Christmas Comes But Once a Year

Note: This is not my family. Just a family Google provided for me. I would

feel bad using them if it wasn't for their adorable children. Good job, Google Family!

If there's one thing that Etsy seems to do best, it's reminding you of the impending holidays months before they actually occur. Halloween? You're too late! Christmas? Should have been preparing in July! And though I'd usually rather just laugh and shake my head at these overzealous people, I can't help but think there's some granule of truth in their flailing and fear-mongering. So, I thought, maybe it's not too early to start thinking about Christmas. And so, despite my dislike of Christmas merchandise appearing in stores before Halloween has even come along, I've done it. Four Christmas cards are now in stock in my Etsy store, and I'm sure they'll be joined in no time by some other designs. Feel free to blame me as well as Costco from the Christmas carols you're sure to hear in stores soon enough.

The only thing I'm not sure about is what sort of designs are popular for people? I know the photo Christmas card is a big thing with families, but what about simpler designs? Would people buy printable cards that they can fold themselves? I may have to try a few designs out and just list them. You never know who will buy what, right? Maybe that's what I need realise. And not second guess myself.

What are your thoughts? Do most people like the fancy photo cards? Or prefer the simple, elegant designs that bear a simple 'Merry Christmas' with stylized mittens? It's so hard to decide!

Hang Me Up to Dry

So, I'm still plugging along with this whole Etsy thing. It's taking a surprising amount of work to keep my shop relevant and to keep my views up, but it's better than sitting around doing nothing I suppose. Also, I'd really like to be able to see who's viewing all my stuff. Because if it's only family members checking my page every day I'm going to be severely annoyed. You're messing with my stats, people!

Another side note, I'm actually impressed with myself and my ability to create. My listings went from eight invites to a whopping 29 in a little over a week and I'm really excited! Getting the drawing tablet helped, since now instead of scouring the internet for free vector images I can draw my own. Definitely a benefit. Even if I didn't want to buy it for myself originally.

Social networking is the awful thing though, I'm coming to realize. Maybe it's the fact I hate talking about myself or promoting myself in any way, but I just feel incredibly awkward about it all. In my mind nobody cares, so why should I post about it. But I need to get over it if I actually want to go anywhere with this whole invite business thing. Twitter and Facebook need to be my allies instead of my enemies, but let me tell you I'm struggling with it. Twitter more so. Have you ever used it? It's kind of the most narcissistic and ridiculous thing in the world. But I digress.

Here's the links to the various social media I've entered into. Feel free to like, tweet, follow, or whatever it is the cool kids do. Which is apparently not a whole lot if people are actually able to keep up with all these things.

https://twitter.com/doodledew
http://www.facebook.com/DoodleDewDesigns
http://wanelo.com/doodledew

And feel free to check out my shop yet again. There's a bunch of new things hanging around and I'm always updating it. Sometimes once a day even. Crazy, right? Also, buying things would be nice. You know, if you feel like it.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/doodledewdesigns

Let It Begin

So after some coaxing from my loving sister, I've finally decided to open an Etsy shop for quick and easy printable invites. It took me a bit, and there's only eight invites in stock right now, but it's something. We'll see where this leads I suppose, but feel free to check it out!

doodle dew designs on Etsy

Easy Alfredo Sauce

This only came about because of one lazy Sunday and the site that made it difficult to save the recipe. So in an effort to keep this delicious and easy recipe around, I'm now sharing it with you. I originally got it from here but after some changes (mostly because I forgot to add some ingredients) I've now adopted it as my own. I've posted the modified recipe below, so enjoy!

Easy Alfredo Sauce

Serves approximately 6

4 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup broth (chicken or vegetable is fine)
1 cup shredded Italian cheeses (Mozzarella, Romano, etc.)
1/2 cup Parmesano Reggiano cheese (or plain Parmesan)
3 tablespoons fresh or 1-2 tablespoons dried parsley
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

4-5 slices of ham, sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter and add flour, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes to cook the flour. 
2. Add milk and broth and blend well. 
3. Add cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. 
4. Add ham and serve over cooked pasta.

And it's as easy as that! So delicious and quick to make, I'd definitely make it again. The ham is definitely optional since I only threw it in as an attempt at protein. You could substitute for sliced chicken or shrimp if you really wanted to. As for the extras I just put them into individual containers and popped them in the freezer for easy meals! Sounds like a success to me.

Happiest Place On Earth

Alright, alright. I know this blog took a dramatic nose dive into the inactive but in my defense I couldn't think of anything to write about. Not to mention wedding stuff took over my brain and the blog was shoved into the back of my mind. But now, fresh off the honeymoon, I actually have something to talk about! A story even. Partly because I don't want to forget this hilarious story and because it needs to be shared. Seriously.

Not part of the hilarious story, but important for context.

So we went to Walt Disney World in Florida for our honeymoon. We expected it to be fabulous and a lot of fun and it definitely was. We got the 'Happily Ever After' buttons to announce our newlywed status and to subsequently gain any benefits because of it. That was incredibly successful, almost detrimental. Sure we enjoyed the pleasure of free dessert one night and a free day of parking, but we also appeared to be targeted by performers. Enter our day at Hollywood Studios.

I'm still not completely sure what they were other than hilarious.

We were just minding our business enjoying their skit in the middle of the street, when the 'police officer' noticed our buttons and began to yell at the top of his lungs 'ARE YOU GUYS MARRIED? DID YOU JUST GET MARRIED? OH MY GOSH YOU'RE MARRIED'. The lady quickly latched on to whatever idea he was running on and they flocked to us. Notice my apprehensive laughter due to the fact we had no idea where this was leading. After asking about the wedding the police officer then asked us if we'd mind reenacting his favorite part of the wedding, and without much else to do other than go along with it we agreed. To walk to the aisle. In front of an entire group of people.

I couldn't stop laughing the whole time.

Not only that though, but they insisted on providing the music themselves, as well as grabbing a few randoms from the crowd to be the officiator and my maid of honor. My maid of honor was adorable and promptly wished us well. I love cute old ladies.

They rolled out the red carpet, started humming the wedding tune and I had to walk towards Adam while trying to keep a straight face. Incredibly impossible, but so much fun. I have to give props to these actors that just wander around Hollywood Studios because they are so downright hilarious and manage to roll with whatever they want. Sure it's embarrassing but it definitely made our day as well as a fun memory documented thanks to the Photopass worker with her quick trigger finger. So much fun though, I'd recommend the trip to anyone that doesn't mind hopping from park to park. Just keep an open mind and who knows what you end up getting involved in.

We also met an Oscar winner. I got to hold his umbrella.

The Best Kind of Heart Attack

I know, two food posts in a row. What kind of person am I? But after a long-awaited trip to the good ol' Tubby Dog I knew I had to write something about it. Now, I'm sure by now you've looked at the above picture, puzzled at what exactly it is you are seeing. That, my good friend, is what Tubby Dog calls the 'A-Bomb' and it's probably the most unhealthy and yet delicious thing I've had in a while. A while being since last year when I had it before. You see, Tubby Dog is unfortunately a sometimes food, but with that amount of belly-bursting toppings it's easy to see why.

Yes, underneath all of that there is still a hot dog. What initially begins as a simple dog and a bun evolves into some sort of other worldly creation. Crushed potato chips, nacho cheese and bacon bits top of this beauty and cause it to be so ginormous it's practically impossible to pick up with your hands. Unless you're in the mood to get yourself dirty.

So yes, Tubby Dog is worth it all. Of course I can never finish an entire A-Bomb but maybe one of these days. Or perhaps it's better that I don't. Who knows, really.

Lasagna with Sausage and Kale

Oh look, a recipe! How inventive. I made this on Monday night with the Beau and I have to say it was quite delicious. Only complaint was it dirtied quite a few dishes, but I'm sure with some tweaking I could scale it down a bit. With a side of tabbouleh salad it was just delicious! I'll definitely make it again. It was like all the fantastic parts of  lasagna without the complication of having to layer and what not. Highly recommend it.

Lasagna with Sausage and Kale
12 ounces spicy Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced (4 cups)
1 to 2 bunches kale (1 1/2 pounds), thick stems removed
4 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces lasagna noodles (about 9 noodles), each broken crosswise into 4 to 6 pieces
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a 5-quart pot, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in onions; cover, and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Uncover; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add kale and 1/2 cup water to pot; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook over medium-low heat, tossing occasionally, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain; coarsely chop. Transfer to bowl with onions.
3. Meanwhile, cook noodles 2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain; rinse under cold water.
4. Add noodles, tomatoes, and ricotta to the bowl; season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; smooth top with a spatula. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Found here on MarthStewart.com