When we celebrate Christmas in my house, we’re are sticklers for tradition. But, we’ve learned that the fun part about traditions is not observing them, but rather making them. So, when I placed my order for this year’s holiday groceries, I was sure to incorporate some new recipes into our traditional Christmas feast!

Christmas Eve
Old: Pepperoni Rolls, from my Mother-in-Law Spring the recipe!
New: Holiday Breakfast Wreath (for dinner), from the kitchn Spring the recipe!

Christmas Day
Old: Monkey Bread, from my Mother-in-Law Spring the recipe!
Old: Mimosas with Lots of Pulp Spring the recipe!

New: Snickerdoodles & Chocolate Rum Balls, from Food Network Spring the recipe!
New: Nutty Chocolate Rum Truffles, from The Food Channel Spring the recipe!
Old: Hot Chocolate & Toast

Old: Shrimp Cocktail
Old: Salmon, Spinach and Potatoes Baked in Parchment, from Martha Stewart Spring the recipe!

The Day After Christmas
Old: Panettone French Toast Spring the recipe!

I organized it all in the Holiday Meal Planner from springpad.

Do holiday traditions simplify my life? Yes. After all, traditions are really just plans.

Image Source: Martha Stewart

Quick Idea: DIY compact firewood tote from Martha Stewart

“Fashion a compact firewood tote from a 22-by-42-inch piece of canvas, 1/2-inch grommets, and two 30-inch lengths of rope.”

Consider modifying the instructions to make it your own custom size. Now if  could only get back all of the time I’ve wasted looking for the perfect firewood tote at my favorite stores…

Just collect your supplies & get started.  Spring the shopping list!

With the holidays coming up, we’re all really busy…  So, when it comes to doing your gift shopping, why not look to some of your favorite web sources for ideas & inspiration?  I’ve scoured the web to find you some of the best pre-existing gift guides for everyone you know.  Enjoy!

And while you’re at it, consider organizing your gift ideas in the holiday gift planner from springpad.

Gifts for Gals: Spring this list!
Shine 15 Indulgent, Fabulous Gifts for the Beauty Junky
Platinum Blond Life Holiday Gift Guide: For Her (fabulous & fashionable)
She Knows Best Christmas Gifts for Women (she really does know…)

Gifts for Guys: Spring this list!

Glamour 13 Dude-Approved Holiday Presents
Real Simple For Fathers, Brothers, Husbands (all under $50)
The Frisky Guy-Approved Boyfriend Gifts

Gifts for Kids: Spring this list!
quick&simple Gift Ideas for Teens
Creature Comforts Stocking Stuffers for Babies + Kids
Mom Central Holiday Gift Guide for Kids (search by price)

Inexpensive Gifts: Spring this list!
Domino Under $1 gift ideas
Design*Sponge $25 and under
Inhabitat Green gifts under $50

Other Fun Gift Ideas: Spring this list!
Joy Hog! Kiss the Cook
InventorSpot 10 Perfect Presents for 10 Types of Geeks
Goop Holiday Gift Ideas from Gweneth Paltrow

Gift Guides by Store: Spring this list!
Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Etsy, Barnes&Noble, J. Crew, Zappos.com, Wine.com, Overstock.com, Threadless, West Elm, Crate&Barrel, REI

Has this list simplified your life? You tell me.

My wife and I are expecting our first and in the market for a new pediatrician.  Here’s a list of questions we asked: Spring this list!

The meetings have gone great and what we’ve found is that we not only got the answers to the questions we asked, but learned much more about the pediatricians than if we had not come prepared with questions to begin with.

Did making a list of interview questions for my doctor simplify my life? Yup.

Resources
babycenter Pediatrician/family doctor interview sheet
AskMen.com Choosing a doctor
MedicineNet.com How to choose a doctor

Get the Kitchen Inventory springpad!

My Meal Plan for the week after Thanksgiving
Monday: Turkey casserole with egg noodles, canned tomatoes & cheddar cheese
Tuesday: Shrimp sauteed with spinach & blue cheese, bell pepper salad
Wednesday: Stuffed shells, filled with butternut squash puree & Parmesan cheese
Thursday: Green salad with grapes, pasta with red sauce
Thursday: Red onion & cheese quesadilla with roasted carrots
Friday: Pizza night (as always)

Will keeping a kitchen inventory simplify my life? We’ll see.

My meal plan for this week revolves around one thing: Thanksgiving.  And, of course, I used the springpad Thanksgiving Menu Planner to plan out my recipes, shopping lists & tasks for the week.

Monday-Wednesday: Frozen Pizza & Leftover Buffet
Thursday: Thanksgiving Meal, with recipes from all over the web
Friday-Sunday: Turkey Noodle Soup & Leftover Buffet

Appetizer:
Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Melted Blue Cheese from Epicurious Spring this recipe!

Main Course:
Roast Turkey with Oranges, Bay Leaves, Red Onions, and Pan Gravy from Epicurious Spring this recipe!
Rosemary and Sage Stuffing Balls from Coconut & Lime Spring this recipe!

Side Dishes:
Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts Recipe from 101 Cookbooks Spring this recipe!
Cranberry Sauce Recipe from Simply Recipes Spring this recipe!
Perfect Mashed Potatoes Recipe from Simply Recipes Spring this recipe!
Brown Sugar-Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows from Epicurious Spring this recipe!

Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie Recipe from Paula Deen, Food Network Spring this recipe!
Pecan Pie Recipe from Simply Recipes Spring this recipe!

And of course, some bread, cool whip & wine to make the meal complete!

Quick Idea: Consider Duraflame logs for your fireplace from EnviroMom

“I paid a quick visit to the Duraflame Web site, and right there on the landing page they proudly announce that After 30 years, we’ve gone all-renewable by making the switch to non-petroleum waxes. In other words, Duraflame is the most eco-friendly way to enjoy a fire!“

It’s definitely a personal choice whether to go with natural wood, Duraflames, some other brand of “logs”, or no fire at all.  But at my house, we’ll be burning Duraflames over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Why, you ask?  For simplicity - When it gets cold, we always go out and buy one case each of the 2-hour logs, 3-hours logs & 4-hour logs.  It’s really nice to be able to start a fire that will last for exactly the amount of time you want, all with only one log & one match.

Add Durflames to your shopping list.  Spring the Shopping List!

I have switched over to using the springpad weekly meal planner (which those of us over here at Spring Partners are pretty proud of, btw) to create my weekly meal plan & shopping lists. So far, so good. Here’s my meal plan for the week.

Monday: Spicy & Sweet Chili (Vegetarian version)
Spring the recipe!

Tuesday: Seared Scallops & Stoplight Pepper Salad
Spring the recipe!

Wednesday: Veggie Lasagna
Spring the recipe!

Thursday: Macaroni & Cheese (from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food)
Spring the recipe!

Friday: Pizza Night
Spring my favorite pizza place!

Has using the springpad weekly meal planner simplified my life? Absolutely. My favorite features: Reusing recipes, entering recipes directly from the web & automatically creating shopping lists.

A friend of mine made this a few months back at a dinner party & we definitely enjoyed it.  I decided to try to recreate it…adding my own little twist (hint: it starts with balsamic & ends with vinegar).

Spring the recipe!

Ingredients
1 bunch Asparagus (18-20 stalks)
10 slices Prosciutto
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Aged Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 cloves Garlic, crushed

Directions
Wash asparagus, break off ends & place on a plate.  Mix oil, vinegar, garlic & pepper, then pour the mixture over the asparagus - allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.  Cut each slice of prosciutto in half, to make 20 pieces total.  Warm a cast iron grill pan for 3-5 minutes over high heat.  Wrap each asparagus stalk with prosciutto & place in the grill pan - only cook 10 stalks at a time.  Turn the heat down to low & rotate the asparagus frequently with tongs, cooking for 6-8 minutes total.

Note:  if you prefer your asparagus to be more fully cooked, consider boiling or steaming for steaming it for 1 minute before marinating.

Managing laundry isn’t something that many people get excited about.  But, I’ve been trying a new system & am pretty pleased with it. It has not only saved me time, but has gotten rid of the need to buy a “presentable” laundry hamper to keep in the bathroom.

Here’s what you do:

1. Buy 3+ laundry baskets that are oval-shaped & are about the size of one load of laundry, which depends on your washer
2. Line them up in your closet
3. As you accumulate dirty clothes, drop them right into the appropriate basket - darks, lights, whites
4. When one of the baskets is full, pull it out, replace with an empty basket & wash that load (keep an empty basket stacked under one of the full baskets)

Spring the task list!

Doing this will eliminate the annoying process of digging into a hamper just to sort loads.  You’ll also reduced the likelihood of washing loads that are too small or too big.

Why buy laundry baskets in bulk? (6 at a time, in my case)

1. It’s really nice to have them stack neatly, whether in the closet or the laundry room
2. They crack, break & melt, so you will need to buy new ones eventually
3. It’s usually cheaper - I ordered mine from Ace Hardware (Did you know that they have free delivery if you have your order delivered to the local Ace?)

Did buying new laundry baskets simplify my life? Yes.
Check out the results.