It's not a big secret that I'm very firm in my No Christmas Music Before Thanksgiving beliefs. This is not the case, however, with holiday cards. I love sending them soon after Thanksgiving, but that means you have to order them before then. Being ahead of the game has never been one of my strong suits, but when it comes to ordering pretty stationary, I'm always on top of it. Maybe it's because we've moved around a lot and while the holidays have looked different for us almost every year since we started moving, this is one constant tradition we do no matter where we are (like a Thanksgiving race--it started with the Turkey Trot in Roanoke every year for as long as I can remember, then last year we did a 10K in Charlotte, and this Thursday we're running another 5K; but this time in Silicon Valley).

Anyway, life has been a little busy lately, and I had no idea that the family photos we took with our friend Rémy this summer in Charlotte would be gracing this year's holiday cards, but here we are. I had big plans to go to Baker Beach and get some new photos of us in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, but I guess that'll just have to wait until 2017.

I'm excited to be partnering with new-to-me-sponsor Tiny Prints this year--it was so sweet of them to send us these glamorous glitter holiday cards (and if you're wondering, no they don't make a mess--the glitter stays put)! They also have laser-cut designs, both personalized and stamped foil cards, and some super cute ornament ones, too. I'm really happy with the design I picked, and I can't wait to hunker down this weekend and write some notes to our friends and family on the East Coast!

And finally, from now until December 2, you can enter to win a $100 credit to Tiny Prints, right here on Freckled Italian (winner will be notified by December 16). Just use the widget below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

“In Lynchburg, Virginia, home of Liberty University and just an hour away from my own alma mater, there are always Paneras and Starbucks full of Baptists fresh from Bible Study...zipped snugly into their North Face jackets and so surely into their faith. The leaves have changed color and the air is crisp and chilly and smells like campfires in that grey morning fog and when I am home for Thanksgiving, I pass through on my way to the J.Crew Factory store and even now, I will feel just a little bit jealous of them.”

I wrote this short essay about fall and faith for The Equals Record three years ago and I just came across it again this weekend. I'm so thankful for blogging--it's strange and wonderful to have this little snapshot of me in Minneapolis, still thinking about the things I thought about in Charlotte and now California.

And I needed this reminder from my past self: I feel overwhelmed with the possibilities, and grateful that, even when it's hard, I didn't stay in one place forever.

Read the full piece here.

In the past, I haven't really made a lot of fish at home. We've lived in a few apartments and for some reason I always feel like it stinks up the whole place, so I'd save it for nights when we planned to grill outside (or I'd just order a seafood dish at a restaurant and not have to clean up at all!). While I was writing my cookbook, the fish chapter seemed like it was going to be the hardest for me--but after a bit of experimenting I learned that preparing fish at home is actually super easy and quick.

I'm excited to welcome Bumble Bee to the blog once again--I always love it when they ask me to cook for them. This time I tried out their new Bumble Bee SuperFresh® product--they sent me the Tilapia with Lemon, Pepper, and Herbs and it was so easy to prepare that I whipped up a green bean and potato side dish to compliment it.

Green Bean Potato Salad with Garlic-Lemon Butter

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound of fingerling potatoes, washed and sliced in half
• 10-12 ounces of green beans, cut into halves or thirds (depending on the size)
• 3-4 tablespoons of butter
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced thinly
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until they're fork-tender. Steam or boil the green beans just until they turn bright green but still have some snap to them, about 4-5 minutes. Drain both and add to a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl or saucepan, melt butter and mix with garlic and lemon zest. Give it a stir and add the lemon juice. Stir to combine and then drizzle over the green bean and potato mixture. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper.

A couple of messages from Bumble Bee:

“Bumble Bee SuperFresh® smells and tastes amazing. No fishy smells here. Because you prepare Bumble Bee SuperFresh® straight from the freezer, there isn’t any smell associated with thawing fish. And our frozen protein has stayed that way from harvest to your oven unlike most of the “fresh” fish you find at the seafood counter. That means it is fresh tasting, and fresh smelling.”

“All our seafood is no mess, and no fuss; just pure perfection, time after time. Our premium Salmon and Tilapia come with their own parchment paper baking pouch and go from freezer to table in under 25 minutes. High in protein, richly seasoned with pure and simple ingredients that let our fish shine through! ”

This is a super easy dinner you can make with minimal dishes, which I always love. The fish only takes 18 minutes, so you can preheat the oven while you prep the veggies and then cook everything at the same time. Talk about 30 minutes or less! I've been eating the leftover green bean and potato salad all week, reheated slightly with a generous grating of fresh parmesan. Delicious.

Check out the Bumble Bee SuperFresh® store locator here or order with Amazon Fresh here.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.