Slow Cooker Herb-Rubbed Turkey Breast

 -with turkey gravy

Sometimes, as much as you want things to be different... as much as you tell you yourself it will be different... sometimes things take longer to change than our well-intentioned selfs would like. As much as I would like to say that I left 2016 in the dust and 2017 is already waaaaaaay better, sometimes life just doesn't work like that. 

16 days into the New Year and I'm already beating myself up for the lack of posts. I'm mad at myself for still feeling the effects of last year's depression. Why can't it just be gone? 

Pesto Stuffed Shells

It's the first recipe of 2017! Yipee!

11 days into the new year and I'm finally getting around to posting about what I do best- FOOD! This recipe is a keeper, I'm telling you. Perfect for a frigid winter day full of ice and snow which I know a lot of us are dealing with right now. We only got about 2-3 inches last week and most of it melted on Monday. Today's temperature is supposed to be a lot warmer though (thank goodness!) because it's been a week of temperatures in the teens. Brrr! But I guess our snow is nothing compared to what's been going on in my former home of Oregon. They are getting more snow than I've ever remembered them getting, and we never got much snow when I was growing up. A snow day here or there, but not this much! In my mind, it's the perfect weather for staying in and popping a carb-a-licious casserole into the oven for dinner ☃️

Books Read in 2016

You guys...

I almost didn't share the books I read in 2016. I'm embarrassed. I only read 13 books in 2016, and 31% of them were those fluffy romance novels you buy at the grocery store. The kind of books that you would never review and probably not recommend either. Fun for you, but they are what they are- brain candy. The literary equivalent of a pint of ice cream. It goes down smooth and easy with no thought whatsoever. Ironically, I also read 31% of the years books in the last 2 weeks of the year, while I was on my Oregon vacation. It was a tough year. Dealing with my back injury for the entire year took its toll. Along with the injury, I also fought depression for most of the year. And when I'm depressed, my concentration is affected. My attention span is nil. It makes it tough and sometimes impossible to read. That being said, I did read some wonderful books that I'd definitely recommend. I hope next years list is more prolific but 2016 was what it was. In 2016, I read-

Wrapping Up December: 2016

Ok, so I know it's 4 days into the New Year but......

December was way too busy and waaaaay too much fun to not wrap up 😁 This post is long and picture-heavy, and I have so much to discuss that I'm not even going to waste time on an introduction. Let's go!

That first picture is the garden on December 1st. The marigolds had finally had it, and so had pretty much everything else. I've still got some rosemary and some thyme alive, but that's it. The cold weather we had in Kentucky while the hubby and I were in Oregon even got my parsley. Darn it. 

2016: By The Numbers

Summer 2016; Wine in the garden

Well, well, well. Here it is the first day of 2017 and I'm going to wrap-up the year of 2016 before I even wrap up the month of December 2016. Why? Because I want to. Because I'm a rebel. But mostly because, as per usual this year, I'm running behind. The story of my life 😄

Now that the holidays are almost over and the hubby and I are tucked back into our own house again, it's time to make it a better year. I mean, there's no election this year so we already know it's got to be a superior year, right? 😉 Right. I'm going to save my New Year's goals (and 2016's learning experiences) for another day, and simply talk numbers. Here's 2016 by the numbers-

Top 16 Recipes of 2016

Ah, long time, no see everyone!

Yes, it's the 2nd to last day of our Oregon trip and I've finally found a few moments to write. It has been Busy with a capitol B! We've been going non-stop, but man, it has been fun. I'll save pictures for when I do my Oregon or December wrap-up but we've basically been on what I like to call a "Food and Drink Tour" of Oregon. Seriously! We've travelled to Southern Oregon to dine at a couple of places in Ashland. We've stopped at a restaurant in Eugene. We've traveled to Portland to visit family and wine-taste with friends. There was a boozy breakfast in Albany. We saw "Holiday Office Party" in Corvallis. Drove the backroads through Independence. Had a wine-and-hor-dourves night with some of my biggest blog fans (Hello Glaeser family!) I can safely say I've seen the entire I-5 corridor of Oregon on this visit 😁

Sorghum-Glazed Veggie Medley

-with roasted salmon

It took more than a few tries and a couple of weeks, but I finally got this dish where I want it 😀

Yes, rest assured friends, this veggie medley is amazing. I've been eating it for 3 weeks straight. I literally can't stop. I don't want to stop. Sweet potatoes have been discovered and there's no putting that love back in the box. 

Autumn Pork & Squash Stew

First, the bad news...

Guys, I have been looking at my calendar and it's not looking good. December's schedule is going to be busy. Busy with a capitol B! I've started physical therapy again, 3 times a week. Christmas shopping needs to be finished. Our niece's birthday is at the end of the week, and we've planned a shopping trip and a sleepover. Not to mention making her a cake and getting her back home for her official birthday party at my sister-in-law's. There's Christmas with our Kentucky relatives. Packing to go to Oregon in 12 days. And goodness knows what we're going to get into while we're on the West Coast! We may only have a trip to Southern Oregon and a wine-tasting date planned, but that always changes. Fast. 

Wrapping Up November: 2016

How is it December??

This year has simultaneously dragged on, and in the same inexplicable breath, flew by. Where did 2016 go? November was a pretty busy month for us, as it is for most with the Thanksgiving holiday. December is set to fly by too, as the hubby and I are leaving for Oregon in 15 short days!! I'm so excited, I haven't spent a Christmas in Oregon since Christmas 2009. It's definitely time to head home for a holiday!

But in November-