December is here!

I cannot believe it is December 1st already, this year has flown by! I do not enjoy winter in Chicago very much, but December is the best winter month due to all the holiday decorations around the city! There are tons of lights on the trees, and colorful window displays everywhere. Everyone just seems to be in a better mood close to the holidays; more giving, kind, and friendly. Then January and February come around with their bitterness and freezing cold temperatures.

Here are a few things I like about December and the Holidays:

Holiday Cards

*Keep those few favorite cards and put them in a frame to showcase each year. 

Hot Chocolate

*Have a few friends over and make a hot chocolate bar to make it more fun!

Holiday Parties

*Dress up your bottle of wine for the hostess with a cute 

sweater bag instead of the usual paper one. 

Snow

*Be more creative when playing in the snow!

Gifts

*When you give this year, be a little unique 

by making some homemade bows and tags, your gifts will stand out!

Images via my pinterest

What do you enjoy this time of year?

-M

Slow Cookin'

Who doesn't love a good Crock Pot meal in the winter!? It is so easy, since all you have to do is a little prep work then it cooks itself! Well I have been looking for some more recipes to use for these upcoming months and found this blog where a woman (@ crockpot365)  made a different slow cooker receipe every day for a whole year...wow! Also I found out she is gluten-free, which is what I started doing the past 2 weeks. So she gives a regular version and GF substitutes!

I think I will start with this yummy one:

Chicken Nachos

The Ingredients:

--2 cut up raw chicken breasts (or by ALL means, cooked and chopped!)

--large package of Velveeta or other "cheese product"

--can of tomatoes and chilies

--stuff you like to put on nachos: beans, sour cream, olives, etc.

The Directions:

--put raw chicken in bottom of crockpot (if you are using already cooked, melt the cheese completely first, then stir in)

--cover with cheese slices

--dump in entire can of tomatoes and chilies (that means don't drain)

--cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 3-4.

--pace house wondering if the raw chicken was a good idea or not

--stir thoroughly and serve over your favorite chips

--doctor up with beans, sour cream, olives and whatever else makes you happy

--realize that the chicken cooked without help and share brilliant discovery with The Internet.


Recipe and Pictures via Crockpot 365



Can't wait to try a bunch of others!
-M

Warm yourself up!

If you live in a place that has cold, blistery winters, you will most likely be enjoying some hot beverages around the holidays! From tea, to cocoa, espresso drinks, or coffee, you have several options to quickly warm yourself up on a freezing afternoon! I found some homemade, all-natural organic recipes for creamers. They have no artificial ingredients or high fructose corn syrup! These can be used in any of the above drinks, you may need to be creative when putting them in tea though. They are very easy to whip up as well.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Recipes and image via deliciously organic

Image via my pinterest

Next time you enjoy your hot beverage, hopefully it's a little bit sweeter!

-M

The Snow has arrived...

We officially had our first snow of winter today, somewhat short lived though. It appears to be a mild snow flurry that is spreading throughout the Chicagoland area. It seems to be touching every city, but only for a short time. It was snowing not too long ago and now its sunny out! So weird, but it's definitely very cold out today in Chicago with a high of 38 degrees fahrenheit.

Whenever it snows I definitely think of the movie White Christmas, one of my holiday favorites. I love it when they are on the train and sing their song about snow!

I will say that as much as I hate trudging through the snow in the winter, it is very beautiful when the snow is coming down in Chicago. But the aftermath of yellow and black snow....not so pretty!

Photos via my pinterest

I guess I need to pull out the rest of my scarves, hats, and gloves!
-M

Bear Down!

Football season is here, and it almost didn't happen! The lockout made many fans really nervous that they would be without their beloved teams this fall and winter! However, they put their feelings aside and came to a resolution. The Chicago Bears play their first preseason game this Saturday at Soldier Field, my boyfriend and his friends are going. He happens to be one of the biggest Bears fans that I know. I actually really enjoy football games, atleast a lot more than I use to. There are not that many of them each season so every one is more exciting, compared to basketball and baseball. And of course one of the best things about football would also be the parties and tailgating ! I found some cute and creative ideas for football season.

Football Cookies

Football Snackadium



Football Whoopie Pies

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Footballs

Football Cupcake

Football Party Table

Football Sandwiches

Football Rice Krispie Treat

For image sources and recipes, click on the item title.

Go Bears!

-M