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Santa’s Visit to Broccoliland!

Posted on December 26, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

Hello there, my little elves!

So yeah, I kinda waited until the LAST minute to get my Christmas recap post up this year, but ya know, sometimes life comes first! And well, let’s just say I was going along with a “procrastination celebration” theme this year since I also waited until the afternoon of Christmas eve to wrap ANY presents! 😯

But don’t they look so purrrrrdy?

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas…filled with love, laughter, and of course, lots of good stick-to-your-ribs home-cookin because food is always better with family and friends…and not just because it’s alliterative! 😉

Perhaps a little something like this?

I love to cook, but there’s just something to be said about a meal that you don’t have a hand in whatsoever! These fried pork chops and mashed potatoes (thoroughly covered in homemade gravy) and bacon-y green beans that was shared with family for dinner on Christmas Eve hit THE spot! And of course it didn’t hurt that there were a couple of young eager faces around the table either…gotta love the sparkle in a child’s eyes the night before Santa comes! 🙂

Of course, I’m sure I had the same look on my face when I was not only surprised with this cup of hot cocoa that indulged my inner three-year old but also getting to open presents EARLEEEEEEEY!

I just hope I didn’t wake the neighbors with all my squeals and giggles after unwrapping each one!

Three more cookbooks to help fill the Birthday Bookcase (including the infamous one from the show, Portlandia…have you guys seen it? HIL-AR-IOUS!), two scarves, adorable little measuring spoons, chocolate covered Oreos (to add to the official taste-tester list), Ghiradelli peppermint bark, TWO boxes of Green Mountain Coffee (Wild Blueberry and Pumpkin Spice) annnnnnnd…does anyone recognize that little thing hiding behind the chocolates? How about it’s a mini mother-freaking SPIROGRAPH SET!! Needless to say, I will be entertained for HOURS with this…as I recreate all the geometric designs of my childhood.

With the excitement of a child, I woke up the next morning eager to celebrate Christmas with my family. I greeted them with a big “Felix Navidad” upon walking in the door and was welcomed with a “Mele Kalikimaka” and a few giggles…then my jaw dropped to the floor once I spotted the tree!

Time was then paused to allow for the appropriate amount of ohh’ing and ahh’ing before taking out my phone and snapping twenty different pictures until I got the right angle. Yes, that’s jussssst right!

But first, let me take a selfie! 😉

Couldn’t pass up a chance to get a pic with my two favorite red-lipped ladies! Too bad I didn’t get the memo or I’d have donned my own. Afterward, it was on to the kitchen for some Christmas brunchin’!

Waffles ala Dad and bacon ala Mom. Bananas and syrup provided by me and well, Tori just sat there waiting to be fed. Ok, ok, so maybe she helped facilitate the waffle iron reinforcements with a text to my aunt down the road. Gotta love family members who hoard kitchen appliances and never actually use them. Ha!

Then…it was time to play Santa!

Confession: I love waiting until I’ve gathered all my gifts together before I open anything…or maybe I just love the mountain of wrapping paper that surrounds me after I’m done opening them all! Regardless, Santa was very, VERY good to me this year!

And obviously, he was really into home decor this year! 😉

A coffee calendar, a GORGEOUS orange vase, a Hickory Farms sausage and cheese set, coffee kettle clock, a fuzzy, polka-dotted robe, PJ pants and the softest leggings in the world (both in plaid), Christmassy socks, rosemary mint hand soap for the kitchen, a tobacco and oakwood scented candle (basically smells like a Briar & Bean store), a pineapple slicer,assorted stocking stuffers, and the most awesome decorative basket for my coffee table that is meant to hold the big bag of potpourriin the top left of the pic.

Let it be known that ALL items now have their designated places in Casa de Broccoli and look absolutely fabulous! As for that summer sausage and cheese?

Oh that was appropriately placed as well…aka, Christmas dinner!

I can and can’t believe it’s all over, but I can definitely say it was one of the best Christmases to date! So much fun. So much LOVE!

What did Santa bring you for Christmas?

What was the best thing you ate?

Posted in Holiday | Tagged bacon, cheese, Christmas, coffee, family, fun, gifts, waffles | 6 Comments

Music Monday: The Christmas Edition

Posted on December 22, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

Happy Monday before Christmas!

That should lessen the blow a bit, right? Only three more sleeps till Santa Claus comes to town and then we can all rock around the Christmas tree…as long as we take a minute to remember Grandma and that horrible encounter with a reindeer on Christmas Eve! 😉

Believe it or not, I haven’t been rocking the Christmas tuneage for the last three and a half weeks like I usually do. For some reason, I didn’t really feel any of the songs I’d caught on the radio…until I was on my way to work Friday night! Since then, it’s been nonstop decking and fa la la’ing and o’ holy’ing and yeah, I think you get the picture. So I thought to myself, “Self, what a great idea would it be to do a Music Monday post featuring all of your favorite Christmas songs?” and then I answered myself, “Why Self, you ARE a freaking genius!”

Charlie Brown Christmas Singing

Now, before you guys start thinking I’m hitting the ‘nog over here, I think we should just get things JINGLIN’ already! 😉

Starting with my ALL time favorite Christmas song, “Carol of the Bells”! I love love LOVE this version by Pentatonix…I mean, what song isn’t made better with their signature a capella twist? Answer: NONE!

And speaking of acapella…oh, and I’m throwing it all the way back to seventh grade for ya here…this version of “O’ Holy Night” by NSYNC (yes, I went there…no shame!) has to make the list. Who else out there burnt a hole in their copy of Home for Christmas while wishing that come Christmas morning, your very on JT would be waiting under the tree…unwrapped of course! 😉 Ha, like I would’ve even known what to do with a naked man at the ripe old age of 13!

And while I’m being all naughty, I might as well share this gem, “Maybe Next Year” by Meiko. Pretty sure you could make this one hell of a Christmas striptease…hey, just saying. You gotta keep warm somehow this winter! 😉

Of course, if you WERE good, maybe…just MAYBE you’ll get a ring…and I don’t mean on the phone! I have to say out of all the many variations of “Santa Baby” I’ve heard, not ONE beats the original by Eartha Kitt.

While I think his rendition of Santa Baby just puts a bad taste in your mouth (I mean, really?), I think Michael Buble’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” rivals many of the classic baritones.

I never EVER thought Dean Martin’s Baby It’s Cold Outside could be beat…and already had it planned for this post…UNTIL I heard Seth MacFarlane sweet angel voice. Seth MacFUCKINGFarlane! How in the hell did I not know this crazy bastard could make me all toodly in my bits?! 😉

But sometimes, you just gotta ~~get a handle on the hormones~~ stick with the classics. Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Perry Como…there’s just something about those men’s voices that just make me FEEL Christmas…like I’m back at home, helping my mom decorate the tree all over again. And while we never actually had a white Christmas in Tennessee, I did always hope that somehow Bing could make it happen.

And you know, EVERYbody knows a turkey and some mistletoe! 🙂

But honestly, out of older songs out there, if you’re in need of a good holiday cry, nothing gets the tears a-flowing quite like Christy Lane’s Shake Me I Rattle, Squeeze Me, I Cry. Makes me wanna go dig “Heather Baby” out of my spare bedroom closet and give her a big hug!

This last one was the hardest for me to pick. I’m a big TSO fan. For all you laymen out there, that would be Trans-Siberian Orchestra…no, they don’t have white tigers, I already checked. A Mad Russian’s Christmas (<- awesome video!) always makes me wanna prance around like a ballerina and I’m not sure what it is about Christmas Canon, but it always makes me think of a beautiful white wedding, but whenever I hear “Christmas Eve Sarajevo”, all I see is a great big tree covered in lights in the middle of a snowy forrest…oh wait.

So there ya go, TEN of my favorite Christmas songs/carols/melodies that make me nostalgic/speechless/and/or randy! Lol. I hope you all have a very MERRY Christmas! I’ll “see” you back here on Friday for a recap of the festivities! 😀

What’s YOUR favorite Christmas song?

Posted in Holiday, Music | Tagged Christmas, favorites, memories, music, videos | 6 Comments

#FoodieProblems

Posted on December 19, 2014 by kissmybroccoli

I’ve been holding out long enough…

I finally got pictures of everything I picked up during my Super Target shopping spree and I can’t WAIT to show you guys! Just so you know, I was ready to share last Friday, but after having my heart stretched three sizes, I just had to tell you guys how much you mean to me. So in the meantime, I took eve BETTER pictures (outside in 30 degree weather (-1°C), mind you) JUST to show my love…and ok, maybe it’s because I’m a little OCD and some of the pictures were crooked. Whatevs.

Anyway, since I know I’m not the ONLY foodie out there who skips up and down the grocery store aisles all jazz handsy and whatnot, I’m not only sharing the loot, but a little of the story/crazy thinking behind it. Yeah, you’re welcome! 😉

AHHHHHHH!

Don’t worry, I broke it down for ya! I couldn’t be held responsible for little foodie brain-splatter all over computers across the globe, now could I? I swear to you I tried to maintain some composure. I slowly walked down the first aisle…armed only with a basket on my arm…so as not to commit to a full on foodie frenzy. I tried to pace myself and be level-headed about it all. I really did. But halfway down that sauce aisle, I just…well, I friggin LOST IT!!

PUMPKIN pasta sauce, peach balsamic grilling sauce, tikka masala simmer sauce, mango curry grilling sauce, and…umm, yeah, a jar of pickles…because once you hit the sauce, you can turn into one salty dog! Arrrr matey, hand over thar basting brush!

So, yeah, umm…I don’t know what just came over me right there, but let’s move on and forget it ever happened. I tried to reel it in after the sauce aisle, especially once I turned the corner and found the coffees. Oh the aroma! I know I must’ve sniffed 20+ bags…and when it came down to choosing, I’m pretty sure I started sweating. But when it was all over, I thought I did pretty good! And for the record, I promise I wasn’t high when I put these three things together for a picture…

For the record, I thought those Pringles were THESE Pringles which I was hoping would take me back to my childhood via memories of Taco Bell’s cinnamon twists but yeah, notsomuch. Luckily the coffee and sugar made up for the feelings of dejection…hello Spicy Vanilla Wonderland! 😀

I got smart and bypassed the frozen goods aisles (since I knew I wouldn’t be home for a few hours), but once I saw the refrigerated goods and then the WALL OF YOGURTS, all hope was lost…for my wallet AND my biceps!

Siggi’s coffee and (finally I found the) pumpkin spice, Noosa pumpkin, and two flavors of a brand I’d never heard of but sounded interesting. Well, I haven’t tried the first three yet, but I don’t think it’ll take much to outdo that Dreaming Cow…unfortunately, I couldn’t even finish them. The maple ginger was SERIOUSLY over-gingered…even for THIS ginger! Ha!

I think I should be given a little credit that I didn’t buy any more coffee creamers, but that was only because I reminded myself that I still had five bottles at home. So obviously I was feeling pretty victorious on my way to checkout. So much so that I didn’t even see this group of hoodlums ambush me! I mean it…they came out of nowhere!

Coconut Basatmi rice, some new-to-me Zone bars which are now GONEZO and my summertime lover, peanut butter caramel dip…I knew we’d meet again!

For those of you who don’t know what a Super Target is (which totally blew my mind when I saw the comments on Instagram), it’s basically like a Super Walmart…only 29356302975 times better…and classier! Let’s just say I’ll definitely pay more money for fancier foodie goodies and umm, vision insurance? <-Warning, you may in fact go blind after clicking on that link!

So welcome to my crazy food-obsessed shopping adventure. I hope you had fun, but more importantly, I hope I didn’t scare any of you off. I promise that no other shoppers OR employees were bitten, scratched, or harassed in any way…even when I couldn’t find any of the s’mores Jif Whips! 😉

What’s the last #foodieproblem you encountered?

What’s the last foodie item you brought home?