sweets for the sweet

yum. yum. yum. nine days til i party.

Ingredients: regular sized marshmallows, caramel (homemade or pre-bought), chocolate, crushed candy canes (optional), sucker sticks

Directions: Make or melt your caramel. I use a double boiler on the stove top to melt caramel. While you are waiting for the caramel to melt, stick a sucker stick into the marshmallows. Set out a sheet of parchment or wax paper or the new non-stick aluminum foil. Once the caramel is melted dip each marshmallow into the caramel, covering completely. Place each dipped marshmallow onto the parchment or whatever you’re using. Allow the caramel marshmallows to cool completely. You can crush your candy canes now, if you haven’t already. Once cooled (this can take up to a half an hour) melt the chocolate. You can do this in a double boiler on the stove top or in the microwave. Dip each marshmallow into the chocolate 2/3 of the way then immediately roll the ends in crushed candy canes. Let cool on the parchment, wax paper or non-stick aluminum foil.

christmas-tini

tis the season for holiday parties. i plan to bring back martha stewart's famous (and quite potent) egg nog for my party, and probably a punch too. but i think that the hibiscus mocktini might be a nice addition a pre- "holiday hop" cocktail party that we are heading to this weekend.

enjoy...

naughty or nice tartini

If you're looking to save a few calories without skipping the spirits, go for this simple (and organic!) alternative.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Prairie Organic Vodka

• 2 oz. Honey-Rhubarb Simple Syrup

• 4 oz. Soda

Directions:

Shake with ice and strain over fresh ice in a tall glass. Fill the rest of the glass with soda water.

hibiscus mocktini

Ingredients

3 cups hibiscus tea (such as Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger)

3 cups ginger ale

6 fresh pineapple spears

Directions

In a pitcher, mix together the hibiscus tea and ginger ale. Serve over ice in a tall glass with a fresh pineapple spear.

martha's famous eggnog

ingredients

12 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

1 quart whole milk

1 1/2 quarts heavy cream

3 cups bourbon

1/2 cup dark rum

2 cups cognac

Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

1.In a very large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and pale yellow. Gradually add sugar to yolks. With a wire whisk, beat in milk and 1 quart cream. Add bourbon, rum, and cognac, stirring constantly.

2.Just before serving, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into mixture. Whip remaining 1/2 quart heavy cream until stiff, and fold in. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

it's beginning to look alot like christmas

santas.. reindeer.. and doodles... oh my!

i made great use of my final day of thanksgiving "vacation" to get all of the holiday decor out. its always so much fun to pull out the decorations that have been passed down from my childhood.. and the new ones that have become fun traditions in my house.

unfortunately for kingsley, his antlers and bell collar from last year no longer fit.. so mommy had to find him a new outfit. as you can see from the image below, he is less than impressed.

new york, new york....

having a great time in the big apple with the family.

macy's thanksgiving day parade. bengals game.

poker, euchre and.. osu/ michigan!

and with six energetic kids running around i will definately

 need a nap when i get home. :)

kanye ...

..dora and india ari

...jessica simpson

... and the kids enjoying the paper bag turkey!

cheers to the holiday season

as we begin to pack our belongings for our thanksgiving day travels, i search for the perfect cocktail to truly celebrate time with my family. my brother and sister-in-law always go above and beyond on the "fun" preparation, so i wanted to be sure to make a special treat this time.

here are a couple of the finalists...

berry little cocktail

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 ounce Charbay ruby red grapefruit vodka
2 ounces Champagne
1 ounce cranberry juice
1 ounce black currant juice

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, dissolve sugar into 1 1/2 cups water. Add cranberries and simmer for 5 minutes, or until softened. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain, discard liquid, and place cranberries on a tray in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Chill vodka, Champagne, and juices, then mix in a champagne glass. Garnish with skewer of 4 or 5 frozen candied cranberries. Reserve the rest for another drink.
Read more at Marthastewart.com: Berry Little Cocktail - Martha Stewart Recipes

Top Pumpkin Cocktail: Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1.5 oz. Pear-infused vodka (We used Absolut Pear Vodka)
1.0 oz. Pumpkin puree
0.3 oz. Cointreau
0.2 oz. Simple syrup
Splash of bitters
Nutmeg
Cinnamon

Preparation

Pour all contents in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake thoroughly. Pour drink in a Cosmo glass straight up. Garnish with nutmeg and cinnamon.

my muse

getting lots of practice on my new camera. my subject is a little crazy and playful at the moment.. but with the right amount of treats, he's open to me snapping a few shots.

stay tuned for lots more camera-testing,

next week in new york city~

giving thanks in the city

i'll be packing up the car next wednesday to make the 9 hour drive to new york city with my hubby and mom, plus suitcases full of thanksgiving fun w aunt laura.

my last visit with my niece and nephews set the bar high-

"festival" fishing game where the kids fished for prizes.

this time i was thinking more pilgrim hats and handmade turkeys. as always i get my inspiration from martha and amyatlas.com ...

.. and after a long day of family fun it seems only fitting to come with some adult fun too. perhaps we'll need to taste test this weekend.

PUMPKIN MOJITO RECIPE

1.25 oz Rum

11 Mint Leaves

1 Tbsp Pumpkin

1/2 Lime

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

2 oz Soda.

Muddle mint leaves and sugar. Add rum, pumpkin, soda, and juice from 1/2 lime. Mix well, add ice, and garnish with extra mint leaves.

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!

surprise!

beautiful flowers + an amazing new camera ..

34 is looking good so far!

the fun continues over the weekend with a friends outing tomorrow + a night out with my husband on saturday + a concert on sunday and a fun day off with mom on monday

can't wait to capture it all on film!

jack and meg hit the 'bus

halloween is such a fun time of year with endless visual stimulation.

as the white stripes we hit an amazing party on friday night + highball halloween in the short north on sat. a lady gaga app table, a couture costume fashion show.. so much to take in.  and our costumes were a hit with the hipster set.

halloween inspiration

after much back and forth, my detroit-born husband finally agreed upon a couple's halloween costume that we can pull off in a week-

jack and meg from the white stripes.

black long wig, red dress, white tights, shoes and a scarf and I'm set.

pics to follow..

and the pups did party..

kingsley's first birthday party was a huge success. we had a total of seven pups for the festivties. thank goodness it was nice out.

the event was complete with a kingsley slideshow, a scrapbook of his life (which he chewed up while home alone today), cake, doggy ice cream, homeade biscuits + dog-inspired human treats.

happy birthday little guy!

happy birthday to the king..

next week our little baby pup is going to be a 1-year-old!
 it sure doesn't seem like a year since we started the 8 week countdown to bring him home. but its been a great one and we're sooo lucky to have such a sweet little guy.

we're planning a small family gathering and its getting to be crunch time on pulling it together. i just ordered a cake from three dog bakery.. and it *almost* looks good enough for human consumption..

the gathering will feature a selection of mp3s including who let the dogs out, hound dog, atomic dog, and... you get the idea.

now maybe some human treats..

it's fall!

and its been forever since i've spiced up my wardrobe!

i treated myself to a mini shopping spree on sunday. eight sweaters and two dresses later i am still seeing things that would fit perfectly in my closet.

next- on the search for some new fall shoes. on the lookout for some great grey heels or boots.

honeymooners!

they're finishing up the last days of their honeymoon, but their first couple professional wedding pics have already been posted!

the photographer is one of my best friends, so it was such a blast having her there to capture all of the special moments.

love, love, love this one in a small wine shop in german village-

taking shelter from the rain!

great work kim, can't wait to see the rest!

something old, something new, something borrowed...

and lots of fun too!

it was a beautiful, albeit steamy wedding on saturday between my wonderful little brother and new sister-in-law, falon.

the park was so beautiful.. as were the bride and groom.

i can't wait to see all of the great shots from kimberly potterf photography. in the meantime, these are some great ones that my cousin took.