Two Great Christmas Holiday Menus!

How was your Christmas?! Are you still recovering? What was on your menu?

We had two Christmas dinners with two different sides of the family which meant two different Christmas menus!

I think we really outdid ourselves. It was a ton of work but everyone was blown away!

Menu 1: (Italian inspired:)

Appetizers:

Grilled Artichokes- (like these from Foodie Crush)

Paleo Meatballs in Marinara from Paleo Newbie

Cucumber Hummus bites with Tina's Homemade Hummus

Tina's Hummus recipe:
2- 16 ounce cans of chick peas drained- reserve the juice
4-6 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
3/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/2 cup lemon juice

Drain chick peas. Put garlic in food processor and mince. Add chick peas and mince, scraping down the sides. Add salt, tahini and lemon juice. Mix. Taste. Add enough reserve chick pea juice to make a thick creamy consistency. You should be able to make an indentation with the back of a spoon . Check taste again for additional lemon and salt. You can serve also with olive oil drizzled on top and smokey paprika! Divine!

Persimmons and prosciutto (add truffle oil, or honey if you have it!)

Main course:

Caprese wreath from Huffington Post

Shrimp Scampi (also by Huffington Post)

Chicken Cacciatore By Proud Italian Cook

and Italian Peas  (These were amazing)

And for dessert?

Pioneer Womans Cherry Cheesecake Shooters! These were a HUGE hit!!!

Stay tuned for menu number 2!!!

Elf On The Shelf Has Arrived! Some fun and easy ideas for Elf On The Shelf!

Our Elf "Jim" has arrived!

I always tell the kids he comes on December 1st every year from the North Pole on his teeny tiny airplane. He arrives with a little note. This year it said:


 Landon and Coco I'm here at last!
 Boy this last year went real fast.
 I saw you playing piano for Mimi and Pop
 So I hid outside, and into the mailbox I hopped!
 I'm here to watch over you for my pal Santa Claus
 And let him know about you and "Tina Claws" (our mean cat!)
 You have to be good to get lots of presents and goodies
 So please listen to Mom and Dad if you could-ies!
 Can't wait to show you my silly tricks
 And report to my old friend Saint Nick!
 PS I love the tree you picked out!

Love Jim

This year when he arrived they found him like this!

And he's been having fun around the house....making snow angels....

Having sack races....

Having

 Making a snow man....


But I have a few more tricks up my sleeve. And I definitely want to do this!

What's your elf been doing?

Take The CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE! You will be glad you did! And A Lilly Pulizer Give Away!

I post about this every year because the business of Christmas can really drag you down. There's a lot to do. Mom's especially can barely get a break during the chaos and I want to make it easier!

Here's how it works: (I got this idea from The Art Of Doing Stuff a few years ago)

 

Do the "Business" of Christmas during November so you can enjoy your holiday! I did this last year and it really worked! Who's ready to take the Christmas Challenge? You can see it starts TODAY! Let's do it together!

Here's what happens if you don't take the challenge according to The Art Of Doing Stuff:

And since we're talking Christmas I have a little give away for you. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sleeping Beauty Discount At Pasadena Playhouse! From Ariana Grande as Snow White to Oliva Holt as Sleeping Beauty!

I am beyond obsessed with the Pasadena Playhouse!!! Every year I go to their productions during Christmas and am BLOWN AWAY by the level of production and stars they get!

The first performance we saw was SNOW WHITE starring a sweet little girl named ARIANA GRANDE! Maybe you've heard of her!? She was amazing. So was Neil Patrick Harris!

Last year we saw Aladdin and His Winter Wish!

 

 

 It was starring Ashley Argota as “The Princess” (Nickelodeon’s True Jackson VP)
and Jordan Fisher as “Aladdin” (Disney’s Teen Beach Movie). It was amazing!

This year Garrett Clayton was cast and the prince and Olivia Holt as the princess in Sleeping Beauty!

Now you can get the deal of the century to see the show with this $99* Family 4-Pack! 

Get the One Fabulous Mom Discount!!
 
Use Code: OFMPAC4

*Code is valid for a $99 4-Pack of tickets to SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT. Valid only on on Mezzanine B, Rows GG and HH. Up to 3 additional tickets may be purchased for $24.75 each. Offer expires Sun. Dec. 21 at 11:59 p.m. and is good on all performances from Dec. 10 - Jan. 4, excluding Dec. 11. Excludes all other seating locations. All seats are best available. Offer not valid on previous purchases and cannot be combined with any other offer. All tickets are subject to availability. Service charges and theatre restoration fee apply to all orders. 

Order here:

The ticketing link is: http://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/box-office/mainstage/sleeping-beauty-and-her-winter-knight.html

Follow them on twitter for all their shows and events! 

Knotts Merry Farm At Knotts Berry Farm!

Well by now you know I am obsessed with this place!!!

We can't wait to head back to: KNOTTS MERRY FARM!

--> Knott’s Berry Farm’s seasonal event Knott’s Merry Farm celebrates the Christmas season November 22 through January 4, 2015. The holiday event includes park-wide lavish decorations, live entertainment, festive food, and a shopping wonderland filled with local artisans! HEAVEN!!!!

      Of course  no visit to Knott’s Merry Farm is complete without catching a performance by the world famous beagle, Snoopy as he performs a brand new ice spectacular, Merry Christmas, Snoopy! inside of the Charles M. Schulz Theatre!!!

 

The kids cannot wait to go!

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!!!

Santa’s Christmas Cabin

Christmas wouldn’t be complete without visiting Santa Claus. The Wilderness Dance Hall in Ghost Town becomes home to Santa’s Christmas Cabin for the holiday season. YAHOO!

Can't wait to go! Get your season passes HERE.