thank you pinterest: pomegranate vanilla sangria

i made this yummy 'winter-time' sangria that i found on pinterest and have been sipping on it all afternoon.  i think this would be a great drink to bring in the New Year with.  here is my modified version of pomegranate vanilla sangria.

you will need:  1 large navel orange, sliced; 1 large apple, chopped; 1 large pear, chopped; the arils of 1 pomegranate; 2 cinnamon sticks; 1 bottle of wine (i used Dona Sol Cabernet Sauvignon); 2 Cups of sparkling pomegranate (i used sparkling limonade pomegranate by Musette); 1/2 Cup of sugar (maybe more depending on the type of wine you use and your taste); 1 T. vanilla extract.

add the orange slices, apples, pears, cinnamon sticks and pomegranate arils to the bottom of a large pitcher.  pour the wine, sparkling pomegranate, sugar and vanilla extract over the top of the fruit.  mix well to combine everything.  place in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.

add ice and some of the fruit to a glass and then pour the sangria on top... enjoy! 




have a safe and happy new year!

fun with the littles: christmas ornaments!

i love to be around my niece and nephews.  a perfect day with them is hanging out in our pj's creating stuff.  this past weekend the Littles and I, along with my dear friend Maggie and her Littles, spent the afternoon creating Christmas ornaments.  it's a cheap and easy project, with the finished product being something to hold onto forever.  it would be really sweet to one day give your child all of the ornaments they made throughout their lives as a Christmas gift.

i bought a few packages of clear glass Christmas ornaments from michaels.  a package of 6 was only $1.  i used acrylic paint to coat the inside of the ornaments-white, metallic silver, metallic gold, red glitter paint, blue glitter paint and green glitter paint.  i dropped paint into the ornament, covered the opening with my finger and paper towel, and shook to spread the paint around the inside of the ornament.  once the inside is covered, drain any excess paint back into paint bottle.  

because i had two 4 year-old boys and one 1 1/2 year old boy running around i decided to use stickers to decorate the outside of the ornaments instead of paint. you can decorate however you like... paint, stickers, ribbon on the outside/inside, photos... the ideas are endless.  :)

add some cookie baking, hot chocolate drinking, and Christmas movie watching to the mix and you have a perfect snuggle day with the Littles.












thank you pinterest for the following fun ideas:

santa's belly ornaments

thumbprint reindeer ornaments

Nina Simone- 'revolution (parts 1 & 2)'

this song makes me happy.... hope it makes you happy too!

popcorn = eco-friendly packaging material!

my husband received a package a few weeks ago that was packaged in popcorn.  i thought this was a brilliant alternative to those pesky Styrofoam "peanuts" that most things are shipped in.  popcorn is cheap, easy to use, and won't clutter up our landfills.  the only downside to using popcorn as packaging material is that the natural oils could damage or discolor paper products.   if you use minimal amounts of oil to barely coat the kernels, this shouldn't be a problem.


pour each batch of popped popcorn into a brown grocery bag to cool.  it may be tempting, but do not add butter or salt :)


once the popcorn has cooled, pour a layer to cover the bottom of the box.  place package on top of popcorn and pour more popcorn in and around all the open spaces to fill up the box.


**be sure to add a note explaining to the recipient that the popcorn should not be eaten.  it would however be perfect to make popcorn garland with.


give the planet the gift of biodegradable shipping material this holiday season.... use popcorn.  

cake mix cookies... YUM, YUM, YUM!

i found out about these cookies through pinterest.  they are quick and easy to make and super scrumptious to eat.  i have made them twice now and was told by my hubby that i was no longer allowed to make them....  self-control is non-existent when these are in the house :)


all you need is a box of cake (i used duncan hines white cake mix), 2 eggs and a 1/2 cup of canola oil.


mix well and scoop 1 T. of 'cookie' cake mix onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees' for 10 to 13 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.  cookies will be soft.


let cool and decorate however you desire.  i used cream cheese frosting and sprinkles.


YUM, YUM, YUM!

tequila turkey chili- winter day comfort

my hubby made one of his favorite dishes today... tequila chicken turkey chili.  this has become one of my favorite dinners to have on a cold, crisp winter day.  there are so many wonderful spices in this chili, the aroma of it made my house smell amazing all afternoon.  :)  the recipe is one that my husband found in 'the chili cookbook' by norman kolpas.   hubs used ground turkey in this batch instead of ground chicken and it worked just as well.  here is the recipe for this tasty winter comfort dish... hope you enjoy!

 
ingredients:


3 tablespooons vegetable oil, 4 medium-size garlic cloves (finely chopped), 2 medium-size onions** (finely chopped), 1 tablespoon medium-hot pure chili powder, 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon dried red chile flakes, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1-1/2 pounds ground chicken**, 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup tequila, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup finely shredded fresh basil leaves, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano, 2 teaspoons dried leaf basil, 2 teaspoons dried leaf savory, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons masa harina.

in a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.  add garlic, onions, chile powder, cumin seeds, chile flakes, coriander and saute 2 to 3 minutes.  add chicken**, increase heat to high, and saute until no longer pink, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring to break meat into rough chunks.  stir in remaining ingredients except masa harina.  bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is fairly thick but still slightly liquid, about 1-1/2 hours.  sprinkle in the masa harina, stir and simmer until thick, about 15 mintues more.  serve over steamed rice** and if you so desire, garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs and fresh lime wedges.  this recipe makes 4 to 6 servings.


**hubby modified this recipe just slightly:  he used 2 small onions, 1 shallot, and ground turkey instead of ground chicken.  served it over steamed jasmine rice..... YUM!

a message from santa!

            

a friend of my mom's told her about this great site where you can create a personalized video message from santa to the special one(s) in your life.  my niece, nephews and i each received special emails from the north pole, letting us know if we made the naughty or nice list.  the smalls all made santa's nice list, i however was put on the naughty list by mom  for not 'relaxing enough around the holidays'.  go figure :).  

i highly recommend sending santa messages to the special peeps in your life.  they are a lot of fun for everyone and will definitely make the littles in your life feel super special. 

 so glad santa has internet access!


message from the north pole!

r&r living

life is busy.  we're living in a world fueled by coffee, to-do lists and 24/7 connectivity.  we may be more efficient, but are we happier?  are we healthier?  are we ever even rested?  this blog is the antidote to our increasingly hectic world and a daily reminder to recharge, refresh and reengage with the slow life.  after all, life is precious - why rush it?