New traditions...

It's Christmas morning and I'm sitting with a nice hot cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll thinking about how Christmas for me has changed in the last few years.  This year I've gained a husband and we've been creating new traditions that we can share with our family. Christmas 2011 is our first "married" Christmas and it has already been different than others.

Like most changes in life, creating new traditions is bittersweet.  My initial image of Christmas will always be the childhood Christmas's where I woke up way too early and waited patiently (or impatiently depending of what I thought Santa was bringing me) for everyone else to get up so we could tear into our presents.  Christmas afternoon was always spent at my grandparents home with our extended family.  Recently, we've spent Christmas at my Mom and step-dad's home about 3 hours away from here.  Last year and this year they have been traveling so we spend Christmas our home.

Our decorations are up, presents are wrapped, and the stockings are stuffed.  Our tree may be small but it still illuminates the room in wonderful white lights.  To make the tree special we bought an ornament to mark our first christmas together and plan to do this every year.  I think it will be wonderful when we are older to share the story of each ornament with our children as we trim the tree.  Of course, I also have the nutcracker sitting out that my grandmother gave me from her collection before she passed away.

We're making a ham and loads of veggies, and for dessert we have a french pear tart.  A big meal on Christmas is one tradition I can not change.  Another addition to our tradition, is giving presents to our pets.  Our dog has been trying to sniff his presents this year, but they are placed just high enough he can  not reach them.  He's getting a real bone, which is pretty much doggie heaven to him and a few other yummy treats!  (shhhh....don't tell him)

I hope all of you have a wonderful Holiday and celebrate being with the ones you love.  Rejoice in new and old traditions.

Holiday snacks that are healthy and not....

This is my healthy go to snack...

Homemade chewy granola bars! These granola bars are inspired by the whole foods recipe for chewy granola balls.  

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup toasted coconut (toasted for about 5 minutes at 350F)

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup nuts (I used part peanut and part almonds, which is what I had on hand)

1/2 cup honey

Warm almond butter and honey in sauce pan and once the ingredients are warm and mixed then add the additional goodies. 

Spread the mixture out on foil/parchment paper and allow to cool.  Then, cut into bars and enjoy!

Now onto the yummy not so healthy holiday snack.  Peppermint bark!!! Peppermint bark is very easy to make.  

2 packages dark melting chocolate

2 packages vanilla melting chocolate/candy coating

1 package candy canes (crushed)

Melt dark chocolate in saucepan on low heat then spread out in a 1/4 layer sheet on aluminum foil/parchment paper and let it cool. 

Then, do the same thing with the vanilla candy coating and pour on top of the dark chocolate. 

While the top layer of melting chocolate is still warm add the crushed up candy canes. You can also add some of the very finely crushed candy canes to the vanilla melting choc  before pouring over the dark chocolate.  We found that using a blender to crush the candy canes works very well!!

It's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

I respect christmas, but in it's proper time and place.  Thanksgiving deserves to be observed with our full attentions.  Therefore, christmas festivities are not allowed to begin until Dec. 1st at the earliest!  I know it's an arbitrary rule, but just humor me.

Several days ago I started to complain about christmas music being played while I was out shopping, then I realized we are well into christmas so my complaining would go against my own rule.  With that in mind, it also meant it's time to start decorating my own humble abode for the upcoming holidays.  Admittedly, I still have my pumpkins on display in the kitchen.  (We didn't carve them so they stayed fresh.)

I bit the bullet and put up our tree, garland, and tiny 2nd tree.  The tiny 2nd tree sits where the pumpkins are displayed, so I had to do some pumpkin seed harvesting.  The pumpkin seed roasting marked the definitive end to fall festivities and beginning of the winter holidays.

The tree and pumpkin seed roasting...

Loads of baking is in store for the weekend!  I may dabble in viewing some of my fave christmas movies such as elf and charlie brown christmas.