just skating by

coordinating schedules to plan a playdate is always so dang difficult.  so we were particularly excited when we were able to pull it together and meet up with our friends kelley, dailygluttony and lilcee with kids in tow for a super fun outing here:

with the exception of mini cee, whose daddy knows his way around the ice pretty well, this was the kids' first time on ice skates.  the rest of us were a little concerned about how we'd manage to keep the kids upright while staying on our own two feet - which made this sign a little disconcerting.  ha!

but we soldiered on.  with our gear on and our bags safely tucked away into the tiny lockers, we headed out cautiously onto the ice.

oh, and the rink had these little walker-stand thingies that the kids took out onto the ice for balancing.  these things were a serious life (and back) saver.

she struggled a little at first to get her bearings and get used to the feel of the ice under her feet.  i didn't get a whole lot of pictures for fear of falling right on my ass, but these are funny:

it didn't really take her very long to get the hang of it, though.  we did quite a few laps before she decided it was time for a break.

while she hung out with mini cee and had a snack, lilcee and i took the opportunity to skate off by ourselves to burn off the calories we were going to ingest at lunch.

we went for one more round before making our final exit off the ice.  she was pooped.

future olympians!  especially kelley's li'l d.  he really got the hang of the skating thing in no time, and even went back the very next day.

as we were pulling our skates off, we found that our timing was perfect - they'd cleared the ice and brought the zamboni out for a little clean-up.

lunch was at a place i'd been wanting to try forever - slater's 50/50.  their signature item?  burgers made with half ground beef, half ground bacon.  that's right.  and i was stoked to see that there was a create-your-own option.

we made our own appetizer platter, too:  bacon mac & cheese balls, deep-fried pickle chips, and sweet potato fries.

lilcee and dailygluttony opted for the 50/50 - the beef/bacon patty topped with a fried egg, avocado mash, pepper jack cheese and chipotle adobo mayo served on a brioche bun.

mini DG's sliders looked like boobs.  haha!

the fries were served with bacon ketchup.  and if you wanted, there was bacon salt to sprinkle on, too.

my burger creation was truly a work of art.  a 1/3-lb. beef/bacon patty topped with house-made bacon country gravy, bacon cheese, fritos (yep, you read that right), and a chunk of SPAM.  you were expecting me to put bacon on there too, weren't you?  i thought that might have just pushed it over the top.  and i still crack up at the bean's face in this picture.

what better way to cap off such an indulgent meal than with a bacon brownie a la mode?

i don't remember what sparked this, but it made for a cute photo.

and the sweet group hug as we parted ways.

as exhausting as they can be, playdates like these are the best.  THE BEST.

"i got...this."

yeah, so winter break is over, life is slowly going back to normal, and i'm still not done recapping christmas.  ha!  oh, well.

we all woke up bright and early to celebrate together, eat some breakfast, open a mountain of presents - and still get the teen to her dad's on time.  and what time was that, you ask?  oh, only 8:30.  AM.  oy.

i'd thrown a creme brûlée french toast casserole into the crock pot the night before, hoping to save some time on cooking.  and the hub had requested corned beef hash, so i got right to work on making it before everyone got up.  and it must've smelled pretty good, because it wasn't long after i put the lid on it that i saw them all trickle in one by one until everyone was gathered in the living room around the tree,ready for the fun to begin.  we even had the yule log on.

the bean scurried right over to the little table where she'd left the snacks for santa and his reindeer.  and sure enough, they'd been munched on.

and there was a large pile of presents wrapped in "i [heart] santa" paper sitting right next to the fireplace, with the door ajar as though he'd been in a hurry to get outta there.

the girls took the stockings down and handed them out, and the teen helped mollydog get all of her stuff out of hers.  she had a tantalizing array of treats to choose from, and i was all proud to see that she went right for the rawhide "turkey leg."  kept that bitch busy for hours.

the bean had already unwrapped her first present - the one thing she'd been wanting for christmas - pixie dust.  this, of course, was a mason jar filled with green and glow-in-the-dark glitter and water, adorned with a glittery green top.  she was captivated, but then super bummed when she found out she couldn't actually open it.  because duh, the magic flies away if you open the jar.

she was soon distracted by the other presents she got busy unwrapping.  there was a bow and arrow set from the movie "brave," a boo doll from "monsters, inc.," a giant pile of books, stocking stuffers galore, and...this.  that's exactly what she said as she unwrapped it.  she had the most puzzled look that she tried to hide with a big smile, and as she held it up she said "i got...this."

this, of course, was a pillow shaped like an ice cream sandwich.  and when it was explained to her it clicked right away, and then she hugged it like it was her best friend in the world.  comedy.

the teen was making out like a bandit herself, with all sorts of things from her own christmas wish list magically appearing in her hands.  i think this is my favorite item, though - a shirt she'd been wanting for months.

as for me, i was super stoked to unwrap a box that contained this:

which then opened to reveal this.

the aftermath.

after a quick breakfast together, the teen packed up her stuff for a whole week at her dad's and then hopped into the car with the hub.  and as i calculated cooking time in my head for the big lunch i was going to make, i decided i had time for a quick run.  i had just the right shirt to wear.

when i got back, i got right to work.  the first order of business was getting this thing ready and in the oven.

i chopped and stirred and mixed and worked like a madwoman, getting everything ready and hoping i'd timed it all to be done at the same time.  because i'm a doofus, i ended up with zero time to take a shower before the grandparents showed up and we sat down for the meal i'd just assembled so haphazardly.  i'm sure i looked awesome.

the menu:

lawry's-style prime rib roast au jus
roasted asparagus
warm brussels sprout/kale/bacon salad
mashed potatoes
creamed corn

it all turned out so fabulously, i don't think anyone gave a crap what i looked like.  and i always marvel at how you can put hours of work into something and then it's all over within minutes.  i guess that goes for both wrapping presents and cooking a big ass holiday meal, though, huh?  but it's worth it.

my kitchen was an absolute freaking disaster.

as i worked on getting everything cleaned up and back in order, the bean came strolling in with one of her presents.

and later, after i'd finally showered and even got a nap in, i got this.

i can't believe yet another christmas is over and done with, just like that.  sheesh, man.

calm before the storm

christmas eve is also our mollyversary.  it was 8 years ago that the hub presented the teen and me with this super fun, furry bundle of joy:

and to celebrate, the teen picked out a new bed for her that's extra soft and comfy.  i think she liked it.

later, we huddled in my bedroom to get started on the mountain of presents to wrap.

the bean had fallen asleep, but woke up so she could put her special christmas eve pajamas on and get some snacks ready for santa and the reindeer.

i love, love, love christmas.

i think it was somewhere around 12:30 when i finally dragged my tired ass to bed.  the hub put all the presents under the tree and somehow everyone's stockings were stuffed to full capacity.

funny how it takes hours to wrap all those presents, and about ten minutes to tear all the paper off of 'em.  ah, christmas.

presentation counts, right?

along with those marshmallow martinis i made for new year's eve, i decided to tackle something i've been eyeing for awhile now:  homemade cinnamon rolls.

since the dinner rolls i made for thanksgiving were such a hit, i was inspired to work with yeast doughs again.  i think it's fun, and it always makes the house smell so good.  i was torn between the popular pioneer woman recipe and one from allrecipes that claims to be a cinnabon clone.  because i wasn't in the mood to do math (PW's recipe makes seven freaking pans of the stuff), i opted for the latter.

proofing the yeast and mixing the dough was a snap.  i covered it with a towel and set it aside to rise for an hour, assuming that the kitchen was warm enough after i'd made dinner.  of course, when the timer went off, the dough hadn't done a damn thing but sit there like a lump (which is what it was, i suppose, but you get it).  so i popped it into the still-warm-but-turned-off oven and hoped for the best.

another hour later and it still hadn't risen much.  gah!  i wondered if the milk i proofed the yeast in had been too warm.  i left it in there and went about our evening activities and then finally, finally - success:

i rolled it out into whatever odd shape came out - you're supposed to make it into a rectangle, but i'm a rebel - spread some softened butter on it and then sprinkled the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture all over.  i wasn't entirely satisfied with the amount of butter i'd used, so i winged it and dropped little pieces of it all willy-nilly.

then it got rolled again, this time jelly roll-style, and then cut into a dozen pieces.

the next morning, i pulled it out of the fridge and popped the pan into the oven.  while the buns were baking i made the cream cheese icing.  and then just because, i added a little bit of pink food coloring.  the ILs were watching the rose parade on tv with the bean, and i thought it would be fun.  plus, it matched quite nicely with my baking paraphernalia.

looks pretty good, right?

i plopped them onto pretty plates, and the bean was only too happy to act as my server.  i should've gotten a picture of her, but i didn't.  sue me.

when i dug into mine, i was astounded at the sheer level of sugar in my mouth like whoa.  and i think i may have pulled it out of the oven a little too soon, because the middle was still a teeny-tiny bit doughy.  the others seemed to enjoy them, though, and that's all that counts.

there's about half the pan left over, and i'm wondering if it'll work if i toss it into the oven again for a bit to see if they cook the rest of the way.  except that the frosting will get all jacked up.  poop.

oh well.  i'll give it a shot anyway and see what happens.  worst possible scenario:  we toss them out.  no biggie.

well, hello 2013!

happy

new

year!