Cookies with the Kids: Making the Holiday Sweet

If you have young kids, I'm sure this time of year is similar in your household--look for ALL the ways to create memories with the little ones, regardless of how messy or chaotic it may be. Christmas cookies are something the kids have been SO eager to create, and I kid you not, I have never seen them work more intently on something EVER. No exaggeration here--they did this ALL morning long!! 

We packed as many cookie cutters would fit on to the dough, and it was so cute to see the kids press down soooo firmly and gently pull the shapes out. There wasn't a favorite, they loved ALL the different cutters, however you obviously know that mine was the horse. 

We rolled dough and cut shapes and rotated pans in and out of the oven all morning. If you're reading this and you don't yet have kids but think that you want some one day--I encourage you to try to remember this one small piece of advice in your future: foster happy, positive, love filled memories in your household. If you know me, you know that I don't really love messes. I don't know if there are moms who LOVE a mess, but there are probably a LOT who handle the whole thing better than I do. For this though, I saw the flour covering our favorite dining room table, the one that has signatures underneath it from the people who have sat around it, and I tried to breathe it all in. 

Every single crumb. Every single drop of dough that was getting caked on to my hardwood floor. The flour went into the crevices of the table and the kids were wearing a LOT of it. But it was a rare occasion of no fits, no temper tantrums, no anger or meltdowns. It was a morning of determination, innocent conversations, and sharing of frosting and sprinkles. 

I walked away to take a shower came back, and they were STILL decorating cookies, completely enthralled with creating holiday whimsey. 

Do you remember what your childhood was like around the holidays? I'll never forget the no-bake chocolate cookies, my FAVORITE peanut butter balls, the rice Krispy treats my mom made, and the many other desserts that were made. 

Christmas was special when I was kid. When we first get married and before we had our children, I remember how romantic if felt that we simply had each other. And now... NOW, Christmas is pure magic. These are the parts that I never want to forget. I'm a little scared I'm going to remember a LOT of challenges brought to the table by my strong-willed child and not necessarily the goodness that existed amongst it. So here's to documenting, capturing, and holding on to every ounce of magic that happened this sweet Saturday morning. And trust me, it was SWEET! I

Oh, I've mentioned several times that my husband is an elf, well, you just look at the next photo and try and tell me he's not ;) 

What is one of YOUR best holiday memories? Either from your childhood, or from YOUR child's childhood? It feels so long ago that our kids were babies, and that they were having their 'first Christmas...' I should probably stop before I break down crying and end up inconsolable unable to post this. But my goodness they don't lie when they tell you time flies. That you'll blink and they'll be grown. Four and five years have somehow flown away, and those are years I won't ever get back. Very much reason to create and enjoy these precious moments, right? 

Happy Holidays, Y'all! 

Gather with Havertys: Finger Food+ Charcuterie Style

Sometimes fancy meals and extensive dinners are fun, but other times you crave simplicity. This past Sunday we had so much fun sitting on the floor, eating in our newly designed living room (thank you, Havertys!!!), and laughing with dear friends. My husband enjoyed choosing the foods for this meal, and my big requests were pesto, a fresh baguette, and a variety of cheeses. Guess what, Y'all? He did NOT disappoint!! 

I've had so many compliments on this cocktail table from Havertys, so go ahead and click here to see more details. It definitely served us well this warm autumn afternoon. We had refreshing cranberry mock-tails mixed with Asa's homemade simple syrup--keep reading for the recipe! 

We did a mix of charcuterie boards and antipasto. Fresh baguettes, peppered salami, roasted red peppers, Swiss cheese, gruyere, prosciutto, grapes, sun-dried tomatoes, (I may have begged for a cheese ball) fresh mozzarella (aka HEAVEN), and, you betcha--pesto! Ha ha!  

Oh, you see that NAVY BLUE SOFA up there behind all that delectable food? Don't worry--you can have one too! Click here to check it out, and remember, you can design your dreams away with H Designers through Havertys, and ALL the employees are super helpful. And the insanely plush and comfy rug that my sweet senior dog is on? Check that here! 

We try to have special Sunday meals regularly throughout the month, and to make them a really memorable event. It's one of my favorite days of the week because all of this, right here, is unforgettable. What you can't hear through the photos is our son Pierson writing letters to Santa and asking us how to spell certain words. And our daughter Reese laughing and walking around with her backpack on, getting ready for 'work.' 

It's always a good day when the kids enjoy the food too--and as you can see, ours did. There was one dilemma... all of the animals felt that the table was perfectly at THEIR level? So keeping them away was quite the struggle. Don't judge me on this photo below ;) 

The rest of the afternoon was spent pretty much outdoors, or else running up and down the stairs and playing all sorts of silly games. One of Pierson's favorites is to dangle his legs out of the banister to get Asa to jump up and grab them. The living room has been our spot, where we sit and mingle and talk and catch up. It's also where we ended the night to start The Grinch; truth be told the weekend had me exhausted and my KIDS had me exhausted--and just sitting in quiet to watch a Christmas movie was really divine. (#momlife)

Okay, and now for the sweet twist to this blog post: Asa's Cranberry Simple Syrup Recipe: 

-Combine 1 cup of sugar, and 1/2 a cup of water.
-Bring to a boil. Add in 6oz of fresh cranberries, and the juice from two oranges.
-Toss in the whole oranges (rind and all). Add 1 tbsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp each clove and allspice. Simmer until thickened.
-Pour everything in a blender and let her rip. Strain the pulp reserving the syrup for your mocktail.  
-For the mocktail fill your shaker with ice. Its very important you shake this drink. Add in 1oz of the cranberry simple syrup, and 4 oz of sprite or club soda. (I suppose you could always add a little rum or bourbon it that's your thing.) Shake well.
-Serve with a little twist of orange. 

Now I'd love to hear from YOU! What is your favorite FOOD memory; it can entail something that you cooked, your mom cooked, or that you would die to know HOW to cook. And you know that I adore Shauna Niequist, so I'm leaving you with one of her endearing quotes: 

"Gather the people you love around your table and feed them with love and honesty and creativity. Feed them with your hands and the flavors and smells that remind you of home and beauty and the best stories you’ve ever heard, the best stories you’ve ever lived."

Halloween Treats with See's Candies

When we opened our package of See's Candies, my husband and I felt like we were children all over again. Sure we remember getting the fun sized bags of candy during the Halloween festivities, but there is something nostalgic about vintage and authentically made treats. Do you remember going into the corner store with your grandmother? The giant lollipops and colorful suckers that immediately made your mouth water? Holidays are really special in our family and making sweet memories has been at the top of our list since the moment we became parents. Enter literal sweet memories, such as this, and our kids having their own taste of Halloween. 

Halloween is of course about costumes and trick and treating and hanging out with all of our friends; but we ALL know at the end of the night, it's allllllllll about that c-a-n-d-y!! Check out some of the sweetness that can be found at See's Candies-- they've been making quality chocolate for over NINETY years, y'all. And they have over 200 shops AND an online store.

If WE as parents were oohing and aahing over the beauty that was set out in front of us, you KNOW our children were in candy and chocolate HEAVEN. It was so fun watching them pick up the many assortments and talk about what to try first and then what to eat next. We only let them have two pieces, and ever since this shoot, I've basically been ghosting the leftovers [which there was a LOT] because #momtax, y'all. 

If the images themselves haven't convinced you yet, then just see for yourself. Visit See's Candies website and I double dog dare you to choose just ONE Halloween treat. I mean really, do you think you'll be able to order JUST the Trick or Treat Lollypops and miss out on ALSO ordering those milk chocolate jack o' lanterns? Hhhmmmmmmm, I doubt it ;) 

Happy Halloweening, friends! Is that a word? No...but it works. 

The SOFTEST Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Leave it to Instagram to come up with a TOLL option in their stories feature, and y'all know me, I HAD to try it. Needless to say 96% of my viewers said YES to wanting the recipe [I want to know who the 4% no's were!!!] But it was a fun toll regardless and a new way to incorporate feedback into what I do.

These were by far, the best pumpkin cookies I've ever had to date. Come fall, I will NEVER turn down pumpkin [except maybe really weird stuff, like, did you know pumpkin flavored Doritos are/were a thing?!?! WHY!?!] My husband actually baked these so I can take ZERO credit other than photographing them, writing this, and eating almost all of them.... (He found the original recipe here, on Averie Cooks blog.) 

I have always loved oats in cookies, and while I don't love oatmeal RAISIN, I DO love a good oatmeal chocolate chip. We decided to give these a whirl on a Sunday afternoon and guys, you have to find time asap to try these for yourself.  This cookie is oozing in nothing but fall flavors, because you can never go wrong with molasses and pumpkin pie spice. 

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 TBS mild or medium-flavored molasses (not blackstrap, too intense)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla or pumpkin pie spice extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned whole-rolled oats (not quick-cook or instant)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (a mixture of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl
2. Add the pumpkin puree, sugars, molasses, vanilla, pumpkin pie extract and whisk thoroughly to combine until smooth
3. Add oats, pumpkin pie spice, flour, and salt. Stir until combined. 
4. Add the chocolate chips and stir. 
5. Use a large cookie scoop and form 13 equal sized mounds of dough and flatten just slightly. 
6. Add the mounds on a large tray, cover with plastic wrap and cool in fridge for at least three hours [this was the hard part because I am guilty of just wanting to eat the dough!!!!!!!!!!]
7. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or spray w/ cooking spray
8. Place mounds of dough 2 inches apart and bake for 12-14 minutes or until the tops are set (even if they look slightly undercooked or pale--do NOT over bake!] 
9. Cookies will firm up as they cool, so allow them to cool for about ten minutes before serving. 

Fall is just beginning, guys, so seriously, if your pantry is lacking in these ingredients, I suggest you fix that immediately. This is the first of many desserts I plan on making [normally I AM the one who bakes], but I won't complain one bit if my husband wants to continue whipping bad boys like these up. These oatmeal pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are chewy, soft, and perfectly delicious! Great...now I'm going to get another [which will be my third today............] :)