I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas gifts. I talked to Greg about my many ideas last night while he was trying to fall asleep – he fell asleep while I was talking. But none the less, I’m sure most of you are also thinking about presents, considering how quickly we’ve been flying through the holidays. This year though, I am thinking more about gifts because it is a year of saving money and cutting back for a lot of us. This will be the perfect year for experimenting with home made gifts. Whether it’s a hand made card, a cozy knit hat, or sweet treats like these, now is the time. I’m going to be giving a lot of food related gifts this holiday and I’d like to share some of them with you throughout the next few weeks. Today, I made Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter. Isn’t that the perfect name? - Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter, I could say it all day. It has made the whole house smell exactly like it sounds and it is heavenly.

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I’ve been making pies all day – seriously, all day. How did that happen? Time flies way too fast the day before Thanksgiving. It’s amazing how three desserts can completely consume your life for eight hours. Is it just me that this happens to? Anyways, I wanted to share a few things that I’m thankful for before going out of town for Thanksgiving. I hope you will share some of the things you’re thankful for in the comments.

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I was just sitting down to tell you all about this amazing applesauce, when I noticed that one of my favorite food bloggers had already written about it. She just wrote about it today, right before me! Alright, I admit I am a tiny bit jealous that she got there before I did (childish, I know) but it just proves how ridiculously good this applesauce is. I love her blog, you should definitely check it out there too.

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Alright folks, this is gonna be a short one. It’s not because these brownies aren’t worth talking about for hours, it’s just because if you’re at all like me, you already know what you’re looking for in a brownie and can not be swayed one way or another. So, I’ll just get right to it. I shamefully love boxed brownies. It’s the chewy, crispy, gooey, mmm – it gets me every time. But, because I like a challenge and would greatly prefer something homemade to the boxed stuff, I have been trying to recreate them at home. So many homemade brownies end up too cake like or too fudge like, so what I’m looking for is something in the middle. » Continue Reading «

I’ve had a cold all week and I am utterly tired of it. I’m tired of the sneezing, sniffling and constant headache – I am ready to be over it. In the daze of my cold, I’ve barely had the energy to cook and have been very lucky to have an amazing boyfriend. Have I told you about him? He brings home hot soup and ultra soft tissues when I’m not feeling well. There’s nothing more a girl with a sore throat and sniffly nose could ask for.

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My family went to a farm called Emandal growing up. I first went there with my third grade class for an educational camp they put on in the spring. They teach kids about life on a farm – we learned how to milk a cow, plant seeds, gather eggs, hand crank ice cream, etc. I came home incredibly excited about my time on the farm, so we decided to go as a family in the summer. We stayed in rustic cabins, picked raspberries, pickled freshly harvested cucumbers and swam in the nearby river. It’s a memory that is very precious to me.

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