Hello, My name is Beth and I am a foodie...

I have a problem.

I like food. (explains a few things, lol)

I like to make food and take pictures of it.

Baking is what I love to do, but I enjoy cooking too. It's more than cooking...it's creating. I like to try new things and mix things that don't always make sense. I havestarted keeping a camera in the kitchen so I can take pictures of what I cook, so that I can remember how/what I cooked.

Weird...I know!

Here comes the part where I share the pictures...it's weird, and I know that, but it's more for me, than anyone else.

Tonight for dinner I made a pesto chicken sandwich. I usually serve this with soup and I usually make my own pesto, but I cheated tonight. Sorry.

It's really easy to make and it's always good. It's just chicken tenders marinated in pesto and grilled. Then I put the chicken on ciabatta bread with mozzarella, arugula, and pesto mayo. The mozzarella is perfectly melty, and the arugula gives it just the right amount of pepper. I grill it in a pan like a grilled cheese, and VOILA...you have dinner! :)

 I took the picture while I was flipping it, but you get the idea :)

The Christmas cookie baking begins this weekend...I'll post pictures as I bake them. :)

Top 10 things I have learned from Christmas movies

Top 10 things I have learned from Christmas movies:

1. That character in the movie whose name is Nick...He's Santa Claus! Even if he doesn't look like Santa (though, most of the time he does) he really IS Santa! Usually the guy has a belly full of jelly and a white beard, but no one seems to figure out who he really is. If he's jolly and called Nick, odds are...he's SANTA.

2. No matter what your husband or boy friend does, no matter how awful...it's ALWAYS ok in the end. Santa will always make everything better! Really. If he cheats (or she cheats), lies or does some other horrible thing Santa will make it better. He will probably send a note from one of you to the other and set up an unexpected meeting, and at this meeting you will realize how much you love the poor sap. Oh yeah, and you will both suddenly believe in Santa again.

3. You can always get home for Christmas, no matter what obstacles are in your way. Even if you don't want to get home. You may have to walk or hitch hike, but you will get there just in the nick (haha) of time. If you don't want to be home (lord knows some of us don't) you will still end up at home with your family. There will be a snow storm or some other disaster and you will be stuck.

4. Every has been/nobody actress get's their very own lifetime original Christmas movie. EVERYONE gets one. Check the Lifetime line up, if you don't believe me.

5. During the most romantic moments of the holidays it always snows. And it's not the kind of snow that whips through the air and pelts you in the face. It's the beautiful, peaceful, gently falling snow, and it's never just a few flurries it's a full blown snow storm (minus the crappy unpleasant part). When it's snowing during said romantic moment someone will always take a second to notice.

6. Santa's elves are socially awkward. They are not very good with human interaction, especially with women. Enough said.

7. Santa really CAN see you. Whether it's through a giant snow globe, a book or some other magical channel, and he can do this at ANY time...whenever he wants. It makes you want to think twice before you drop your drawers...

8.There is always a Christmas miracle...ALWAYS. No matter what. Big or small, there is ALWAYS a Christmas miracle.

9.During the holidays there is always a scrooge. There is always someone who is bitter and hates Christmas. By the time Christmas day rolls around, they usually get over themselves. That leads me to #10...

10. And last but not least...Just when you stop believing in Santa and lose the magic, he comes through for you. If you stopped believing in Santa because he didn't bring you a certain gift...he will deliver. Santa ALWAYS delivers.

There you have it folks...I got a Christmas education from the movies.

Military Spouse Friday Fill-in

It's Friday and time for another Military Spouse Friday Fill-in. Go check it out at Wife of a Sailor's blog.
  
What do you see your life like in 10 years?  
In my dream world  I would have a heap of kids and be working in a bakery making awesome cakes. In reality, I'll probably have a few kids and will be working in a crappy dead end job with no future. On the bright side, my husband and I will be married for 14 years and we will be planning a fabulous beach vacation for our 15th anniversary. :)

What do you like most about your job? 
I don't have a job. I have no job skills that are going to get me a worthwhile job. I feel like at my age I should have a career by now. When I get a job, it will probably be some thankless, soulless, minimum wage retail job, where I do the job of two people and of the people that get paid more, but the company won't think I am worth more than minimum wage. (Forgive me...I am not feeling too hopeful about the job market today. I swear I'm not usually this cynical and negative.)


What are three things you do every day, no matter what day it is?
I eat, I brush my teeth, and I tell my husband I love him
 

What would you do with an extra five hours in your day today? 
Today...I would finish sewing a few Christmas gifts, put a few things away in the basement, do laundry and watch a movie with my husband. My too do list, keeps getting longer and longer! I am trying to have my house in presentable shape for when my dad and his girlfriend visit next weekend. 
 
What is your favorite Christmas (or whichever holiday  you celebrate) cookie recipe (please share!)?
My mom always made peanut clusters. We called them cow pies (thanks dad!), and they were delicious. I make them now and to me, they smell like Christmas.


Mix 2 bags chocolate chips, 1 bag peanut butter chips, and 1 bag butterscotch chips in a bowl. Microwave them for 30 seconds at a time stirring in between until they are all melted. You can also put them in a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water.


Once the chips are all melted and mixed well, add peanuts. You want the peanuts with no skins on them. I think the recipe calls for 1 pound, but I just mix them in until it looks good. I like mine to have lots of peanuts. Drop by the spoonful on to wax paper and let them set.

The Great Christmas Card Hunt

The hunt for the perfect Christmas card is never easy! Every year I search and search to find just the right card to send. There was actually a year that I didn’t send cards because I couldn’t find one I liked. It has to have just the right picture and the perfect message on the inside.

I have never sent a photo card before because there was never anything to share a photo of. We don’t have kids, and I HATE to have my picture taken, so that had never really been an option for me. This year is different though. We still don’t have kids, but this year we have a house! We have a house that we own…it belongs to us. We are so proud of our house and we want to show it off. Of course we will be in the picture too, but we want to show everyone our home.

When I started thinking about photo cards I immediately thought of Shutterfly. They have the CUTEST Christmas and Holiday cards, and they have a ton to choose from. When you choose a card from Shutterfly you can include a personal message and you names. For an additional fee you can also have your cards sent to your friends and family directly from Shutterfly!

I have already picked out my cards for this year and I am SO excited to order them! I chose Peppermint Bliss so that we can share a few pictures of our new home! I love the colors and the layout, and the message inside is simple so that I can also include a personal message to each person. All I have to do is upload my photos and place the order.

Not only does Shutterfly have cute Christmas cards, but they have cards for all occasions, photo calendars and address labels. They also do photo books. I made a photo book for my husband so he could take it with him when he deployed with the Marines. That way he could always look at us and remember what was waiting for him at home! It turned out really cute and it was so easy to do!

Shutterfly is my new best friend and I will be ordering all my Christmas cards from them from now on!

This year, Shutterfly is offering 50 free Christmas cards to bloggers. Check it out here!

Military Spouse Friday Fill-in

It's Friday, so I decided to do another Milspouse Friday Fill-in. The Friday Fill-in is from Wife of a Sailor.

If you were given $1,000 right now, how would you spend it?
I would buy furniture for our new house. This house is much bigger than our last house and we don't have closets so I need a place to put everything.

If you had to choose a movie title (a real one that already exists) for your life story, what would it be?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest...enough said.


If you were a teacher, what subject would you like to teach?
I was a preschool teacher for a while and that is such a great age to teach. I wouldn't want to teach just one subject. The younger kids are more fun. :)
Has being a MilSpouse changed how you view holidays or how your holidays are celebrated? If so, how? If not, what hasn’t changed?
The holidays have always been about family for me. When the husband isn't around for the holidays it is heart breaking, but I always surround myself with family, be it my blood relatives or my friends who are like my family. I always make sure to have a holiday package for my husband too. A few years ago I got plastic food and glued it to a plate and then put pictures of our whole family together so he could have his Thanksgiving meal with his family. I want him to feel as connected as possible when he is away.

What is your favorite Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) memory?
I don't have just one favorite memory. I love looking back at remembering all of the magic of Christmas though. My family always made sure that everyone felt special. I love that I was brought up in a home where getting gifts was not the most important thing. We always "adopted" a family who couldn't afford gifts. We would collect the gifts from our church and then our family would deliver Christmas to a family. I have always loved to give gifts. I love to make someone else feel special and I never expect anything in return. I also love the times that I spent days baking with my mom and grandma. The house always smelled so good and we had such a great time in the kitchen, dancing, singing and baking up a storm. That's what I love about Christmas...it's not one specific memory and it didn't happen one time, but it's what I think of when I think of Christmas.