Christmas Tree Lane

Giada enjoyed her first walk night on Christmas Tree Lane. My sister-in-law and her family invited us to join them for a fun, and cold, night of Christmas lights. Giada stayed in her stroller for the majority of the walk, but eventually wanted to be out with the rest of the group enjoying the night. 

The smile on her face explains it all!

And now it is time for bed!

Green Beans with Bacon

Here is another side dish to serve with dinner

• Fresh Green Beans
• 5-6 slices of bacon - cut into pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 T. red wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons of butter
• salt/pepper

Brown garlic in medium saucepan. Add 1/4 cup of white wine, red wine vinegar and 1teaspoon of butter. Mix together and let cook for a minute. Add onions and cook until soft - about 5 minutes. Place green beans, bacon, remainder of white wine, butter, salt and pepper into pan. Cover and cook on med/high for15 min. Stir occasionally. Once the green beans are cooked to your liking, remove from heat. Let the green beans sit covered for 5 min before serving.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potatoes

This time of year, Anthony is always bringing home sweet potatoes. Last night, I tried a different recipe and really enjoyed the dish!

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, chopped up into cubes
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces
• salt/pepper
• 4-5 garlic cloves, whole
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4 tablespoons of honey

1. Toss sweet potatoes with the olive oil. Add salt, pepper, garlic cloves and toss again. Lastly, add honey and bacon to the mixture and mix together. 
2. Roast in the oven (or bake on high, 475) for about 20-30 minutes.

3. Toss one last time before serving.

French Onion Soup in the Slow Cooker

Anthony came home with two beef stew bones and I was looking for a recipe other than the typical beef soup. I came across this recipe and will defiantly add it to the cookbook.

French Onion Soup in the Slow Cooker

• 2 pounds beef bones
• 4 yellow onions, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick (Do NOT use sweet onions)
• 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2½ Tablespoons cornstarch
• ⅔ cup applesauce
• ¾ cup white wine
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 32 oz. low-sodium chicken broth
• 32 oz. beef broth

1. Slice onions and place into slow cooker. Drizzle butter, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, brown sugar and thyme over onions and toss.
2. Arrange beef bones on paper towel-lined plate and microwave until well browned, about 6 minutes.
3. Whisk cornstarch, apple butter, sherry and soy sauce together in bowl until smooth, then stir into slow cooker. Nestle microwaved bones into onions. Cover and cook on high setting until onions are softened and deep golden brown, about 8 hours.
4. Discard beef bones. Bring chicken broth and beef broth to boil in covered saucepan over high heat, then stir into slow cooker. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Let soup sit until heated through.
5. Just before serving, heat desired bread to serve with the soup.

Featuring Shina Welch Photography

The Serpa Family had another successful family photography session with Shina Welch. As I have stated before, Shina always goes above and beyond to accommodate and provide us with beautiful family photos. For Giada’s first birthday, we headed out the Fresno Fairgrounds for the session. What a wonderful place for pictures, with endless ideas!

Please visit Shina Welch Photography and Facebook to see her work!

Giada's Country Fair

As I brainstormed a theme for Giada's 1st birthday, there were several cute ideas that caught my eye. Once the "fair theme" came to mind, I knew we had to make it come to life. As many know, we love the fair and so it was fitting to have a Country Fair for Giada's birthday.

As invites we sent out, my mind began spinning with ideas. For the longest time, it felt as though the ideas would never come together, but as usual, Anthony and I pulled it off!!!

As our guest arrived, they were welcomed by the birthday girl and a big smile. A Gold Fish Toss, Can Toss, Balloon Pop, Corn Holes and Face Painting (Thank you Dad!) were all available for the kids to play and enjoy. A lemonade stand, made by my hubby, was fully stocked with drinks for the little ones and a full bar for the adults, of course. The concession stand was filled with corn dogs, tri-tip sandwiches, watermelon, grapes, chips, meatballs, popcorn and margaritas. To wrap up the goodies, there was a dessert table with cake, brownies, miniature apple pies, cupcakes and animal crackers.

Giada was blessed with a party full of family and friends that love her. We can't thank everyone enough for celebrating our little peanut. In addition, we would not have been able to accomplish all we did without the help of our parents....and of course Jeff for housing the hounds for the day and showing up early and taking any order I gave him:)

After the guest had left, the boys cleaned up the yard and played a little corn holes. My mom and Val cleaned in the house and I was able to take a short break. As the evening rolled around, Annie and Emily came back over to open gifts and enjoyed some Chinese food with us!

The day was a success and cheers to many more!