Thanksgiving 2010

Olivia & Morgee

I have many things to be thankful for this year. I have settled into my life in Arkansas, developed great friendships, and am able to work with phenomenal students. The year brought celebration with the births of Olivia, Heath, and Connor. My brother Dustin completed his degree from Lake City Community College and married his long-time love Erika. Baby brother Kyle got a great new job doing something he enjoys while his girlfriend began her studies at the local community college. To top the year off, Momma and Doug made the move back to Florida.

Dustin's Graduation

One of the things that I appreciate most about my family is that we have some real grit to us. With all of the great things happening, the distance I live from my family was a bit difficult this year as my availability to travel home was less than in past years. As always, the Morgan/Bell clan is supporting me and sacrificing time so that I may do work that I enjoy. We took a hit this year when we lost Pops Morgan and Aunt Donna but we are pulling through okay and rallying together through the difficult moments.



Kyle & Rachel

My family structure is anything but typical and sometimes worlds apart but it is unique and exactly what I needed to become who I am. As I grow older, my awareness of how hard my parents worked to provide for me grows more apparent. I appreciate their sacrifices every day.

A fun thing about my family is that I get to be an only child with Momma and Doug and one of four with Daddy and Rhonda. I spend Thanksgiving with the Bells and Christmas with the Morgans. Sometimes we travel for Thanksgiving but this year we chose to stay home and spend the holiday with my Paw Paw and Donna. This holiday seemed to continue my theme of the year which is to reconnect by spending quality time with family and friends.

The down time allowed me to have an extensive BBM convo with Mel, plan my next visit with Morg, Send out invite for Cheerleader Reunion, plan a sleepover with the Rodriguez fam, catch up with Blake, and spend some long overdue time with my Paw Paw. Momma, Doug, and I had a great couple of low key days watching movies and whipping up delicious meals. Normally when I am in the Tampa area I attempt to see all of my college buddies but I resisted the temptation this time to decompress and focus on family. Don't worry TPA friends, I'll be back after Christmas and ready to socialize!

Tampa is always a breath of fresh air for me. Going to college in such a great city really gave me the opportunity to explore and develop a life all of my own. When I was a young thing, my friends and I loved Bahama Breeze - great patio, tasty drinks, and yummy food. My mother being the excellent fun coordinator that she is let this restaurant be our first stop. I enjoyed sangria and grouper tacos with black beans and yellow rice. Grouper is my absolute favorite fish and I pretty much crave it constantly.

After a busy day shopping, Momma and Doug whipped together a delicious arugula (from my Paw Paw's garden) and steak salad with shaved parmesan cheese and roasted red bell pepper. This salad is a lot of my favorite things and I appreciate that my Momma always puts together great, fresh dishes that I adore when I am home. Over the next couple of days, I got a massage and did a little mother/daughter shopping. To walk into a Crate & Barrel was like a piece of heaven. Some people need clothes, I need housewares items. While at the International Mall, we tried out this great new hot spot called The Pub. The meal was stellar! We enjoyed a glass of white wine (it's vacation!), goat cheese dip with warm pitas, and split an order of fish tacos. I literally could have eaten myself sick on the goat cheese, it was like nothing I have ever tasted and I cannot wait until the next time we meet.



Goat Cheese & Pita



Fish Tacos

We wrapped up the week with a Thanksgiving celebration in Ocala, home of Paw Paw and Donna. It has been about three years since I have been to their house so it was great to see the new chickens and plentiful garden. My family rocks any Starbucks within site so naturally we hit the local joint on the downtown square and enjoyed the beautifully decorated park. Keeping with tradition, we went and saw Morning Glory and it was a great little holiday movie. Friday we stuffed ourselves at Cracker Barrel and spent a few more hours with my grandparents before heading home. Saturday, I successfully avoided being violated in the airport and away I went back home to Arkansas.



It was a great, refreshing trip and I am thankful for the time I am able to spend with my family. I am looking forward to the holiday season and having some more good ole fashion family fun!

Halloween in November



Best Meal in Fayetteville

I'm a little behind on current events but Halloween was so much fun that I had to showcase my good times with some Arkansas buddies. One of my best pals in Arkansas is Quincy - he is hilarious and that would do anything for you friend. He also reminds me of my coastal, southern home and we frequently enjoy shrimp, crawdaddies, and crab legs together (as pictured here).

I love October and Fall, in a weird obsessive kind of of way. While I like dressing up, Halloween seems more like the perfect time to eat fall treats and drink pumpkin beer while enjoying the cool crisp air. Thanks to Quincy hosting a rockin' shindig, this Halloween was all the things I love - great friends, lots of laughs, good food & drinks, and fabulous costumes. Of course, no party is complete without a dance off, Saints game, and costume competition.

While my 50's girl costume has debuted several times over the years, this was my favorite rendition of it. Funny thing is that this is probably how I dress in real life, as Kristina noted "your costume is cute but you know that you would wear that skirt to work if it didn't have a poodle on it". Good news, my full skirt dresses are all the rage right now and I am actually participating in a trend.   Here are a few highlights from the night:

Me with Rachel Zoe, aka Alexis



Alexis, Justin, and I

Justin and "Tammy", the costume winner

Typical



He just likes to pretend that he doesn't want to cuddle with me



Trojan and Bumble Bee Witch

Alison rocking my favorite costume

It was a great night had by all. I am positive it was also the latest I have stayed up in quite a while so it was good to get out and get my dance on. Looking forward to next year's festivities!

Pumpkin Pie Cake

When I first read this recipe, I thought it was an interesting idea. After making this scrumptious thing, I would like to declare it brilliant. This is a happy blend of pie and cake in one delicious wrapping. My colleagues at work are often my test tasters for new recipes and this was was such a hit that staff requested it for an upcoming potluck. This is not a waist watcher but it sure is a good holiday indulgence.

This is sure to be the hit of your next dinner party, Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Cake
1 - 29 ounce can pumpkin

4 eggs

13 ounces evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (or you can substitute all spice)

1 - 2 layer yellow cake mix

1 cup (2 sticks of butter), melted

1 cup chopped pecans

Whipped cream for garnish

Beat the pumpkin, eggs, evaporated milk, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan cake pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the top. Pour the butter evenly over the cake mix. (Variation: I took a whisk and mixed in the cake mix a bit) Sprinkle with the pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares and garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 15 Servings

Recipe Courtesy of Add Another Place Setting, Junior League of NWA Cookbook. To purchase a book, visit JLNWA at http://www.juniorleaguenwa.org.

Pumpkin Dip with Gingersnap Cookies

The dip queen is back to bring you a fall favorite. One of my favorite pumpkin dishes is this pumpkin dip. Many of my cookbooks feature this delicious sweet treat but it is especially yummy from page 81 of the Junior League of NWA Cookbook. This dish is simple, inexpensive, and the perfect addition to your holiday table.

Pumpkin Dip

16 oz. of cream cheese, softened

3 cups of confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of ginger

30 oz. canned pumpkin

Gingersnaps

Hint: The recipe does not call for it but I like to add a little dash of all spice.

Blend the softened cream cheese and confectioners sugar. Add cinnamon, ginger, and pumpkin. Mix well and chill for 1 hour. Serve with gingersnap cookies.

Book Review: The 5 Love Languages

For years I have been meaning to read Gary Chapman's The 5 Love Languages. Over time I have read passages and gotten the general themes but never really invested in reading the book. This weekend I pulled it off the bookshelf, sat down with a glass of wine and dove in. While the book is based on martial relationships, I believe that it is transferable to most relationships we are connected to.

The basis is that each of us have a language we use to communicate love and want to receive it. The trick is to understanding our own and the person's that we are in the relationship with. Chapman discovered the 5 languages after years of counseling couples. He determines them to be: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

I always assumed that Physical Touch would be my language because I am a touchy cuddly person. The assessment identified Words of Affirmation as my primary with Physical Touch and Quality Time being tied for my secondary languages. All of these are completely true for how I equate someone loving me and often how I show love to others. Words of Affirmation took me by surprise but then as I reflected on it, I realized that when verbal/written communication is not coming from a partner or friend I often struggle to know how they feel. I am a communicator and I like for people to articulate their feelings as well. At work, I want a review. With friends and family, I always use cards as a way to express feelings for them. If you are diggin me romantically, you need to come out and say it.

I have this strong memory as a child, shortly after my parents divorced that I was talking on the phone with my Daddy and we hung up without him telling me he loved me. That particular day I was at my Granny's and I remember that I immediately started crying. When she asked me what was wrong, I told her Daddy didn't love me. Trying to calm me down she said of course he loves you and I responded with, but he didn't say it. Obviously, he loves me a great deal but it wouldn't have mattered if he brought me a present or spent hours with me, I needed him to say it, just so that I could be sure. I am sure that my Granny called him back because I got another phone call from him just to say he loved me. Long before I even could grasp what love was, I knew how it needed to be communicated to me. I would guess that all of us have these inherent ways we need to hear that someone loves us.

The book is helpful in realizing that we must communicate our language to those we are in relationships with and need them to communicate theirs. Absent of that, we will default to our preferred language and this can leave the other person without any idea of how committed we are to them. A person can do a lot of things to show me they care but if they tell me or even better, put it in writing, I am over the moon and completely confident in their feelings for me. Recently, I had breakfast with a distinguished alumni and his wife. The couple told us of how they went on their first date - he wrote her a letter asking her out. My students kind of laughed at me because I was like... oh, that is the best thing ever! Of course now it makes complete sense to me, I would find it appealing for someone to write me a note 1. to ask me out and 2. to express why they wanted to spend that kind of time with me. I always find myself able to trust someone when they communicate their feelings through words - now I understand it is because that is how I fill up my love tank. Around my house and in my office, you will find notes that were especially meaningful or validating for me. I go back to them time and again - they are sacred to me.

The book also frames relationships, specifically marriage, in a great way as a choice. He talks about how the "in love/obsession" phase of a relationship lasts about two years and then the reality of what we require emotionally surfaces and the choice of commitment begins because "it is fundamental to our nature". Beyond the obsession phase of a relationship, I often wonder how people can be married for 50 years and I love that Chapman talks about it as a choice we have to make every single day. He states "Our most basic emotional need is not to fall in love but to be genuinely loved by another, to know a love that grows out of reason and choice, not instinct. I need to be loved by someone who chooses to love me, who sees in me something worth loving." What a compelling concept. I have heard friends discuss marriage but no one ever really talks about the real life of it or how hard it is which has left me skeptical. After reading this book, this single gal really loved the way he frames marriage, a concept I can now totally grasp.

I am sure that understanding my language a bit better will enhance my relationships and I'll definitely be trying to figure out how those in my life need me to communicate that I love them.

"Love is something you do for someone else, not something you do for yourself"

Tuesday Night Suppers

A month ago, a friend and I started a new tradition of having Tuesday night suppers together. This has become one of the highlights of my week because it is a great time to unwind - have a delicious meal, enjoy a few glasses of wine, and watch Glee. Carving time with friends is important, especially when our schedules only seem to get fuller. Let's be honest, I could skip the food and just enjoy the wine and fellowship but having a real meal is definitely a bonus to the week and often encourages me to cook during the rest of the week. The first night, I whipped up some of my famous Chocolate Souffle and this last time I tried out some homemade peppermint patties. Of course, we do not just eat dessert! Justin made a yummy pasta with cream sauce, broccoli, and chicken. Last week, I made spaghetti with turkey meatballs (recipe will be posted soon!).

I am looking forward to many more weeknight meals celebrating friendship.

Justin's idea of what my glass of wine should look like! And of course, I am featuring the dessert - cinnamon cream cheese icing and gingersnaps.