for a wintery day...

chai tea latte

for a wintery day...

we are a bit snowed in here

this helped a lot...

just brew the chai tea bag

and add frothed or heated milk

and cinnamon...

you can sweeten it if you like...

but i like it just like this...

this hot chocolate worked also...

 thanks mom...

yea...

pretty snowy...

bye...
more later...

cafe` bernice

bernice's peanut brittle

this is our first installment 

of cafe` bernice:)...

hope to have more...

yea, 

we all love this in the thomas family and look forward to it all year...

bernice is an amazing cook who cooks with her head, 

so if you want to learn one of her recipes, 

you have to cook it with her...

matt made this...

 with bernice by his side...

and learned something special...

first prepare the pans

(bernice gave us these pans with strict instructions to use them for nothing else but candy)

it is amazing...

we had an awesome christmas...

i will tell you more about it later...

hope you did too...

bye...

more later...

"peninsulas of apricot"

spiced apricots

something new to add to the Christmas party fruit and cheese platter:)

i got this recipe from

here

i used semi sweet chocolate instead of dark

(i think the dark is prettier but i like the taste of semi sweet better)

i used my little miniature crockpot

but you could use a double broiler or the microwave...

just melt the chocolate

dip half of the apricot into the chocolate and lay on wax paper...

sprinkle with chili powder...

the spice adds the most wonderful kick!

it was so easy...

it seriously took me like 5 minutes!

so pretty...



pretty little radishes

radishes with butter and sea salt

since we have been taking a little break from the 

"book club"

for the month of december,

i have been playing...

i have been trying to find some fun things to try out for our family christmas party... 

 i have been reading this book

possession

and it kept referring to radish and butter sandwiches...

so i looked it up...

apparently it is very french and quite popular...

so of course i had to try it:)

the spiciness of the radishes and the creaminess of the butter along with the salt is a remarkably nice combination...

not to mention super pretty...

all the websites said to make sure you 

"see the butter"

so, 

i did!

it is very good

i believe i have found a new favorite:)

sometimes i love pretending that i am someone other than who i am...

this week i was french:)

i hope you are enjoying december...

bye...

more later...

bare-naked granola

dallys' granola

not really...

but it's close enough:)

super easy and delicious...

i absolutely loved that when dallys posted this on instagram

within hours, we were all making it, preparing to make it, or planning to make it...

i love instagram...

it's so great for families who live far apart...

thank's dallys:)

it's almost here!!!!

are you getting ready?

bye...

more later...

goat cheese grapes

 goat cheese grapes

i have been experimenting with fruit and nuts...

trying to figure out interesting things to do with all the walnuts i have accumulated...

i came up with this...

thought it would look really pretty on a fruit and cheese platter...

it is yummy...

honestly...

i will confess though...

i also tried it with gorgonzola cheese and pecans...

and it was even better...

i just don't happen to have two big gunny sacks full of pecans from the backyard...

so, there is that...

bye...

more later...

whip up some chex mix!

this is cowboy mix

(jelly beans,candy corn, boston baked beans, burnt peanuts)

i also add raisins...

not everyone likes them but they are my favorite...

wouldn't be the holidays without it!!!!

great for watching football and decorating the christmas tree...

plus...i always add a couple of extra tablespoons of worcestershire sauce because matt likes it extra flavorful:)

bye...

more later...