The The The Grinch @ The Gaylord

This year we got to go to the ICE exhibit at the Gaylord. Man are some people just talented. It was pretty cool. I really liked the theme this year, The Grinch. If you plan on going maybe try earlier in the day. That place was packed the day after Thanksgiving. In the store after they had the coolest Texas Christmas Lights made out of wait for it shotgun shells. They were so cool. A little pricey, but pretty unique. So I just did a search. They totally marked them up. Matt said hobby lobby has them too:)

 

Love the pie!

This weekend was full of love for the pie. We celebrated my sisters birthday on Saturday were my mom made a Lemon Pie. Man do I have a lot of practice before my meringue turns out like hers. Then on Saturday I made an apple pie. By far my favorite pie. This time I tried the pillsbury recipe. Well, one it saves time with the crust and two it is pretty hard not to mess up. I still can't get the pretty flute edges, but honestly it still tasted amazing. I sliced the apples with a thin mandolin. I like my apples nice a thin. So, I think that is key. Has anyone tried apple pie with a slice of cheese on top? It kinda scares me but it kinda sounds good. I usually just have a scoop of ice cream with mine.

Anyways, check out http://www.pillsbury.com/pie for great holiday pie ideas.They even have a tutorial which I totally should have watched first. It shows you just how to flute the edges.

Here's the recipe (http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=11187)

INGREDIENTS
Crust
1    box (15 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
Filling*
6    cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (6 medium) - i like McIntosh apples
3/4    cup sugar
2    tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4    teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4    teaspoon salt
1/8    teaspoon ground nutmeg
1    tablespoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1.    Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.
2.    In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
3.    Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.

Happy Halloween

My Make a Wish

So, last night I was thinking about my ultimate favorite sports people. So, here goes:
1. Nolan Ryan - i grew up loving him; i remember my brother getting his baseball card or autograph (sorry i can't remember the sticken details) and being o so jealous.
2. Troy Aikman - my love for Aikman grew when he endorsed wing stop. i'm obsessed with wing stop so there you go.
3. Steve Nash - loved to watch him play when i was in high school.. come back!
4. Jason Kidd - i'm so glad he is back!
5. Dirk Nowitzki - seems like a cool guy to chill with
6. Lance Armstrong - he is from plano and is a rock star!
7. Mike Modano- well i have to have a stars guy

Dracula

Last night we went to go see Dracula at the new Opera House in Downtown Dallas. It was a great experience. When we arrived the parking couldn't have been easier. I must admit I'm a little afraid of heights. So, as we walked up the stairs I freaked out a bit. Then our seats were right on the edge which are great b/c there are no distracting heads in front of you but boy was it scary. As the lights dimmed this huge chandelier was taken to the catwalk area. Everyone applaud. When the host came on he said I've never been upstaged by a chandelier before then just stood there and watched it go up up and away. It really set the stage for something magical. Then the musicians came out and the movie began. It was really spectaular. I hadn't seen/read Dracula before let alone the old b&w one which is the one they played. It wasn't to scary; it was even comical at times. The orchestra really made it special and brought a whole dimension to the atmosphere. The guy that composed it was even there. I was expecting a lot of mistakes at the House since the whole Texas Stadium fiasco, but it all ran pretty smoothly. Sorry I forgot to charge my mini camera to take pics. I did wear my cowboy boots again and Matt wore a suit. The attire for the night ran from jeans to cocktail so if you ever go just wear what you like.

Fall

Our trees are changing fast. Every day they are a new color. Pretty soon they will be naked tress but in the meantime they are gorgeous. I haven't really decorated the house much mostly b/c last years stuff is in the attic still. Honestly I can't even remember what we bought last year. So we are decor less until Christmas.

SweddyBalls

So, I made sweddish meatball about a month ago from the Cooks Illustrated mag and it was fabulous.  I wasn't sure if it was just a fluke but we made them again this week and may I say yummy!

So, Matt started calling them Sweddyball from I guess SNL and it almost ruined them for me. Seriously. How gross but even that couldn't run me off they are that good. I served them with mashed potatoes well b/c I'm obsessed with potatoes.

It was just in time to revive my appetite. Everything all this week has tasted blah. I think I burned my tongue on chili causing everything to taste off. That or I'm getting sick. Off to search for something special for Halloween dinner. Matt and I watch Ghost Hunters all night and hand out candy. Kinda a fun tradition. This year I'm going to make something spooky :)

Pizza

Check out my mad pizza skills. I have been practicing throwing the dough in the air and catching it. Man I should of had Matt taken a pic of that. This is a simple dough you make and leave in the fridge over night pretty cool really and it taste better than frozen junk. Sorry just frozen pizza makes me sick. So I'm a little mad at them right now. I hear mixed reviews on the pizza stone. I wonder if it is worth a the price and b the space. I got a ravioli cutter for my birthday so that will be my next Italian endeavor.

Boots

With my birthday money this year I decided to buy my first pair of cowboy boots. I looked some online and found some really cute ones at Sheplers. So, I knew I could find a some there. At first I couldn't really see any I liked and felt a little overwhelmed. Right when I was about to give up a sales lady came and helped me out. She showed me these gorgeous eagle ones that I just feel in love with. I'm so glad that she pointed them out. I missed them. Then she told me me few tips about size and care. I ended up getting one size bigger and I'm glad I did. They are so comfortable.

Then I had to get a dress. We went to Dillards and then again I couldn't find a thing until the sales lady to the rescue. I ended up finding 2 dresses and I would have gotten 3 but they didn't have my size. The prices were pretty good there if anyone is in search.

Check out my aperture on my photo. Maybe I did learn a few things in class!

Sunday Night Pot Roast

It doesn't get much better than a Sunday night pot roast. I don't know about you but I really struggled with pot roast. It would always turn out dry. Somewhere down the line I tried cooking it the French way with red wine and it turned out well. Not wanting to buy wine every time I must have tried a dozen different ways. The crockpot with cream of mushroom turns out pretty well and you don't have to do much. Last night we went back to the French version from Cooks Illustrated. It is pretty good. The reduction of wine does make me kinda nauseated though. It filled the entire house kinda like when I deep fry fries. It's funny how cooking a full on meal makes me feel better but whenever I'm in a bad mood I won't cook. It is possible for my bad mood to transfer to the food. They always say cook with love and it taste better. Although some recipes can't be helped with all the love in the world.

House Update

Well our house is complete. We have officially finished furnishing at least. Still needs a few touches like new chandeliers, granite, new appliances, backyard greenery, more goodwill runs, ok we still have work to do, but I think that is just an ongoing project. I don't think I ever updated you guys on the bathroom. We converted the light above the bathroom to a mini chandelier.

We also got a desk for our study. And...Our chairs for the dinning room.

Design - Watch Our Mess

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the mess. I have decided it is time for a redesign. I will be ending the life of the spicy texan and kristen's photography and just focus on one site one kristen. Through the years I have realized I'm not good at sticking to anything so instead I'm going to just have one site for everything. What does that mean? - Well, cooking, decorating, trips, photography, scrapbooking it is all going to be here. Also, for those of you that follow me remember my whole PC fiasco well....we finally got a new one. No more living off an external hard drive.

un cariñoso saludo,
kristen

Happy Birthday Matt

Casino Night at the Allcorns! My family and Matt's came over to help celebrate Matt's birthday this weekend. We pulled out the old poker table, had a blackjack table, and even a roulette wheel. We served mini roast beef sandwiches with crab cakes and stuffed mushrooms. I also found these egg rolls in the freezer section at MarketStreet that were pretty good. Well, that was until I burned the last batch. My dad's crab cakes were delish! The mushrooms were ok nothing to write about but the beef was yummy. We just got the Boar's Head kind to cut prep time. Best decision. Matt's mom made his favorite cake...German Chocolate. Tracy was the high winner of the night and both our dad's were the biggest losers. Then we finished up with a good old game of bingo. Laura won bingo. We even had a magic show with my Dad and a cirque du soleil with Matt. All and all it was a fun night.

Dad's Birthday

It was my Dad's birthday. We had everyone over for and ice cream sunday party. Yumm!

Back to Destin

Growing up we vacationed in Destin every fall. I was always lucky because it would fall on my birthday. So, my mom would decorate the house and we would hang out at the beach all day. Now that I'm all grown up there is no way I can go there every year but we did get to sneak it in this year. This time we stayed in Seaside. (well really 1 or 2 towns more east but who knows the name there were like only 10 houses there.) Almost my entire side of the family went.

Rough Riders

Go Rough Riders! This summer we are having a blast at all the games.

Fence

So, when we got back from NM we had a please stain your fence or else from the HOA. So, last weekend Matt worked all day Saturday on it. So far he has power washed and bleached it. Oh and he replaced a few bad parts. Next weekend is suppose to be stain weekend. Well sure enough last nights storm kicked our fence's butt.

Family/Camping Trip

We had a blast on our trip last week. Thank you to everyone that let us stay with you!

Our first stop was in Clovis where we stayed w/ Matt's grandparents and got to see some family.

Then we went to Taylor's Graduation party. It was at this really cool wildlife place. We got to see all kinds of animals. My favorite of course was the wolf. After the party Tracy and I hit Mcadees for a green chile burger. Man are those suckers good. I wish our McDonalds served them.

The next morning we had to hit up Wecks. I almost at the whole omelet it was so good. We also had a special show with hot air balloons. One even landed right by us.

Then it was off to Farmington. On the way we took this shot of a cool route 66 sign.

Once we got to Farmington we hung out w/ Matt's other grandparents, Jackie, Rick, Drew, Shelby, and Jacob. We had so much fun. We pulled out Ladder Ball and played all night. Shelby rocked at it and won twice after Drew traded her in for Rick. It was so funny. The next day Jackie got me hooked on Twilight. I read it the while the guys went fishing and golfing.

Then it was off to Mesa Verde to go camping. About halfway there we realized we left the camera so we had to by plastic ones so pardon the blurriness. After we got camp all setup we went to go see the park. We ended up going on this huge hike without knowing it without sunscreen or water. That night we couldn't get the grill hot enough to cook our dinner so off to town. The next day we went on two guided tours full of ladders to climb and holes to squeeze though. I had my first taste of an Indian Taco. Boy was that yummy. I'm going to try to make some flatbread this month to see if I can make it as good.
One day we headed into Durango for a day of adventure of river rafting and rock climbing. It was so much fun. Our guides were amazing if you ever need any. After that we went to a night at the movies by out campsite. The small town theatre was so cute.
After camping we stopped in Farmington to stay the night and ate some awesome Green Chile Soup. Then headed to Albuquerque to help Tracy pack up. We stopped in Clovis for a night and got to see more family.

Good Bye New Mexico/Colorado. Until next time.

Bucket List

Last week we got to do some really cool stuff that has been on my list to do forever. So, I started to think what else do I want to do. So here it is:

Sports

• Skydive
• Hot Air Balloon Ride
• ATV
• Bungee Jump
• Zip-line
• Run a Marathon

Trips

• Yellowstone - again
• Grand Canyon - Arizona - again
• Eat at The Lady and Sons - Savannah, Georgia
  
• Stay in The Stanley Hotel - Estes Park, Colorado
• Hawaii - again
• NYC in December
  
• Rome (Colosseum & Pantheon), Venice - Italy
• Stonehedge - England & Scotland
• Great Barrier Reef, Sydney - Australia
  
• Take a month long trip when I retire
  

Improve the house

• Plant trees/shrubs/flowers in backyard (honeysuckle, trumpet vines, japanese red maple, redbud, monkey grass, lantana)
  
• Get rocking chairs for outside
  
• Replace the mirrors in entry way/dinning room
• Replace the chandeliers
• Replace the front door
  
• Stain backyard porch
• Build a tree fort
• Upgrade the kitchen
  

Hobbies

• Update my cookbook
• Make a gorgeous cake
  
• Make/Finish scrapbooks for each year
  
• Own a nice camera
• Cooking class
  

Community

• Donate blood
• Tithe my income

Update

Bad luck. So, Matt and I have had our share of bad luck lately. First the computer, then sprinklers line, then a busted car tire, then the front door of the car now the kitchen sink. Boy am I glad I'm a saver or I'd be pissed. Hopefully this is it for the year. They all just add up so fast. Yah know. We did find an excellent sprinkler guy if you need one in the Little Elm area.

One more week until our trip. I have planned it down to the second. Super excited. We are going to go rock climbing and rafting. I'll post pics when I get back!

Yard Work

Last weekend Matt and I worked on the front yard. It looks amazing if I do say so myself. Matt and a few neighbors rented a machines to air-raid the grass. After that we picked up a lot of leaves and old mulch. Matt cut a new bed line. Then we put in new mulch. I love the new lines. Who would have known that would make such a difference. I counted 5 lowes trips in all. Crazy huh? We also got lantana for my bucket in the back. I think I have a plan for parts of the backyard. I am dying to get a redbud for the backyard. So, I'm going to put it on the street side in the corner with monkey grass and flowers. Then between the sidewalk and house I want to plant some green plants and pink flowers.

Ooo, I also got a new bike this weekend that is awesome. I call it my low rider. (It is one of those comfort ones...I swear it is cute). I hate how mountian bikes feel so I thought I'd try this out.

Matt and I are planning a camping trip to the four corners (Mesa Verde) this summer. I can't wait. We are also going to visit his family. Matt's cousins had babies so we finally get to meet them. It is going to be awesome. I can't wait to get out in nature. I wanted to camp in the backyard this weekend but it looks like it is going to rain. So I'm thinking about pulling out my paint brushes again. Maybe try a new crockpot recipe for ckn n dumplins.

We did get our tickets for the Rough Riders this weekend. I'm so excited. It is probably one of my favorite things to do. It's just so relaxing and fun.

Weekend

Matt and I had a low key weekend. Saturday we went to Babe's with my family. It was fabulous as always. Sunday we went to United early to pick up a roast beef to throw in the crock pot. Then we thought it would be fun to go for a bike ride. It was so much fun. There was a huge hill that totally kicked my butt. I thought I would never make it to the top but I did and I was even able to keep going. We made it to the pond and rode around for a while. It was really nice b/c no one was out yet. There were tons of ducks out. They were so much fun to watch. Then we went back home ate some hot dogs and then off to Hollies to work on the girls bikes. We had a lot of fun just hanging out in the front yard. After that our roast was done. Boy was it good. It just fell apart. We cooked it with mushroom soup this time. It was so easy and I didn't have to mess with making gravy at the end. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Next weekend I decided we are going to have both families over for a BBQ. I'm so excited. I found this cream of corn recipe that is suppose to be to die for. I can't wait to try it out.

Valentines Weekend

We had a pretty fun weekend. Matt went to a poker night friday while I made some valentine cupcakes with an old friend. They were pretty cute if I do say so myself. My tv recordings have been piling up so Saturday morning I had a mini Jon & Kate marathon. I love that show. Their new house is awesome. Then Matt had me go on a scavenger hunt like our first valentines day. We ended at Abeulos my favorite! It was kinda sad how empty it was. Then we went shopping and played our new wii games we got for vday. For dinner we went to Kobe with matt's family. It was so much fun. I love those places that cook in front of you. I even tried Dragon Rolls. Yummy. I need to go to more Japanese restaurants. Then Sunday Matt made me breakfast and then I went to a movie with my sis and her sis in law. We saw Confessions of a Shopaholic. It was very funny. Almost as good as the book ;) Then I went shopping again. Ok, I never shop..so I was going through a withdraw. I found some pants that I have been wanting. Perfect color, size, and texture. Today I have to work, but tonight we are grilling out with one of Matts buds. I can't wait...yumm steak!! (and more wii)

Boy did the weekend go by fast.

Pepper

No recent pics; so I thought I'd put an old one up. Wasn't Pepper the cutest puppy ever!

Christmas

Ok, I know it is way passed Christmas but here it is.

We first had a mini Christmas with Matt's family b/c his sister was going to Okie for the holidays. Look how cute Matt is as a reindeer.

Then Christmas Eve we had Matt's parents and Tracy over for a ham. It was so much fun. We got to use the china and our new dinning room table.

Christmas day we went over to my parents.