The Better Sights and Sounds of Christmas

Today we put up a few decorations while listening to upbeat, jazzy carols. Here are some pictures and list of songs for the holiday season.

MY CURRENT PLAYLIST OF CHRISTMAS MUSIC

JAZZ

Sleigh Ride…Ella Fitzgerald

What Are you Doing New Year’s Eve?…Ella Fitzgerald 

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow…Michael Buble

The Christmas Song…Ella Fitzgerald 

The Man With the Bag…Kay Starr

White Christmas…Bing Crosby

I’ll Be Home for Christmas…Kelly Clarkson

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas…Michael Buble

POP

Wonderful Christmastime…Kelly Rowland

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas…Christina Aguilera

O Holy Night…Kelly Clarkson

Drummer Boy…Sean Kingston

All I Want for Christmas Is You…Mariah Carey

My Grown-Up Christmas List…Kelly Clarkson

This Gift (Pop Version)…98 Degrees (a classic blast to 90s boy band past)

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town…the Cheetah Girls (don’t hate, it’s a fun song)

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing… Mariah Carey

Baby, It’s Cold Outside…Jessica Simpson duet with Nick Lachey 

Oh Santa!…Mariah Carey

Last Christmas…Glee Cast

OTHER

Auld Lang Syne… Mairi Campbell & Dave Francis 

Santa Baby…Eartha Kitt & Henri Rene

Ave Maria…Josh Groban

The Better Monkey Bread

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits
• 3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
• 1/2 C. syrup
• 1/3 C. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. white sugar & 2 tsp cinnamon combined

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon 
2. In separate bowl combine melted butter and syrup
3. Pour 1/2 syrup mixture and 1/2 of brown sugar mixture in bunt cake pan
4. Coat each Pillsbury grand dough roll in cinnamon sugar mixture
5. Lay coated dough rolls in bottom of pan (slightly overlapping each other)
6. Pour rest of syrup mixture over rolls
7. Sprinkle rest of brown sugar over rolls
8. Bake in over for 20 minutes at 375 degrees
9. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 2 minutes
10. Flip onto serving plate

The Better Midnight Breakfast

Usually I never resort to a batter mix for anything. I’m a firm believer that there is no food that tastes better from a box than it does freshly made with at home ingredients. However, when you and your friends get a hankering for crepes at 11:45p.m., all reservations about powder mix gets tossed out the window.