Happy Birthday Chad Kelley :)

Another year down and so much to be thankful for as we gathered with a few friends and family to celebrate Chad's 35th birthday this past weekend.  ;)  And what better way to celebrate than to make him work... HARD.. on his very special day. Ha!  It was HIS idea afterall to have friends over.. why wouldn't he have to cook for everyone too?!  Hehehehee.. sorry love.  At least it was a simple menu of pork sliders, creamy cole slaw and homemade BBQ sauce.  Easy peasy...right?  ;)  Well at least everyone loved the food and seemed to have a great time...and the kiddies even made a new friend to play with too! 

Thanks to all who were able to make it out (on kinda short notice ;).. we'll try and make entertaining guests more of a routine this coming year ;)  Be on the look out for an Evite coming soon to an email box near you!  ;) 

The happiest of happy birthdays husband!  You make 35 look AWESOME!  ;) 

Chad and our niece Kenzie.. hugging it out.  ;) 

The Birthday Spread :) 

(and no it's not really Heinz ketchup.. just the bottle.. it's Chads own homemade BBQ sauce!!)

I swear it tastes like CANDY!! Soooooooo good!!

Trying out my camera's Color Accent Feature on little Miss Rylee, her mama Kendra and HER mama Brenda  ;)  Thanks ladies for coming over!  We had a great time.. can't wait to do it again :) 

Logan, busted trying to sneak some goodies out from the kitchen :)

Our buds, April and David Malain :)

Chad trying to get everyone hopped up on sugar.. including the kiddos!  :) 

Awww.. the Roden-steins :)

After awhile Chad got lost..

and THIS is where we found him.. In the den playing with the kids :) 

Love my sweet husband!

Crazy yellow coloring.. But cute picture none-the-less.  ;)

I think it's safe to say that Logan and Kenzie have finally fully opened up to their uncle Chad.  ;) 

Love these three crazy kids.. :) 

Holiday Decor - Pinterest Inspiration :)

With Christmas just DAYS away... (YIKES! Where did the year GO?!?!).. I've been scouring Pinterest for some good old fashioned Holiday Do-It-Yourself inspiration.  If you're behind the times and oh-so-six-months-ago...and STILL haven't discovered Pinterest.. SHAME.ON.YOU!!  It's amazing.  And addicting.  And so genius and simple... I wish I had thought of it first!  

I'm serious.. GO check it out.  Like NOW!! Oh wait, check out what I've pinned to my Holiday Decor board first.. THEN you can go check it out.  ;)   

Love this.  Old books.  Some glue.  Some glitter.  Done!

http://thatsmyletter.blogspot.com/

How cute and easy are these guys?!? Personalized ornaments in no time!

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE!

http://www.quilting.craftgossip.com/

So cute... and "seemingly" easy to do.  ;)

http://www.curbly.com/

For anyone who has an Elf On Their Shelf.. How CUTE are these?!?!

www.unconfidentialcook.com/

And for those who have seen my toilet paper roll stash..

you KNOW how excited I got seeing this little number.  FREE Christmas Decor.  Can't beat it!

http://www.allfreeholidaycrafts.com/

DIY Felt Ornament :)

http://blog.betzwhite.com/2009/12/felt-ogee-ornament-tutorial.html

You Can Take a Chef Outta The Restaurant...

But you can't take the restaurant outta the Chef! 

Just DAYS after Chad's departure from The Moth, my chef hasn't stopped.  Everyday, it's a new and tasty creation.  Everyday, my kitchen gets a full-on, pot filled, work out.  With his need to CONSTANTLY be moving and shaking.. creative wheels spinning at 100mph in his head at ALL hours... and with absolutely NO IDEA how to actually settle down and RELAX, my stomach has been reaping the benefits of my Chef's need to create.  ;)  Too bad my crappy metabolism can't keep up with all this goodness...

I swear we could feed a small village with all that he's been making.  Needless to say, my leftover lunches have been FANTASTIC and there is enough pre-portioned Chef Chad Kelley soup in our freezer now to last a good month (at LEAST)!  Mmmm... Tomato Basil soup is calling my name....

So far Chad has made:

- Vegetarian Lasagna (dinner and great lunch leftovers)

- Biggest Batch of Tomato Basil Soup you've ever seen (lunch for days and days and yummy days)

- Crustless Egg White, Roasted Mushroom and Spinach Quiche

   AND of course...

- Peppermint Bark

- Homemade Marshmallows (see photos of our yummy test batch HERE)

- Moon Pies ( HERE )

*** ALL THREE Holiday Goodies available for purchase through our blog HERE ***

ALL in just THREE days!!  It might also go without saying that the menu for the REST of the week has been planned out and organized to Executive Chef standards and my hands are starting to be dry and brittle from all DISHWASHING I've been doing lately. ;)  Small price to pay I guess. 

LIGHT BULB!  We SHOULD TOTALLY consider hosting a "Pop Up Dinner" at our house!!

Defined as:  

Pop-up restaurant - A venue that is turned into a restaurant featuring a chef and culinary team that is normally not in that kitchen or venue for a limited period of time.  Pop-up restaurants can be found in multiple venues including restaurants, at galleries, private homes, and many more.  The most common idea behind pop-up restaurants is that a chef can practice his/her art and share his/her love of food with the world without having to take out millions in loans to open a restaurant.

Wonder if we could get people to come out for this??.... Hmmm... (Chad's wheels aren't the only wheels that spin 100mph... ;) 

More on this (perhaps...) later..

SOMEONE has discovered the bulky goodness of the Sam's Club by our house.. ;) 

Egg white, Roasted Mushroom and Spinach Quiche.... Mmmm..

Yummy Peppermint Bark

This Year... Give The Gift of Yummy :)

Scrumdiddlyumptious Peppermint Bark :)

1 lb $15.00 USD 2 lbs $30.00 USD 3 lbs $42.50 USD 4 lbs $55.00 USD

Gooey Yummy Marshmallows

1 Quart Sized Baggie $7.00 USD 2 Quart Sized Baggies $14.00 USD 3 Quart Sized Baggies $19.50 USD 4 Quart Sized Baggies $25.00 USD

Marshmallow Flavors

Raspberry Peppermint Coconut

Fantabulous Moon Pies

One Dozen $12.00 USD Two Dozen $24.00 USD Three Dozen $34.50 USD Four Dozen $45.00 USD

Cake Flavors

Chocolate Raspberry Double Chocolate

Moon Pie Marshmallow Flavors

Raspberry Peppermint Vanilla

Exit Strategy -

Now that the cat is officially out of the bag… (you can see the “breaking news story” by heading over to  DMagazine’s Side Dish Blog ...we can finally announce that Chef Chad Kelley has left the building. Literally. Well actually.. he left the Moth as Executive Chef…this past Saturday.

For those who know us, know that this isn’t much of a surprise. After a little more than two crazy (and.. most of the time, very frustrating years..) we both decided it was time to focus on US. Focus on finding that culinary passion and inspiration again. Focus on bringing CHAD to the people. No holds barred. No restraints. No reservations.

We are beyond thrilled about our future plans to focus on a new restaurant we can call our own. Something Chad’s been talking and dreaming about since before we even met. It seemed like the perfect time to break away from the chaos and frustrations that came with running this restaurant and get re-inspired again.

Because opening your own restaurant won’t happen overnight.. and while we continue to finalize our business plan and get our finances in order (currently open to potential investors ;).. Chad is taking time away to re-charge, re-focus, re-invent and " Chadify" new and exciting recipes for our very own concept. We couldn’t be more thrilled at the prospect of actually having TIME to spend together.. WEEKENDS to be a normal couple!!...and the chance to perfect Dallas’ next great concept restaurant! There’s some exciting things in store for us, that’s for sure... STAY TUNED!

Currently taking reservations for our Menu Tasting / Recipe Experiment Sessions. ;) Sign up today!!

Holiday Yumminess ;)

As Christmas quickly approaches and Chad and I prepare to host our immediate families this year in Dallas (from BOTH sides of our families!!!) ...(Griswold Family Christmas anyone...?? ;) there's been a lot of hub-bub surrounding... you guessed it.. our holiday MENU!! (and yes, I did say hub-bub.. that's a word right??  Or maybe I'm just old.  hahaha..)  Anywho, last night, on somewhat of a whim and after only a soft mention about having a sweet tooth... (which of course is ALL Chad needed to get his gears spinning for some experimental dessert recipes!!!)... we hit our local supermarket with our ingredient list in hand.  A few hours later.. our kitchen was full of holiday yumminess.  :) 

             ____________________________________________________________________

And for those who need a little HOLIDAY CHEER for your next holiday party...

We're actually SELLING batches of these holiday treats.

Message me for details and pricing.  :)

yvettekelley09@gmail.com

_____________________________________________________________________

Raspberry Marshmallows in the making..

Looks sooooo pretty and tastes sooooo good!!

Holiday Moon Pies

Chocolate Hazelnut Cakes with Raspberry Marshmallow filling

*** Other Flavors available ***

Sorry about the crappy Iphone photos... Will take better ones soon.  :) 

Best Peppermint Bark EVER!

No need to pay those ridiculous Williams Sonoma prices anymore!!

You'll CERTAINLY be the hit of all your holiday parties with these sweet treats :)

Inquire TODAY for pricing and moon pie cake and filling options at

yvettekelley09@gmail.com

Giving Thanks..

Giving Thanks in the tastiest way possible.  :)  Grubbin' down (or attempting to.. I, of course, was sick :( on this super slooooow Thanksgiving.  Because I had already spent the weekend back home, I spent this day relaxing for the majority of the day until it came time to head down to the restaurant to have dinner with a condensed version of our family (our brother-in-law Ryan and his dad Mike) and Chad (who of course...had to work...DOUBLE BOOOOOOO for making people work on Thanksgiving, who does THAT?! Bleh..)  The only good thing about the restaurant being open... we had the WHOLE place to ourselves!! 

The food was amazing as always.. :) 

A traditional turkey dinner...

Sweet potatoes with a candied glaze, pecans and blue cheese (which I USUALLY hate...but was ACTUALLY soooo tasty!!)  

Wild Rice with butternut squash

Green Bean Casserole

Happy Birthday Nana :)

Before my time in the valley had come to an end, we gathered together on this Sunday afternoon to celebrate, not only a little Thanksgiving turkey (a couple days early :)... but one hell of a milestone... 83 years of life!  My grandmother sure knows how to make 83 look great!  Straight out of open heart surgery, she's walking with a little pep in her step and honestly, looking better than she's ever looked.  I can't believe her strength... I certainly know who I want to be like when I grow up.  ;) 

Happy Birthday Nana!!!

Addie, singing Happy Birthday :)  So CUTE!! 

Baptismal Blessings for Sweet Baby Andrew :)

As soon as a day was nailed down for my nephew Andrew's Baptism, I booked a flight down for an always too short, BUT always sweet weekend in the valley.  Right on the heels of our trip to Chicago, I took the limited time I had down there to savor all of Andrew's smiling sweetness.  :)

On this very special Saturday, Andrew was among family and friends as he was baptized at my parents church in San Carlos.  Many Blessings baby boy.. we all love you so much!  :) 

Proud Maldonado's -

My brother Omar, sister in law Christi, niece Addison and new nephew Andrew  :)

Sweet baby boy did so well!  :)

Love those cheeks!!

With his Godmother Marissa Martinez

God Parents - Matthew and Marissa Martinez

Grandpa Maldonado and Addie looking on..

One final blessing..

Congratulations little one!

Matthew and Marissa with my parents...

Matthew and Marissa with Christi's parents..

The familia.. minus Chad who had to work... BOO!! :(

The Maldonado's and the Ruiz Clan

Sweet gummy smiles.. :)