HO HO HO,,,,Merry "Early" Christmas

After weeks of Brad (Aka: @Brajit ) Taunting me, Via Twitter & Skype, I got my 1st Official Christmas Gift today... All I saw for weeks was this Big White Box,,

Even though I tried to bribe half of Twitter, My Buddies, would not budge or gimme a hint.

Today was the day, Brad was a true friend in stride, as he rolled out of his warm, comfy bed at Oh' Dark Thirty to drown my sorrows in pancakes at IHop.

I truly have spent endless hours glancing thru SkyMall Magazine... Believe it or NOT, I've never seen these plates.. But Brad DID, & I ADORE THEM!!!

My morning was soon filled with "Cheer", No,,,,Not the kind you drink...with laughter..

These plates are just too Precious,,,,

"Chianti" Get Up,,,,Who thinks of this stuff,,,,

I will treasure my "Holiday Cheer" Plates & I will also treasure our IHop Pancakes...

See Brad, It was worth the wait, Yes? Today was the perfect day for our Gift Exchange!!!

Sometimes procrastination is a GOOD THING!

Thank You, SABLB

I love Fudge,,,

Problem is, I only love MY Fudge, I've tasted Fudge from High End Boutiques, to local yocal joints that claim they have the best Fudge in the country & they are just not as good as mine, So I thought I'd share... say you've been asked to attend a Christmas party, & Of course you say: "Can I Bring anything?",,, they say sure "bring something Sweet",,,, Now don't go into a Panic: This quick Fudge is Easy & Delish....

You need to use a Double Boiler, I don't have one of those, So I set a smaller pot into a larger pan filled with water on a medium heat... You do NOT want your water to ever boil. Inside your smaller pot you'll add.

• 1 Can of 14 ounce can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 Cups of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

Blend until Melted & Smooth

The next decision is yours, I add 1 Cup of Chopped Pecans,

You can add what your heart desires here, from Mini Marshmallows to Raisins

Blend until nuts are completely covered. . . . Never let mixture come to a boil...
Pour mixture into a buttered dish, for easy removal later...
I always make a batch for my Family & Friends, then I make just a baby one for me.

(I have to make sure it's good, Right?)

Cover with plastic wrap & pop in the fridge over night...

Start to stop, this Fudge takes less than 30 Minutes...It's very moist & very chocolattly,,,

Your friends will think you worked on this Fudge all day, Go ahead impress them, Not that many folks read this Blog, so the secret will just be ours, I won't tell.

Next day, flip your dish over & place in a decorative dish & slice into bite size pieces...

ENJOY

100th Post on such a Special Day

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Our Tradition is to decorate our "Christmas" Tree the evening of Thanksgiving

While we won't be putting up our "Real Tree" this year, 1. Because

I will be working nearly the entire month of December &

2. My Better Half (BH) will be en route to Afghanistan.

I refuse to put it up, till we can share a Christmas together!

So, this year is our KEY CHAIN CHRISTMAS TREE!!

What? ? You don't know what this is?

This is something that started a few years ago...

I'll share: When you visit a city you buy souvenirs right?

Well, we buy Key Chains & we put them up, only to bring them

out on Thanksgiving to place on our Christmas Tree..

It is such a great evening to reflect on our memories we've shared throughout the years, we've been together..

Here are just a few of our Memories: Barcelona, Spain

Ireland

Australia (yes, I know it's upside down) Get it?

Chile

We have many many MEMORIES on this tree,,,& hopefully many more MEMORIES to add

Thank You for letting me share our Thanksgiving Tradition

Last Years tree at Fort Jackson, SC

Let's talk food; Italian Style

Buongiorno

I am standing near the River Arno, which is spanned by the famous Ponte Vecchio (behind me) the only of Florence's bridges not to be blown up in the Second World War.

Since my kitchen has been torn up for a little over a week now, I can't get in there & cook, it's actually making me miss FOOD, That got me to reflecting on the amusing bistro found one afternoon in Florence, Italy.. I thought I'd share this delightful place with you . . . So that next time you happen to be strolling in Florence looking for a place to grab a quick bite, you can tell them I sent you.
The name of this little gem is called Baldovino, You know the only reason we picked it? Because I saw "Vino" in the name, "This HAS to be a good place, Right?" It was!

It is near "Plazza S Croce", On Via San Giuseppe 22R, Firenze (Florence)

We started off with the Local Red Wine.. . . . (Stop laughing)

Appetizer for the Better Half: Bruschetta (Above)

Appetizer for Me: Focaccia Bread, Italian Style

I know for a fact It will be difficult for me to eat Focaccia bread

any other way!

We had spent the morning in Pisa,,, (More on that later),,, As hunger began to creep in, All I could think about was enjoying a Tuscan lunch,,, What better to have than a real Pizza!
I can't say enough about this wonderful establishment, Be sure to eat early, Baldovino's fills up quickly during lunch time, Besides, after you eat all of this spectacular food, You will need to walk it off admiring Florence.

Day 1: Part Duex

We survived Day One! My entire house is covered in a thin layer of dust & there is a smell of adhesive I'm not sure I will ever be able to get rid of, I will chalk this up to paying the price of a beautiful home. . I'm already so excited of the progress. . .
Looks like we have our 1st causality, We found a snail under the island, Not real sure where this little guy came from, We don't live near water & I don't make escargot so the mystery continues.
You know BH could not stay out of the kitchen, he had to get in there & help Jesus.

The end of the day arrived, & this is what we have so far, Pretty Huh?

Demolition Day Part I

Have you ever asked yourself, "What were we waiting on?" This is my Kitchen...

WELL..WAS MY KITCHEN!!

This was my Kitchen last night as I was snapping Buhbye photos of it... After being away from our home for the past 3 years, We returned in September & said "Out with the old" I wished we had upgraded the kitchen years ago.

I used to like shopping for make-up, shoes & clothes, funny how you become a homeowner & you get excited by granite, back splashes, tumbled stone, recycled glass & magnets in kitchen faucets . .

The only reason we are "Fixin" up the old gal is because we are going to sell it in the near future and build our "Dream House". . . Oh Course BH said: "We are going to like it so much we are going to want to stay" NOT!
When we moved here in 1996 BH & I did a lot of upgrading. . . who knew that it would look so dated 10 years later..Well, not anymore, Not after today!
We found a man named Jesus to help us in this endeavor. . He's wonderful, He's only been here an hour & I'm already in love with my new kitchen. . . & I'm going to ask Jesus later if he can turn water into Wine!!
More later: Let me get back to the "Bang, Bang, Boom, Boom, Grind, Grind" Stay tuned to view the finished product, before we begin on the bathrooms!

Taste of Ligurian

Lunch Time in Italy... What did you do on your Summer Vacation? I learned to cook the "Real Italian Focaccia Bread", I doubt I'll ever be able to eat the American Version we have here..

Our tour bus pulls up to a local Restorante called "Le Cisterue" located in La Spezia, Italy. this is where we have to earn our lunch by helping make it.... 1st class: Focaccia Bread.. Tony is speaking to us in Italian: (Sounds better that way) While our tour guide translates..

"Firsta youa takea the dougha"....

"Thena you adda the cheesea"

This is a very important item in my book,

because I plan days around Cheese & Wine of course

Put another layer of dough on top of your cheese, Poke a few holes in it....
Then you must & this is very important, Top it off with the local Olive Oil.... Mist it with water & pop it into this Woodfired Pizza Oven...

Presto, You have Homemade Focaccia Bread,,,,,

I ate my share & then some....This was the best focaccia bread I've ever had in my life!!!

We also had to make our own Pesto, No food processor, No Kitchen Aide, No No,,,

All by hand & all fresh ingredients that had been picked that morning.

Including the local Pine Nuts....

It would not be Italy with making some Pasta now would it?

Simple Right? Sure just Tuck, Wrap & Pull

To Easy

I was honored to add a picture of my very own rolled Tortellini in this Blog

I may never ever do this again.. . . . So I wanted it documented!!
This was the "Main" Portion of our lunch, It was white fish topped with thin layers of potatoes & you guessed it: Olive Oil, Olives & Pine Nuts. I don't really care for fish,,, So, I asked for more Focaccia Bread!!! All of this food was accompanied by their local Wine . . . I was in Heaven!!

Wouldn't be right to not end our lunch without ...Homemade Tiramisu... DE-Lish!!

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