Our Cali Spin on a Traditional East Coast Crab Boil

We have been a go-go-go lately

which is why we chose to slow things down

and celebrate Christmas Eve at home.

If you didn't already know it,

Samuel and I have a beloved tradition of

eating King Crab Legs at home.

And the kids,

up to this point,

thought that tradition was disgusting.

But as they've grown older,

their curiousity has led them to want to give

these gnarly crustaceans a try.

Granted,

I'm stingy though.

King Crab is pricey!

But as I was pondering a

simple Christmas Eve dinner,

it didn't take long for me to know that

it was time to get the butter melting!

Our beautiful family!

Though it was casual dress

-we're at home!-

some of the girls chose to don their

best Christmas dresses for the occasion!

The big kahuna!

Traditional East Coast Crab Boils have

whole new potatoes, Kielbasa sausage, and shrimp.

Sign me up!

We chose to keep things simple though,

with the crab-both King and Dungeness-centerstage!

My babies!

Sadly,

when I say "babies",

I'm referring to my lovely little crab legs,

scrumptious corn cobbies,

perfect lemon wedges,

and flowering of fresh cilantro.

Oh yes,

and then there are my girls!

{ I don't mess around when it comes to crab } 

Turns out they really are babies!

For all their begging to try crab,
each sampled a biteful before deciding they'd rather

much on corn on the cob and sourdough bread!

{ That's okay...more for me! }

Now if I could just get Samuel to eat only a forkful...

Dessert:

An irresistible chocolate bread pudding!

T O  D I E  F O R !

And did I mention the Vanilla Creme' Anglaise sauce?

Y U M M Y!

...

We hope your Christmas Eve

was just as wonderful,

and that you found yourself surrounded

by family, good food, and a heart turned to the Savior.

M E R R Y  C H R I S T M A S  E V E !

{ p.s. recipes coming soon! }

Our Extreme Gingerbread House

I'll admit it.

We get a little ambitious at Christmas.

And with the kids home for the holidays,

they also shamelessly partake in my love of cooking shows-

especially holiday cooking shows.

Something we always get a kick-out of,

is "Extreme Gingerbread Houses".

Basically,

teams from bakeries across the nation

are tasked with creating insanely large gingerbread houses

in a ridiculousy short amount of time.

The end result?

After a whole lot of blood, sweat, and yes, tears,

there are enormous sweet structures

that any of my kids would happily move into,

and someone is $10 K richer.

Which always gives us the brilliant idea:

We could do that!

Granted,

it's not on the same scale,

but I tell you,

we're getting there!

You see,

size DOES matter.

And after we're done,

we take a step back,

look at our finished product,

and for all of two-seconds we're happy.

Then, without fail,

we make our resoluton:

Next year will be

BIGGER!

And that's how it begins,

and soon you find

yourself sweating and crying

on national T.V.

{smile}

The walls...

Basic design outline...

Candy Quality Control (C.Q.C.)

Very important in any official competition!

The mason...

Ta-da!

She's a beauty!

I can't remember how tall she was,

or how much she weighs,

but she looked great on our buffet!

{ And yes, it's a "she"! }

...

What will we do different next year?

Everyone gets their own house!

I want COMPLETE creative control!

Cookies Only Santa Would Love!

Yup,

I still hate making sugar cookies,

but I admit it's pretty fun

seeing each child take genuine ownership over

their portion of the dough.

From start to finish

they work with

intense concentration

and,

for want of a better word,

precision,

to see that

every

last

detail

is

just

right!

Though we won't win any awards for our cookies...

They certainly tasted

-and dare I say looked- 

good!

Thank goodness Santa's not picky,

but even so,

I think what we created would sufficiently

lure any legendary icon

to our home

for a sweet treat!

...

M E R R Y  B A K I N G !



Googly Eyes, Homemade Donuts, & Creatures of the Night!

When Samuel drags in a bin from the garage,

it usually means one of two things:

We're going camping,

or it's time to decorate for a holiday!

Either way,

the kids are thrilled!

But in this case,

Samuel pulled out the Halloween bin-

and we all dug in to spook-i-fy the house!

I always puts on Halloween music,

and "Thriller" always awakens the zombies!

This year we had some old and new traditions.

For instance,

 we always carve pumpkins

roast pumpkin seeds,

and read spooky stories.

This year though,

Samuel made me a monogrammed pumpkin (I love the "E"!),

the kids ate flourescent green

Hostess Snow Balls for breakfast,

and Iris brought home her class Duck

to share in the festivities!

The not-to-be-missed event-of-the-year

(according to my kids...):

T H E  W A R D  H A L L O W E E N  P A R T Y !

 I was a little bummed that we attending without Samuel

(this semester he had class on Friday nights),

but let's face it,

I am never without company!

Tonight I, a motorcycle momma,

was escorted by my tough-guy side-kick, Gabriel,

a talented artiste (Isabella),

a blood-thirsty vampire (Ava),

Mulan (Iris),

and a rather timid pirate (Owen)!

We had a super-fun Halloween Party with the

Ramos, Lopez, & King families!

We feasted on Super-Nachos,

fresh fruit, caramel corn, & the like!

Taylor dominated Spooky Musical Chairs,

and the kids had a blast tricky-treating down

Spook Alley (a.k.a. our hallway!).

The Elmer family hosts an annual Halloween Party as well,

and part of that menu always features donuts!

Since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year,

instead of purchasing donuts,

I made them!

It was super-fun,

but very fast-paced,

and of course,

crazy-delicious-un-healthy!

Aunt Leah hosted this year,

and per prego tradition,

she was our pumpkin!

...

All in all,

when the holiday was finally over,

we were definately treated out!

It's time for some real food,

so with open arms we welcome...

T H A N K S G I V I V I N G !

A Work of Art: Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

I love it.

It's such a contradiction too.

A true beast of a pie.

Hefty,
in your face,
and
don't forget the spikes!

And yet,

it's got an etheral quality.

Very delicate. 

Very...soft.

Hmmmm.

Either way,

it's so, so good.

And while it takes a good bit of work to make,

it's worth all the trouble!

...

Now,

where's my fork...?

Easiest Refereshments EVER!!!

So we all know how fast FHE rolls around,

and if you're anything like me,

you're always caught off guard for a dessert!

I know we don't have to be extravagant,

but it's always a highlight of the evening

so I don't like to disappoint.

What to do then when your little birdies are waiting?

Sundaes, of course!

IN YOUR MOUTH!

I guarantee it to be the

tastiest,

simplest,

&

 silliest

treat ever!

Even mom's and dad's love it!

Happy Family Home Evening!

{Owen was mad I wouldn't give him another sundae! 
It's either that or I have him in a headlock. 
Both could be true so take your pick!}

Dollar Scoop Tuesdays

Don't let Gabriel's frown fool you...

we love ice cream!

And the kids are so happy to pick out their own scoop!

Don't believe me?

Just ask Owen!

From these photos you'd never know that we're also the parents of

three stunningly beautiful daughters. 

They're all grown up and sitting at their own table-er, tables. 
Ava chose to sit at a table by herself (see the first photo).

Funny girl.

Summer Roast

I hate s'mores.

Always have.  Always will.

Now marshmallows and chocolate alone?

Completely separate from one another, and minus any graham action?

That's another story.

Yum.

But what are you going to do?

S'mores are a summer staple

-especially if you have a firepit-

and the kids go crazy for them. 

So here you go...

Oodles of kids with hot pokers:

Very dangerous!

But also extremely fun!



Bella & Hallie





Uncle Nathan getting some sweets on.

And Gabriel wearing the latest in baby summer attire.

Cake Skills

What with all of  Owen's birthday festivities

there was ample opportunity for Gabriel to practice his upcoming

first birthday cake skills.

This was a good thing.

For as you can see...

He was clearly unnerved!

No matter though! 

That's what cousins are for!

To help you along!

And of course, to share the burden!

Thanks Miss V! 

I've got it now. 

And I promise to lend you a hand when you need one too!

Love,

Gabriel

"Charlotte's Web" Inspired County Fair!

Isabella's third grade class has been studying "Charlotte's Web",
and as a culmination to the school year they held a literary inspired
county fair!

Each classmate was charged with creating something from scratch,

and to my delight,

Isabella opted to bake a cake!

Using fresh cherries,

courtesy of her Uncle Joseph and Aunt Jessica,

she created a decadent concoction...

A Double-Chocolate Cake studded with Fresh Cherries
and drizzled with Chocolate Ganache!



Yum!

This takes home the blue ribbon, sweetheart!

And don't forget:

 Bring the leftovers home!

{I can't wait!}