Cheese and Gingerbread Donuts

June 4 was National Cheese Day. I decided to watch a cheesy movie to celebrate. I didn't finish it.

I did however make dinner with cheese in it.

 

June 5 was National Gingerbread Day and National Donut Day. I combined them and made Baked Gingerbread Donuts from averiecooks.com 

My gingerbread loving youngest child couldn't stop eating them. 

Gingerbread!

I am thankful for finding reasons to celebrate. 

November 21 we had fun celebrating National Gingerbread Cookie Day.

Jet and I were telling each other the story of "The Gingerbread Man" before school. He was even running around calling out, "You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

We made gingerbread men after dinner. Jet devoured them.

That night my husband ready Jet a bedtime book of "The Gingerbread Man" that I checked out from the library for them.

 

Also before school, my other elementary schooler got to be a greeter and said, "Hello," to a lot of people for World Hello Day. 

For dinner we had bruschetta bake to celebrate National Stuffing Day. I couldn't help myself from telling the kids, "I'm putting bruschetta togetta."

I love finding reasons to celebrate.

Gingerbread Cookies!

I found a gingerbread cookie recipe I like and want to keep using. It's one I used years and years and years ago but haven't in a while. There were quite a few years when I didn't even try to make gingerbread cookies. Rolling out and cutting out isn't my favorite thing. I've tried different recipes in the last few years but decided to do this one again this year and I've got to say, I was pleased with the results. Jet and I made them earlier on and I willingly made them again for National Gingerbread Cookie Day on November 21.

The recipe is from Family Dinner Cookbook by Debbie G. Harman and it's called "Gingerbread Friends." They taste so good to me.

Speaking of that cookbook, that same day I used the recipe for "Chicken Croissants" in it because Stephanie gave us some croissants when she came over and I love chicken salad on croissants. I scaled the recipe back because it's meant for a crowd and I substituted apples in place of grapes because I had apples but not grapes. #shelfcooking

The croissant sandwiches went well with stuffing for National Stuffing Day that same day.

We're Thankful For... Jet

"When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way From your first bassinet to your last dying day."

 

We love Jet. He is a huge blessing in our lives. Huge. He is funny, smart, clever, and fits right in with our family.

This year, Jeremy was out of town on Jet's birthday so we celebrated twice. Once on his actual birthday and once on a later day when both Jeremy and Nichole could be there. Jet didn't complain.

He got birthday dinner twice (different each night) and "cake" and ice cream twice and he got to open presents twice. He did not complain.

Since he usually skips the cake and prefers to just eat the ice cream, I decided to make brownies instead since I know he likes brownies (and I could make those twice very easily). He still skipped the brownie and just ate the ice cream. I guess he's just an ice cream kid at birthdays. We can't put the candles in the ice cream however. Brownies worked. He did enjoying singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out the candles twice.

For dinner on his birthday, we had cheeseburger pasta, corn, apples, bananas, and milk. We didn't blow bubbles in our milk this year.

It has become a joke in our family that the boys taught Jet early on to say, "Eyeball soup." I don't know why they did that but they did. For his second birthday dinner, we had eyeball soup. I made more "eyeballs" like we had on Greasy Food Day and Picasso's Birthday (and Pasta Day and Breadstick Day) and put them in tomato soup. He was happy with the Eyeball Soup.    

Jet loved Halloween so much, he is often asking to go trick or treating. For his second birthday this year, we let him. He went to different doors in the house to trick or treat and got cards and presents. It was cute.

 

On his actual birthday, he got to open a rubber chicken because he really liked the one Jr. Jr. got for his birthday.

On his birthday with Nichole and Dad, Jet got to open LEGO Duplos and a little stuffed penguin.

Jet really wanted a balloon Spinosaurus for his birthday so Jeremy made him one. Unfortunately I didn't get decent pictures.

 

Besides the birthday party stuff, Jet and I had a special day with just the two of us. Jet's been wanting to go to the "dinosaur museum" (Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point so while the boys were at school, we went. Afterward he told me we went to the "brachiosaur museum."

He even got a souvenir squished penny for his birthday.

We had so much fun that we went again a couple days later. 

"Hi, sleeping crab."

 

A while ago, Jet wanted to use a cookie cutter so we made gingerbread cookies so we could cut out shapes. We had a good time. Jet is my baking buddy after all.

One day we went to pick Jr. up from school and Jet saw someone carrying a box of donuts. He wanted donuts. I told him we could make donuts together like we made cookies. He got very excited about that idea and said, "Say goodbye cookies and Helloooo, donuts." So for his birthday we made donuts together.

Jet had some fun his birthday(s) this year.

 

Jet, we love you. Thank you for being part of our family. You are such a treasure.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let's Talk About More November Celebrations

Speaking of nachos- like for New Year's...

 

November 6 was National Nacho Day. This was what happened with my 13-year old.

Mom: Today is Nacho Day.

Jr. Jr.: I know. I've had a really hard day.

Mom (looks sympathetic)

Jr. Jr.: Today is not yo' day.

Mom: Groan. 

We also ate nachos.

 

November 11 was Veteran's Day. I got my selfie with the flag. It was sunny.

It was also Corduroy Day, you know, because 11/11 looks like corduroy. We were having breadsticks so had some fun with them.

It was also National Sundae Day. I made hot fudge sauce to go with ice cream and whatever else. Yumm.

 

November 12 was Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day. We had individual pizzas so everyone could choose their toppings. Some of the kids even had dessert pizzas after their main pizzas. They got the idea for s'mores pizza from the Fablehaven Cookbook.

Speaking of the Fablehaven Cookbook, for Spicy Guacamole Day on November 14, we made "Bubda's Sloppy Guac" and "Lost Mesa Corn Avocado Salsa, both from that book. They were perfect to go with taco salad for dinner and family members had fun making faces in the food (the instructions for the sloppy guac even say to make a hermit troll face). We love that cookbook! 

 

November 16 was National Fast Food Day so we pulled out chicken nuggets and fries from the freezer and soda pop from the pantry and called it good.

 

November 17 was Homemade Bread Day and National Butter Day and GWR Day. GWR stands for Guinness World Records. We had homemade bread with butter but we also had hot dogs on homemade buns as a nod to the world record Jeremy broke back in July of 2015. He built a giant balloon dog. So we had hot dogs.

For William Tell Day on November 18, I made apple crisp. Yumm.

 

November 21 was Gingerbread Cookie Day. I made gingerbread cookie people while telling Jet the story of the Gingerbread Man. There have been a few times since then that Jet will run into a room I'm in and call out, "You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." I love him so much.

That day was also National Stuffing Day so we had a bruschetta bake with chicken, stuffing, tomatoes, and seasonings. Yumm.

November 23 was Thanksgiving. That morning I took a moment for myself. I got up early to help Jeremy get ready for work- made him breakfast, made him a lunch (a snack really because he got out of work early for which I was grateful). I had Bing Crosby in my head. "I've got plenty to be thankful for." After Jeremy left for work, I decided to take a bit of time for myself before getting to work on laundry, doing dishes, hard boiling eggs for deviled eggs... so I wrapped myself up in a blanket, drank some hot chocolate, watched some TV, and felt thankful.

When Jeremy got home we celebrated with food, lots and lots of food.

He brought home a pumpkin pie from work which we put whipped topping on. I also made a vanilla pudding pie and we put pumpkin pie ice cream on top of it. Mmmmm.

 

November 24 was National Leftovers Day or Turkey Leftover Day. Yes, we ate leftovers of course.

 

November 26 was Charles Schulz' Birthday. We decided to have a Charlie Brown/Peanuts Thanksgiving to celebrate with foods the characters made in "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." Toast, popcorn, jelly beans, pretzel sticks. We also threw in some "peanuts" and "Peppermint Patties." And to drink we had lemonade because Lucy sometimes sets up a lemonade stand.

I also wore my bow earrings to celebrate his birthday. When some women in choir saw me and I explained why I was wearing those earrings, they suggested we go around the table giving psychiatric advice for 5 cents. So cute. I love my choir friends.

November 30 was Mason Jar Day. You know I love excuses to use my Fablehaven Cookbook. This time it was "Fairy in a Jar Layered Gelatin Treats." 

I couldn't find any gummy butterflies or gummy fairies but I could find gummy worms. Jeremy joked that it as more like "imps in a jar."