Merry Chirstmas!!! From the Arthur's

 

Well is seems crazy to think but Christmas and this year has come and passed. We had a great time with Nana and Papa and friends. 

Here Marty and his friends Hunter and Ainsley are decorating cookies on Christmas Eve.

I don't have a ton of cookies cutters and the ones I do have are unconventional. This year Santa got a TIE Fighter and Millennium falcon along with Chocolate Chip and carrots for Rudolph and his Mommy and Daddy. Marty had a blast picking out the carrots himself.  

 After Santa and his Elves finished assembly. 

After a long night of palying with buddies, come 7:15 am Christmas day and Michaela and I were the only ones awake. Nana, Papa and George joined us about an hour later. Only after Mommy, Daddy and Papa went into Marty's room at 8:30 did he wake up. Poor guy was still out of it. It took a while for him to get into the paper shredding mood. He would just got touch his car bed or bike then return to the couch. This was his look for about 20 minutes.

 As it seems to be the tradition Marty got a new bed this year. Now his Red Sox bedding has a new home in a sweet race car bed. 

He looks like such a big boy in it.

 

He also got a big boy Cars bike, which he happily uses to make the trek to his room and back. It has training wheels now but if he keeps this up he will be ride free come the summer. 

Our little Miss got a bunch a super cute toys and a new GT Walker. She is super cute in it and since she has now decide to be mobile helps keep her from getting super frustrated. She also got her 2 front bottom teeth which means at 8 months today she is doing great. Still a little peanut but busy, busy, busy. 

 

Getting a little help from Marty

 

 This was definitely one crazy year! But now we are home and staying for awhile. Thank you to all our family and friends for an amazing 365. I can't wait for the next round!

Wishing you a wonderful New Year. 

XOXOX

It's beginning to smell a lot like Sausage.....Bread!

 Part of the Christmas tradition I had growing up was gathering with the ladies of the family and making goodies. You name it we made it. 

Christmas cookies, Check. Italian cookies, Check. Biscotti, Check. 

And my favorite Sausage Bread.

I can remember the huge production line we had set up with each station adding another filling to these glorious rolls. 

You know you want one!

(!!!eyebrows wiggling!!!)

Last year was the first time I had made them on my own, having a big old kitchen in our new house and now that Marty is older he gets to help me with this tradition. 

That is if I can keep him from eating all the filling. 

To make this awesome snack you need to find some frozen bread dough. True if you are truly a baker you can make your own but who has the time. Follow the thawing directions on the package.

  Once you have your dough all thawed and ready to go, the real work happens. Roll one loaf out to the size of a cookie sheet. I don't have a smooth counter so I find that turning a cookies sheet over and stabilizing it with silicone pot holders works great. (the same for Sugar Cookies!) I had 5 to make this year and my arms were feeling it. 

Next comes the toppings!!!! 

This year I used 

1. Pasta Sauce

2. Diced black Olives 

3. Mozzarella

4. Pepperoni

5. Sausage (I pre-cooked about 2 lbs, using 1lb mild and 1 lb hot)

6. Shaker Cheese 

This is the part were Marty helped. Painting on the sauce, spreading cheese, eating cheese, adding pepperoni, eating pepperoni, then olives and sausage.  Even Soyna got in on it. Well mostly clean up! 

Once each one is filled it gets rolled into a log and into a coil. Each loaf is placed into a Pam'ed pie tin and then left to rise for about 2 hours. Although long this time due to nap schedules. 

Once they are all nice and puffed I brush with a little olive oil and sea salt. Then pop it in the oven using the package directions, which in this case was 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

 

When they are done they are toasty brown and delicious. 

We eat them hot or cold with some Pasta sauce for dipping. It makes a great appetizer or whole meal. 

It can also be a great gift for those with too many tons of cookies or without a sweet tooth.

 Isn't it pretty!!!