X-Mas 2012

Trying to win some sweet swag (and bragging rights) so I'm temporarily bringing the ol' blog out of hibernation for a little peek into our Classy Ass Texas Christmas. 

http://thepapermama.com/2012/11/2012-holiday-photo-challenge.html

And for kicks, here's last year's holiday hilarity:

Keepin' it real in Longbeach

Sean, Eddie and I took a little trip to Longbeach a couple weekends ago to celebrate our "three-year anniversary."
Sean and I take many trips together, but they usually include camping in a tent, sleeping in a car, or multiple days of driving (i.e. very little time for straight chillin'.)
The only other time we stayed in a hotel for over 12 hours was "Adventures in Lars' Vegas Wedding" two summers ago... but I feel like Vegas doesn't even count because "chillin'" in V-town consists of desperately fending off impending hangovers, lots of walking in the blazing hot sun, and little-to-no relaxation time, (unless laying by the pool surrounded by a million strangers with blasting dub-step counts...?)

AND we almost never get to bring Eddie with us (even when we're camping) because Eddie is an odd-ball and has dicey relationships with other dogs...  

THE POINT BEING, this trip was quite different than any other weekend getaway for us.

We booked an ocean-view condo, where we stayed - IN A BED - for three nights. There was a full kitchen. A fireplace. A deck. And a large, jetted tub. And Eddie got to come! It was perfection.

I realize that to most of the world, this probably doesn't sound like the most exciting vacation of all time (Longbeach in the middle of January is slightly ghost-townish) but for us it was precisely what we wanted.

We relaxed, cooked food, ate food, explored the sites, walked on the beach, read books, took naps, watched TV, and just simply enjoyed each others company without another care in the world.

And here are some pictures from our fairly scenic trip:

This is the view from the bathtub of our pimpin' condo. (I took a bath every day we were there.)

Sean and Eddie at the beach. Because of the aforementioned "dicey behavior" we kept Eddie in a muzzle when other off-leash dogs were roaming the beach nearby.

Crazy dogs need love too! I like to think of Eddie as the fun-loving, furry version of Hannibal Lector.

smooches, pooches!

Eddie very happily enjoying muzzle-free time.

Grey Whale Skeleton!

Buffy and I at Leadbetter State Park

Hazy afternoon at the Ilwaco Lighthouse

Eddie and  I at the Lighthouse. Zoom in to view Ed's hilarious facial expression.

Sean taking a pinhole shot.

More views from Ilwaco.

Ilwaco Lighthouse

Sunset view from our condo.

And, of course, some LOVE! (anniversary post has to have at least a bit of sap, right?)

THE END!

Thanksgiving!

Here's a quick and dirty post about my super awesome, luxuriously long, Thanksgiving weekend.

It started with a verrry verrry long drive- about 2 hours longer than usual because of damn holiday traffic.
But surprisingly, Sean and I didn't kill eachother on the trek to his family's cabin spot on Devils Lake (near Lincoln City, Ore.)
We actually had fun!
But I didn't take any pictures of that.
We got to the cabin late - about 11:30 p.m. the night before Tofurkey Day.

But, this is what we got to wake up to:

 Let me just say Sean's mom knows how to party ;) 

Here are the guys of the cabin, having a pre-dinner toast. From left to right - Sean's stepdad Jerry, Uncle Mark a.k.a. 'the lowrider,' cousin-in-law Jason, and Sean. 


Here's the rest of the gang, excluding Aunt Donna (taking picture) and little brother Avery (napping.)
The girls are cousin Emma (center), me, and Sean's mom Christine (the one who knows how to partay!)



The food was amazing! I got to make my very first Tofurkey Roast, and whipped up my signature gravy (which everyone loved, as always. Not trying to brag, just saying).

Sean made some tasty yam and apple dish, as well as a hippie-infused focaccia bread (I naively bought the "healthy" unbleached whole wheat flour over our usual all-purpose flour for this recipe not realizing it would drastically change the usual fluffy texture Sean takes so much pride in. But it was still pretty good.)

I will say I am a proud member of the completely clean plate club, which I actually photographed, but later decided not to post because I think you all know what a clean plate looks like.

 Sean's cousin Emma and her husband Jason. It was so fun getting to know these guys over the weekend! We had a blast. 

Buffy and I in our matching red hoodies...  at the ocean, btw.

     More shots of the ocean at the very nearby Road's End state park. Our cabin was actually on the  lake, but we were so close to the Pacific you could actually hear the ocean from the deck!

  Sean, Christine and Avery.

After spending the morning at the ocean and briefly touring Lincoln City, Sean and I headed back home, where we were greeted with yet another Thanksgiving!
Since my mom always works Thursdays (aka always works Thanksgiving) and my sister was unhappy with her leftover ratio, she suggested we have another dinner Sunday night in honor of Thanksgiving as well as my upcoming birthday! (Which means I got to invite friends!!!)

I didn't take as many pictures this time around, but we had another amazing meal (where everyone loved the vegan stuff, yet again), and a super fun time laughing with literally (most of) my favorite people in the world.

My sister Rachel and her husband Chris, the fucking cook.
(Not sure if he actually cooked anything but whatevs).

Three of my best girls: Kat, Court and Tay. 

Also in attendance, but not pictured, Janis, Jim, Justin, Julian, Grace and Camden. 

Yipeee! 

Chickpea Tacos!

I came across this simple recipe while perusing Happy Heribvore's blog this week.
She said it was hands-down her husband's favorite recipe ever, so I knew I had to give it a try.
And since I had prepped a buttload of chickpeas over the weekend and still had a bunch leftover, it was a super easy recipe to whip up for a Wednesday night fiesta!

Historically, we've always gone with TVP to make our trusty and delicious taco filling, but these hearty, super flavorful Mexican-style chickpeas will definitely be making their way into my regular rotation!

 They were a cinch to make and they're super healthy, which is pretty much an unbeatable combo.

Check out the recipe here.

Just another pizza...

Pictured above: Pre-made pizza crust, generous layer of Isa Chandra's Romesco sauce, a sprinkling of vegan Mozz (very optional) sliced green almond-stuffed olives, diced onion, and crumbled scratch-made Italian sausages (one batch has fed us for four meals and counting btw...), quick-made pizza ranch dip.


This pizza was so good and rich with flavors that seemed to complement eachother perfectly.
I highly recommend trying the Romesco red pepper sauce for your next pizza - it hits your basic tomato spread out of the park!