A Long Holiday Weekend

What a great long weekend! I am so sad that it is over. We really got in the Thanksgiving/Christmas mood over the weekend, far more collectively than we ever have. It was amazing and I wish I could hit the rewind button. 

Iphone photo

My daughter had Wednesday off from school so we decided to go have a mama & daughter date. We were supposed to see the 3D version of Trolls at what I thought was 10:30AM, but I read the time wrong. Apparently they decided to show a 3D kids movie at 10:30PM...anyways, we decided to stop by Books-a-Million and grab some festive drinks and look for Christmas Presents while we waited for the next available movie time. It was so much fun looking through all their cute holiday stuff with her! It makes me so happy she flips out as much as I do over Harry Potter & Disney stuff.

The movie was too stinkin cute! I could seriously go watch it again. I loved the music! There are so many great movies out this year. I think whatever money we had leftover from Christmas presents has gone straight to our local movie theater.

We started off Thanksgiving morning with biscuits, coffee, & mimosas while we watched the amazing Thanksgiving parade. Why can't every morning start that way?! It was so nice! The only thing was missing was my daughter because she spent the night (probably getting spoiled haha!) at my mother-in-laws.

We spent Thanksgiving at my mother-in-laws house! It was so nice seeing everyone, especially my adorable niece & nephew! They always make me swoon.

My daughter has done that growing thing again. Moms know what I'm talking about! You blink your eyes and suddenly they are a few inches taller and just all around feel more grown up. That is where I was at. Luckily before I turned into a hot mess, because I cry at things like that at a drop of a hat haha, she cuddled with her stuffed animal Zero & made a silly face. It reminded me she is still little and has a long way to go.

After we enjoyed our meal and talked with family for a bit, we headed over to the theater to go see Moana! Which was amazing! What a cute movie, highly recommended to those with littles.

Saturday night was a dream! After we put up Christmas lights outside, we all cuddled around the fireplace and watched clayamation movies. All my candles were lit, the Christmas tree was a'glow, and adults had hot glasses of gluhwein. It was perfect! If I dare think about it too long I bet I would once again turn into a hot mess! It was just so warm & fuzzy, everything Christmas is truly about, I couldn't of asked for a more perfect night.

Well I hope everyone had a long, relaxing, & festive weekend! I know we did!

My {make ahead} Sweet Potato Casserole

My {make ahead} Sweet Potato Casserole   

4 as large as your face sweet potatoes
1/3 cup of coconut sugar
2 very unprofessional capfuls vanilla extract 
1/2 cup of original unsweetened cashew milk 
6 Tablespoons of butter melted

1 Tbsp pumpkin spice
Pinch of salt
Candied halved pecans
Mini Marshmallows

The night before you serve your casserole...

1} Preheat oven to 400
2} Place potatoes with skin in oven to roast for one hour or until soft (internally 200 degrees)
3} Cool
4} Peel skin off potatoes and place in big bowl
5} Smash potatoes with a potato masher
6} Add coconut sugar, vanilla, milk, butter, spice, & salt. Mix well. Taste, if not sweet enough add 1/4th cup of coconut sugar. Not creamy enough add 1 Tbsp at a time of melted butter at a time, tasting while going.
7} Spray oil on a med. square casserole dish and place mixture in dish
8} Place over night in fridge

Day of

1} Preheat oven 375
2} Place casserole dish in oven for 15 mins
3} Take out of oven
4} Sprinkle candied halved pecans on top (I add a lot for crunch so it is all personal preference)
5} Cover dish in mini marshmallow (this is also personal preference I say add the whole bag!)
6} Place in oven, turn on that oven light and sit in front of your oven. Marshmallows burn fast so remove once you get a nice golden brown on top! (about 10 mins)

Annual Mini Thanksgiving

I'm semi-finished decorating last week. I still want to stop at Target and see what I want to add to my collection. I'm still deciding on getting a third big tree, but I have a feeling that will have to wait a year (insert sad face here). I want one of the trees with the fake snow on it. Those are so beautiful!

My pups are always so curious to find out what I'm doing. SO nosy, I swear. There is always one peeking around the corner to see what I'm doing. It is even worse when I open the freezer because I give them frozen green beans as treats haha!

Is it just me or is it even easier to keep a clean house around the holidays? I don't mean that it doesn't become a mess, which it does, but cleaning it isn't so bad because I want to keep the house cozy. I just turn on daytime tv which is full of Holiday stuff right now and mindlessly get things done. Why can't it be like this all year long?! Great time of year to be productive though, so you burn through those high calorie feasts lol!

I don't always love cooking, but I DO love holiday cooking! Since we mostly go to relatives houses during Thanksgiving, it doesn't give me much of a chance to work on my culinary prowess. So we always have a specific day before Thanksgiving where I whip up my little family a semi-feast.I stick to the main plates, and I'm able to stick with my inflammation diet for my chronic illness. Which is nice, so I'm not experiencing an increase in pain for a week after eating.

I made everything wheat and dairy free (besides butter, because it doesn't seem to effect my body too much). Pamela's gluten free flours & cashew milk are my saviors! The biscuits, gravy, and mashed potatoes turned out so good, I can't stop eating the leftovers. I hadn't had a biscuit in over a year ( I love biscuits...) and being able to have one that was absolutely delicious made me so unbelievably happy.

I did make a turkey! I always get a pre-brined turkey (out of laziness haha!), herb butter under the skin, slathered in olive oil over the skin, and cook it Good Eats style! It never fails! Done within 4 hours, practically falling off the bone and crispy skin!

I did not get a picture of it because I didn't tuck the wings properly and it looked like it could of taken off in flight HAHA!

It was nice sitting down with my little family. My wife & I had wine and big platefuls of delicious food and my daughter stuffed herself on rolls & sprite (never fails). Then we went around the table sharing with one another what we are most thankful for. One thing was for sure, we are definitely thankful for each other and the joy we each bring to each others lives.

After we gorged ourselves on the delicious meal and my daughter with her rolls, we headed to the theater to see Fantastic Beasts. Which was not only fantastic, but also a fantastic way to end an amazing evening.