Sunday, December 6, 2009

Baking Baby & Christmas Tree Part 2

Sunday is usually my catch up day and today was no different! I started my day with some coffee with TONS of cinnamon to fuel me through:

I ran around the house pretty much all day and accomplished the following:
  • Laundry/ironing
  • Dusted the whole house
  • Cleaned the kitchen
  • Vacuumed
  • Lots of baking (more below)
  • Choreography work

Frank was not much help, but did keep an eye on me all day to make sure I did everything right ;)

As I mentioned previously, I wanted to bake up some good stuff for some of the special people in our lives. Today, this meant baking up some goodies for Josh's brothers and sister. They are all about to enter into finals week and will need some tasty fuel to keep them going. For them I made:
  • Granola (oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, flax, honey, and a little oil baked at 250 for 1 hour):

  • Mini Vegan Gingerbread muffins based on this recipe. I used flax/water as the egg substitute and added some delicious mini chips:

  • I also used Jessica's recipe to make some Double Chocolate Chip cookies. In one batch, I used regular chocolate chips:

  • And in the other, I used these dark chocolate & mint chips. Josh said these chips are incredible (I am yet to sample):



I also made an un-pictured set of mini vegan pumpkin chip muffins.

Phew! I packaged up the goodies and will send them off to my awesome brothers and sister-in-law tomorrow!


I also finished decorating the tree:


I like really simple trees and used only silver ornaments.
Josh also finished up the outside of the house that we had started yesterday:


We still need to get a wreath for the front door, but its pretty much done!
Also worth a HUGE mention, I opened my first Christmas gift from Josh's mom a few weeks ago. She got me kitchen towels monogrammed with my blog name:


How freaking cute is that????
Alright, time for some work (blah) and relaxing (hooray!). How was your Sunday?

69 comments:

Unknown said...

dark chocolate and mint? what could possibly be bad, hehe :)

My Sunday was spent running, cleaning-- aka making even more of a mess-- blogging and watching football!

Hope you have a splendid evening, lovely lady
bec xo

Anonymous said...

The house looks great! Love the festiveness. What a sweet gift from your MIL - very thoughtful.

I think of Sundays as my catch-up day, too, except lately that has meant catching up on relaxation. We've been snuggling on the couch with the kitties all day and I'm loving every minute.

Have a great night!

Allie (Live Laugh Eat) said...

That towel is SOOOOOOOOOO cute/cool/awesome/I'm so jealous!!!

You are the best sister in law in the whole world. Wow. I wish I had a baking fairy too. Your house is adorable...looks like a doll house. Fitting since you're such a DOLL!

Unknown said...

oooh, your itzy's kitchen towel is adorable :) love!! and the rest of your decorations are cute as well, homey :) time to get baking myself...

Unknown said...

what a beautiful house!!
Also those towels are awesome, what a great idea!! :)

I might try those gingerbread cookies, thanks for sharing!! :)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

FRAAAAANK!! Too cute, as always :)


Love the tree so far!!


My Sunday was fabulous - you know why already ;)

Anonymous said...

The house looks great! Love the festiveness. What a sweet gift from your MIL - very thoughtful.

I think of Sundays as my catch-up day, too, except lately that has meant catching up on relaxation. We've been snuggling on the couch with the kitties all day and I'm loving every minute.

Have a great night!

Pam said...

Oh that is such a cute towel and your home is ready for the holidays...how sweet! It's beautiful!

xoxo to Frankster...you handsome boy you!

Enjoy!

Julie said...

seriously you and josh's fam have the best relationship ever! i love that you baked all day for them :) they're totally gonna ace all of their tests! and your mother in law is SO sweet for getting those towels made! i love them!

glad you got so much done today! now you should relaaax the night away with some tough love haha

homecookedem said...

HOORAY for cinnamon!! :)

All those goodies look great! Esp. the gingerbread muffins!! You have some lucky people in your life!!

Your tree is gorgeous! I just posted a pic of our small little tree since you asked to see it!! :)

How SWEET and thoughtful of Josh's mom to have that towel made for you! I love it!! So cute!! :)

Stephanie @ cookinfanatic said...

That is the CUTEST gift ever!!! Your house is gorgeous too btw :)

Jenna said...

Dark chocolate and mint chocolate chips? Such an easy way to jazz up your standard cookie recipe!

Your towel really is adorable. What a cute idea!

Anonymous said...

How cute is that snowman dish towel!!

Um, I kind of have a thing for snowmen! :D

I've not seen that dark chocolate and mint chips - brilliant!!

Angie Moses said...

what an awesome hubby you have - thbose towels are so darn cute!!!

Dawn Dishes It Out said...

What a great gift! I love personalized presents. How sweet!!

We spent the day playing with the puppy and hanging in our pj's!! Gosh, we haven't done this in sooo long.

Abbys Vegan Eats said...

Your house and tree look fabulous!! So festive. AND you should def get the best sister/sister in law award.... that was really sweet of you. I can imagine they will be soo happy to get their yummy packages! :)

Props to your mom-in-law.. sooooo cute!

Jill said...

Your house and tree are adorable! I'm new to the blog and loving what I see so far!

Tay said...

Beautiful decorations :-)

I'm in shock! How did you manage to bake cookies with those chips and not even sample one?!? I gobble up so many while baking :-)

Holly said...

I have to try the dark chocolate and mint chips!! Not a huge dark chocolate fan, but if combined with mint then I'm game. You are such a sweet sister-in-law!!!

Love the towels...that is so sweet. And your house - it's gorgeous!!!

Lauren said...

OH WOW! Those Dark Chocolate mint chips sound amazing! I need to convince my mom to bake something with them this year. ;)

You are super sweet to bake all of those goodies for your freinds and family. I was actually thinking about doing Homemade gifts for friends and co-workers this year, but since I don't bake, I was thinking of doing homemade granola. It's such a wonderful idea and everyone LOVES granola right?

I love your decorations. Everything looks great Erica. And those kitchen towels are super adorable! :)

Have a good night girly.

Holly said...

two things: your house is adorable!!!!!! and those towels are adorable!!!!!

Kerstin said...

How sweet of you - I'm sure they are going to really appreciate getting a package with all those tasty goodies :) Such cute towels too!

Deva (Voracious Vorilee) said...

Your house is adorable :-).

I love the combination of chocolate and mint, it's sooooo tasty!

Emily said...

That's so sweet of you to send goodies out like that!

That towel is adorable!

Allie Katie said...

That is the look my bulldog always gives me when I am on a treadmill. "Lady, what the hell are you doing? Just come sit on the couch." Gotta love the bullies!!!

Anonymous said...

Your kitchen is so cute!! And I can't believe all the wrapped gifts you have under your tree already. Man, I'm so far behind, haha.

I wanted to spend my Sunday catching up, cleaning and cooking and blogging, but I had to work at the store from 2 to 6. Blah.

Anonymous said...

I really meant to say that your house is so cute, but I'm sure the kitchen is, too. :-)

Jessica said...

I love your house! So cute!!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

hey girl...
those are the EXACT chips i used to make my creme de menthe bars last week.

cinny = i love it too!

the chili link situation with u and holly==thanks for clarifying it :)

vegan g'bread muffies? sooo good looking. i just posted my own raw gingerbread action awhile ago.

happy nite honey!!!

kilax said...

Your tree is BEAUTIFUL!!!

How nice of you to make goodies for Josh's brothers and sisters. They will love it! I may have to try that Vegan Gingerbread muffin recipe!

Molly said...

ahh what a cute present!
and what a sweet MIL!
frank always makes me smile :)

Angelalovesfood said...

oh boy do those muffins look delicious. Tell Frank I said HI. And you know what, I think I'm starting to get addicted to the pumpkin spice latte at starbucks! yikes.

The Purple Carrot said...

Sounds like you had a very productive weekend!

Your tree and outdoor decorations look great! (I like simple trees too ; )

Britt said...

You busy little baker! I need to come up with a game plan for my next cookie swap and foodie presents.

Today we kicked off my mom's b-day week with a snow covered run at the beach. It was a tad chilly but the sun helped.

Trying To Heal said...

yay for all the baked goods!

and omg that tea towel is absolutely adorable!!!

i love the house decor too! very pretty!

Yum Yucky said...

Excuse me, but the "Baking Baby" remark makes me think of baking up babies in the womb of life.

And that Jessica chick. Her recipes are such greedy trouble that makes hungry eyeball pop out. :P

teresa said...

your house is so pretty! and i like silver ornaments too, along with those beautiful white lights!

Mom on the Run said...

We have so much in common. I only use silver and blue ornaments on my tree. It has been that way since I started having my own tree.

That towel is so cute!!

Anonymous said...

beautiful decorations doll!!

i LOVE sundays-except today was spent church (which was good) then STUDYING ALL DAYYYYYYYY!

have a great monday beautiful

Maria said...

I love your house, it is gorgeous! Love the towel too! Great job on all of the baking. I am going to make granola this week!

tam said...

Ooooooo everything you baked sounds so goooooood!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

I had a baking day yesterday as well! Yours came out fabulous & I bet your fam will gobble em right up! I think baked goods make such neat presents because that way people know you put time into it :-)

Those towels are ADORABLE! What a great idea.

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

omg that kitchen towel is adorable! what a thoughtful gift!!

teh recipes look soo good!! I made homemade granola a little while ago and need to make it again, I went through it in about 4 days LOL


have you tried the cafe britt coffee yet?!

xo

Gena said...

Your tree is lovely!

Pining for Pinterest said...

Love the house!! I want to try the mint and chocolate morsels now :-)

Dawn (HealthySDLiving) said...

#1 Your tree is adorable!
#2 Your house is gorgeous, I'm in love with it!

Krista said...

I love when you bake! It ALWAYS looks so fantastic!

You were one busy gal. Thank goodness you had Frank to keep you in line! :D

Those kitchen towels are the absolute BEST! I bet you MIL could make some cha ching selling those to bloggers. I know I'd be in line for a set!!!

Tricia said...

Too cute, and all the goodies look delish!

allijag said...

I love so many things about this post!!! :)
1 - Frankie Face - give him kisses for me!
2 - love your christmas tree
3 - holy cow - mint chocolate chips?!?!?
4 - your house is so damn cute - can you just let mike and i have it?
5 - adorable towel - such a thoughtful MIL! :)

theemptynutjar said...

Erica,
you have such a beautiful home and beautiful baking skills. Have a wonderful day :)

Veggies, Cake & Cocktails said...

I love it when I have productive Sunday's.
My husband and I put our decorations up over the weekend and it really makes the holiday spirit come alive!

Anonymous said...

What a cool gift! I love that!

I think it is so sweet of you to bake goodies for people. I'm sure they really appreciate it :)

BroccoliHut said...

WOW Love the towel!! Great gift:)

karen@fitnessjourney said...

I'm not doing any baking this year-and I couldn't be happier, one less thing to do!

You have such a beautiful home! So charming. (I write an interior design blog too and can't get enough of gorgeous homes!)

Esi said...

You are on a roll with the holiday baking! I am impressed.

The Blonde Duck said...

I love the towel your MIL got you! How sweet!

Diana @ frontyardfoodie said...

Your house is adorable!!!! And so is your doggy dog.

I would totally buy that towel.

Triple Threat Ladies said...

Whew! You are a baking machine girl! : )

HEAB said...

Erica,
Oh my gosh - I love the kitchen towels from Josh's mom. Too cute.

Do you ever sit still my friend? You sound like me. Always on the go. Everything you baked sounds amazing...as always, and I love your Christmas decorations. I'm the same way. Keep it simply White lights and a few ornaments. Love it. Love your front porch as well...and FRANK!

I Run for Fun said...

Josh's siblings are so lucky to have such an amazing sis-in-law!

The kitchen towels looks so cute...what a thoughtful and lovely idea!

Anna said...

that dish towel is so. stinkin. cute. so is yo dog :)

I can't wait to get back home and get crackin on the christmas baking. Gingerbread and chocolate chips look like such a delish combo!

vanillasugarblog said...

well I'm glad Frankster was there to supervise everything.
I wrote down 'dark choco mint chips' on my shopping list. I must have those and create something with them.
In a few months I will have my own kitchen and will be able to get a towel, just like you did with the proper name of the kitchen. Love that.

Juliana said...

Oh! Nice cookies...and love your towel, so cute :-)

Jenn (eating bender) said...

Hi lovely! Look at you and your delicious baking adventures. I think it's so nice that you are baking up some goodies for the special people in your life :o) I also really love your simple tree - I feel the same way!

The monogrammed towel is priceless - what a great Christmas present!

Lori said...

I love your house! How cute! What a great idea with those gingerbread muffins. Those sound great. Such a thoughtful gift with the dish towel!

Foodie (Fab and Delicious Food) said...

Those towels are the cutest thing ever!

mtbcy said...

Your house is sooooo cute! Love the classic decorations. The towels from your MIL are perfect- what a wonderful gift!

Aggie said...

So many things to love about this post!! Your house is beautiful!! I love that front porch! Your tree is so pretty...and I LOVE YOUR TOWELS!! What a great gift!! That was so thoughtful and sweet!! :)

Bridget said...

Those dishtowels are the cutest things ever!!! How sweet!! Your house looks amazing, I love the exterior! Beautiful tree, and I love the bow on top :)
You make me want to spend the day baking too!