The great Christmas tree hunt 2013

 This bison was not involved in the hunt, but it's a really cool picture my dad took somewhere.

Back to the story. This year's hunt was one of our best. We discovered a new place, with a much smoother road, good views, and a Costa Vida near by :) Last year's drive made my pregnant body nearly lose bladder control the whole way, so this year was a dream.

Plus it was Calvin's first time. He loved the pack, even in the snow, until he fell asleep about 15 minutes in.

 Cheeks and peace for this baby girl.

 Morgan is the best aunt and those boys adore her.

 Jeff bringing home the prize. He does not settle and this year's tree is as good as ever.

 Helping to bring my parent's tree to the trucks. The men hiked clear to the top of that mountain, which didn't look too bad until they had to bring back huge trees.

I love my family so much. And next year....Collin will be with us! Wahoo!

The rest of our Thanksgiving weekend was amazing too, though I didn't take any pictures. We enjoyed the most amazing dinner at Jeff's parent's home on the big day and I'm pretty sure I ate more than I ever have. It was disgusting really and I'm still trying to move past it. But I don't regret it!

We also put up our tree and Christmas decorations, watched the annual Auburn/Alabama game and couldn't believe our eyes when Auburn pulled it off, did a little hiking, and a lot of relaxing.

War eagle people. War eagle.

The 3rd Annual Conference Cook-off

 April usually brings showers, flowers, Easter, and those occasional sunny days that fill me full of hope for an end to winter. April also means one of my favorite family traditions - The Annual Conference Cook-off.

Conference itself is always a good time. We like to throw in some friendly competition and good food to make it even better. The only rules are that no one can know what you're making and you must name your creation. This year's theme was sandwiches and we had some masterpieces.

 The four contenders:

• The Man Pleaser
• The Monte Cristo
• The Big Boy Bagel Sandwich
• The Chuck Norris

The judges always arrive hungry. For good and for bad we were missing Collin, our most critical judge. Last year he recommended a "comments" section on the judging card :)

My sandwich was the Man Pleaser and it must have done the trick because I emerged victoriously.

From me to you: Roasted corn and asparagus salad

 This recipe came about for two reasons. 1) We have a TON of frozen corn in our freezer from last fall when we picked it from the farm. So. Much. Work. 2) Jeff and I had an in-house "chopped challenge" date during the early weeks of Calvin's life when every doctor and person we came in contact with frightened us to the core with stories of infants contracting RSV.

We got creative on those cold, cooped up winter nights and Jeff tasked me with making a dish using asparagus. Much to our delight my creation turned out to be delicious and I make it almost once a week now.  Look out frozen corn, I know how to handle you now.

Enjoy my precise measurements. What can I say, this isn't a cooking blog and I made this recipe up.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus

1 smallish to medium bag of frozen corn

2 tablespoons olive oil

Ample sprinkles of Parmesan cheese

3-4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled (Optional, but not really. Bacon makes everything better.) 

Salt and pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to to 400 degrees. Chop off the hard ends of the asparagus and discard. Chop the rest of the asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Place asparagus in a pot with a few inches of water and boil for about 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, drizzle olive oil on baking sheet and spread frozen corn on the sheet. Add asparagus and bacon pieces to baking sheet. Mix all ingredients into olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle cheese on top.

Roast for about 20 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Serves 2 people.

Enjoy!

Life through iPhone eyes

 Things have been pretty exciting lately. Take these pictures for example.

 

Our new panini press has changed my life.

 

So has our daily obsession with green smoothies for breakfast.

 

Hobbes really loves rolling around in the snow until it gets completely frozen to him.

 

 

I had a moment with this amazing pizza from Slab as I snarfed it down.

Like I said, really exciting around here. 

Apparently food and Hobbes are the two priorities in our lives right now.

My husband the chef

Jeff doesn't cook much, but when he does it's usually a home run. Valentines day found us at home enjoying one such meal. Past years of attempted V-day dining have taught me one thing: I hate people. Ok not really everyone, but I do hate crowded restaurants for an over-hyped holiday when all I really want is some alone time with my man. There, I said it. Instead my mister valentine and I enjoyed a delicious meal of pulled pork, grilled pineapple, coconut rice, and smoothies. Jeff used the bag rice and boiled it with a little milk, butter, and shaved coconut. One bite and I thought I had been transported to an island oasis. After a meal like that he could do no wrong. We made a countdown chain for our upcoming get away and then that boy took me to the movies. He sure does know the way to my heart.

Our Weekend in Pictures

 This weekend has been the definition of relaxing...

We watched as beautiful 50 degree weather turned to a blizzard and didn't care one bit.

 I was semi-productive and worked more on our bedroom re-do. I think we're almost there.

 My 2011 book came in the mail. I don't work for Blurb, but I really should! They do great work, their books are easy to make, and the turnaround time is amazing. I've made travel books, Instagram books, and my favorite -- an annual blog book. It's a great way to chronicle the previous year without writing in a journal or scrap booking....two things I despise.

Happy weekend!

Our weekend in pictures

Happy September! This is by far the best month of the whole year.

We had the perfect weekend to kick it off full of tennis, a favorite new waffle house, the start of college football, and a baby pumpkin.

First of the Season

Last weekend we made the first watermelon margaritas of the summer.
And then we made more....and more...and more.

We soaked in the long awaited sunshine, smells of summer, and talked of our excitement for things ahead. This summer's gonna be a good one.

You must make watermelon margaritas so you too can enjoy their amazing pleasure. Our recipe is very official, so I hope you can follow it.

Mal and Jeff's Watermelon Margaritas:

• Chunks and chunks of fresh seedless watermelon (or you can accidentally buy the wrong kind like I did and pick out every little seed...but I LOVED it I was so excited!)
• Juice of one lime
• A spoonful or so of orange juice concentrate
• Two spoonfuls of sugar
• A couple handfuls of ice

Put in blender and blend.
It helps to juice the watermelon and other ingredients then add the ice.

Enjoy!