Merry Christmas 2012

I am taking a blogging vacation from now until the second week of January. I'm planning to curl up in our cabin, drink plenty ofÂ hot chocolate ^[1], snuggle with warm blankets and read several good books while enjoying every single moment of my favorite two weeks of the year. (The fact that over a dozen family members will be visiting off and on during that time is just an added bonus!)

Here is a peek at my meal plan for the next two weeks. These are some of our favorite recipes and I can hardly wait to enjoy them again! If you are interested in the recipes, you can click on the links to see the original posts.

Italian White Bean Spinach and Beef Soup ^[2] is awesome in it's simplicity. Less than 20 minutes from start to finish and dinner is served. On top of that, it's a truly delicious soup that my entire family loves. My non-spinach-eating son even cleans his bowl when this is on the table.

Bacon and Egg Chipotle Taco Salad ^[3] is loaded with far more chopped vegetables, bacon, egg and cheese than lettuce. Start the bacon in the oven, boil the eggs, chop vegetables and then assemble. Start to finish in about 30 minutes (even with making your own salad dressing!), this is an excellent weeknight meal.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas ^[4] are a family favorite that I rely anytime I need to feed a crowd. These enchiladas are on our table at least once every couple of months.

Sweet and Spicy Glazed Salmon ^[5] is a favorite salmon recipe for all of my boys. I mentioned making salmon sometime next week and my oldest son immediately requested the salmon with the peach jam on it. I haven't made this in months and I'm looking forward to it as well.

Baked Potato Soup ^[6] with fluffy bites of baked potato in each bowl. If you have ever thought that you didn't like potato soup, this rich and creamy version just might change your mind. Topped with cheese, bacon and chives, this soup is the perfect snowy day food.

Traditional Filipino Lumpia ^[7] is stuffed with pork and shrimp, water chestnuts and mushrooms, onions and garlic; then fried (or baked!^[8]) until golden brown and crispy. Perfect with spicy or sweet dipping sauces. I haven't made lumpia in quite a while and I can hardly wait to enjoy it again.

Baked Italian Herb and Parmesan Meatballs ^[9] are the easiest meatballs ever. Full of fantastic Italian flavors and perfect on their own or tossed with pasta. I will be serving them with the best Five Minute Marinara sauce ^[10] you can imagine. Even after making this sauce regularly for over a year, I'm still blown away by how simple and delicious it is.

Sriracha Honey Cashew Chicken ^[11] was such a success when I made it last month, it's already on my menu again for next week. With just a bit of prep time and less than 10 minutes to cook, stir fry meals are my favorite way to get dinner on the table fast.

I am wishing you all an absolutely wonderful Christmas.

Â May God richly bless you and yours throughout the coming year.