Family Time

TOGETHER is my favorite place to be

This Thanksgiving weekend was one of the best. I got to spend it with my loving boyfriend and his adorable son. I unplugged and focused on spending QUALITY time with my boys. We cooked, ate, played, shopped, went sledding, decorated, and even went to a magic show with tigers! Guess what he wants for Christmas now? Yep, a pet tiger...we will see if Santa can deliver on that one. We spent every minute we could together. And you know what? The house is a mess, the dishes are dirty, shopping is not done and presents aren't wrapped - and that's OK. 

Right now many are in the midst of holiday craziness. I want to remind you that the holidays should be about people - connecting and spending time with family and friends. 

So here are a few tips on how to slow down and enjoy your time with your family:

1. Take a drive to see the Christmas lights around town
2. Popcorn or paper chain garland - kids love this!
3. Play games - Uno is our family fav
4. Read stories every night next to the Christmas tree
5. Make hot coco, don't forget the marshmallows or whipped cream
6. Put up Christmas light in the kids rooms
7. Bake together 
8. Build a fort with sheets
9. Elf on the Shelf - if you don't already have one for your kids get one! 
10. Start a new family tradition, here are some ideas...

• Bake cookies for your neighbors
• Make a special meal together - we make homemade pizza on Christmas Eve
• Decorate the tree while drinking hot coco and wearing Santa hats
• New PJs for Christmas morning
• Take family photos

Roasted Chicken

This is one of my favorite “go to” recipes to make on the weekends. It is great leftover and can be used to make other recipes throughout the week.

AND it’s really hard to mess up!! The seasonings can pretty much be whatever you want, or have.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken

• 1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Seasoning (lemon pepper, Cajun, cayenne pepper, creole, salt & pepper, paprika, whatever you want!)

Brush chicken with EVOO, season the outside and cavities.

Place chicken in glass pan upright on a can or beer can chicken holder (great gift by the way!) *TIP: line the pan with foil for an easy clean up!

Cook at 375 for 1.5-2 hours depending on how much it weighs. Enjoy!