"It's Christmas Time In The City."

Most of my Christmas presents have been bought online in years past and since we are planning for a cross-country move in the next few weeks, online shopping has become my passion for the moment.

My sister (C) recently got married (we will call them C & R - stay tuned for another blog update) and they have decided to use the Dave Ramsey budget to start off their little life together. I recently purchased a cute little wedding gift for them that happened to go along with their Dave Ramsey ideals. Dave is all about using cash and using no more that what has been allotted to that category, but who wants to carry around ugly, beat up envelopes to stay in budget? Not I. While adventuring off in the blog world I came across this:

Perfect! Cute envelopes that won't get destroyed and they can be carried around to help you stay on budget. C (like myself) does not carry around cash so this will definitely be new to her. If you are interested in these for yourself or for others, please check out the shop on Etsy. She has many designs to pick from and you get to pick your own categories. Fabulous.

Thanksgiving part 2 (Cream Cheese Corn, Broccoli Salad, Deviled Eggs)

 Onto more cooking.........These menu choices are more Thanksgivingy (if you will). Some you may have created or some may be new to you. Regardless, enjoy!

Cream Cheese Corn:
8 oz cream cheese
3 cans of whole kernel corn
paprika and pepper to taste

On low-medium heat, cook corn and cream cheese. When cheese has melted add paprika and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

This dish is great because it adds a bit of variety to corn and is very simple. I like a lot of paprika to add a KICK! You can follow the directions above or if you need more space in the kitchen as I did on Thanksgiving morning, I threw all ingredients into my crock pot and set on low for 2 hours.

 Deviled Eggs:
12 eggs
s & p
paprika
1T mustard
1/2 C mayo

Boil eggs for 15 mins. Peel shell under cool water (best if the eggs have sat in cold water for a while). Dry on a paper towel and cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yellow yolk from the middle and place whites in a prepared tray to serve. Place whites in the fridge. Mash yolks and mix in remaining ingredients except the paprika. Place the bowls contents into a small zip lock bag and cut a corner of the bag off - viola - you now have a pastry bag. :) Squeeze a little bit of the mixture from the bag into the center of the egg white. Sprinkle paprika over the eggs. Keep in fridge until time to serve.

 Broccoli Salad:
cut up a head of broccoli and cauliflower
1/2 lb bacon & shredded cheese
1C mayo
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C vinegar

In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli, cauliflower, cheese and bacon. In a separate bowl, mix the dressing (mayo, sugar, and vinegar). Serve dressing over salad and serve.

The dressing is best mixed a night before so that it has a few hours to mix and set.

Thanksgiving Food (part 1): Pumpkin Cheesecake & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

I cooked a lot this holiday and I really enjoyed it. I'm not a huge baker (because I will completely eat what I make and don't need the calories), but I love to make cheesecake since it is my husband's favorite dessert!

Paula Deen’s Pumpkin Cheesecake:
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

She also has a recipe for the crust, but I was short on time so I just bought the kind already made in the store. Shhhhh!!! I knew I would have leftover pumpkin so I looked online to find another delicious treat and VOILA - chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. I received numerous compliments on both treats. I will definitely use both recipes again.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla paste (extract will work just fine)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg.


In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt.


Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in.


Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.


Add vanilla and chocolate chips.


Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 12 -14 minutes until light and firm.