Favorite Craves of 2012

Since this week has been all about looking back over 2012, of course I had to look back at all my craves.  I have to admit that the craves and confessions posts are either my absolute favorite to write or they are the most difficult to write.  It just depends on the week I have had and if anything new has been introduced into our lives.  Sometimes it feels like I have to write the same thing each week, sometimes those craves just don't go away!

Some favorite craves from January 2012:

Black Licorice.  Okay this is my current crave and I have no idea why.  Usually this is something I would try to avoid or at least find a natural version.  However I was at Walgreen's the other day and found some on sale - 2 packages for $4.  I couldn't resist and have been enjoying that strong black licorice taste ever since!

Giardiniera.  Those Italian pickled veggies are great to snack on.

Grape Tomatoes.  These have been on sale the last couple of weeks.  I had a really good batch the first week, this week they aren't quite as good but almost.  Gives us a taste of summer in the middle of winter.

February, 2012 Craves:

 Bear Naked Soft Baked Granola Cookies: Last year I received a sample of a granola bar from Bear Naked.  I fell in love!  But I haven't been able to find the granola bars anywhere around where I live.  I even searched Amazon recently for them to no luck.  So when I found these cookies at Target one morning when I had forgotten to eat breakfast I absolutely had to try them.  I bought the chocolate ones and I am in absolute LOVE!  Oh yum are they wonderful and they were so much better than a donut or fast food breakfast I might have bought in its place.

Spent Grain Pizza Crust: My husband had been brewing beer for just about a year now.  After throwing all the spent grain in our garden several times he came across a recipe for dog biscuits using the grain.  I made several batches and have found several doggies who love the biscuits.  But I also wondered if there was anything else we could do with all that grain because there was still a ton left over.  So after some searching I found that bread and pizza crust could me made from the spent grain.  Last Friday we made our first spent grain pizza crust.   It was chewy, it was nutty, it was so incredibly good.  So now I have plans of making up batches of it after my hubby brews and freezing it-- as long as it will freeze fairly well.

March, 2012 Craves

I was able to have a couple of windows open for a short while this past week.  The fresh air streamed in and boy oh boy does it smell awesome.  I love when it's later in the evening and you still get a little whiff of that yummy smell lingering.  Does anything else smell as good?  Yes there are many smells I love- fresh air just happens to be one of my favorite.

April, 2012 Craves:

Jelly Beans!: Sour ones, spiced ones, Jolly Rancher flavored ones.  They're all good.  They have been taking care of my chewy candy craving (somewhat but I refuse to buy even more candy for the household!).  They really don't last very long in our household, hours really is all.

Fresh Pineapple: This was on sale and I grabbed one.  It was so juicy and sweet.  I ate a bunch for a couple of days.  I guess I should have gotten another one.  I make such a mess cutting it but it is so worth it.

Sherbet: This was on sale this past week as well.  I had planned on getting some ice cream for the kids but saw that sherbet was on sale too.  It was cheaper, so I was able to get a few different flavors.  It was so good though that we had to go back and get more.  The kids go on snacking sprees at night.  Food flies through our household like crazy during school breaks.

May, 2012 Craves:

Bridge Mix: I was naughty this week (which yes I will confess to tomorrow!) and bought myself a small bag of bridge mix.  It was on sale for just a $1.  It had the good gooey chewy caramel in there plus some awesome pink creams...yum!

June, 2012 Craves:

Flip Flops: I am a barefoot and flip flop kind of girl once the weather is semi warm.  This year has been very hard on me.  On the right foot I have the beautiful stylish footwear (or CAM walker) which has quite the sole on it.  Therefore, to walk correctly, I have to wear tennis shoes on the left foot.  I was able to behave for about a week.  Now I am lopsided in the house and outside but my left foot is FREE!

Radishes from the garden: I was never a big radish fan until we started growing our own.  This year I  bought some heirloom seeds including some radish seeds.  The radishes are long instead of round but boy do they have a wonderful flavor.  Some are a bit spicy, others just have a gentle heat.  It is just such a great taste of the garden early on when nothing else is ready.

July, 2012 Craves: 

Comfort Food: Once I started feeling better, I started craving comfort food!  Mashed potatoes and gravy (oh gravy, my new best friend), homemade dressing, ice cream....those are a few of my favorite comfort foods.  Thankfully I have been able to indulge in all of them this week-- thanks to hubby and my mom-- they are AWESOME!

My Ice Boot: I will have to somehow figure out a way to take a picture of this contraption that we borrowed from hubby's boss.  It has to be the best thing ever invented when it comes to icing your foot!!  Basically it is a boot that fills up with cold water and allows you to ice your foot all over all at once.  It has been my life saver lately-- whenever I feel my ace bandage getting tight, it's time for the ice boot and elevating the foot.

August, 2012 Craves:

Canning and Preserving: Usually this time of the year I am getting a little burnt out on canning.  This year however, we have had nothing to can.  Our beans are just now finally producing.  I made my very first batch of pickles this past week.  Our tomatoes are all pretty much the size of cherry tomatoes so we have just been eating them.  The zucchini and summer squash is starting to go crazy...which means I need to find some new homes for some of them.

More than 100 blog followers: I made it to 100 GFC followers this week but no one seems to want to bring me over the 100 mark.  I am thinking about doing a giveaway again when I reach 150 followers....anyone want to help me to get there? (I am still waiting to hit 150!  Come on-- I promise I will do a good giveaway once I get to 150.  Could you please share with friends, family, anyone else you can think of to visit and follow my blog!)

September 2012 Craves:

The Cooler, Crisper Weather: I know not everyone is settling into fall but here in Michigan we certainly are.  Cos has really enjoyed the cooler weather and I often see her outside running around like a crazy woman!  I bought some apples at the store this week- they are soo good.  Crisp, juicy, tart- a wonderful evening snack.  I have had to dig out the sweatshirt a few times and the warmer jammies.  I made chili and chicken with homemade noodles for dinner this week.   I guess I was ready for a change of season more than I thought.

Filling my House with Yummy Fall Scents: I have to admit, I love candles and tart burners.  I love products that fill my house with yummy scents.  If you love tart burners and are looking for some really good, inexpensive tarts head to Walmart.  Yes, Walmart!  Check out the Better Homes and Gardens Scented Wax Cubes.  Last year I stumbled upon them and bought some to try.  Oh wow.  They last for several uses and smell amazing.  The best part, they only cost $2 per container.  I usually only use 2 at a time which means that I get 3 opportunities to freshen up the scent per container.  This year I am trying the Warm Autumn Welcome and Spiced Pumpkin Pie scents.  Last year I bought the simmering apple cider scent.  So far, thumbs up for all three scents.  ** I purchased these products myself with my own hard earned money.  These opinions are mine and I am not receiving any compensation at all for these wonderful opinions.  However I will say that I love these types of products and if anyone would like me to try them out for you -- let me know!  :-)  I wouldn't say no.

October 2012 Craves: 

 Sun and beautiful fall colors: The weather people are saying that I should have enjoyed the leaves this past week because today there is suppose to be a strong storm rumbling through with lots of wind.  We had a lot of wind this past week and the leaves have been falling off the trees quickly.  Still the view off of our back deck is still beautiful, at least it was on Friday!  What do you think?

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins: I love pumpkins- both as decoration and for eating!  We planted pie pumpkins this year.  In spite of the super hot weather and the fact that hubby often forgot to water them, they still produced a few pumpkins for us.  We picked them a few weeks ago, let the sit to mature and this past week I baked them all up.  YUM!  Now I have 6-2 cup packages of pumpkin in the freezer just waiting to be made into pie, bread, lattes and muffins!

November, 2012 Craves

Cookies, Candy, Fudge: You know all those goodies that you have around at Christmas time....well sometimes.  Things like this do not last very long in our household.  Fudge might last a day or two.  Cookies about the same.  I have been seeing so many yummy things on Pinterest and through e-mails that I am ready to start loading up the kitchen with goodies.

Some good new books to read: I am out of new books to read.  I searched through Goodwill (well as much as I could- it was beyond busy) but came up empty handed.  I would love to read some new books but I refuse to pay $20 or more for a book.  About $10 or $11 is the absolute most I will pay.  Which means I have to wait until prices come down.  Every time I go to the library, they don't have any of the books I want to read in so that doesn't help either.  I don't mind older books but love to get the deals at Goodwill.....99 cents for a book is awesome!

December, 2012 Craves: 

Dinner Out/Holiday Party: Tonight is hubby's work holiday party.  These are always so much fun.  The office is fairly small now (there are just 3 guys and one lady who comes in a couple times a month).  With the smaller group it is easier to talk to everyone- - well most of the time.  Last year we were in a noisier restaurant and it was more difficult to talk.  The year before we were at a table away from everyone else.  It allowed us all to talk together and we had some interesting conversations about music and concerts we had attended before.  Interesting company, great food...what more could you ask for?

A White Christmas: I know...snow isn't really my thing either but let's be honest here.....I love having snow around Christmas.  It just feels right.  It puts me into the holiday spirit.  It feels special.  But honestly, after Christmas the snow can go away.  I hate driving in it.  I hate having to shovel it.  I hate the cold that accompanies it.  Sigh.

I am looking forward to a whole new year of craves.  I wonder what might caught my fancy in the new year.  Maybe some interesting new food?  A new job?  Craft?  I can't wait!