Canned Amaretto Cranberry Sauce

Dish: canned amaretto cranberry sauce
recipe: pinterest
pajamas: long johns
eaters: The whole family at Thanksgiving

Every year, I am in charge of the bread stuffing and the cranberry sauce at my mom's Thanksgiving dinner. Until I came along, we ate the horrid can shaped, gelatinous, with ridges and all, cranberry sauce. Awhile back I decided to rebel against the cylindrical fruit! We opened it, dished it and threw it away every year. I have tried a new recipe every year. They have all been super tasty and the family actually eats them! This year I used my Pinterest obsession to tackle my job. I found the most delicious looking recipe that used amaretto instead of water. I then found instructions on how to can cranberry sauce. I thought, " This year I learned to knit, cook freshly dead birds- why not can fruit?!?" The cooking part was easy. I boiled amaretto and some lemon zest. I then threw in tons of fresh cranberries. They began to pop open as they cooked (I love that part!) The house smelled wonderful. Once the consistency was right, my big job began. I sterilized my canning jars. I then learned that you had to have a certain top space? 1/4 of an inch was mine. I poured the boiling sauce into the jars and left the top space. I then cleaned the rims and closed the jars. I had water boiling in my big pot. I only have 3 pots so I sure hoped my big pot was big enough. I didn't have the nifty tool that I saw used on all of the youtube videos for placing the jars in the water. I used some tongs. Note to self: buy the tool! I carefully placed the jars in the water. They boiled about 20 minutes. The next part was super scary! I used the tongs to take them out. I heard that if they touch each other or the side of the pot that they would break. I got them all out crack free! I then waited, and waited, and waited for the magical "pop!" Soon each jar popped!! I actually canned fruit! I attribute my success to my inner Amish! I did in fact wear an apron and a bun :)

Trev-o-meter: The whole family raved and said that it was a keeper and that they couldn't wait until next Thanksgiving!

I am so used to being with my husband every second of every day (except for work of course.) Trevor is away on research. I have truly realized the meaning of our vows. We have to be together until death do us part, not until research do us part!! I really can't handle life without Trevor. It all began when I was a baby. My mom stayed at home with me and created the monster known as Brittney. She would only leave me to work out. She would stand me in the gym daycare, with my baby bag, toys, etc. and go workout. Upon her return, an hour or so later, I would be in the exact same position as she left me. She then enrolled me in 3 year old, half day preschool. I cried every single day and every day I was sent to the Principal's office. The principal loved me so much that she took it upon herself to feed the monster. Literally... She would take me to run errands, play with puppies, go shopping, and go out to eat. My mom soon unenrolled me in 3 year old, half day preschool. I later cried every first day of school's eve. I cried every day of summer camp. I cried every day of my sister's first year of college. I cried every day of my first year of college. I cried every night of my 6 month, one bedroom living experience. With all of that said, I have trouble being alone and being away from the one's I love. Trevor, please come home!

City Girl? ha!

Dish: Dove
Recipe: youtube
Meal: dinner
Eaters: Me and Trevor
Pajamas: Plaid pants and gray T

Trevor got a call from Simone to go hunting. He hesitated a bit and I told him to go for it! He left super early in the morning. I didn't hear back from him until the evening. He said he was having so much fun and got a bunch of dove. Up to that point, I had no idea what he was hunting. My only comment was, "DO NOT bring anything dead into this house!" He got home after I was asleep. The next morning when I got up, I opened the fridge to find breakfast. I pulled out this gallon bag... and screamed. It was full of blood and what looked like deer hearts. I stuffed it back in and skipped breakfast. When Trevor woke up, he told me it was dove meat. It was really dark and super bloody (with some feathers floating around. Ugh) He told me that I should cook them. When I was apprehensive, he told me just to throw them out. (he of little faith) I knew this was a test! I got on youtube, determined to prove to Trevor that I was not just a whimpy city girl. I typed in how to cook dove. I clicked on the first video. Immediately this guy had a newly shot dove and started ripping it apart. I didn't want to hear it so I started screaming. I couldn't turn it off because I would have to look at the screen. I spent the next 6 1/2 minutes with my hands over my eyes while going lalalala. The next video was great! They started at the meat part. I learned that I had to detach the meat from the bone and then cook them allot like a steak. I could totally do it! I poured the blood down the sink and only gagged twice. I then speared one with a knife and worked up the courage to touch it. I then had to use my thumbs to work it off the chest plate. I swear I heard a few chirps. Every time it would chirp, I would drop it in the sink and run a lap around the kitchen. I finally got most of the breasts off the bones. One of them had this psychedelic tendon inside it and it made me lose my breath it was so gross. I didn't know what to do with that thing so I threw the whole thing away?? I then put a cream cheese stuffed jalapeno on the breast and wrapped it up in bacon. I put a skewer in the middle and wallah, they were prepared. I grilled them a few minutes on each side. I made some hash browns, corn and stuffed jalapenos for side dishes. Trevor was so impressed. I was super proud of myself. I will be honest, I really didn't think I could do it! We each tried them and they were wonderful. They tasted totally different than anything I've eaten before. Dove meat is like a mix between poultry and beef. It doesn't have any gaminess. I loved it. Trevor told me that they tasted as good or better than any he had tasted before! I am so proud of myself and I can totally hang with those Wyoming or Colorado girls!!

Beauty

I have a pencil sketch of the beautiful Marilyn Monroe in my closet. It is one of the best decorations in my house! What a perfect and normal body role model. 5'5'' and 120-140 pounds. Current size 8, yet thought of as one of the most beautiful women. Why are models now a size 2?

Our Secret Garden

Trevor has taken up gardening in the last year. When we bought our little yellow house, the yard was definitely a "fixer upper!" There was not a blade of Bermuda grass. It was entirely taken over by weeds and crab grass. There were 4 diseased rose bushes in need of lots of care. The one positive was the trees. We have a very established Bradford pear and 4 nice oaks. Our first summer was very busy with the wedding and honeymoon and Trevor's trip to England. He really started his new hobby this spring. He has spent countless hours on his hands and knees pulling crab grass, digging up unknown scrubby plants and bushes, and shopping at Home Depot. He is known by name in the garden department. I am so happy to report that the yard is almost completely crab grass free. We have the best and greenest yard on our street! We were even nominated for Plum Creek Yard of the Month! I have posted a few pictures from the past few months. I am amazed at the transformation and I can't wait to see it in another year! Trevor says the garden is a gift for me... Thank you Trevor from the bottom of my heart!


We have 4 new hibiscus plants. They literally grow like weeds. The flowers are gigantic and seem to bloom almost every day!

The rose on the left is a heritage rose from the Natural Gardener. The floating blooms are from our new Gardenia. They smell so amazing. They smell like my childhood! :)

Our Bradford Pear tree has grown so much over the past year. The picture on the left is of the special week in March when it blooms.

The 2 red rose bushes were at the house originally. When we moved in, they had black spot and were a tenth of the size they are now. The Yellow climbing bush is one of my favorites. It would not be good if you are afraid of bees.

These pictures are of the same rose bush at different times. The color changes throughout the season. It goes from almost all pink to yellow with pink tips to purely yellow.

We have one purple rose bush, one yellow and countless pink and red!

Heart Rolls

Dish: Heart shaped rolls
Website: Pinterest
Pajamas: pink boxers and a brown tshirt
Meal: Dinner
Eaters: Trevor and me

The idea on pinterest was with cinnamon rolls. I made a delicious casserole and needed a side dish. We love Pillsbury crescent rounds. I put them on the pan and realized they were spiral rolls just like cinnamon rolls. I unwrapped them and re-wrapped from both ends and they turned into precious hearts. They were shaped better before baking. Next time, I will make a sharp point at the bottom. The casserole was a success. I used a bunch of leftover ingredients from the week. I was a bit worried because I had no recipe at all to go off of. I used fat free sour cream, a bit of 2% cheese, a can of cream of chicken soup, onion, skim milk, boiled chicken breast, bread crumbs, and hash brown potatoes. I will definitely make it again!

Making a house a home part 2

This week I added dishes to the walls above the kitchen windows. They make it bright and cheerful! I love the little touches of color. The living room is looking better with a new shabby chic vase.
We just bought a new dresser for the bedroom. It matches our bedroom set very almost perfectly. I put in some puff curtains in our bedroom I LOVE how they transform the window! Trevor also bought me a beautiful teal coverlet that we use daily when we have the comforter put away.

Strawberry Cheesecake

Dish: Strawberry Cheesecake
Website: Pinterest
Pajamas: Tshirt nightgown with teal and white stripes
Meal: Dessert for mom's birthday
Eaters: Mom, Mam, Pap, Brian, Carol, Will, Teri, Trevor, and me

I posted a month ago about Pinterest. At the time, I didn't quite understand the point of the website. Since then, I have gotten so many craft, recipe, and decorating ideas! I have tried a few. These cute little strawberry cheesecakes were one of my successes. They were pretty easy. I hollowed out the strawberries with a potato peeler. I then used the no bake Jello cheesecake for the filling. I dipped some in graham cracker crust and some in mini chocolate chips. I think they are super cute and they tasted great! They are a perfect dessert to take to a party!

Painting with a Twist

A friend from school has a hobby that I admire. She paints canvases. I tried it for a week or so back in college. I just don't have the ideas needed to create new paintings. This teacher paints at a shop in Austin called Painting with a Twist. You sign up for a certain painting and a teacher walks you through the process. We found a few studios in Dallas and decided to do it with sis! Mom, me, Sis and Reid all showed up at a teeny messy studio in Frisco. There were mostly women and a few guys. The walls were covered with beautiful semi/amateur paintings. The floor, chairs and tables were covered with messy paint (my kind of place!) You can bring food, wine, anything. We brought Starbucks! Our barefooted, long haired, dirty, awkward teacher began. He informed us that he had never painted The Green Door (our painting of the night.) There were 3 or 4 cute girls walking around to help. We started with about 5 colors and a blank canvas. The teacher walked us through mixing colors, brush size and stroke, and layering. In the end we all had our own version of The Green Door. My favorite part was how similar yet how different all of our paintings turned out. I will definitely Paint with a Twist again!

My Birthday

I am so loving getting older! I feel like I haven't reached my best years yet! Bring on 30!! With all of that said, this year was weird. I was really excited for my month long birthday (like always), but something was off. I couldn't figure it out. The day before my first birthday celebration, the odd feelings started. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I just felt off and a bit worried. I'm sure it means nothing. I don't like odd numbers or sevens. Who knows... Here are a few pictures from my birthday.

TS=JT

I always said that I would marry Justin Timberlake one day!!!
What a hottie, my husband that is ;)

Making a house a home

I LOVE our little yellow house. The first time I saw it, I knew it was our house! If you don't know the story, Trevor and I were not looking for a house. This little house was on my school's online bulletin board and it was so cute. I met a realtor at the house and fell in love. I called Trevor immediately and told him to make an appointment the next day. He did and he felt the same way. The third day, I met the realtor at the central market restaurant and signed all of the contracts to make it ours. We left on a family vacation to Big Bend the next morning. Over the phone, the realtor and I finalized everything and bought the house that week. We closed and moved in a month later! Trevor's family was coming to visit a few weeks later, so I threw as many decorations on the wall as fast as I could. It turned out very cute. Over the past year, I have wanted it to be more "homey." I sat at Carol's house (my aunt) a few weeks ago and admired the "homeyness" of her house. I came to the realization that it takes time and effort. I began obsessing over Southern Living, Better Home and Gardens, and Living Simple. I know that it is a work in progress, but at least it is now in progress:)

We ordered a canvas for our first wedding anniversary. I put small shelved up for our growing Willow Tree collection. In the entryway, I put up a shelf. I replaced the gray knobs with antique mismatched knobs. I collected different S's to put on the shelf. I haven't decided what I'm going to hang from the knobs.

I bought a simple white frame and took out the matting. I cut 35 fabric squares and put them in the frame. I drew black lines on the inside of the glass. I will write our monthly schedule with dry erase markers. (I need to get a black dry erase, I only had pastels for the picture.) In the kitchen, we hung one of our painting and I clustered some frames of wedding pictures.

I hung 3 cube shelves by the television. I haven't decided what I will put on them yet. For now, small frames will have to do. I also put a wall clock above the fridge. I put both of our paintings in one corner rather than spread out.
Like I said, this is not all! I have lots of work to do, more pictures to come.

Wine

I cannot stand beer or liquor! I'll start with that. I don't like to drink more than a glass anything because I drink for flavor rather than fun. I have always liked the idea of wine, but have never found a wine that makes me want to buy it again. The only wines that I really enjoy are Rieslings because they are so sweet. Having said all of this and helping you understand my drinking dilemma, I love a new wine! And when I say love, I mean I'd drink it and buy it often! The name is Sweet Bliss and it is pink :) It tastes like strawberries and watermelon and even white chocolate. Try it!

I didn't know that creator of these knew me and Trevor??

Pinterest

Last night, I was introduced to Pinterest! I haven't quite formed an opinion on it yet. My problem is that I have so many online hobbies. I LOVE to search Etsy for homemade things. I spend lots of time on The Nest learning about living as a newlywed. The Bump is fun to look at and learn things for our future as a family. I spend hours a week on facebook. I check twitter at least once a day. I also have many other faves like: Southern Living, Bakerella, Better Homes and Garden, The Little Yellow House, Youtube, etc. Now, I have Pinterest... Pinterest is a concept of "pinning" or saving your favorite ideas from the web on a single site. You can search Pinterest and see other members pinned items or ideas. You can search anywhere on the web and if you find something that is of interest, it can be pinned on your board. I guess that I will try it out and see if I take to it. Happy Pinning!!

One Year Anniversary

Today is Trevor and my one year anniversary! We started celebrating last night. We had an amazing dinner at Perry's. We both decided that our steaks were the best we've eaten.


Today we had a very relaxing day at home. I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We had a great day of relaxation with no work stress! This afternoon we ate our delicious Perry's leftovers and then headed to the outlet malls. We had so much fun walking through the decorating stores and planning future house projects. We had a romantic drive and drinks in San Marcos. We then rented a movie and headed home. I have to say that I found the perfect card for our anniversary. I don't know how I'm going to top it in years to come :)


We had been looking forward to eating the top tier of our wedding cake for a while. We were anxious and a bit scared. So many people have told us that it was going to be really gross and not to get too excited because it would for sure be a huge let down. I am so happy to say, everyone was wrong. I thawed the cake overnight and kept it in the fridge all day. I unwrapped it mid day because it was very wet. We finally got enough nerve to taste it at about 10:00 pm. It looked absolutely beautiful for having been lost in Colorado, driven across 3 states, and shoved in the back of a freezer for a year. I slowly cut it and the inside was perfect. The 7 white and pink layers looked as if they were freshly baked. Trevor and I did a count down and then fed each other a bite. We prepared for the worst... We were blown away. It was so moist and sweet. It tasted the exact same as it did the day of our wedding. I am so happy. To me, the cake is one of the most important details of a wedding. I worked really hard to find the perfect cake! I am can't believe that I get to enjoy it a year later! Tasting the cake took me back to the most perfect and love filled day of my life. Memories came back with every bite. It was more than I could have ever asked for.



With all of the details of our special day behind me, I know that all that really matters is the love in my heart. Thank you Trevor for making me the most happy and loved girl in the world. You are a dream come true. Your love has given me my fairy tale.