Pretzels

And I continue in my baking adventures.... Sean requested that we serve soft pretzels and cheese as an appetizer for the Christmas dinner we are hosting. I don't always accommodate Sean's requests, but this one presented a challenge to me since I've never made soft pretzels, so I obliged. With my Kitchenaid mixer and the dough hook attachment - it was a breeze! The pretzels turned out to be a success.

The dough - nicely kneaded effortlessly by my stand mixer

Ready to bake!
(Didn't twist the pretzels - made 'sticks' for easier dipping)

The finished product...and they taste delicious!

Homemade noodles

My mom makes some of THE best homemade noodles. And I was lucky enough to have her teach me how to make them several years ago. Tonight I took dinner to a friend that has three young children and is pregnant with baby #4, and I made chicken and HOMEMADE noodles! I haven't made them in awhile, so it actually took me two tries....luckily I started the process on Saturday, so I had plenty of time to make two batches before tonight! I don't think mine are as good as my mom's, but maybe I'll get closer as the years go by. And since I have this cool new flash for my camera, I documented the process with photos...

The noodles rolled out to dry
(this is the first batch...notice I had some trouble getting them unstuck from the counter, which is why there are several pieces)

This is the second batch (much better than the first)...all cut up and drying some more!

And finally....cooking the chicken and noodles!

And of course....more pictures of the dogs....

I just love it when dogs blink in pictures...cracks me up!

Sadie is sooooooo tired of that camera in her face! But she sits so well for me!

Surprise!

I was very surprised Saturday night when I walked into a room full of my friends! Sean threw me a surprise party for my big birthday...wasn't that sweet?! :)

ICE!

Bloomington-Normal got hit with a big ice storm Thursday night/Friday morning. We got around a 1/2 inch of ice, but the temps on Friday morning were high enough for the roads to stay cleared....so I still had to go to work on Friday. :-(

Our flowering trees are bent all the way over!

Icicles off our siding

The big 3-0!

This past week I celebrated a milestone birthday - 30! Yikes! I was relieved to find that I didn't feel much different than I did when I was 29. :) Sean got a me a new flash for my camera! I have no idea how to use it, but below are some shots I took practicing with it....

No dark figures while facing the big sliding glass door!

Sadie is a much better model than Jada...Jada does not like to sit still when the camera is out

This picture just cracked me up....the look of annoyance from Sadie (after about 15 pictures of her...)


(Not using the flash...) The cake Sean got for me! It was apple spice made by the same lady that made our wedding cake two years ago!

I'm finally done with the Christmas decorations! Here's one of my favorite decorations. Sean surprised me with this guy at the end of the season last year. :)


This is the first year that we're sending out Christmas cards! Phew...that's a lot of work. If you think I may not have your address, send it my way and you'll get a card!

Happy holidays!

More photo shoots

I just realized I forgot to blog about the recent photo sessions I did. Here are a few of my favorite pictures...

The Koehler Family

The Herbst Family

The Boitnott Family