Holidays away from Family

We are so blessed to live near Will's family and enjoy many fun times with them, but I have to admit that it is always around the holidays that I miss my family a little more, and wish that they were a little closer.
The concept of living near to where you grew up and surrounded by family is a little foreign to me. My parents did a great job of creating family traditions and we enjoyed having lots of friends over on the special days. Many activities often revolved around church functions and there are many memories there too. Even throughout college I always was able to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years around my family.
And then college ended, life began, and I couldn't always "go home" for the holidays... where ever that was. Each day is a little different now. We celebrate with different people and in different ways, we have forged out our own family traditions, but there is always the wish that things could be the way they were. It's in the memories.

Thanksgiving

This past Thanksgiving I pulled out the electric knife (so wonderful for carving a turkey, even if it only gets used once a year!) and I was immediately flooded with memories of my Grandpa. His job always seemed to be carving the turkey, or any other meat for that matter. He often put on his ichiban cook san apron to keep the juices off of his clothes. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times, but my family tells me we never really celebrated it in Japan (my Thanksgiving meal is usually what my mom made for Christmas), so many of my memories probably go back to my college and post college years when I would make the trip up to Ohio for Thanksgiving. Thinking back it was crazy to make the 10+ hour trip for such a short time, but that was life before kids. Those Thanksgiving trips hold many memories in and of themselves, but I always enjoyed our family meal, which was often at church to accomodate everyone. Grandma made the turkey and all the aunts made the sides. After eating our feast we would gather in a big circle and share things we were thankful for. 

About 6 years ago we had our first sibling Thanksgiving and that is when we first attempted the feast on our own. We managed and it tasted fine and then from then on I have loved making the meal! The recipes can be found here.

Christmas 

Christmas is always hard, but again, we have worked to make our own memories. Will kindly follows my family's tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve. I really need to ask my dad and grandma why they do it in the first place. Was it so santa couldn't exist? Or so that they didn't have to wake up early Christmas morning? I don't really know, but that's what we do. We make our pizza dinner and then open presents. 

The last time we were all together was 2010 in the States! Lots has changed since then!

Of course it always feels a little different then at home, when we would be out late with the Christmas Eve service at church. We would often do hand bells (think the kid color coded ones) by the train station and people would stop and watch. Then we would get home late, make our little pizzas and convince our parents that it wasn't too late and we should open presents. Then we would start with the youngest and each people would get a turn opening a present as we went through all seven people, usually more because we often would have people over who could not be with their families for Christmas. Christmas day, we opened stockings and then got ready for the Christmas feast! We would have quite a crowd over. Then we would stay up late doing an 1000 piece puzzle! oh the memories. 

Christmas always seems small when we are not surrounded by lots of people, but it is nice to be able to make our own traditions and see Alex and Liam get involved in them. We bake cookies, make ornaments. I had lots of other things on our to do list this year, but the flu kind of wiped out most of those options.

New Years

Then of course New Years. New Years Eve here is not very exciting. I think since New Years is the main holiday in Japan, there is so much more going on. We would watch the singing competition on tv, and laugh at the costumes. We would go to church in the morning and enjoying an omochi feast with the others afterwards. This is certainly an area where we need to figure out some more of our own tradtions, nothing has stuck out yet. New Years was fun, but it was also a time when the spiritual needs of the Japanese people came out loud and clear. As they flocked to the shrines, bought trinkets to wish for luck and good fortune in the next year. If only they realized that there is Someone who could meet their needs and love them through whatever they face.

I am thankful for the memories, even when my family is far away. I am thankful for the new memories that we have made with our boys, and the ones we will make along the way!

photo 34: fourth of july

Some scenes in the States I don't think I will ever get quite use to, like the little metal boxes that pop up all over before the 4th. Fireworks have such a different meaning to me. Will too. He thinks that fireworks here are so small compared to what they can get in Italy. Plus for him fireworks and New Years go hand in hand. The stories he and his brothers tell about what they had there are not ones that I wish my own son would ever repeat!
For me fireworks came in big flat packages with colorful sticks. They were in stores all summer long and we would enjoy them normally while we were on vacation by the beach. Pretty much they were sparklers, but they were so pretty. Thanks to the summer matsuris, we also enjoyed beautiful firework displays often. In Japan firework displays are an art, with the variety of colors and patterns...
I don't know, I have just never seen firework displays here that match the beauty of what I saw in Japan.
Well, Happy fourth.
have fun with your fireworks...just don't wake my child! :)

Recipe #254: Valentine's Sugar Cookies (and Recipe #255: Butter Frosting)

To not get too far behind in posting recipes and to not be too far removed from the holiday, I will share the sugar cookie recipe I made for Valentine's day. This was totally a last minute thing, but it was fun to have a reason to make cookies. Unfortunately my kids never got to taste them (that is a long story) but we shared them with other deserving people instead! ;)

I have to say, I haven't made sugar cookie I think in the last year or two, but this recipe turned out fabulous! I found it in a real simple magazine and it will be my go to from now on! I doubled it, but this is the original recipe.

You need: 

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup butter, room temperature (I softened mine in the microwave, it is really important to have butter that is not right out of the fridge!)

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla 

• in a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.
• in a mixing bowl beat butte and sugar until smooth.
• add in egg and beat until fluffy, then add vanilla.
• slowly add flour mixture and mix until just blended.
• form into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
•  to roll out dough take to sheets of wax paper. sprinkle powdered sugar on both sheet.
• take one half of dough and flatten with your hand.
• place between two sheets of wax paper and roll out until about 1/4 inch thick.
• cut out the shapes of your choice
• place on a non stick sprayed cookie sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle some decorating sugar on top if you don't feel like frosting!
• bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
• allow to cool slightly on pan but don't wait too long to put on a cooling rack or they will be hard to get off the pan! 
• if you want to frost cookies, see delicious frosting recipe below!

BUTTER FROSTING

I ended up frosting some of the cookies but using just a colored sugar topping for others.

Here is my go to frosting recipe. I halved it because I wasn't decorating a lot. But I am writing out the full recipe. I also now realize I totally didn't follow the directions, but it still turned out okay! 

You need:

3/4 cup butter

9 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk *you might need extra if too stiff

2 tsp vanilla

food coloring if you want to decorate with color (I did not this time!)

• beat butter until smooth
• gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating well.
• add in milk and vanilla
• gradually beat in remaining powdered sugar
• add extra milk if needed to reach spreading consistancy.

(what i actually did was put in sugar, milk, then butter and mixed it all up...it was fine, just next time i would sift the powdered sugar first)

Recipe #203: Peppermint Rice Crispies

A friend made these for a party and they were delicious so I had to make some of my own! My brother in law had the idea too to do these with chocolate rice crispies. That is a good idea too! Peppermint marshmallows are the best. I have used them in other recipes found here, here, and here.

You need:

3 Tbsp butter

4 cups miniature peppermint marshmallows

6 cups crispy rice

a little chocolate to melt on top

• melt butter in a pot
• add marshmallows and stir until melted
• add in crispy rice and stir until well combined
• spread out in a greased 9x13 pan
• use a greased piece of waxed paper to evenly spread it out
• cool and then melt chocolate and spread over the top of treats.
• cut up and enjoy.

(see a picture here)

Recipe #200: Pita Pizzas!

Sometime, a while ago, my family started to make little personal pizzas on Christmas Eve. I think because it was a busy evening with church and caroling at the train station and then we would head home late to open presents, pizza was a fast but fun meal for my mom to spread out and we would all put on our toppings and she would stick it in the oven.
Once Will and I got married, we have carried on that tradition, as well as opening presents Christmas Eve. My mom usually uses naan bread, but we have used a variety of crusts. this time we used pita bread!

You need:
one pack of pita bread
spaghetti sauce
bacon
shredded mozzarella cheese
any other toppings you want too!

• Spread pita on a cookie sheet. 
• spread on some spaghetti sauce, topping, then cheese
• bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

We cut Alex's pizza into mini slices! It was really cute. :) 

Recipe #193: Peppermint Smores

Here is a little late night snack that was thought up when I walked into my kitchen to get something sweet to eat! You don't even need to go outside in the cold to start a fire if you don't want to! I made this in my toaster oven. :)

You need:
peppermint marshmallows
chocolate or leftover peppermint bark (recipe is found here)
4 graham crackers

• take one half of each graham cracker and top with peppermint marshmallows
• put in the toaster oven and toast until marshmallows start to puff up
• top with peppermint bark
• put other half of graham cracker back on top.

Delicious 5 minute treat!

Recipe #189: Peppermint Rocky Road Candy

So I was thinking back today about this amazing chocolate and marshmallow concoction I had one time that was light and fluffy...not the heaviness of fudge. And so I determined to find out what it was and how to make it. So thanks to pinterest I came across this recipe found here. Will and I agreed we could forgo the nuts this time because I didn't have anything suitable and we just feasted on some deliciousness. Plus peppermint marshmallows. Oh my goodness, I love peppermint marshmallows. AMAZING! It makes it so festive.
And this one only takes 2 ingredients (3 if you add nuts) and probably just 10 minutes of hands on time.

You need:
a chunk of chocolate--I had a block given to me by my parents, and cut off a chunk of it and hoped it would be enough (I tried to envision a little more than a cup of chocolate. The original recipe said 9 oz of dove)
2 cups peppermint marshmallows

• heat chocolate in microwave with 30 sec intervals and stirring after each time. My chocolate had melted after maybe 4 time in the microwave.
• pour in marshmallows and stir until well coated.
• pour into a foil lined 8x8 dish and spread out evenly.
• allow to cool for 1.5-2 hours.
• put out of pan and cut into smaller squares.

Caution: Do not eat all at once! 

Christmas Treats

Christmas desserts!
Reese's Banana Bread, Recipe found here
Coconut and Chocolate Palmiers found here
Peppermint Bark found here
Not shown: Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins recipe found here

Recipe #182 and #183: Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers and Coconut Chocolate Palmiers

I found this recipe in my Everday Food magazine and they had a 4 ingredient recipe that looked delicious! It was pretty easy! But I decided not to use the chocolate so it was only 3! :)

You Need:
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

• Preheat oven to 375. 
• Combine sugar and cinnamon.
• Lay out a piece of wax paper and sprinkle half of cinnamon mixture on it.
• Roll out one rectangle of pastry into a 9x11 rectangle
• sprinkle some of the cinnamon mixture on top. 
• on the long edge, roll one edge into the middle, turn dough over and roll other side into the middle
• wrap dough in saran wrap and freeze until firm but not frozen
• cut into 1/2 inch thick slices and dip in cinnamon mixture
• lay out on a wax paper lined cookie sheet
• bake for 12 minutes, or until bottom is golden brown, 
• flip over to the other side and bake for 5 more minutes
• take off and cool
• eat soon so it stays crispy! :)

Coconut and Chocolate version:

add some coconut in the sugar mixture (use less cinnamon) and follow the rest of the directions

while cookies are cooling melt chocolate in the microwave, then dip cookie in the chocolate.

Recipe #180: Peppermint Bark

I found an easy recipe for peppermint bark here and then Joanns had their candy coating 50% off so it was destined to get made! :) So easy!

You need:
2 bags dark chocolate candy coating
lots of mini candy canes or 12 ish big ones
wax paper

• crush the candy canes. i ended up putting them in a mini food chopper. it doesn't crush very evenly, but the little crumbs add a good peppermint flavor to the chocolate.
• Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 sec intervals. stir after each heating.
• pour candy cane pieces in chocolate and mix up.
• pour chocolate out on a long sheet of wax paper and spread around to have a thin coating. Mine was a little shorter then width of paper and maybe 20 some inches long.
• Allow the bark to cool and then break into small pieces

Recipe #179: christmas cupcakes

Lots of cute pictures are going around pinterest with santa hats and reindeer. Using those multiple pictures as the basis for my ideas, I made some for a work party. But of course, I didn't take into consideration how a trip in the car would be like a roller coaster ride for my mini cupcakes and they did not look so cute when I got to the party, but oh well...

You need:

Chocolate cake mix

white frosting

chocolate frosting

strawberries, marshmallows, chocolate chips, m&ms, and pretzels

• make cupcakes according to package directions. use a mini muffin pan. makes about 48 mini cupcakes
• after they have cooled top with frosting and add little garnishes to bring Rudolf and Santa hat's to life! :) 

stay tuned for more holiday treats coming up!

Side dish #14: Christmas Wreath

So I made another similar one found here, but experimented with some new flowers and did more christmasy colors! Tutorials for flowers are found here and here (kind of)
Excuse my camera...it is getting so old and takes terrible picture!

Thanksgiving Dinner

I know, that was a week ago, but life never stops moving and with some of my precious moments of time left over I was too tired to do anything!

Here is a picture of my plate. it might not look like much, but it turned out pretty good!

Recipe #159: Turkey
Recipe #160: Stuffing
Recipe #161: Gravy
Recipe #162: Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes
Apple Sauce

Desserts coming soon as well as Turkey leftover recipes (for your next thanksgiving! :) )

Side Dish #13: Felt Christmas Trees

So on a rainy Sunday with a restless almost one year old, I decided to try out this felt christmas tree I found on pinterest. The original post is found here. I am not at all one for decorating before Thanksgiving, but I had just picked up the felt at michaels and was eager to make it! :) Michaels has large felt pieces for 4 dollars, and then using some more felt I bought, and other colors I already had, this was about a $5 project!
The original had ornaments with letters and such, but I was more into a 10 minute project so decided to focus on SHAPES this year with Alex...we can add letters later! :)
The creases on the big green felt made it easy to make an outline for the tree. I still need to attach the brown trunk on the bottom. I also need to figure out how to attach it better to the door. Alex tore it down just about as quickly as he took off the felt ornaments!

 Perfect Alex size!

(do not make fun of my star! I need to fix it!)

He doesn't really put ornaments back up, but he is certainly a pro at taking them off in record time!

I think that is what is making me nervous about putting a real tree up! :)

And suggestions for how to keep it up would be great! the 3M strips did not work! :(

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I am so excited to be able to make a thanksgiving meal after several years of not doing one! Last year my sister and I did a partial thanksgiving but we were both too pregnant to want to attempt a turkey!  I did make stuffing though, my mom's stuffing is the BEST. But this year we are doing it all!

Here is the menu:
Turkey
Stuffing
gravy
Mashed potatoes
Bread
Salad
carrots and broccoli
apple pie
pumpkin pie

So far I have cut up the bread for the stuffing. I am also going to make the pies and bread tonight because the oven will belong to the turkey on thanksgiving!

hmmm... is that enough? :) I am also so excited thinking about how much Alex will enjoy eating the food too. That boy can eat! I am also looking forward to all the people coming, our numbers keep growing! If you need a spot just let me know. We are eating at 3.  :)

Recipes will be posted in the days following!