Catching up with the Kelnhofers – 18

Hi Friends, this week on Catching up with the Kelnhofers -18 we’re ramping up for the holidays with gift ideas, playlists and decorating (and laughing at this outtake from our holiday photos where Ben is licking Freddie’s shoe and Freddie looks horrified lol?! Please tell me your family photos are equally hilarious and don’t go as planned?)

Ugh, the kids have been so sick. It’s really thrown my days for a loop. But, it has been nice to have all of the extra baby snuggles. Silver lining, right!?

We are also in full-on holiday mode at our house, so I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ll be making. You know what comes to mind, these AMAZING red wine brownies. They are the best to bring to holiday parties, give as a gift of even just make at home for a treat for yourself.

When I’m cooking/baking, I love listening to music. I am a big believer that there is a true art form in creating playlists and I just do not have that talent. Instead, I love discovering other people’s playlists; more on that later!

New on the Blog:

• Catching up with the Kelnhofers – a little about our life
• Red Wine Brownies – legit the best brownies I’ve ever made! So indulgent and delish!
• Gingerbread muffins with cream cheese frosting – perfect for a cozy morning breakfast

What to Make:

‘Tis the season for giving great gifts and what is better to give than…Food! Here are a few of my favorite tasty treats that I like to give as gifts.

• Red wine brownies
• Chocolate turtle Chex Mix
• Peppermint fudge
• Rocky road brownies
• Bananas foster party Chex Mix

Reader Comments:

I love a good cookie! Keep an eye on the blog for a yummy holiday dessert roundup coming your way soon! In the meantime, how sweet is this note about my salted caramel chocolate chip cookies:

• “Made these last night. I was excited about them because they’re really similar to another favorite recipe of mine that my kids LOVE! So when a girl at work brought this to my attention, I just HAD to make them. She is trying to make a knock off of the cookies at Arby’s. I got Ghiradelli chocolate chips and found Lyon Caramel sauce at Smart and Final. Exactly as I hoped, the only difference in recipe was baking soda, caramel, chip type, and some salt on top. AND THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!! Sooooooo delicious!!! You can totally taste the caramel, it’s a little more than a hint, but when you add that salt – OMG! My son liked it without the salt, my daughter liked it as dough with no chips, and the co-workers loved the entire package. I could eat the whole bowl of dough! And it made SEVEN DOZEN! Maybe 8 if I hadn’t eaten so much dough”

General stories/things I’m loving:

Let’s talk GNOMES! In case you’ve missed all of my gnome-love on Instagram, I am here to share with you that the obsession is real. They just make me smile. People have been sending me gnome gifts and pictures where they spot gnomes, and honestly, it makes my day every single time. Here are the Top 5 gnome things I have and love:

• Gnome bedsheets from Pottery Barn (I got these on super sale, it was amazing and they look super classy with a red plaid comforter over them)
• Gnome home Hallmark ornament – my father in law got it and put it on our tree when we were out of town years ago, and every time I see it it just makes me happy
• Nordic gnomes that we have around the house for Christmas decorations – think stuffed animal gnomes. Nick has gotten me some with Ben and it’s the sweetest thing ever
• Gnome mug Mary from Barefeet in the Kitchen sent me that says ‘rolling with my gnomies’ and it has 5 gnomes on it – and since there are 5 of us in my family its extra special
• This little gnome that goes in a plant Denise from Chez Us sent me – I have a plant on my wish list so I can’t wait to put it in there

• Ben “helped” Nick put up our Christmas lights the other day. I’m sure he was a huge help, lol! But it was adorable to watch.
• I got this great wire bin that I use to corral all of Ben’s wet, snow-covered clothes. It’s great so that they aren’t laying all over the floor or getting everything else near them all wet and soggy.
• I finished The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, but gah, it just seemed to drag on and the main character just kept having weird issues. I’m ready for something festive. I’m thinking the Winter Street Series by Elin Hilderbrand? It seems wintery and romancy.
• Remember those playlists I mentioned above? Well these are the ones I’ve been loving from other bloggers on Spotify:
• How Sweet Eats -love this holiday baking playlists (Jessica makes awesome mixes I love to cook to)
• Bev Cooks winter mix tape – very hipster and indie (linking to her blog, she shares a mix tape every month)
• Monique from Ambitious kitchen makes awesome mixes (I love working and having one of her mixes on in the background)

• The twins turned 5 months. Where is the time going!?
• Ben got a chocolate advent calendar from his Grandpa. He is loving the extra chocolate every day! Actually, his Grandpa got us all one – even the twins.  So there is plenty of extra chocolate in the house. We made a homemade Forky from Toy Story (lol) and he took a funny selfie with me from when we hung lights outside. 

Have you decorated for the holidays yet? Or has December just snuck up on you!? Just leave a comment below and let me know.

Until next time,

Phi