Gooey Overnight Sticky Buns

I'm happy to report the tree is still standing.  It's even straight I think.  Of course, I didn't realize it was leaning before, so maybe I'm not the best judge.

So...I ran 30 minutes today.  For most of you, that's probably not a huge deal.  But for me, it's a mega-huge deal.  I'm not sure I've ever run 30 minutes in my life.  That's not to say I've never exercised more than 30 minutes in my life.  I used to do Zumba for an hour on the reg.  But running and enjoying it always eluded me.  I've been following the Couch to 5k plan loosely, and today I finally did 30 minutes!

In honor of that achievement, I give you these sticky buns.

A Funny Thing Happened Last Night

Ohh mah goodness, y'all.  Our tree completely toppled over at 3am last night.  I was dead asleep until I heard a thud and the sound of glass breaking.  It scared the bejesus out of me.  At first I'd thought my mom had fallen in her bathroom, so when I saw the tree lying prostrate I was a little relieved.  We lost a few ornaments in the fall but we've seen worse damage.  I think this little ornament sums everything up perfectly:

Hah!  Do you know the Maxine cartoons?  It's the dog from those.  I made a joke that he didn't look like that until the "incident."  And then I proceeded to laugh hysterically because I had not enough sleep and thought I was waaaay hilarious.

On a completely unrelated note, check this business out:

"What is that freaky looking object in the produce section?" you ask.  It's a Buddha's hand.  I Googled it after I saw what it was called.  It's in the citron family, and we Westerners commonly use the zest.  There's really not much to the flesh or pulp, but the pith is far less bitter than other citrus fruits; so you can use more of it.  Other peoples use it to perfume things.  I did smell it, and it had a lovely fragrance. You can also candy it.  Cray-cray.

Peppermint Marshmallows with Peppermint Hot Chocolate

My sister has a critter.  I'm not talking about Grady either.  There's something in her attic that makes little noises that can only be heard when the TV is off and no one else is with you.  She had suspected something was up there for a while, then she got confirmation when they went to get Christmas decorations out of the attic and ornaments were strewn about.  Also up there was an empty bag of jerky treats that had been torn apart.  That's how we ruled out a ghost.  Ghosts don't need jerky.  So we're thinking a raccoon.

I really hope it doesn't decide to take a walk downstairs.

Y'know what you need?  Marshmallows.  Legit homemade marshmallows.  Because guess what?  They're incredibly easy to make.  I know what you're thinking.  "I can buy marshmallows at the store.  Why on God's green earth would I take the time to make them?"  Because they're way freakin' better if you do them yourself.  You may quote me on that.  My only qualification is that you need either a stand mixer (preferable) or at least a hand mixer because this business has to go 12 minutes straight.

Whomp Whomp

So I had this totally awesome post in my head about the peppermint marshmallows and hot chocolate I made last night.  I was gonna rock your world.  So I set off to find the little cord that connects my camera to my computer to edit the pictures and...it's nowhere to be found.  I searched.  I even cleaned my car and unloaded my suitcase.  That's how desperate I was.

What's a girl to do?  I'm 90% sure it's in Columbia.  For about half an hour now, I've been thinking "Ugh, I don't want to go to Best Buy tomorrow to get a replacement cord" because BB is 45 minutes away.  And then my brilliant self reminded me that Wal-Mart is 5 minutes up the road.  Um, duh-sies.

So with a little hope in my heart and a marshmallow in my coffee, I leave you with this:

My very favorite present under the tree :)

Things That Were and Things To Come

Do you ever have those days where you just feel kind of...bleh?  Today is one of those days.  I'm hoping with a little sleep and Nyquil, I'll be up to no good in no time!  In the meantime, let me tell you a little bit about the lunch my sister and I had yesterday.  Oh and don't worry, I'm back at the beach, so no worries about my wee little Grady getting any of my blehs.

There's a little bakery just down the street from my sister called Sweet Cake House.  For you Columbia folks, it's on St. Andrews Road.  We'd noticed it before but never stopped in.  She grabbed us lunch yesterday on her way back to the house, and it was delightful.

We each had a more-than-generous portion of chicken pot pie.  It was a double crust pie, which I love, and was yummy to boot!  Each lunch came with a side salad and a petit four.  The pasta salad (bottom) was creamy with a nice injection of onion, and the potato salad (top) had the consistency of chunky mashed potatoes while tasting like the potato salad you expect.  We split the petit fours, tiramisu and carrot cake.  Usually I'm not a tiramisu fan (I know, there's something very wrong with me), but I loved the little bite of it.  The carrot cake was cream cheese-y and sweet.  A nice cap to the meal.  The best part is that each of the meals was less than $6, which is kind of a bargain considering how much food we ate.

I've been seriously contemplating my Christmas/holiday treats.  I have major plans for cookies, cakes, and even marshmallows!  I'm so excited about the marshmallows, y'all.  I've never made them before, but they're not that complicated...I think.  I even have plans for...wait for it...apple bourbon!  The kitchen is about to be a magical land of powdered sugar and smiles.

Risotto-style Coconut Rice Pudding

Thanks to my sister, I've become obsessed with these:

If you see these little Dove holiday chocolates, snatch them up with a quickness.  And don't blame me when you eat the whole bag.  I warned you, but I'm totally encouraging you to get them.  At first I thought "Well these are probably okay so I'll try one."  Then it melted in my mouth and was wonderfully full of peppermint and chocolate and Christmas spirit.

Speaking of obsessed because of my sister...

He's like "'Sup, y'all."  He is not okay with those pants by the way.  He definitely prefers to be pantsless.  I've been in Columbia for the past week and a half helping my sister out.  Her company gave her an extra six weeks to basically work from home, so I've been baby wrangling while she works.  From the blogging perspective, I have an incredible amount of respect for mommy bloggers. On the reals, I'm more or less lying completely flat while G-man sleeps on me right now.  Serious business.

I have no pretty segue into this rice pudding.  So let's just go at it.  I'd never had rice pudding until I made it.  I'd been planning this recipe for weeks until I finally made it.  It's got a serious coconut flavor and wonderfully sweet.  Using arborio rice makes it extra thick and creamy.  Let's get on this!

Green Bean Casserole, With Love

This post feels like it's a little late, but it's not really.  I made this green bean casserole for Thanksgiving, but let's be real.  T-Day is not the only day green bean casserole gets made or eaten.  It's totally apropos for a holiday potluck or Christmas dinner.  It's a make-ahead meal for the most part and so much better than slapping some canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup together.