Holidaze

MERRY CHRISTMAS, and Happy Holidays everyone! To all those as relaxed, and as off-from-work as I was, I hope you’re all *still* enjoying the holidays with your family’s and friends.

Thought I’d recap my awesome weekend…most importantly because I have a couple of reco’s for yummy desserts that you can still make for the fam before your holiday week is over!

After an early start (3PM) on THURSDAY, to the weekend, I hopped over to kick off the holiday’s right at Blockheads, followed by a new release IMAX Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Overall, great movie. Tom Cruz just always delivers. My only other comment would have to be that it’s safe to say BMW and Apple…paid for the entire movie. PS: Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked is out for family fun! Check out Theodore and I:

Friday was a busy day…finalizing all the Christmas shopping, getting a Christmas-y mani, picking up my sis from school etc.

Saturday, Christmas Eve, was an intense morning, going out and finishing all the food shopping, table decor, et all before the 1PM Jets/Giants game.

While we were boozed up, supped up alla #GreenIt and ready to-go, we sadly watched the Jets lose it to the Giants in a Christmas Eve game that’s going to cost us bragging rights for a LONG TIME! On a happier note, I submitted the photo above (left) to the Week 16 Motorola MotoPics Contest on the New York Jets FB Page– and they chose it! While I had no idea it was up for voting (for an autographed ball,) it’s exciting to see we got 14 random likes!

After the game, we all got to cooking and cleaning. Fam was set to arrive around 5:30 and 7PM- dinner for 7:30PM. This Christmas Eve is the first we’ve hosted in our humble BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW KITCHEN/LIVING ROOM abode.

While I normally do not contribute to dinner dishes because I’m NO GOOD in the kitchen, I signed up for drinks and dessert. I also attempted a Peperonata dish I found in the December Food Network mag (which you can see my sister kicking off in our new kitchen below.)

Sadly my Peperonata came out horrible (overcooked the peppers) but this is what the dish should have looked like.

In drinks/dessert news, my Whipped Cream/Chocolate Dark n’ Fluffy (recommended by a co- worker,) was a hit. We drank it out of mugs, just because it looked like hot chocolate, and went without the marshmallows because the Whipped Cream Smirnoff is already so sweet. As per dessert, my sister picked up Baker’s Dipping chocolate for Chocolate Covered Strawberries, and I got the recipe from @lcheck for Christmas Bark, aka Christmas CRACK– like, actually. Sooooo easy to make! Check out the recipe below.

All in all, it was a very … CHOCOLATY Christmas!

Chocolate Bark recipe alla @lchecks

Saltine crackers
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Layer jelly roll pan with foil, then with saltines, salt side up, touching each other.
Cook butter and sugar on top of stove in saucepan until mixture is thick and boils, stirring constantly, until it turns a caramel color.
Pour over crackers. Bake in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.
Take out of oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
Put back in oven for 30-40 seconds. Spread out chocolate with dinner knife.

Refrigerate for 3 hours. When hardened, lift off of foil. Break into bite size pieces. ENJOY!