It's Tree :30

It's that time of year again.  Time for the good ol' Christmas tree to go up. 

We always wait for the day after Thanksgiving because well, we think Thanksgiving deserves it's dues too!  We ended up putting our tree up on Sunday night and we both agree, it looks pretty awesome.

We don't have a fancy tree, just a tree I actually got on sale 2 years ago (Hey, $10 for a pre-lit 6 foot tree is a pretty darn good deal!).  It's not as "fluffy" as we would like, but we definitely make it our own.  We have to prevent ourselves from randomly going out to buy decorations for it, when we sure as heck know that it's got a sufficient amount of decorations on there and we could spend that money elsewhere!

He's excited to decorate!

Can't forget the star!

Or the garland!

I really like my scottish nutcracker =)

We've agreed to keep our Christmas presents budget-friendly and able to all fit in these boxes... I have a feeling we're both going to be finding ways to get around this "agreement"

Also, Cate from Cate Can Cook, So Can You! (her blog is awesome, check it out!) tagged me in a little blogger game and had a few questions to go along with the "tag".  And because I've grown to liking sharing random facts about myself, here you go!

What would be your most defining culinary achievement?





  
The day that Andy actually said he loved what I cooked for dinner, and that he could see himself ordering it at a restaurant... and he was serious.  It seems ridiculous, but I don't even remember what the dish was, but I remember his comment and just being floored.  It was the first time I actually seriously considered Culinary School.

If you could change your profession to something using your culinary skills what would you do?


I would be a professional caterer, and I actually hope to be that one day, possibly with my own business (what can I say, I like being the one in charge).

What is the worst thing you have cooked - and why?


Ha, this actually came up in conversation the other day.  Andy and I were talking about how I've come a long way from the mexican casserole I first cooked for him.  It was the first meal I had ever cooked for him, and it was by far the WORST.  I was new to cooking, so I wasn't familiar with "gourmet" recipes or "flavor profiles," and this just definitely missed the mark.  It was quite awful, and being a Paula Deen recipe, I vowed to never cook anything from her again... so embarking my hatred for all things Paula Deen (sorry all you Paula Deen lovers out there!).  And the fact that Andy has still stuck with me, even after my awful first impression of cooking... really shows that he loves me (or that's what I tell myself), hehe!

Finish this sentence "In my next life I want to come back as......."


Myself.  It took me a long time to learn how to love myself and say that I'm awesome (can we say somewhat bad self-esteem as a child???), and there is no one else I would rather be.

If you could visit anywhere in the world where would you go and why?


The Philippines.  I haven't been there since I was born there.  I would love to go back, especially with my mother (who hasn't been back since I was born either), to learn more about my culture and to learn about how and where my mother grew up.

What is your favourite dessert?


Mocha creme brulee.  There is absolutely nothing like it, and John Varanese does it best!

Are you a summer or a winter person?  And is it because of food?

Definitely NOT a winter person.  I hate all things cold-weather related (although for some odd reason, I love running in cold weather... weird, I know).  I like summer better, but it's not my favorite.  I'm more of a spring girl because it's a happy medium.  And I actually like foods of both seasons, nothing like comfort foods in the winter and grilling out in the summer!

Hope you guys enjoyed that little tidbit of Q&A and hope you guys think my tree is just as purrrrtttty as I think it looks!  Have you guys finished decorating for Christmas?  Or if you don't celebrate Christmas, any other holiday you celebrate?  See you guys tomorrow!