Tag Archives: Christmas Recipes

Sooo…what was for Christmas dinner? Part 1

27 Dec
Roasted pork chops, sauteed green beans, butternut squash, twice baked potatoes, applesauce

Here's my plate, just before I dug in!

Yesterday’s post showed our pretty ordinary Christmas breakfast, which despite the simplicity of it, we love it. I noted however, that our dinner is more elaborate since we do host Christmas.

We tend to be creatures of habit, so we make the same thing more or less, every single year: Pork roast with homemade applesauce, twice baked potatoes, sauteed green beans and this year my cousin Val made butternut squash with apples as well (one of my favorite vegetables ever, by the way.)

This meal is actually relatively easy to prepare because you can do a lot of it ahead of time. You can use this meal for any occasion, not just Christmas, but it’s definitely our go-to meal for Christmas Day.

Homemade applesauce

Six pounds of apples is a lot to peel, and I'm always amazed at how much this reduces once it's done. It looks like less than it is, once the apples are cooked.

The day before, I make the homemade applesauce using six pounds of apples.

You can find the recipe for the applesauce on my Hanukkah post here.

Homemade applesauce, cooked.

Here's how it looks all cooked.

Once the applesauce is cooked, I put it into the serving bowl for the next day, and put it into the fridge, cinnamon stick and all. Just needs to be reheated in the microwave before dinner.

Homemade Applesauce

Ready to serve on Christmas Day.

Another big part of the dinner which can be prepped ahead of time, is the twice baked potatoes. Don does those.

Tomorrow, I will share that recipe and show the steps to get you from a bag of potatoes to the yummy side dish that we love so much. And, as an added bonus, the recipe for Twice Baked Potatoes gives you a ready-made appetizer as well: Potato Skins. You’ll see how that happens when you read tomorrow’s post.

Here we are, ready to eat our Christmas Dinner. Missing from the photo: Don, who's taking the picture so that I can be in it, for once!

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

A few not-so-random post-Christmas thoughts

26 Dec

By the time this post is read, Christmas will be over and done! I know it will be wonderful as we will be surrounded by family for the whole week! In pre-typing a post to run after Christmas, I wasn’t sure what to write, since the holiday events, both expected and unexpected happenings, haven’t actually happened yet! Therefore, I thought I’d post a few random thoughts, or not so much so.

kitchen photo

This photo just proves you can do a lot with a small space! A new kitchen is a huge want of mine, but not a need!

First off: My kitchen.

You all know by now I, we, do a ton of cooking and baking out of this here, raised ranch, gazebo style (apparently that’s what it’s called due to its round shape) kitchen. The house was built in 1976 and I’m pretty sure the kitchen is just about original, other than the relatively new appliances that we’ve purchased since we moved in 12 years ago. I just figured I’d show you were I do most of my cooking and baking from, and it’s right here in this little corner of the kitchen between the sink and the stove. You can see that you don’t need a ton of space to do a ton of cooking! I utilize the space right on top of the stove all the time. You can even see the cabinets where I stick all my little recipe cards into the grooves, so I can read while I bake. The one that’s there permanently all winter is the one for the Creamy Hot Chocolate.

dining room baking cookies

When I need to spread out, there's always the dining room table.

If I find that I need more work space than my corner of the kitchen, I move into our dining room and use that table. We do not have an eat-in kitchen or an island in the kitchen, so this is where we eat all of our meals, and do all of our crafts, where I type my articles and blog posts, where the kids do their homework, etc. At our school we have a “multipurpose room” which serves as the gym, the auditorium and the cafeteria. We call it the Cafa-gym-atorium. Well in our house, this is our island-a-kitchen-dining-room- table-atorium. Again, as much as I want more space, this works just fine.

And last but not least, I’m the baking and recipe sharing queen, according to my friends, fans, and loyal readers. In past weeks I’ve had many requests for holiday morning breakfast ideas and I’ve shared many. Therefore, I know you are just dying to know what OUR family has for breakfast on Christmas morning. Probably some huge meal, prepared for hours the day before to be out and piping hot on Christmas morning, right?? Wrong. On Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, we’re off duty so that we can enjoy our time together and just have fun. Here’s what we have for breakfast on Christmas morning, much to my kids’ delight:

Great Value Cinnamon Buns

Our Christmas morning breakfast

Yup! Cinnamon Buns and hard-boiled eggs. I don’t even make the buns from scratch–at least not yet. I buy whatever store brand I’m in during my travels the week of Christmas, either Walmart (as these are) or PriceRite or Aldi’s. We usually throw in some fruit or some Christmas cookies along with it, but that’s it, that’s our breakfast!

We host Christmas dinner so that’s quite a bit more elaborate than our breakfast, but this takes the pressure off of me, of us, for just a little while, so that we too can enjoy Christmas Eve, Christmas morning and all that goes along with it.

And, the cinnamon buns…. are just delicious!!

This week for part of the week I’ll be spending a few days discussing our Christmas dinner meal and how we pull off a lot of it by preparing it ahead. Be sure to check back each day. I promise it’ll leave your mouth watering!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bonus Post: Story time, a cookie recipe and a craft

23 Dec
The Night Before The Night Before Christmas

A very funny story to read tonight!

It’s Friday night!! Even though we’re not doing Family Movie Night tonight, I do have a story for you: “The Night Before The Night Before Christmas,” a funny story by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Mike Lester.

This is a great story to read on Christmas Eve-Eve, different than your typical actual Night Before Christmas stories, which you can read tomorrow night.

In addition to reading, here’s a cookie recipe for you as well:

OATMEAL SCOTCHIES

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp grd. cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups quick or oldfashioned oats
1 2/3 cup (or one 11 ounce bag) butterscotch chips

Oatmeal Scotchie Cookies

These use butterscotch chips and oatmeal. They're a yummy, crunchy cookie!

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in large mixing bowl.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Stir in oats and chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 7-8 minutes for chewier cookies, 9-10 for crispier cookies.

Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes, transfer to rack to cool completely.

AND FINALLY……

If you’re looking for some fun, homemade ornament ideas to do during the day on Christmas Eve to help the kids pass the time on what can be a very long day, waiting for the “big event,” here is a collection of photos of some of my favorites from this year and years past. These make great last minute gifts or “tags” to add onto a gift package, or…to add to your tree!

handmade ornament using a container cover

My sister-in-law always makes a handmade ornament each year. This year she collected all kinds of covers, all year long, to create the ornaments.

Popsicle stick ornament

Here is the ornament Elizabeth brought home today, made out of popsicle sticks and paint.

Photo ornament

Caroline's second grade photo ornament using her school photo and a painted frame.

glitter ornament

A fun, easy ornament for young kids to make using glue, glitter and tissue paper.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Your Tray or Mine: Kid’s Craft of the Day: Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

13 Dec
Snickerdoodle Cookies

Yesterday's post was all about Snickerdoodle Cookies

Yesterday’s cookie tray recipe was for Snickerdoodles, a simple cinnamon-sugar cookie. Since we were already talking cinnamon, I decided to make today’s craft idea suggestion all about the cinnamon as well.

I personally have not yet made this craft with my kids, but I do have a funny story about it, which will also explain why I currently don’t have a photo for it either.

One year in preschool my daughter made these. They smell wonderful but are very delicate when they’re done.

The following year she was in kindergarten and was asked to bring an ornament to hang on the school bus, an annual tradition that the bus driver does. My daughter asked to bring her cinnamon ornament for the bus.

I told her to consider bringing in a different ornament, that this one was delicate and she should consider taking something more hardy to hang in the bus window. But, this was in her head that she was bringing in this ornament and no other, so against my better judgement I let her.

I’m sure you can guess the end of my story….and imagine the tears that flowed the day she had to get off the bus with only half an ornament left on the red yarn. I’m not very good about NOT saying “I told you so,” so I’m sure I uttered that a time or three.

In the meantime….here’s the recipe for Cinnamon Ornaments. There’s no baking involved! And a word of advice: Don’t bring them on the school bus.

Handmade Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

Thanks to Sabrina J. for submitting some photos to go along with this recipe!

CINNAMON ORNAMENTS

Mix 3/4 to 1 cup of applesauce with one 4.12 oz. bottle ground cinnamon. It will form a stiff dough.

Roll out to 1/4″ thickness.

Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Make a hole at the top with a straw for the ribbon.

Carefully put on a rack to dry.

Let air dry for several days, turning occasionally.

Makes 12 sweet-smelling ornaments, great for your tree or for gifts.

This recipe card that I have is old and faded, so I’ve had it a long time and it says “McCormick” the spice company, at the bottom, so this is their recipe.

Drying cinnamon ornaments

Here are Sabrina's ornaments as they were drying out. Thanks again!

If you have ever made these or if you decide after reading this to make these, take a photo of them, send it to me and I’ll add it here and to my Photos from Fans page as well. I’ll credit you with the photo credits! You can email it to me at jenniferlcowart@gmail.com.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Big Announcement for December Cookie and Craft Lovers

30 Nov

December is coming!

Christmas is coming!!!

Holidays are coming!!!!

Family is coming!!!!!

Stressed yet? Don’t be!

This time of year can either be really awful or really special. For most of us, myself included, it’s a little bit of both. I love to bake and I’m always so proud of my cookies for my trays, but it’s hard to find time to carve out to make them all when you have little kids running around. Therefore, many of the recipes I will be posting will be recipes your kids can help you with (aka rolled cookies) so that it keeps them occupied when you’re baking and it cuts your prep time in half. No, all the rolled cookies may not be exactly the same size or shape, but really does that matter? (And if it does, just kind of re-roll them a little bit when you take them to put them on the tray. I’ve done that!)

However, so often you don’t just want them to be occupied, but you want what they are doing to be something they enjoy too, something meaningful for them. Therefore, I’m going to alternate my recipe postings with seasonal activities for the kids as well. They will be things like crafts, special stories to read, gifts to make, things like that which often coordinate somehow with the cookie recipes I’m posting (okay, once a teacher, always a teacher, clearly!) Some of the crafts will be things I’ve done with my kids in the past or things they’ve done at school and brought home that I loved, or even gifts I’ve received that were handmade that I loved. Times are tight for all of us, so any handmade gifts they can make is one less thing we need to buy! The stories I post are just the ones we have at our house, but my kid always love when I pull out the seasonal stories each December. (I always wish I did that every season, but I don’t ever think of it any other time of year!)

So are you ready? If so, be sure to check out the first recipe on December 1! The coordinating book and craft will be featured on December 2! And no…no hints!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Newer Entries →