DIY Wooden Tree

Colorado

One of the most important aspects to our wedding was where we were planning to take our honeymoon. We both knew we wanted to visit Marc's homeland, Denver, not just to see where he grew up, but also to visit one of the most amazing men in his life. We had a blast exploring and visiting Marc's past, but the highlight of the trip was getting to meet Marc's grandpa...

We also made sure to visit grandpa & grandma Vance at Fort Logan National Cemetery. 

We visited the the Air Force Academy.

Of course Marc booked us a tour of a WWII aviation museum.

Rule number one of being newlyweds: When you see your new last name on a street sign, you MUST pull over and take a picture! 

A $10 Makeover

As an early wedding present, we were given a few pieces of furniture my dad built over twenty years ago. The pieces are gorgeous, one of a kind, and amazingly well built, however, they still need a bit of updating. Eventually, I may stain the pieces a bit darker, but for now, new knobs will do the trick! I picked up a bag of knobs at a local antique shop for $10. I have enough to replace all of the knobs on all of the pieces we have and then a few more if we ever decide to build! 

Late Night Baking

I spent the evening testing out some lovely new pans we were given as a wedding present, and oh my are they perfect! Here is the newest addition to the cake batter cookies recipe, yellow cake batter with a chocolate kiss. Simply delicious! 

Valentine's Day Cake Batter Cookies

Click here for the full recipe, just swap out the yellow cake mix with strawberry cake mix! 

A Hint of Spring

Mother Nature decided to give us a little taste of spring the last few days, and believe me, I took advantage of it! Lots of shoots were squeezed in to soak up every minute of the sun. Check out Emily Denton Photography to see what I've been up to! 

Cake Batter Cookies

This is a great recipe because there are so many options! I have made it so many ways! Last week, I rolled them in shimmer sugar, and this week I added M&Ms. Any cake mix works too, so the options are literally limitless! 

Cake Batter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1/4 cup flour

sprinkles, candies, or chocolate chips (optional)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients. If the mixture is too sticky, at a little extra flour. Form tablespoon size balls and place on lined cookie sheets. Bake 9-12 minutes. Enjoy! 

Baked Mac & Cheese

Baked Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

½ cup butter

3 cups milk

8 oz. Velveeta

3 cups shredded cheddar

16 oz. elbow macaroni

grated parmesan 

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the elbow macaroni in boiling water according to the directions on the box. For the best results, cook the noodles until they are al dente; make sure they are not completely cooked through because they will continue to cook. Strain the noodles and set aside. Combine the butter, milk, Velveeta, and cheddar in a large sauce pan. While constantly stirring, melt the cheese sauce over medium heat until fully combined. Remove the mixture from heat and stir in the noodles. Spread the mac & cheese in a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle the grated parmesan over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. 

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bites

These are possibly the easiest dessert I have ever made & perfect for when you need to make lots of goodies for a party.

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bites

Ingredients: 

1 bag of mini pretzels (I prefer the waffle style)

1 Ghirardelli white chocolate baking bar

1 Ghirardelli chocolate baking bar

1 bag of caramel squares

 

Directions: Line pretzels on a microwave safe plate and place the caramels centered on each one. Microwave 30 to 45 seconds, just until they are soft. Gently place a pretzel on top of the caramels and slightly press down. Allow to cool completely. Line a baking sheet (or two) with wax paper.  Chop up the white chocolate into small pieces and place into a microwave safe bowl. In 15 second increments using the microwave, begin melting the white chocolate, stirring very well in between. Using a fork, dip the pretzels into the white chocolate and place on the lined cookie sheet. Allow to cool completely. Repeat the same melting process for the chocolate baking bar and dip the pretzels. Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Cake, Take Two

Remember my pumpkin cake? It got a little upgrade this week! With a little extra frosting and pecans I am pretty sure this is now a dessert Martha would be proud of...

Turkey Chili

I can't believe Thanksgiving is finally here! I am so beyond excited! I think it is so silly when people complain about splitting up their holidays between multiple families, because we honestly couldn't be happier about it! We get THREE dinner leftovers. Our first Thanksgiving dinner was celebrated at my dad's house. We had a very traditional Thanksgiving, it was fantastic...all of Grandma Denton's recipes! I contributed by bringing pumpkin cake. (Click here for the link.) Our family is all about getting creative, and so for Thanksgiving dinner at the Vance house, we are mixing it up and having turkey chili instead of a traditional turkey. As much as we love Thanksgiving leftovers, chili is something we can freeze for a while and wont be stuck having turkey everything for the next week. Don't worry though, all of our side dishes are sticking to Thanksgiving traditions!

Turkey Chili

Ingredients: 

2 lbs lean ground turkey

3 1/2 cups canned pinto beans

3 1/2 cups canned red kidney beans

3 1/4 cup tomato sauce

3 1/2 cups petite cut diced tomatoes

2 cups diced celery

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 cups water
(I suggest adding a cup of chopped onion to the chili, but Marc is very allergic to onions so I can't!) 

Additional Toppings:

sour cream

shredded cheese

tortilla chips 

Directions: In a skillet, brown the turkey and drain any access fat. Add the turkey and all ll remaining ingredients into the crock-pot. Cook on low for four hours. 

Additional Information:  

Based off of twelve servings per batch, there are 320 calories per serving. Along with being delicious, this recipe is very budget friendly, each serving costs about $1.10.

How cute are these bowls? I found them at Goodwill for 79 cents each! They are perfect for our shredded cheese and sour cream toppings!

The Easiest Pumpkin Cake Recipe Ever

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients: 

1 29oz can of pumpkin pure

2 boxes of Pillsbury moist supreme yellow cake mix

4 eggs

1 tub of cream cheese frosting

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350. Using an electric mixer, combine canned pumpkin, cake mix, and eggs. Pour the mixture into two greased pans. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Cool, ice, and enjoy!

Christmas & Crochet

I am just going to admit it, my tree is up. Before you go on and judge me, let me just say that for one, my tree makes me happy. And right now I am extremely stressed out, so shouldn't that be enough of a reason to put it up? And if I do need any more reason than that, my house currently looks like Santa's workshop with orders EVERYWHERE. I have crocheted more in the past two weeks than I have all year! It has been a ton of work, but I love the fact that one of my favorite pass times can make us a little extra money, which is always nice, especially around this time of the year. Here is a peek into what my life currently looks like. P.S. It is our second Christmas together, which is perfectly symbolized by our two red cups on the tree!