Happy 2014

Happy {belated} New Year!

I know I'm a couple weeks late,
but how did you ring in 2014?
My mom (Nani) was in town, so we got to enjoy our holiday traditions with her!
We stuck with our tradition of eating cheese fondue & chocolate fondue,
then playing/eating Candyland,
but things were a little different this year...
You see, we couldn't find our Candyland game.
It's still packed in a box somewhere.
I don't know why I thought I had already unpacked it,
because clearly I didn't.
We ended up playing the Dora the Explorer version online instead.
Little Dudeman didn't seem to mind one bit though.
It was a memorable end to one year,
a great beginning to a new one,
& we loved having Nani there celebrating with us!

Let's take a look at last years resolutions, shall we?

2013 Resolutions:
1. Read scriptures daily (Need to work on that daily part)

2. Kneel for daily personal prayers (I did okay, but need to work on kneeling every day)
3. Create a better budget & stick to it (YNAB has been amazing, but we need to be more disciplined)
4. Keep our home clutter-free (Fail.)
5. Have family home evening every week (Again, we did okay for a couple weeks then slacked off)
6. Exercise & play together as a family (That whole exercise thing? Yeah, it didn't happen.)
7. Have more park days (It helps having a "park" in the backyard)
8. Read at least two books ("The Host" & "A Memory Apart")
9. Invite people over (Need to work on that.)
10. Be a better me (wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, leader, etc...) (I'm not the best person to ask, because there's always room for improvement in my opinion, but I did my best.)

2014 Resolutions:
1. Read scriptures daily
2. Have family home evening every week
3. Get out & enjoy nature as a family
4. Use YNAB phone app often to stay on track with our budget
5. Get unpacked & keep our home clutter-free
6. Invite people over
7. Have date night once a month (at home dates are fine if we can't get out)
8. Write at least five blog posts each month
9. Read at least four books
10. Have more patience with the kidlets

Wish me luck!

xoxo

Milk Chocolate Fondue

Milk Chocolate Fondue. New Years Eve deliciousness. 'Nuff said.

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

A dash of salt

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and salt until chocolate is melted. Stir/fold in the oil, milk, and vanilla until mixed well. Serve warm.

(Tastes great with strawberries, apples, marshmallows, pound cake, bananas, pretzels, cheesecake, etc...)

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

I love cheese fondue but we tend to make it only once a year on New Years Eve.
It's a shame I don't make it more often because it is simple, delicious, & I love cheese.

1 1/2 cups chicken broth or milk (I like to use 3/4 cups of both)

2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional) (I use 1/8 tsp garlic powder instead)

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz mild cheddar cheese, shredded

2 Tbsp cornstarch

In a fondue pot over medium heat, heat the broth/milk with the garlic until bubbles appear. Toss the cheese lightly with the cornstarch & add to the broth/milk mixture. Stir until cheese is completely melted. Keep warm over low heat.

(Tastes great with sourdough bread, french bread, lil smokies, meatballs, carrots, pretzels, broccoli, cauliflower, etc...)

Happy 2013

Happy New Year!

Last night to ring in 2013 we ate way too much fondue & we played Candyland!

It's one of the many traditions I grew up with that we decided to carry on.

You see, we don't play Candyland the same way as most families...

We get to eat the candy as we pass it on the board as if we were actually in the game.

That means that we get these goodies when we pass the following spaces/areas on the boards:
Plumpy & the Gingerbread plum trees (sad - our version doesn't have Plumpy): Gingerbread cookies & plums (we used to get a spoonful of plum babyfood sometimes, but we can't seem to find it)
Rainbow Trail: Skittles
Mr Mint & the Peppermint Forest: Candy canes

Jolly & the Gumdrop Mountains/Gumdrop Pass: Gumdrops
Lord Licorice & the Licorice Castle: Licorice
Gramma Nutt & her Peanut Brittle House: Peanut brittle or some kind of nutty treat (this year we used Butterfingers)

Princess Lolly & the Lollipop Woods: Lollipops or suckers
Queen Frostine & the Ice Cream Sea (She's Princess Frostine in our version, but she's still a Queen to me): Ice cream
Gloppy & his Swamp (He used to be a molasses monster, but I guess now he's into chocolate): We used to eat a molasses cookie or a spoonful of molasses, but now that he's a chocolate monster we have chocolate of sorts. (Last night it was chocolate lava cakes, but next year I think we'll do Lindt truffles. You know, the kind that turn to pure liquid in your mouth...)
King Kandy & the Candy Castle: We don't typically do anything when we get there, but I'm thinking next year that we might have one King size candybar that we can all share as we get to it.
I think you get the idea...
It's a lot of fun (:

Here's the yummy cheese fondue that we ate for dinner.

You can find the Cheddar Cheese Fondue recipe here.
& don't forget the Milk Chocolate Fondue...

Scrumdiddlyumtious!

We were going to slice some granny smith apples to eat with both the cheese & the chocolate fondues but I completely spaced it! Oh well, I get to enjoy them with all our leftovers today (;

Well, I guess it's time to take a look a last years resolutions to see what I've accomplished & what I need to continue to work on...

2012 Resolutions:
1. Read scriptures daily (I did really good until our little Princess was born)
2. Have personal prayer daily (I do this, but I want to get back into the habit of praying on my knees)
3. Be a better & more loving wife (Hubby thinks I was silly to have this as a goal since he likes me the way I am, but I feel there's always room for improvement)
4. Read, sing, & play with the kids more (Again, there's always room for improvement, but I've made progress since last year)
5. Have more park days (No excuses... I need to get out more)
6. Keep our home clutter-free (Work in progress, right?)
7. Complete daily chores (Yes, that includes maintaining the dishes...)
8. Be a better visiting teacher (I'm at least making it out there now)
9. Try making a new meal once a month (Did great at first, but I started slacking)
10. Be more patient (I feel as if I may have actually sort of achieved this goal!)

2013 Resolutions:
1. Read scriptures daily

2. Kneel for daily personal prayers
3. Create a better budget & stick to it
4. Keep our home clutter-free
5. Have family home evening every week
6. Exercise & play together as a family
7. Have more park days
8. Read at least two books
9. Invite people over
10. Be a better me (wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, leader, etc...)

We'll see how I do...
Wish me luck!