Yankee Candles & Stuffed Mushrooms

Hello Everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I had a great day with both of my families (hubbie's and mine).  It was a day filled with food, family, and fun.  My little one had a great time with all his cousin's playing and being silly.  He fell asleep with a full belly and a smile on his face.  Love that! 

So now the Official countdown to Christmas is on.  To get you in the mood I thought I would share with you a few pictures from my fabulous weekend shopping trip with my mom.  We left Saturday morning and came back Sunday night.  I'm happy to say the trip was complete success as most of my shopping is done - sigh of relief!  It's amazing what can be accomplished in two days with no interruptions (i.e. mommy/wife demands).  I also managed to fill my own stocking with goodies, so my little guy isn't the only one who is counting the days till Christmas!  wink...wink....

When we arrived at the Yankee Candle store the sun was just starting to set.  We were a bit tired from shopping all day, but as soon as we pulled into this parking lot and saw the lights, and heard the music, it was an instant wake up call!  We couldn't wait to get inside...

At 5:00 on a Saturday night the place was packed!  I know why....

Inside the Yankee Candle store, it's much more than candles (although there are millions in every corner!).  There is a home section, kitchen section, gardening, clothes, food, toys, and just about everything else you can thing of.  My favorite part is the home area.  It's full of beautiful displays like this.  I loved these dishes!!!!

There is also a whole area dedicated to Christmas decorating called the Bavarian Village.  There are rows of rows of ornaments!  So hard to choose... but I did : - )

If you are lucky enough to go at Christmas time there is a tree in every room - each one with a different theme.  So many different ideas and styles to pick from.  The possibilities are endless....

I think it took us about three hours to go through the whole store, but it flew by in a blink.  Mom and I both had baskets choc full, and boy did the car smell good on the way back to the hotel.  Before we left we had dinner at the adjoining restaurant called Chandlers.  There are no electric lights in this restaurant.  It's lighted by over 100 candles!  Kind of scary really, but very pretty. 

When the bill came we each got a complimentary votive candle to boot.  Mine was cinnamon roll.  What an ending.  I loved this day!

The next morning we got up early and had lots of coffee and a hearty breakfast....

Blueberry pancakes with warm maple syrup...mmmmmm.

There was no photography permitted inside the craft show so I am not able to show you what it looked like.  Needless to say it was just as beautiful as I imagined.  It never ceases to amaze me how talented and imaginative people are.  My mom and I were one of the first ones in the door and we stopped at every booth.  We had so much fun.  On the way home we stopped at Starbucks for a hot chocolate and a treat - fuel to get us home.  We already decided same time next year.  As soon as I got home I marked it on my calendar.  My mom and I had a lot of laughs and these are memories that we'll have forever.  It's not just about the shopping. That's definitely something to be thankful for.

Speaking of thankful, I want to share with you an appetizer recipe I made for Thanksgiving.  It's my version of stuffed mushrooms.  In the past I've tried many variations, and I think this one is my favorite.  All you need is:

2 cups instant stuffing mix (like Stove Top or the store brand)
1 lb large mushrooms
3-4 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 small green pepper, chopped
1/2 small red pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
handful of shredded mozzarella (optional)

Prepare stuffing mix according to box directions. 

Wipe mushrooms with a damp towel, making sure all dirt is removed. 

Remove stems and chop finely.  (I used a Pampered Chef chopper - what a time saver!)

In a large skilled, cook and stir mushroom caps in 3 tbsp of butter until lightly browned. 

I could not fit all my mushrooms in this skillet, so I did two batches.  Once these were browned I added another tbsp of butter to the skillet and browned the rest.

Once brown and tender arranged in a shallow baking dish.

Add stems, peppers, and garlic to the skillet. Cook and stir until tender.

When done, stir into stuffing.

With a teaspoon, spoon into mushroom caps. 

If you want, you can sprinkle a bit of mozzarella cheese on top as well.

Broil (5 - 7 inches from heat) for about 5 minutes. 

If you are entertaining this holiday season or are looking for an appetizer to bring to a holiday party I suggest these.  You can make them ahead of time and they reheat beautifully in the microwave.

So long for now.  I'm happy for a nice L-O-N-G weekend ahead.  I'm off to the attic to get the boxes.  Time to start decorating the house!!!

Bye xo