the plan:

to throw a sweet little dinner party
for my brother & his wife, who are
expecting their 1st baby…after a good
meal, they’ll cut into a cake to find out
if they are having a boy or a girl……

as a busy working mother, i need a little help…so my mom
was nice enough to bake the secret cake & bring it to the dinner…

tyring to find inspiration for decorating i turned
to one of my favorite magazines DONNA HAY

this was my decorating result…..

and the official baby cakes result-IT’S A GIRL

& i for one cannot wait to meet her

congratulations lauren & jon….xoxo

i love the newness…the clean slate feeling that comes with every new year…
& i am excited to see all the unexpected sweetness that twenty twelve brings…

______________________________

-here are some of my new year’s resolutions-

1. cook more for my family
2. try something brand new
3. make my bed (almost) everyday
4. try not to sweat the small stuff
5. finish the backyard fence

______________________________

wishing everyone the bestest 2012 full of light,
love photographs & lots of kisses….xoxoxoxo

thanks for everything 2011…xoxo

the holidays are full…full of food…wrapping paper…dishes…& for some of us, sadness….while some of use are enjoying are loved ones & the excitement that comes along with the holidays, some of us are lonely, hungry, full of longing….if you are missing a loved one…remembering happiness form years gone by…missing kisses that are no longer in reach, this goes out to you….if 2011 was a hard year…life can be sad & beautiful…i hope that 2012 brings peace & love your way…many blessings..xoxo

wishing everyone a beautiful merry christmas…
may your day be full of love & warmth…good food
& laughter…family & friends…may their be peace in
your heart…may joy replace all your sorrow….xoxo

may your christmas eve be full of ginger bread & love…xoxo

___________________________________

SOLVANG BAKERY 

when i was younger the phrase “love life” was so full of mystery & romance…i wondered if i’d ever have a “love life”…then there were the in between years…filled with longing & heartbreak…my so called “love life” sure wasn’t what i thought it would be…now i can say with sincerity & to be honest a little bit of surprise…i LOVE my LIFE…so that is it…”love life” is so much more than a kiss (although i am a big fan is a proper kiss)…it is loving the life we have…now my life is admittedly a big mess(literally) most of the time…i have bad days, sleepless nights, things i need to work on etc…but HAPPINESS is not the absence of all the is wrong in your life, but rather accepting & cherishing all if it…the good the bad & the ugly…and the kisses & laughter & jeans that won’t fit..it is, for me about being exactly where i am…so today is a good day….today is our wedding anniversary & i am feeling all kinds of lucky…to all my single girls out there, let me tell you that i had lots of single (& often sad) years…what i know is this…LOVE is possible…not the kind that hurts your feelings…but the kind that just is…well, a mess….a big beautiful mess….something happened this morning that pretty much sums it up for me…our youngest daughter crawled into our bed at about 5:30 am….she had, peed in her bed…again….her little warm sweet body snuggled up to me & we lay together half awake….she looked over at the pile of sheets, blankets & pillows that covered her father (he likes to sleep completely buried in the bedding) & she looked thoughtfully back at me….then she said, quite matter-a-factly “dad sleeps like a mouse”….i laughed so hard i nearly woke him up…so that’s it…her bed full of pee, awaiting another trip through the washer & drier…my husband wrapped up in the sheet like a mouse(this is extra funny because my husband is a tall athletic man, nothing at all like a mouse)…it is in these simple absurdities that fill  my life that i have found my “love life”…wishing everyone a life full of love & laughter…& mr moore…i love you so very much…thank you for…everything….xoxo

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for those of you who may need to get ahold of me…i am planning
on not answering the phone or returning any emails…i am gonna
celebrate & hang out with the “mouse” all day long today…

xoxo, mrs moore

you are gonna love this fabulous &
easy classic butter roasted turkey recipe
by
MAILI PRODUCTIONS

soooo easy…a child can do it…seriously….

first you need fresh ingredients…organic is always best….

and you cannot be afraid to get dirty…that’s part of the fun…

maili’s flavor tip…put butter & sage under the skin….

Classic Butter Roasted Turkey
by Maili Productions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  (But you will reduce the heat to 375 after the first 15 minutes)

Remove plastic from turkey in the sink.  Remove the neck and all organs from inside the turkey cavity.  (You will use the neck and neck skin for the turkey broth you will use to make gravy.)  Rinse the turkey and pat it dry.

Place the turkey in the roasting pan.  Slide your hands between the skin and the breast in order to separate it so you can put large clumps of unsalted butter under the skin.  Place at least three or four clumps on each side.  Then place whole sage leaves under the skin.  (You will not be able to see the sage leaves well when the butter is firm and in there, but when the turkey is roasted they will show through beautifully.

Coat the entire outside skin of the turkey with olive oil and generously coat with kosher salt.  Leave cavity empty and do not stuff so the heat can get inside the turkey and it can cook more quickly.  Also, my personal tip is to untruss the turkey and leave the legs out so that the hot oven air can cook the turkey more quickly.  (I’m not a fan of trussing in chickens or turkeys)

Cook the turkey at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then turn the oven down to 375 (or 350 for smaller ovens).  Every 30 minutes while the turkey is cooking, get a stick of butter and rub it all over the top off the turkey.  Cook for 2 hours for a 15 pound bird and under.  Cook for 2 and a half hours for a 16-20 pound bird and higher.  If the turkey browns too quickly on top, tent it with aluminum foil.  (You can just lay the foil over the bird, you don’t have to tuck it in or anything like that.)

Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before carving it.  You can also cover it with foil for up to an hour to keep it warm and then carve it.  Or keep it in the oven on very low temperature 200-225 covered with foil if it is finished before you need to serve it.

Moist and Delicious!  And the leg meat is darker and a bit pink by nature so don’t overcook it worrying that you haven’t cooked it long enough.  There is nothing worse than dry overcooked turkey.

And if you like the taste of stuffing inside the bird, just pour turkey broth or chicken broth over your stuffing to mimic that moist taste that comes from cooking it inside the bird.  But you will have a better tasting turkey if you cook it unstuffed.

(adorable child not included)

another tip…drizzle olive oil over the bird & rub it in….

and voila…the yummiest turkey ever…..

the only thing left to do at this point is….

dig in….bon appetite!

for this & more fabulous recipes visit the MAILI FILES….xoxo

little miss jasmine in 5 years old today…
we are gonna put on our pretty dresses &
have family fun all day long…xoxoxo

wishing you & yours a very sweet halloween…xoxo