Thanksgiving greetings everyone! 

This morning, I find myself typing from a kitchen and a computer covered in a light or not so light in places dusting of flour. I've been busy making homemade dinner rolls and pumpkin pie to take along to our Thanksgiving celebrations today. In case you're wondering, the rolls I'm currently attempting are the very same delicious Quick Homemade Dinner Rolls I made last Thanksgiving. I decided to double the recipe, so I've got fingers crossed they won't be a flop! So far, they look and smell pretty good from what I can spy inside my oven.

I won't even begin to make a list of things that T & I have to count as blessings this Thanksgiving holiday, but one in particular I'm enjoying currently is that he is still asleep. LET ME EXPLAIN: This gives me the entire morning to indulge in one of my favorite Thanksgiving Day traditions: watching the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade with my morning cup of joe! L.O.V.E.

A few pics from our Thanksgiving family photo shoot to share!

The whole clan is back together again. Watch out!

Pretty good looking crew!

Me and the brothers. Thanksgiving 2013.

So I couldn't decide which photo I liked better. This one...

...Or this one.

Probably the best picture of T & I from the year. Too bad I already have my Christmas cards!

Do you have any favorite Thanksgiving Day traditions?

Dear Santa...T's also been nice this year...

Since T will likely be too focused on his obsession with ipad games and Call of Duty to read my blog this week, I thought I'd share a few items that might be on his list this year for Christmas...

Like myself, T has a number one item (#2 below) that he has been wanting for quite some time now. Explanation: he finally did buy himself a straight blade razor over the summer, and he now wants to upgrade his starter shaving brush to match the cocobolo wood on his razor. Very particular I know. The other items on the list are in no particular order, and he isn't aware that I'm sharing, so will be pleasantly surprised by any of these gems if they were to show up under the Christmas tree this year.

1 - Squire Shoppe dress pants (size 34) - flat front, NO pleats. T could use dark gray and a new pair of black pants. Maybe a gift card so he could try them on first and get them hemmed?
2 - Thater Silvertip Badger Shaving Brush with Cocobolo Wood Handle & stand - #1 on T's list this year
3 - New Workout Clothes - t-shirts & shorts. T is seriously lacking in this department and relies on white undershirts and hideous light blue & gold basketball shorts that weigh about 20lbs, have pockets, and are likely at least 8 years old. These UnderArmour brand workout clothes might be just the thing to get him up-to-date.
4 - Gap black belt - (size 36)
5 - Holiday socks - As long as they have that ski-lodge feel, he'd probably like these from anywhere
6 - Pottery Barn Saddle Leather Lidded Ice Bucket & Tongs with 'W' monogram in double-stroke square - style 397. T's mancave wetbar does not have an ice maker, so this would be a nice addition.
7 - Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 22.5in Smoker - a new hobby T has been interested in after tasting some delicious home-smoked meats over the summer and tailgating season.
8 - JCrew fleece-lined lodge moccasins in navy (size 12)
9 - Pottery Barn Saddle Leather Toiletry Case with 'TWJ' monogram in traditional block - style 11. T doesn't have anything to keep all of his bathroom gear together when we travel. This case is so nice he would likely deem it worthy of his many prized items currently stored all over the counter.
10 - Leather gloves - black (the pictured gloves are Calvin Klein brand from Younkers - no particular style)
11 - (1) The Balvenie or (2) Dalwhinnie Single Malt Scotch Aged 15 Years - T's favorites available at most liquor stores
12 - Iowa Hawkeye Robe - T spotted this super soft Hawkeye robe over the weekend and is practically begging me to get it for him.

T has been so wonderful this year, that I would love to surprise him with all of these items. Unfortunately, my bank account doesn't agree, so I'll be choosing maybe just a couple of these items on his list. Anyone worried about doubling up, call/text/email me. I've already done some Christmas shopping for T (things I did not list here), so can be flexible if there is something here that you would just love to surprise him with. We're only a month away now! Crazy how fast the holiday season can sneak up on us!

Do you have any good ideas for manly Christmas gifts this year?

Pumpkin-Cranberry Muffins

NOM. Nom. nom. That's what I have to say about the magnificent muffins I whipped up in the kitchen today. With Fall in full swing, and Thanksgiving just around the corner, pumpkin and cranberries were on my mind when looking for a new recipe to test out for breakfast. Boy am I sure glad I did! These muffins were soft as a cloud and came together in a perfect medley of fall flavors.

These muffins are best served warm with a dollop of butter and a steaming cup of joe. I'm thinking they will be the perfect thing to have on hand for Thanksgiving morning next week. One can never have too much pumpkin right?

Step One: Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Step Two: In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients using a whisk.

Step Three: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, buttermilk, pumpkin, egg, brown sugar, and olive oil. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes using a paddle attachment.

Step Five: On low mixing speed, gradually add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in the dried cranberries.

Step Six: Prepare the muffin tin with cup liners, and spoon the muffin batter into each liner. 

You should have exactly the right amount.

Step Seven: Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Immediately remove muffins to a wire cooling rack.

Remember that dollop of butter I mentioned? Now is the time friends! NOTE: This recipe can be easily doubled if you have company coming.

Recipe from Cooking Light

PUMPKIN-CRANBERRY MUFFINS | Yield: 12 muffins | Total Time: 40 min.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cloves
1 C sugar
1 C canned pumpkin
1/2 C low-fat buttermilk
1/4 C packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large egg
2/3 C dried cranberries (such as Craisins)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and cloves in a large bowl. Stir together with a whisk.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a separate bowl), combine sugar, pumpkin, buttermilk, brown sugar, olive oil, and egg. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture to the wet ingredients beating at low speed until just combined. Fold in the cranberries.

Prepare a muffin tin with muffin liners. Spoon batter into prepared cups. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan immediately, and cool on a wire rack.

What will you be making for Thanksgiving morning?

Dear Santa...I've been nice this year...

Happy Monday all! How was your weekend? I kept busy sorting out and setting up some Christmas decorations (shhhh!) and working on several home projects. A big shout out to my youngest bro T for helping me hang a ton of things I needed help with, my own T for putting together the rest of our storage shelves that have been sitting on the floor for the last month and a half, my lovely mom for bringing us some puppy chow and coffee cake to snack on, and my dad, for sitting on the couch to watch football with the boys, and taking us all out to dinner. With all the glitter and sparkles in my house and this talk about Christmas, I got to thinking about what's on my list for this year's holiday season. Drum Roll Please...

1 - Casio PX850 Privia 88-Key Digital Piano, white and Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songboook
2 - Wusthoff Classic 6-Inch Granton Edge Cook's Knife
3 - Pottery Barn Gift Card
4 - Mark & Graham Polished Brass Coasters with 'W' monogram - Didot Regular Style 549
5 - Frye Company Melissa Button Boot in Cognac size 9
6 - Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel 8-Qt Multi-Pot
7 - White Gold Hoops (4cm size & must latch), and Diamond Stud earrings (my current ones are too tiny to see)
8 - Canon PowerShot SX260 HS 12.1-Megapixel Digital Camera
9 - Stir Crazy Popcorn Maker
10 - Pottery Barn Maxine Cake Serving Set
11 - Mariposa Luncheon Size Napkin Holder and Mariposa Chip & Dip Server
12 - Shark Cordless Handheld Vacuum

The long awaited list is finally here! While the digital piano is definitely number one on my santa list, the rest of the list is in no specific order. I'll agree some are more exciting than others (yes, I have a handheld vacuum on my list), but all are things I would be super excited to open for the holidays.

My suggestion to those of you who are concerned about doubling up on something...Pottery Barn gift cards or money are more than welcome, and equally appreciated. There are several items on my list that I would kill for (ahem ... notice that beautiful digital piano or diamond earrings), and others that didn't make the cut due to various other reasons (like all that furniture we need, but haven't picked out yet), so know that I would be supremely happy with any contribution to put towards any of the numerous items on my pictured or non-pictured list in the new year. If for some reason I were to be lucky enough to get two of the same thing, most of these items can be easily exchanged during my pre-planned post-holiday shopping trip, so never fear!

What is on your Christmas list this year?