And God Bless Us, Each And Everyone!

Christmas self-portrait (look really hard, I'm there)

Well, we're all still here. Good one, Mayans. Though I'm quite pleased since that means I'll now be able to see Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables after Christmas. There are other reasons I'm glad too but that one is quite compelling... ::dreamy sigh::.

I hope you all are finished with holiday preparations and can spend your Christmas Eve relaxing at home in front of a nice fire, maybe have a special somebody rub your feet and bring you a hot beverage or two... no? Wait, you still have presents to buy? Cookies to bake? Gifts to wrap!? SLACKER!! Oh hang on... I'm not done either... that's right. :) But for all you OCD holiday preppers out there, I hope you recognize that it's really ok. Not everything has to be perfect! My house sure isn't. As always, I encourage you to look past the trappings of the Christmas season and remember the wise words of Dr. Seuss: "What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”

Please remember the families from Sandy Hook this Christmas in your prayers and take time to let go of any grudges, hurtful competitiveness and jealousy you may have, especially toward family. You have no guarantee you'll get another chance. I encourage you to give the gift of yourselves this Christmas, just like the little Christ child:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior  which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Gospel of Luke, 2:1-14)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanksgiving 2012: Caramelized Onions and Fig Pizza

I love Thanksgiving with my family. There's a ton of us so it's always busy, a bit loud and plenty of great food. I mentioned last time I was in charge of bringing the creamed corn, but I also had another dish up my sleeve (so to speak). I have been wanting to try this out on a group and what better time than when I have my hungry family all lined up like so many Thanksgiving guinea pigs?? I have to admit, I liked this one. It was, in short, a win.

I don't really know what to call this masterpiece as it has so many elements! But my hat is off to Shari over at My Fancy Pantry for the primary inspiration behind this pizza. I mixed it up a bit as my taste and ingredients allowed, but she was definitely my muse. Thanks Shari!

Onion and Fig Pizza

1 1/2 large sweet onions
1/4 package of Trader Joe's Chevre with Honey (goat cheese)
Trader Joe's Fig Butter
prosciutto
pistachios, roasted and salted
Trader Joe's pre-made pizza dough
olive oil

First, I chopped up my onions and put them in the skillet to caramelize. Next, I greased up a pizza pan and rolled the dough out as thinly as I could and brushed a little bit of olive oil along the edges of the crust so it wouldn't dry too much while baking. Spread a nice layer of caramelized onions over the dough and top with short pieces of prosciutto, pistachios and dollops of chevre and fig butter. (Next time I make this, I'm going to mix the chevre and fig butter and spread it as a base AND put dollops on top... their creaminess was the best part to me!) Preheat oven to 400 F and bake for 15-20 minutes or until at desired crispy deliciousness!

I hope you enjoy!