Fire Cider

4 oz Apple Cider

2 oz Fireball whiskey

1 apple slice sprinkled with cinnamon

Warm apple cider and whiskey. (I did it in microwave.)  Add apple slice.  Fancy people add a cinnamon stick for presentation.  I didn't need all that.  *HICCUP*

Call me in the morning to discuss cuz we won't discuss anything productive tonight.  Blame my friends.  They are lushes who make me try stuff I've never tried before and it's always, ALWAYS delicious!  GO ME!

I'm perfecting it so I can impress my brother when he gets here next week.  LOL!  Yup...this is simply RESEARCH!  *HICCUP*

 

 

Selfie. Canon 7D Style.

Yesterday we took some pictures for our 2014 Christmas card.  I'd almost decided not to do any but then...cards started coming and well...I changed my mind because...I LOVE CHRISTMAS AND HOLIDAY CARDS!!!!!!!

So I picked out clothes for us to wear while listening to Christmas music.  I was going to have a good picture day.  There was NOT going to be a repeat of last year and I was soooooooooooo serious.  What sense does it make that I can take great pictures if I can't take any of us?  SERIOUSLY?  

I'm STILL salty about last year's "photo shoot."  JOY.

He drove me so bad last year every.single.time I pass by this framed picture in our home and my eyes fall it good...I scowl.

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Okay...so I have to give yall some backstory before you appreciate yesterday as much as I did.  Friday night we watched this movie, "The One I Love" on Netflix.  The movie was kinda quirky in that independent movie kinda way.  Well...the premise was that this couple was having problems and they were going to therapy.  Their therapist sent them to a retreat to get back right.  The retreat was kinda magical or something because whenever one of them entered the retreat's guesthouse, the version of their spouse that they WANTED their spouse to be was in the house.

Re-read that.  Cuz yeah...it was different.  LOL!

Kinda creepy at first but then you were like...hmmmmmm...okay...I get it!  So you...but the better you for me.  ME LIKEY THAT!

I'd already made the declaration that we were taking pictures so the husband unit had been warned.  When I got up the next morning I was ready for battle and ready to ignore any grown folk temper tantrums which may occur.  I put on Christmas jazz music and smiled, whistled, picked out clothes, washed and styled my hair, etc.

I was ready for the fight that was surely to come.  And I KNEW there was going to be a fight, because not only were we taking pictures...but I was taking the pictures myself so that meant I was going to use a tripod and the timer on my camera.  LOL!  I knew that would drain his brain like crazy because that meant I'd have to set up the shot, test the shot with different settings and then pose for the shot while the timer counted down and...since I was wearing a long skirt...he'd have to be the one to push the button and run over to the position I'd determined he needed to be.

Yeah...I was setting the poor dear soul up for failure.  I know.  

So...as I'm cautiously choosing clothes for him to wear, I lay them out and he says, "I thought you'd want me to wear the red sweater."

Me:  *BLINK*  Well, I didn't choose the red sweater because I felt you'd get annoyed at how "Christmasy" it was. 

Him:  Nope.  It's whatever you want.  I'm "Guesthouse Robby" today.

Me:  *BLINK.BLINK.BLINK*  Um...come again?

Him:  You know...like from the movie last night.  I'm going to be "Guesthouse Robby" all day and tomorrow, you can be "Guesthouse Monnie" and I can go play golf and then go to my parent's Bayou house and watch the Ravens game and all the other games on the Sunday ticket and you won't get mad at me.

SIP:  So yeah...using bargaining chips are we?

And I thought about it.  "Guesthouse Robby" wouldn't be a bad thing to deal with on picture day.

Me:  Deal.

And we shook on it.  LOL!

So..."Guesthouse Robby" was way better on picture day than I ever thought he could be.  (And now I'm a tad bit miffed because he clearly KNOWS he can be special and clearly KNOWS how not to be special...see how that works???????????????????)  After pictures, he traipsed up and down store-to-store with me looking for the perfect SLIM tree.  (More on that in another post.  I needed a slim tree this year and well...folks don't seem to grow slim trees.  LOL!)

Then...we got home and he decided that he'd like me to take a couple of headshots for him when I was ready to decorate my newly acquired slim tree.  But...dude was mostly good all day so I poured myself a glass of lovely...and took headshots for him.  Well...SIP did.  "Guesthouse Monnie" was reserved for today.  Golf and game day.  *sigh*

Any of you ever seen that movie?  Would you ever develop a "Guesthouse" version of yourself?  LOL!

 

Easy Prime Rib!

Yall know we look out for each other around here so if you're ready to start planning your Christmas dinner there is absolutely no reason why your mean shouldn't be FABULOUS!  If you have any questions about anything you want to prepare just ask.  If I haven't cooked it before...SOMEBODY around here has and will answer any questions you may have okay?  

I'm doing another prime rib this year but I'm doing a standing one this year so I can rock back and forth humming softly with a soothing prime rib bone.  LOL!  


Gluten Free Pecan Sandies Recipe!

Pecan Sandies were my mommy's favorite cookies.  She'd buy a pack and announce to the household that nobody and she meant NOBODY had better eat any of her cookies.  As far as she was concerned...she couldn't have NUTTIN to herself with all these kids so yeah...we steered clear.  LOL!

When I became a for real bill paying adult, every now and then I'd get a pack just to feel some type of connection to her and well...tomorrow is yet another anniversary or her  being gone and I'm up in here feeling some kinda way about it all you know?  She's gone.  I'm here.  Life upheaval in straight up effect.

So I wanted some of HER cookies.

My mommy-in-law brought me over a gallon sized bag of roasted pecans that she'd picked, shelled and roasted so I whipped out my food processor with the dough cutter blade and whipped up a batch.

Ingredients:

4 sticks of butter at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons of water

4 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

4 cups of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour

2 cups chopped pecans

More powdered sugar for dusting.

First you cream the butter and sugar together.  I do everything in my food processor but you can also do it in a large bowl with a hand mixer.

Next, add the water and the extract.  Add the flour, one cup at a time blending well.  With a baking spatula, fold in the pecans.

Roll into balls (I make nice sized ones so the balls are around an inch and a half) and place on a baking sheet.  Then...using your fingers, flatten and shape each cookie.  They bake pretty true to size so you don't really have to worry about them running into each other if you followed the recipe correctly.  AND YOU KNOW IF YOU DIDN'T DO IT RIGHT!  LOL!

Bake at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes or...until they look done.  LOL!  

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Place them on cooling racks and let them cool.  

Prior to serving, dust elegantly with some powdered sugar if you can find your sifter.  If you're like me and can't find your sifter even though you know you have one and packed one and brought it clean across the dang country with you...proceed to making a merry azz mess of every single surface in the kitchen while trying to sprinkle the dang sugar evenly and neatly knowing good and well while you're doing it it's a mess, a mess, a mess.

*sigh*

Bossman was over here asking questions throughout the process and whatnot:

Whatchu baking?

When will they be done?

Man that smells good!

How many are you making?

You're not giving them away are you?????????????

o_0

Fortunately...they taste so good...it doesn't matter that they are OOGLY as all get out.  I mean come on!  Butter, sugar, flour, vanilla and pecans????????  OF COURSE THAT'S GOING TO BE DEEEEEEELICOUS!

This made about 3 and a half dozen.  Oh...and if you don't need them to be gluten-free...just use regular way less expensive flour.  LOL!  Go to Michael's and get some lil' cute containers and waxed insert paper to create some lovely gifts for neighbors, co-workers, teachers, etc.  Add 8 - 12 cookies each container and VOILA!  

Looka you...all fabulous and shit.

Just like my stuntin' azz mommy was!  

What cookies are YOU baking this year for Christmas?  This one is really easy and delicious so I hope yall try it on for size!