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-

Cinnamon Pumpkin Cookies

Sheesh, you guys. I knew last week was going to be crazy, with the holiday and all, but not nearly as hectic as it was. I feel like I've had 2 seconds to myself in the last 7 days or so. Besides hosting Thanksgiving at our house, I had the funky cold from Hades, we had a water leak the day before the holiday, I had more MRI's done, and finally, the hubby got the new iPhone he's been dreaming of after we drove 256 miles to get it. Needless to say, it's been cray-cray around here. 

Update:

Cold is gone. Yippee! 

Water leak was fixed and Thanksgiving prep was finished. Thank goodness.

MRI's were completed. They weren't fun, but they are done. I loathe whoever created those detestable machines.

The hubby loves his new phone 😁

Turkey Bacon Avocado Paninis

It has been one of those kind of weeks.

Last Monday, a familiar but most unwelcome acquaintance set up shop in my house- the common cold. And ugh, it has been anything but fun. I've been running the gambit from sore throat to fever to head fog to a lost voice. Truly, by the end of the day Saturday, the hubby and I were communicating by text. I'm normally a very quiet person, but found the sensation of not being able to talk very unpleasant. Not cool when you are trying to watch Oregon football! 😡 Luckily, I'm on the mend. My voice is back and with only a nasty cough left, I'm pretty much over the hump.

Good thing too, because I'm doing the Thanksgiving shopping today 🙀

Buttermilk Brined Turkey Tenderloin Dinner

Are you having a small(ish) Thanksgiving this year? Or people over who claim "I just don't like turkey!"? What about guests that will only eat white meat? Or picky children who refuse their plate if a piece of dark meat touched something on it? If you answered "yes" to any of the preceding questions, turkey tenderloins might be for you! Turkey tenderloin is soooooo moist and flavorful, and you won't have near the leftovers you would cooking a whole turkey. Plus, everybody loves that breast meat, right? You might even win over that person who doesn't like turkey! 😁