Day 19 - A recipe

I looove baking and decorating, and now that I am a stay-at-home wife, I also really enjoy cooking. Lately, the hubby and I have been on a pumpkin kick: pumpkin latte from starbucks, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin egg nog, pumpkin candles, pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin. Howeverrrr, we weren't pumpkin-ed out enough to not have pumpkin pie for thanksgiving! Plus, with it being my first time cooking thanksgiving dinner (which was pretty successful fyi) a pumpkin pie was a simple dessert. Heres the recipe I used:


1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.

2.Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

I only baked mine for the first 15 minutes, and then 20 minutes instead of the 35-40, and it came out perfect! I made home made whip cream (it really does taste better than store bought!), and we ate the whole pie within 3 days. I did take the easy route and bought a pre-made pie crust, and the graham cracker one was an amazing pairing!

Heres a delicious and simple dinner recipe from the amazing Paula Deen: Chicken in wine sauce. My only tweek was next time I am going to use cream of chicken that is low in sodium because the dish was really salty, even for me even though I love salt.

One more thing.. Since I didn't take a picture of the pie I made for thanksgiving, heres a picture of a cake that I made for my hubby as a welcome home gift. It was white chocolate (his favorite) with raspberry filling, white chocolate buttercream, and decorated with fondant. Okay, I'm done bragging : )

The time of year to be thankful

Tomorrow is thanksgiving, and boy do I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Besides having a roof over my head and food on the table (or the bar since we haven't gotten a dining room table yet), I have a lot of amazing people in my life.

To my Mom, thank you for supporting me. Even though you felt like you were losing your little girl, you still knew that trying to stop me would only push me away. You even told me not to listen to anyone else, that I "had to learn things on my own," and that you were on my side even when no else was. It makes me so happy to know that you have accepted Chris into our family with open arms.

To Katey, thank you proving to me that friends do not always come and go. I know that your one of a kind, that our hugee differences force each other to look out from a different window, and that our LTF (long term friendship) will always be there.

To the Navy, thank you for turning my love from a boy into a man. Without you, we would have had to wait much longer to get married, and we wouldn't be where we are today. There are times when I despise you, but then I remember to count my blessings.

To my grandpa, thank you for being the strong fatherly figure in my life and for holding on until you could pass my hand to the other man in my life. I know you won't physically be able to walk me down the aisle, but you will be there in spirit. I will always be your little flower.

To my husband, thank you for the love that you show me. I am reminded everyday about why I fell in love with you and why I will always love you. You support me, listen to me, encourage me to come to you with my problems, make me laugh, make me feel loved. You are everything that I need.

To God, thank you for the life you have given me. I never expected to be where I am today, but you had your path set for me, and now I can see how perfect it is.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Day 18 - Your favorite movie

In our relationship, my husband is the movie buff. He always quotes movies that I have never seen before, and then gets really surprised when he finds out I haven't seen it (even if we have talked about it before : ).. And even if I have seen the movie, I still don't remember the quote until he explains which part it was from. He remembers details like movie and song quotes, I remember details like dates etc. Oh, how opposites attract..
With that being said, my favorite movie changes all the time. Right now its Secretariat since I grew up around the track (and I also love the message of female empowerment, even though I am in now way a feminist lol).

Also, one of my all time favorite movies is Cry-Baby, one of Johnny Depp's first movies:

Day 17 - Your favorite book

Yay, a topic I can actually talk about!

My two favorite books of all time are:

The Pact by Jodi Picoult. This book is heartbreaking and eye-opening. Jodi Picoult is my absolute favorite author and I recommend any and all of her books!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Also a love story, but this one is a classic!

I love books. Right now, I'm reading The Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts.

Day 15 - Cravings

A few weeks ago, I was watching Dr.Oz, and he did a mini newlywed game. He asked the husbands questions about what their wives craved when the were stressed, or about to start their cycle, etc. I started thinking about it.. and I can't think of anything that I crave when I'm going through different situations. When I'm stressed, I usually lose my appetite. And when I'm about to start my cycle, I never know what I'm going to get. lol. However, I crave chocolate and dessert anytime, and all the time. I am a pretty health conscious eater, but thats my one bad habit. Oh, and bread, I loveee french bread. What do you crave?

Day 14 - Someone you’ve drifted away from

I've drifted away from a lot of people since high school and also since moving away.
After high school, I went to University of Arizona (for only a year) while a majority of my friends went to NAU and ASU. Basically, I lost touch with most of my group of friends even though we had plenty of ways to keep in touch... Only getting together for a party every once in while when we were all home for breaks.
Luckily, my two best friends also went to UofA, one of them even living in my dorms. All three of us were extremely busy, but we managed to stay close. Today, I really only keep in touch with one of them, and I consider her the best friend I have ever had.
It was really hard for me as I saw my friends slipping away, but now I accept the fact that our lives went in different directions. As cheesy as it is, I guess I really did find out who my true friends were!

Day 13- A first

Instead of talking about a first I had in the past, I'm going to talk about a first thats going to happen in about 2 weeks: I'm going to make my first thanksgiving dinner.
I would consider myself a decent cook.. I cook dinner almost every night, and 80% of the time its either home-made or semi home-made. Chris always says tells me that I'm the best cook, but he is my husband so I think he is a little biased. Luckily, its just going to be us two this thanksgiving, so I don't have to worry about impressing anyone else!
Did I mention that I'm going all out for thanksgiving? Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, and pumpkin pie. Did I forget anything?

Day 12 - Something that makes you cry

I really can't pinpoint anything specific that makes me cry- I have a bit of a temper, but I'm also very sensitive. I guess you never know what your going to get!

When the hubby is away, the waterworks gets even worse- military commercials, love stories, letters, emails, songs!

Day 11- Something that makes you feel better

This is a pretty easy one, and I bet you know my answer already.
My hubby, duh!
Chris is pretty amazing at knowing what I need when I'm upset- He knows whether I need to talk, to be hugged, and he is even learning about when I need to be left alone for a little while. He is such a sweetie and has to fix everything and anything! (unless its something around the house, like our doorknob.)
I'm also a hugeeee chocolate addict. I eat it when I'm happy and sad though lol
Short story- The night before Chris left for bootcamp, we stopped at a gas station to get energy drinks, and Chris wanted a candy bar 'since it would be his last one for two months.' Since then, we have made it a tradition to eat a candy bar the night before he goes underway. I know its a little dorky, but its one of those things that make it a little easier to get ready to say goodbye!