what's for dinner tonight {christmas eve seafood chowdah}.

okay, so it's not for dinner tonight... but was i about to post on my blog on christmas eve? ummm no.

it's been a tradition in my family to have lobster stew on christmas day... but in most recent years, we've switched to seafood chowder on christmas eve and it. is. awesome. my sis and i began looking through recipes on the internet, and decided to make up our own from taking elements from a few we found. the result? the most *amazing* seafood chowder i've ever put in my mouth. and no... i'm not tooting my own horn. i'm just telling the truth.

it's officially called "the keezer/cornwell mama seafood chowdah" but for simplicity sake, we'll just stick with a shorter title (for those of you who are not from new england, no the "ah" is not a typo). we did a lot of improvising, so here is my best attempt at creating a formal recipe. maybe it should become your new christmas eve tradition.

it should.

christmas eve seafood chowdah

* 3 small potatoes, diced

* 4 stalks of celery, sliced

* 1 onion, diced

* 1 garlic clove, minced

* 1 can of corn kernels

* 1 t. each of thyme, parsley, salt and pepper + additional to taste
* 2 lbs lobster meat, cut into chunks

* 15-20 large sea scallops, halved

* 3/4 lb shrimp, whole

* 1 lb haddock, or another white fish, cut into chunks

* 1 c. milk

* 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

* 2 c. half&half

* 1/2 c. flour + some additional to thicken

* 3 c. seafood stock

- sautee onions and celery in butter over medium heat until translucent. add garlic and cook for 1 minute (careful to not burn).

- add potatoes, flour, and seafood stock... and 1 teaspoon each of parsley, thyme and salt and pepper (may need to add more later). cook until potatoes are fork tender (about ten minutes).

- add scallops and haddock, cook for ten minutes. add shrimp, lobster meat and corn.

- add milk, evaporated milk and half&half. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL or else it will curdle.

- in a small bowl/cup, whisk together flour and a little bit of water until a thick slurry is formed. you can stir this into the chowder to get desired thickness. we did this a few times since we like our chowder thick. we also added more seasonings (salt, pepper, thyme and parsley) until the taste was how we wanted it... can't really tell you how much we used in total... sorry! this is where the creativity comes into play :)

we made this chowder the night before christmas eve, which allowed everything to blend and the taste to become more flavorful. heat up over low heat and serve with biscuits, saltine crackers, or whatever your little heart desires.

as we say in new england: WICKED GOOD.

this will definitely become part of your holiday tradition... if you like seafood, that is. sure blows the restaurant version out of the water. no pun intended.

happy holidays.

love,

the keezer/cornwell mamas

multitude monday.

31. mcdonald's bacon-egg-and-cheese-biscuits and hashbrowns after a loooong, very disappointing morning at the airport. calories don't count then.
32. the netti pot.
33. anticipation of seeing family.
34. bella's excited whispers as she jabbers. the whisper-y babble is even cuter than the regular babble. is that even possible?
35. singing "away in a manger" as i rock my precious bundle to sleep.
36. the heart of my husband. after being screwed over by the airline yesterday we were saying a prayer before eating breakfast at which he prayed for us to "encourage and bless the people we were interacting with" as we flew to maine for christmas. sometimes he is so much better than me.

what's for dinner tonight {turkey bacon quiche}.

we. love. quiche. yes, it's true. one of my favorite moments of our marriage happened last week. i love it when my husband does really cute things. he typically loves EVERYTHING i make for him to eat... which is such a blessing that he is so easy to please, but sometimes i just wish that he had some absolute favorite dishes that he really, really liked rather than just liking everything! well... i think i've found one of those things.

my variation of turkey-bacon-quiche.

i made this one day last week when i was working late so that he would have something to eat for dinner. i had one piece for lunch and put the rest in the fridge for him. the next morning i woke up, excited to have a piece of my oh-so-delish-quiche when to my surprise there was *one* piece left. yes, ladies and gentlemen. one. piece. left. i loved it (and apparently, so did he.)

here is my recipe. you can mix it up and add whatever you like.

turkey bacon quiche

* 1-2 T. olive oil
* 1/4-1/2 of an onion, minced (depending on how much onion you want)
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 5 slices of turkey bacon
* 1/2 c. extra sharp white cheddar cheese
* 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (see recipe below)
* 2 whole eggs, 3 egg whites
* 1 c. milk
* 1/2 t. salt
* 1/4 t. black pepper
* 1 T. melted butter

- preheat oven to 350.
- heat olive oil over medium heat, sautee onions until soft. add garlic and cook for 1 minute. set aside.
- between paper towels, cook 4 slices of turkey bacon in microwave for about 3 minutes... check, cook longer until crisp and done. crumble/cut and set aside.
- prepare pie crust and assemble in pie plate. pour onions and garlic into the crust. sprinkle with cheese, and press down into the crust. (this may sound odd, but it keeps quiche from getting too wet and runny). sprinkle with turkey bacon crumbles.
- whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, salt, pepper and melted butter. combine until well mixed and pour into crust ontop of the veggies and bacon.
- cook in preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, or until quiche is set. cooking time will depend on your oven. i check mine with a knife... comes up clean and isn't too "jiggly" it's done. i don't like mine runny, so i also let it cook a little bit longer until it's slightly brown ontop and puffed up. love my precise instructions? you're welcome.

there's something very satisfying to me about making my own pie crust. and it's really good if i don't say so myself.

homemade pie crust

* 1 1/4 c. flour
* 1/2 c. shortening, chilled
* 1/4 t. salt
* 3-4 T. ice cold water

- start by measuring out shortening. i use the crisco butter-flavored sticks, cut into small cubes, and stick them into the freezer.
- i also take a small cup and fill with cold water and a couple of ice cubes and place that in the freezer as well. i try to keep everything very cold. this makes for a super flaky pie crust because of the way the cold-ness of the dough interacts with the heat of the oven. very scientific, i know. i'm married to a science teacher.
- measure out flour, combine with salt.
- cut in shortening until mixture resembles small peas.
- add ice water a tablespoon at a time until the right consistency and forms easily into a ball. may need more than 4 T, just eye-ball it. again, with the precise instructions.
- wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

we like to serve with a side salad or fruit.
enjoy!

christmastime is here.

that's right. christmastime is here. (great... now i have that song from "charlie brown christmas" stuck in my head. you do too, right?? so sorry...)

this is my absolute *favorite* time of the year. i love everything about it. the decorations, time with family, good food, snow, the classic christmas movies, the coziness of it all. nick&i love this season for another reason, too. four years ago we met this time of the year, and went on our first "date" (with a group of people) a few days before christmas. lots of memories. we have enjoyed creating christmas traditions of our own. decorating, watching our favorite christmas movies, going to see lights in this cute little texan town nearby. now that we have bella, it's especially fun. christmas includes children's books like "the grinch who stole christmas" and fuzzy-footie- christmas-pajamas and observing her wide-eyed wonder as she looks at christmas lights for the first time.

one of my favorite things about christmastime is putting up our tree. i have always loved the idea of having a tree decorated with memories... that's what ours is and i absolutely love it. it may not look like a christmas tree from hgtv, but it's ours so it's even better.

(enter: cheesy-ness. i do apologize)

as i look at our tree, i can't help getting all warm&fuzzy inside. i see all the ornaments, and so many of them represent different moments in our life as a little family. a starbucks mug ornament nick bought me when we were out on a date a few years ago at christmastime. two ornaments--a cross and a star--that nick and i painted and made at a christmas party a few years ago before we were married. some gingerbread men and a snowman given to me by one of my dearest friends when i spent thanksgiving with her family back in my single-seminary-student days. a sweet little ornament made by the child in africa that nick has been sponsoring for the past five years. a heart pendant that nick gave me our first christmas as husband and wife. baby booties, a picture frame with one of bella's songogram pictures, her cute little handprint ornament that we made... i love all of these things because they remind me how incredibly *blessed* i am.

it's easy for me to get wrapped up in all the warm and cozy things this season--even good things like family, friends and giving to others--and easily forget the biggest reason we celebrate christmas: the birth of our lord and savior, jesus christ. it is through him that we have the greatest gifts of all... unconditional love, grace, peace, joy and the promise and hope of an eternity spent in his presence. pretty sure the materialistic gifts we give each other--the diamond jewelry (you think this post is cheesy? don't even get me started on those god-awful commercials), the gift cards, the latest gadgets--don't hold a candle to the gifts that christ's birth brought us so many years ago.

i am so blessed this christmas season for so many reasons, but the greatest reason of all is jesus. my life--and yours--changed forever in that lowly stable when a baby boy was welcomed into the world by shepherds and cattle. it is because of him that i have anything... "every good and perfect gift comes down from the father of heavenly lights" (james 1:17)

it is by his grace that i am healed, through his love that i am comforted and because of his perfect peace that i find the greatest sense of joy. these are the *best* gifts to celebrate at christmastime.

"and the angel said

'do not be afraid, i bring you good news of great joy

that will be for all people.

today in the town of david a savior has been born unto you;

he is christ the LORD...

glory to god in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'"

(luke 2:10-11, 14)

merry christmas! may you enjoy all of the greatest gifts this christmas season and rejoice in the greatest gift of all.

multitude monday.

23. grandparents that take bella for the night!
24. guacamole&chips.
25. date night with my love.
26. watching old christmas movies cuddled on the couch.
27. morning talk shows while i fold laundry and bella naps.
28. honey seared shrimp at pei wei. pure deliciousness.
29. glue guns.
30. work christmas party = free dinner at eno's pizza in bishop arts district. yes, please.

what's for breakfast this morning {pumpkin pancakes}.

one word: YUM.

i pretty much love anything pumpkin, so when i got this recipe for pumpkin pancakes from a friend (who found it on http://www.allrecipes.com/... if you have trouble thinking of things to cook, this website is your new bff) i HAD to try them.

if you haven't already noticed from former recipe posts, i am a fan of cooking for the season. this is especially cozy in the fall/winter months; and especially fun during the holidays. nick&i love making big breakfasts, so thanksgiving starts the trend of big seasonal breakfasts that we wouldn't usually eat on any other run-of-the-mill-saturday-morning. we make bacon, egg and cheese biscuits, cinnamon rolls, waffles... and last saturday morning: pumpkin pancakes.

pumpkin pancakes

* 1 1/2 c. of milk
* 1 c. pumpkin puree
* 1 egg
* 2 T. vegetable oil
* 2 T. vinegar
* 2 c. flour
* 3 T. brown sugar
* 2 t. baking powder
* 1 t. baking soda
* 1 t. ground allspice
* 1 t. ground cinnamon
* 1/2 t. ground ginger
* 1/2 t. salt

- mix together milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar.
- in a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients. stir into pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
- heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium heat. pour approximately 1/4 c. batter onto griddle for each pancake. serve with warm maple syrup.

(i still had some pumpkin pie spice on hand from thanksgiving, so i used that in place of the allspice since i didn't have any.)

nick usually isn't a big fan of anything pumpkin but he LOVED these pancakes. they are fluffy and pumpkiny and are just melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

enjoy.

multitude monday.

15. drinking coffee out of my big, red snowflake mug given to me by my college bff.
16. my inlaws bringing us oh-so-delish homemade chicken soup last night. perfect for two things: my sore throat AND my sickness-induced-lack-of-energy making it next to impossible for me to think about cooking dinner.
17. pumpkin pancakes on a saturday morning (with real maple syrup).
18. knowing there is less than two weeks until we fly to maine for christmas with my family.
19. cold air outside and the warm smell of our heater on inside.
20. having a man in my life that not only is a wonderful husband, but is an *amazing* father and loves taking care of his girls.
21. baby babbles. our baby's babbles.
22. watching bella open up her first christmas gifts last night, in her footed fleece pj's under our christmas tree.

thanksgiving three.

yes, i realize i'm late on this post. a week late, to be exact. but sometimes it's just better late than never. this week i decided to do "thanksgiving three" as opposed to the regular "thursday three". so here goes.

nick

we spent thanksgiving day with nick's family at his sister, jessica's beautiful new home in grapevine, tx. it was a great time with family and all of the food came out ever-so-deliciously. we then went and had a "second thanksgiving" at nick's aunt ann's. she lives out in the country about an hour outside of dallas and we LOVE going out there. we basically ate (oh yeah... she's an amaaaazing cook) and played games the entire day. right. up. our. alley. but the best part was when the four wheelers came out of the garage. nick has quite a track record with his family for having many accidents when he was little, including wrecks on the motorized vehicles at his aunt and uncles. he was quite the lil dare devil and never even cried. (i'm not even joking. at one of my bridal showers his aunt told me about a time where nick tripped and bit through his tongue. didn't even cry, and about 30 minutes later was eating his way through a bag of fritos. yes. this is the man i married.) anyway, when he found out last friday that the four wheelers had come out of their storage, i watched my husbands face light up like a six year old boy :) within seconds he was walking out the door. when i told him to be careful, he called over his shoulder "we have health insurance." that's just great... he did take me for a spin which was one of my thanksgiving highlights. so fun. and thankfully, injury-free.

meg

thanksgiving was a bit stressful for me. bella had one of the worst days i think she's had in her six months of life. she was super clingy and fussy, wouldn't let us put her down for a second and screamed every time she got put in her crib for a nap. usually, when she has hard days i'm able to move past it and just think "well... tomorrow's a new day!" but this was thanksgiving. i'm such a sentimental sap. but we still managed to have fun and enjoy the day even though she wasn't enjoying it too much! i think my highlight was--once again--two-fold. (big surprise, eh?) of course, the patriots winning was a thanksgiving bonus... but let's face it. they were playing detroit. were any of us really that shocked? anyway, growing up, one of my favorite things about thanksgiving was watching the macy's thanksgiving day parade. this year (even though she really had no clue) i was able to watch it with bella. awww. so sweet. it just made me excited to think about all of the things i enjoyed as a little girl that i will get to share with OUR little girl... especially around the holidays.

bella

as stated above, bella had an especially rough day on thanksgiving. however, thankfully she had the attention of her cousin, wyatt to help distract her for a while. she loved watching him make faces at her and talk in silly voices and he actually got her to giggle, which was obviously much better than the cries and screams she gave us. she loves him! she also expanded her menu from peas and squash to peas, squash and applesauce. now that's a feast. happy first thanksgiving, bel!

thanksgiving evening is when we officially kick off the christmas season in the cornwell household. we make oh-so-delish breakfasts, which usually include bacon, egg and cheese biscuits (complete with turkey bacon, egg whites and reduced fat cheese in our attempt to be somewhat health conscious), watch christmas movies and put up our christmas decor. nick and i always watch "elf" thanksgiving night. two years ago, i had run the 8 mile turkey trot that morning and cooked an entire thanksgiving dinner by myself (minus the green bean casserole, which nick always makes) so i fell asleep in the middle of the movie. last year, i was pregnant... enough said. this year; well, let's just say i wasn't the only one falling asleep. but we managed to squeeze in "elf", "christmas vacation", "planes, trains and automobiles" and "it's a wonderful life".

*favorite* time of the year!