients

1/2 cup ( or 1 stick) + 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (not melted)

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup all-purpose flour+ 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I love King Arthur)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4- 1/2 teaspoon salt- (depending on if you like more salt in cookies)

1 1/3 cups quick oats (essential for softness)

Optional: 1/2 cup sweetened coconut- I like it with and without but have made it more recently without, just increasing the oats to 1 1/2 cups.

1/8-1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries

1/3 cup crushed macadamia nuts

2/3- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips and/or dark, depending on your taste, I only use Guittard (better melting than Nestle in my opinion, especially for the white chocolate)

A few notes: Baking is science, and I had to fiddle with this quite a bit with the ratio's, so I can't guarantee anything except the recipe as written. The key to this recipe is really the last step- chilling the scooped dough, so don't skip this part! When I originally made these with only white flour, they were a tad bit thicker, but I prefer the whole wheat, as they taste just as delicious. Grant doesn't like chocolate chips, so I make about a dozen with white chocolate and add about 1/3 cup semisweet chips with the last of the batter for about 5 cookies for me. That way I get white and dark- I think they are best this way :)

Directions

Grab a large bowl or KitchenAid (my preference) and cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole wheat and white flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add this into the creamed butter/sugar and mix thoroughly. Stir in the quick oats, coconut(I've been omitting this lately), macadamia nuts, dried cranberries and/or cherries, and white and/or semisweet chocolate chips.

Line a cookie sheet with a baking mat if available, or parchment paper. Take an ice cream scoop and generously scoop up the dough, forming it into a round ball with your fingers- the thicker you scoop it, the thicker the cookie. This dough does not spread much while baking, so you can place them fairly close, as pictured.

Chill for about 20-25 minutes. This is the most important step- Don't skip it!!! This is the key for a thick, chewy cookie :). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees while the cookies chill. After chilling, you can stick them in a freezer bag for future baking or bake them straight away.

Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes (this can vary depending on your oven- I find that with convection baking, I have them in for about 12 minutes). Watch closely and remove them from the oven when they are just barely golden around the edges and the top still looks a little bit soft. Try not to overbake, as they will flatten more. I let them sit for about a minute and scoop them onto a serving plate to cool. Enjoy warm, they are best on the same day with a big glass of milk, and they go fast!

On a side note, aren't the colors of a fall harvest beautiful? I'm hoping to oil paint something like this to practice.

Favorite snacks

I've found that eating little meals or snacks throughout the day makes me feel more energetic and less comatose than three large meals. I also think there's wisdom in the saying, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper”, even though it's easier said than done! Through the years I've tried different snacks and thought I'd list a few favorites I enjoy weekly.

You will see that I'm a little bit obsessed with Trader Joe's, as most people are! I love that many of their products are inexpensive, pretty untampered with, and have only a few ingredients that can actually be pronounced.

When possible, I try to balance sweeter foods like apples or dried fruit with protein or fiber, as fiber slows the absorption of insulin (I have a family history of female's with diabetes so I try to be mindful!) I like the different textures anyway.

1. Honeycrisp, Jonathon, or Granny Smith apples with Trader Joe's natural salted peanut butter (my favorite!) or sharp cheddar. This time of year, I eat about an apple a day. (You know what they say!) To me, a tart, sweet apple is better than candy! I grabbed a bushel in Utah and they stay fresh so long in the crisper.

2. Trader Joe's hummus with baby carrots, cucumbers, peppers, or cherry tomatoes (my favorite, I've tried to make my own but nothing can compare to their original flavor for me- I'm addicted).

3. Cottage cheese plain, or with Triscuits

4. A bit of homemade granola stored in a canning tin (lasts a long time this way) with thawed frozen raspberries and plain or greek yogurt, sometimes with a bit of honey.

I find most yogurt is loaddded with sugar now- 40 grams? yikes, I'd rather add natural sweeteners myself if needs be. I'm looking into making my own yogurt and have found some easier recipes. Have any of you made it?

5. No-knead, homemade whole wheat flaxseed bread with TJ's chunky salted peanut butter with honey or my mom's raspberry jam (grown from my late grandma's raspberry patch- it makes me happy). I freeze slices of the bread and then pop them in the microwave for a few seconds when I want a little treat.

6. I love Trader Joe's bran cereal with milk. It's inexpensive, has about 5 ingredients and is packed with fiber and iron.

7. Almonds with dried cranberries or cherries with a few dark chocolate chips. I like a bag of this for road trips as a little treat.

8. Turkey rolled up with swiss or cheddar.

9. Tuna with crackers or with avocado, spinach, and carrots for a nice crunch.

10. Any fresh seasonal fruit (when I can get it in this desert of AZ)!

I'd love to hear what your favorite, go-to snacks are!! I'm always looking for healthy, easy ideas! Are you a snacker?