Christmas was a little different for us this year. Phillip was scheduled to work on Christmas Day (which wasn’t different – he’s worked three out of the last four) and really didn’t want to spend the holiday by himself (completely understandable and we’ve worked it out in previous years so that we have spent time together for Christmas). But this year a short day trip home while Phillip was at work wasn’t an option. This added up to me facing a Christmas without my family, which just made me cry every time I thought about it. Then, after factoring in the move – which was scheduled to take place right around Christmas – it became impractical to decorate. Plus, all of my Christmas decorations where in the back and on the bottom of our storage unit; there was no way we could get them all out without emptying the entire building. For those that know me well, you’ll appreciate how disappointing it was not to be able to decorate for Christmas or put up my trees or unpack all of my snowmen. Needless to say, I was having a hard time getting into the spirit of the season. But my family came to the rescue! Mom, Daddy, and Grandmother loaded up and drove to Charleston to be with us on Christmas (and thank goodness to also help with the move – couldn’t have done it without them). I recreated our annual holiday meal at our apartment and tried to do some of the little things that make Christmas Christmas for our family. So while it was still different, it turned out to be a really memorable Christmas. We were only missing my brother, who couldn’t come this time, and my niece. It wasn’t the same without them, but it was a lot better than I had anticipated when I thought I’d be hanging around on Christmas Day by myself, without a tree, waiting on Phillip to get off of work. We did manage to put up two tiny trees with a strand of lights in our apartment and, despite a lack of garland and ornaments and an angel or star, they still looked pretty Christmas-y. Thank goodness for festive wrapping paper.
The days surrounding Christmas were full of packing boxes and hauling boxes and toting boxes and taping boxes and unloading boxes, but we worked in a little relaxation and togetherness time too. However, we did not work in any picture-taking, so the two pictures in this post constitute the whole Christmas 2012 album.
Phillip and Grandmother taking a break from box toting.
For better or for worse, it was definitely a Christmas none of us will forget. And Phillip said we could start decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving this year so we could make up for all of our lost decoration time. Isn’t he great? : )
First I creamed together shortening and sugar. 
And I just want to take a moment to note how much I’m loving my new kitchen – I finally feel like I have enough room to be organized!
While the cake cooled, I mixed up the cream cheese icing. It’s best if you don’t concentrate on what all goes into a batch of cream cheese icing, but here are some pictures in case you just have to know.
All that’s left is to ice the cake! I’m not a great icer, so I used a spoon to disguise my lack of technique. I’d love to take a class on this sometime.
We haven’t cut into it yet since we’re taking it to the party tonight, but I can personally vouch for the deliciousness of the icing! Phillip and I haven’t met a red velvet cake we didn’t like, so we’re hoping this one will be a hit too. I’ll be sure to post an update with a picture of the inside!
It’s still very cranberry-y, as I guess it should be since it is cranberry sauce after all, but the other citrus flavors and the maple syrup really mellow it out. In addition to a side for a holiday meal, I think this would be good as a spread on a sandwich or as a condiment/dip with maybe crackers or over cream cheese. I actually put a little into a glass of champagne (I don’t really care for champagne, so I always have to find something to mix in to take the edge off of the bubbly) and it was yummy that way too. I definitely like the option of adding different citrus flavors so you aren’t completely overwhelmed by the cranberry. I think I’ll try this one again when I have more people around to appreciate it because I think it has some potential. Maybe next Thanksgiving…
You simmer the mushrooms, covered, for 6 hours, and then uncovered for an additional 3 hours. Just before serving, add salt to taste. That’s it!
I’d made a few cups of instant rice earlier in the day (I have better luck frying cold rice), so I didn’t have to wait for the rice to cook to get started on the rest of dinner. Next, I browned some pork chops.
I sauteed some garlic and then scrambled an egg. I was supposed to mix in peas and pimientos at this step, but I skipped them. Afterwards, I mixed in the rice, some more soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Once the rice was heated and beginning to take on a little color, I added the grilled pineapple.
I stacked our chops on top of the rice and drizzled on some of the pan sauce.
Then I sauteed an onion, some diced bell pepper, some diced celery, and two chopped jalapenos. 
Next I added the vegetables to the chicken stock (after skimming it from where I’d cooked the chicken). I also added diced tomatoes and their juice and the shredded chicken.
Finally, I added the pasta, the oregano/olive oil mix, and some cream.
The only complaint I have about this recipe is that it took several pans, which resulted in more dishes for me to wash. Despite that though, it was easy to make, hearty enough to make a meal out of, made plenty to have leftover or share, and was really yummy. Try this one out this winter (it would great for an after-Christmas meal for guests).