candice mclean

turkey dinner

so i'm planning my menu today and preparing for thanksgiving.

every year, we always start with a squash soup. since i don't have relatives visiting this year, i'm going to keep it simple and skip the soup and a few other things. instead, i'm making roasted butternut squash as a side.

here's the soup recipe that i've used in the past in case you'd like to try it. it is very yummy. one of my favorites.

roasted squash soup

mclean thanksgiving dinner menu

[spinach salad]

super easy! dump a bag of baby spinach leaves into bowl. add dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese, sliced/roasted almonds and red wine vinaigrette. toss together and serve.

[roasted butternut squash]

peel butternut squash. cut ends off and then slice in half. remove and clean seeds from belly. cut into bite size pieces and spread them into a single layer onto a baking dish. splash with olive oil then add salt and pepper to taste. sprinkle a bit of brown sugar. now, the fun part. using your hands, mix all together and spread back into one layer. roast in the oven at 450 for 30 to 45 minutes or until tender. they are perfect when you can pierce them with a fork. you can also add onions and parsnips. a yummy medley.

[roasted baby yukon potatoes]

clean and cut potatoes in half. i use the little baby yukon potatoes; however, you can do the same with larger potatoes just cut them into smaller bite sizes. splash with olive oil. add salt and pepper to taste. mince garlic and add to potatoes. rough chop rosemary and add to potatoes. using your hands, mix together coating potatoes with olive oil and spices. spread into single layer on baking sheet and cook at 450 for 30 minutes. a good option, add a medium sweet onion cut into wedges.

[rosemary and sage roasted turkey]

using this recipe for my turkey.

[cornbread and mushroom stuffing]

martha has the best recipes. this one is easy and oh so yummy. here's the recipe.

[basic cranberry sauce]

love this simple and easy recipe by martha stewart.

we're getting together with our neighbors for a dessert potluck. i'm taking a spice cake (betty crocker) and my homemade fudge. i follow the recipe on the back of jet puffed marshmallow and voila easy homemade fudge. i give this away for christmas gifts. something homemade and wrapped prettily - everyone loves it!

have a blessed thanksgiving~

it's beginning to feel a lot like christmas!

love this time of year. t-day is just THREE days away. yummy turkey and all the fixin's. (mmm)

new banner just in time for the holidays. did you notice the paypal widget on the left? yes... some things will be there very soon. also, i'm working on some fun things for the holidays. i'll have some freebies and some things for sale in my little shop.

fyi... the bloggity blog is under construction so if you visit and something is missing or looks weird, please be patient. soon, all will be good to go. love change. something fresh and funky and holiday-ish is lurking around the corner.

gobble, gobble to you all~

***tWiLiGHT***

no spoilers here - just my opinion.

so the girls and i saw twilight last night. sigh. it was so much fun to be with the girls and to see the book come alive. i think this is true for me with all books, a movie never quite measures up to the book. however, this movie did stay true to the book.

the buildup between bella and edward was there, and the love wrenching ache. the actors who played the characters were mostly believable. carlisle and jasper's actors did not quite do it though. something was off with them both - they were way too painted and not what i ever imagined. however, robert pattinson as edward was very believable. kristen stewart, in my opinion, overacted in the beginning, but by the middle of the movie she was getting better and better - more believable. the best scenes - in the meadow break with edward and bella and the ballet studio.

the biggest disappointment for me - the special effects. they were lame. but i kept in mind that this was a low budget film ($37 million to make) and they did the best they could with the funds. so use your imagination when edward goes into vampire mode and climbs a mountain or a tree.

good news, so i hear the sequel is in the works. i look forward to seeing the saga continue on the big screen.

enjoy the movie!

vintage christmas

a little vintage christmas inspiration and shopping with friends - what a treat.

on thursday, i met up with a good friend (love ya lori and i have your pink plate) who i haven't seen in forever. we met at starbucks for coffee in sweet, beautiful carlsbad. i had my carys with me, and she was the best little shopper. we hit a few consignment stores and the goodwill (known as the "boutique").

on friday, i met with nic and patti. what a hoot!!! we laughed so hard. we did an estate sale and then had breakfast at el brunco - let me tell you - the BEST EVER breakfast burrito. #18 on the menu - scrambled eggs, beans, cheese, sausage, ham and bacon with verde sauce all for a whopping $4. can't beat that! yeah - not the healthiest, but man oh so good. highly recommend that you SHARE. they are HUGE.

anyhoo, i'm on the hunt for vintage christmas decorations, and i'm especially looking for vintage glass ornaments. i inherited a few boxes when my mema (my grandmother) passed away, and i'd love to collect a few more. my goal is to gather enough to decorate our tree this year. i love the thrill of hunting for something specific. patti was on the hunt for a bookshelf and she totally scored. great little find for TEN DOLLARS. love it!

below are a few finds from my treasure hunt.

   

  

i love the little tin cookie cutters and the colorful candle holders. the packaging for the ornament hangers caught my eye. love old packaging. and the milk glass vase buds remind me of my mema. she use to collect them of which i have a few. now i'm adding to my collection. i only buy what i absolutely love. with living in such tight quarters (base housing), i have to be super selective. plus that keeps me on a budget. (wink)

happy monday~

hoLiDay hOOpLa @ PiNk PiNeApPLe SnEAk pEEks!!!

as promised... my sneak peeks of the project that i'm teaching at the hOOpLa. it's a holiday hanging album.

if you are planning to attend, you'll need these for the class: scissors, exacto knife, self healing mat, sand paper/block, black ink (stayzon jet black & brilliance graphite black), black pen (sakura gelly glaze), primary red and lime green marker (i used sharpies), adhesives - zip dry (or other preferred wet glue), diamond glaze, 3D glue dots or foam pop dots, and tape runner, cropodile, wire cutters or heavy duty scissors that will cut wire, needle nose pliers for curling wire, stapler and if you own them, stickles glitter glue in baby blue and lime green (i'll have a few to pass around but just in case you have them or want them).

there are 5 different teachers with 5 separate projects all for $100 - an all day event - 11am to 5pm. hope to see y'all there!

happy hugs~

holiday hoopla @ pink pineapple scrapbooks

pinch me! i'm so excited for the opportunity to join in on the festivities at pink pineapple for their annual holiday hoopla. the other ladies teaching are so darn creative - go check them out - stephanie ackerman, michelle hill, gina grable (can't find her blog?), leah fung.

how cool is this event!?! come hang out with your friends and make some cool gifts for someone special or for yourself. i love being around a bunch of creative spirits sharing the love for art and crafting. making something unique, well that's the cherry on top of my sundae. hope to see y'all there.

sunday, december 7th 11am to 5pm

i'll have sneak peeks here soon. so check back! the samples are due to the store NLT november 15th. and don't forget to checkout the pink pineapple website and their blog for upcoming information. i heard the seating is limited (32 seats) and they fill fast. each year, it has been a sold out event. call today to reserve your seat 760/598/2222. and one more thing... don't forget to check out the other designer's blogs (they are highlighted above).

xoxo

photos from julian

here are some recent photos of the kiddos in julian. we drove up yesterday and it was beautiful. the weather was perfect - not too cold but chilly enough for hats and mittens and scarves.

 

 

 

 

halloween 2008

happy halloween from the mclean family!

our little trick-or-treaters from left to right. carys as one of the hocus pocus witches (our favorite halloween movie - hocus pocus), tate as a goth princess zombie (her own words), roan as a black kitty cat and connor as a clone trooper. we had a GREAT halloween!

more photos from the evening...

and one photo collage of our pumpkin carving the week before. we gathered with our neighbors for the pumpkin carving. love you guys!

hope your halloween was the spookiest ever. XO.