back in a week

bikini and snorkel are packed. our family christmas traditions include a big group monopoly game, lots of cards, mimosas on christmas morning, frisbee, late evening beers on the beach. and snorkeling. merry christmas

"healthy" chocolate peanut butter balls

the holidays are making me want baked goods. chocolate covered peanut butter balls have always been my fav. when i was looking up recipes for them, i realized they are typically just icing sugar, peanut butter, chocolate, shortening. not cool. these ones are way healthier and easy as long as you have a food processor. and they taste amazing. i meant to bring them to work, but j and i just ate half of them. 

(pre-chocolate covering)

(covered in chocolate)

chocolate peanut butter balls:

3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup peanuts, ground in food processor
1/4 cup flaked coconut, ground to flour in food processor
1 cup oats, ground to flour in food processor
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp coconut oil
1 cup chocolate chips

1. mix peanut butter, peanuts, coconut, oats, maple syrup in a bowl until a dough forms. add more flour or more peanut butter if needed to get thick dough-like consistency
2. roll into little balls, refrigerate on cookie sheet for 30 minutes
3. melt chocolate and coconut oil together, place balls into chocolate one at a time, fishing out with a spoon, and place on cookie sheet
4. refrigerate until hard


really really good

a bit more weekend + crusty eggplant

(crib and crusty eggplant- really good)

(holiday nails)

(neighbor dog-walking)

also:
sons of anarchy marathon (this is an amazing show-totally addicted)
driving around looking at the christmas lights with vegan hot chocolate


crusty eggplant:
1-2 eggplants in quarter inch slices, dried with paper towel
2 eggs + 2 tablespoons milk, beaten
1/4 cup flour
1 cup panko crumbs

1. dredge very dry eggplant slices in flour, then egg mixture, then crumbs
2. bake for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees, turning halfway. they should be golden brown
3. serve with warm marinara sauce

christmas party # 2 (facebook-free)

(j and i before the party) 

 (staff stockings)

(work christmas tree)

we went to our work christmas party on the weekend. halfway through the party, our manager announced that no photos from the party were to go on facebook. i wonder if that is typical now. i definitely prefer knowing that pictures of me will not end up on facebook.  had such a good time. one highlight is when the nfld mummers showed up.

what i want for christmas

sun, sand, beach with the fam (j, m+d, k+c, s)

fresh pomegranate juice

we always have a bottle of pom juice in our fridge. we love it in smoothies, mixed in yogurt, or just straight up. i had 3 pomegranates that i knew i couldn't eat fast enough, so i decided to juice them. the juice is way better than the store-bought kind (this is usually the case i think).

pomegranate juice:
1. cut top off pomegranates, and slice wedges into skin only
2. put in a bowl full of water for 10 minutes
3. break up pomegranate with your hands. the seeds will sink, everything else will float
4. drain water and skins, place in ziploc bag
5. use rolling pin or jar to crush seeds, then cut a little hole in the bag and pour juice into a jar

how to cook moose meat

i am freaking out right now. i used to call myself a flexible vegetarian. but i just had the best thing ever, and it was meat. the meat was wild, extra lean, organic, fresh, local. we were recently gifted with a few pounds of lovely moose steaks from a Twillingate coworker. consumable gifts are some of the best kind. as j and i never ever cook meat at home, and especially not moose meat, we had to get detailed instructions. this is how you do it:

1. thaw steaks for 4 hours, cut them into stir-fry sized strips
2. put in 350 degree oven in covered dish with a bit of water and salt for an hour and a half
3. take meat out, pour off water, pour on rib sauce generously, place back in the oven uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes, for around half an hour.

j says it is one of the best meals he ever had. i agree.

christmas party #1

(dessert choice #2: trifle) 

we went to our first christmas party of the season on saturday. it was our third loaded turkey dinner of the week! j and i were mostly vegetarian before we moved here, but no longer. the party was excellent, with lots of drink tickets, a dance off between us and another pharmacy, good food, and prizes. 

(merry moustachios) 

(love) 

(who knows why, but i love blurry pics)

(my drink of choice: vodka and water)

loving lately....

 (sliding in the very near future) 

(my hand-me-down le creusets)

(a tile mosaic in Fogo)

(chocolate peanut butter balls)

chocolate peanut butter balls:

2 cups dates

1 cup peanuts

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

add everything to the food processor, blend, form into balls, roll in more cocoa

orange slice ornaments

j and i are loving christmas right now! our tree is up, and we are decorating it, DIY style. yesterday we made orange slice ornaments: slice up some oranges, place in a 225 degree oven for a few hours, string with dental floss or fishing line. so easy, and really so beautiful.

fresh traditions

christmas tends to = lots of presents. i am really not into having a bunch of stuff, and i am always trying to makeunder my home, my closet, my life. and the other day i was skyping with my two closest friends, who i always exchange gifts with. we almost always give each other a piece of silver jewelry. but silver is getting more and more expensive, and we all have lots of earrings, bracelets, rings. maybe it's time for a new tradition.

(a fraction of my sterling silver ring collection)

we talked about putting the money that we would spend on gifts and postage aside, and using it for visits, dinners, trips, concerts. i think i love it.

christmas spirit

for the first time in a long time, december doesn't mean exam time. i think that's why this year we are so much more into christmas stuff. loved the santa clause parade. excited for a christmas tree.  j and i had been debating getting a tree. we didn't feel good about cutting down a perfectly healthy tree, but didn't want to purchase an artificial one. but then we were driving by a developing area in our town on sunday, and found a bunch of trees already cut down in a huge pile. we found a decent one, and threw it on the truck. we only own two ornaments, but i think we will string some popcorn or something.

weekend: cobb's pond and coconut hot chocolate

some type of bird party in our yard saturday morning 

coconut hot chocolate for the santa clause parade. soo good 

breaking the ice 

 chilly cobb's pond

awesome weekend

coconut hot chocolate:
1 part coconut milk
2 parts boiling water
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon maple syrup

mix the coconut milk, syrup, cocoa together. then add the boiling water. mix until frothy. amazing

looking forward

i love having something to look forward to. especially a trip. especially when the weather is cold and dreary and the days are super short. i pretty much always have a trip on the horizon. we will be in mexico in 3 weeks. looking forward to some major lounging.

library list

i read these two books on the weekend. i learned a few things from the wealthy barber. bossypants was just really funny. it was awkward to read this book in public because i was laughing so hard i was crying. i love tina fey even more now. also plowed through the hunger games in half a day. so addictive. and woody harrelson is in the movie, which i am excited for.