Celebrating Christmas

Celebrating Christmas means gathering all our loved ones (or at least the ones nearby) around our dining table. We didn't go all out this Christmas. We just kept our decorations and dining simple and budget friendly. Here are a few photos of what Christmas is looking like in our home:

1.) Our inexpensive Christmas decorations from the dollar store. Everything costs around $6 total.

2.) Whoopie pies and candy canes. This was my first time making whoopie pies (here is the recipe). My personal review of this recipe is I didn't like how the filling tasted. It wasn't sweet enough. Next time I would cut the cream cheese and whip cream by half and add more marshmallow cream to make it sweeter. I also just used the cake mix without the extra ingredients that the recipe called for. But I think I will try following the cake part of the recipe to the T next time.

3.) Pretty fruits. Been craving summer fruits lately. Although these are not in season, they were on sale.

4.) Since I had all the fruits that I prefer for crepes, I made some (recipe for crepe batter here). I love crepes all year round but especially in the winter for sentimental sakes. It reminds me of NYC when I lived with my older sis one winter and she would always make them and we would devour them together!

5.) A little dinner I made for my cousins and brother. We are leaving for Texas soon and I wanted to have a little Christmas get together with them before we left. From right to left: herb rice, lumpia, crockpot chicken with gravy (recipe here), spring mix salad with blueberries and strawberries (I've been putting those fruits to good use).

I hope your Christmas/Holiday is going well!