Valley View Farms

Our family has several traditions... from ice cream for dinner in the summer to visiting the Dundalk train garden every December. Tonight we did one of our November traditions and visited Valley View Farms! Valley View Farms, Baltimore, and Christmas are synonymous! With hundreds of trees and thousands of ornaments to choose from, it's a Christmas Wonderland. Some of you may be asking, "If it's a Christmas place, then why on earth is it a November tradition?" It's all about STRATEGY, especially with a 6 and 3-year old boy. We pick a week night, preferably a Monday, in November before Thanksgiving and go each year. There was literally no one there, other than the employees. If you go after Thanksgiving it's wall to wall people and impossible to enjoy. A critical part of the tradition is that each boy gets to pick their own special ornament. Our Christmas tree will be filled with special memories as each year passes!

 Here is the traditional Christmas tree shot!

 This was Katelyn and Sean's first visit... although I am sure there will be plenty more!

 Blake had a tough time selecting his ornament because he is really digging fire trucks and police cars right now, but in the end the fire truck won!

 Caleb picked an angry bird!

Both Grandmoms joined us!

If you have time, sneak over there before Christmas... you'll love it!

Crockpot Taco Soup

For some reason this is the time of the year where I want to pull out the slow cooker and try new recipes. Today's experiment was "Taco Soup" and it was fantastic AND healthy! (Imagine that!) Also, only took about 5-10 minutes to prepare! (My kind of meal!) I found several recipes on the internet and just put the ideas together to my liking. Enjoy!

Crockpot Taco Soup

Ingredients:
-1 lb ground turkey (you could also use ground chicken or extra lean ground beef)
-1 15 oz can pinto beans
-1 15 oz can white beans (I think you could use 30 oz of any kind of bean)
-1 can of corn
-1 11 oz can of Rotel with chiles (this gave this soup some zest!)
-1 envelope taco seasoning
-1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix

Optional (to put on after it's cooked):
-Chopped jalapenos
-Light Sour Cream
-Light Cheese
-Baked tostitos

1) Brown turkey, drain, put in crock pot.
2) Put all other ingredients in the crock pot and stir well. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
3) Sprinkle on optional items as you wish and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Dessert

 

Last weekend we went to Chester, VA, to visit my future sister-in-law's parents for the weekend. While there her Mom made us a delicious treat, Pumpkin Pie Dessert! We enjoyed it so much that we asked for the recipe (I've never met a pumpkin goodie that I haven't loved) and made it this weekend for a dinner party. It's quick, easy, and delicious! Here it is:

Ingredients:
1 29 ounce can pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I did not have nutmeg or ginger and used pumpkin pie spice instead)
4 eggs, beaten
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 package 2-layer-size yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped nuts (we used pecans)
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
Cool whip

1) Grease 13x9 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger; add eggs. Beat lightly with wooden spoon just until combined. Gradually stir in evaporated milk; mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly (this part is important)  over pumpkin mixture, sprinkle evenly with nuts. Drizzle with melted butter.

2) Bake, uncovered about 50 minutes or until edges are firm and top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Top with cool whip (there is a cinnamon one out right now for the fall) or vanilla ice cream, if desired. Must be refrigerated.

Let me know how it goes for you! :)