The Christmas crazies have officially hit. There is wrapping paper everywhere, tape stuck to the bottom of my socks on a routine basis, baked good everywhere, my jeans are fitting a little tighter and then there is the laundry, packing, and schlepping of everything over to Eastern Washington to spend the holiday with my future in-laws. The traveling part I am not sad about in the least. I”ve only made three trips to E.Wa this year and as my “country girl” classification goes – this means it’s been severly lacking this year. *Bawr*. (It’s the onomatopoetic equivalent of a ‘sad face’).  I need my rolling wheat fields. I need my open spaces. These things are a necessity to my survival sanity. Perhaps a bit of both…

The other fantastic thing about going back to my one-day-I-know-we’ll-move-back-to-the-land-of-Ben’s-youth-and-my-enlightenment is that I can get positively fat off of my future sister in law’s cooking. Homegirl is the next Martha Stewart in a 5′ 2″ frame, minus a criminal record.

But since I will most likely be gone for a few days and not tantalizing your tastebuds with diet-killers from my own kitchen, I wanted to do a quick look back at some of my favorite foods from the year and entice you to perhaps, enjoy a couple of these dishes at your holiday table.

So, just in case I don’t get to say it in the next few days – I hope you all have a deliriously happy holiday with lots of incredibly heart warming food and a couple of drinks just in case the in-laws or out-laws get a little out of control.

Egg Nog Marshmallows

Nutella Pecan Pie

You bad bad dessert, I need to eat you and teach you a lesson!

Artichoke Leek Casserole

Hello, Holiday Side Dish!

Crab Mac ‘n Cheese

Oven Fried Salmon Wontons

Pear and Chocolate Bread Pudding (light, as bread pudding goes)

This would be a killer Christmas brunch dish. Just sayin’.

Lemon Lavender Cupcakes

Rosemary Cranberry Pecans

Red Velvet Cake with a Twist

Whole Lotta Herb Glazed Salmon

Blueberry Madeira Cake with Lemon Custard

I’m noticing a disturbing trend that most of my favorite dishes are baked goods. No wonder my Weight Watchers has taken a nose dive since Thanksgiving!

Happy Holidays all!