15 hours ago
This blog has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Quaker®. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias #LoveMyCereal #QuakerUp
----
The week before Christmas is baking week around here! When I was growing up, my mom always had big variety of Christmas goodies spread out on our table on Christmas morning. We would have a simple breakfast and dinner, and then snack the rest of the day. It made it easy on my mom since she didn't have to cook this huge dinner.
I've kind of done the same thing for Christmas around our house. I usually make a breakfast casserole, an easy dinner, and 4-5 Christmas treats for us to enjoy through the day. Derek really loves having a good Christmas spread, and I'm loving being able to include the kids in the baking a little more this year.
I got most of my baking done last week, and I tried a new recipe. It's good to change things up a little and keep the husband and kids guessing! So in addition to some of our favorites, I created this cookie recipe. They turned out nice and chewy, and I love that the Quaker® Simply Granola adds fiber to the cookies! I know Walmart has this cereal and all the other ingredients for this recipe.
Chewy Granola Almond Cookies
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 baking soda
1 egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. Quaker® Simply Granola cereal
1 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 cup extra chocolate chips (for drizzle - optional)
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda with a hand mixer until the mixture is well blended. Add in the egg and almond extract, and mix until blended.
2. Add in the flour and mix well. Add in the Quaker Simply Granola and chocolate chips. Mix until blended. The batter will be sticky.
3. Use a spoon or your fingers to form 1 inch balls - space them two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I line my cookie sheets with parchment paper to keep them from sticking to the pan.)
4. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes.
5. Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes. If desired, melt the extra white chocolate chips and drizzle over the top of the cookies. Enjoy!
(These cookies are kid-approved.)
I think these cookies are best warm out of the oven, with a glass of milk! It probably would be the perfect cookie to leave out for "Santa" on Christmas Eve.
Quaker® makes one of my favorite cereals ever - Quaker® Life - but I recently learned of Quaker® Oatmeal Squares, which we have never tried before.
We picked up a box at Walmart the other day when we got the Quaker® Simply Granola, and it's a yummy cereal too! It is filling and not too sweet, and it stays nice and crispy in the milk. Anyway, I was letting the kids snack on the Quaker® Oatmeal Squares and Quaker® Simply Granola while I baked. They are my sweet little baking buddies!
What are some of your must-have Christmas treats? Are you trying any new cookie recipes this year?
----
The week before Christmas is baking week around here! When I was growing up, my mom always had big variety of Christmas goodies spread out on our table on Christmas morning. We would have a simple breakfast and dinner, and then snack the rest of the day. It made it easy on my mom since she didn't have to cook this huge dinner.
I've kind of done the same thing for Christmas around our house. I usually make a breakfast casserole, an easy dinner, and 4-5 Christmas treats for us to enjoy through the day. Derek really loves having a good Christmas spread, and I'm loving being able to include the kids in the baking a little more this year.
I got most of my baking done last week, and I tried a new recipe. It's good to change things up a little and keep the husband and kids guessing! So in addition to some of our favorites, I created this cookie recipe. They turned out nice and chewy, and I love that the Quaker® Simply Granola adds fiber to the cookies! I know Walmart has this cereal and all the other ingredients for this recipe.
 |
Chewy Granola Almond Cookies
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 baking soda
1 egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. Quaker® Simply Granola cereal
1 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 cup extra chocolate chips (for drizzle - optional)
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda with a hand mixer until the mixture is well blended. Add in the egg and almond extract, and mix until blended.
2. Add in the flour and mix well. Add in the Quaker Simply Granola and chocolate chips. Mix until blended. The batter will be sticky.
3. Use a spoon or your fingers to form 1 inch balls - space them two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I line my cookie sheets with parchment paper to keep them from sticking to the pan.)
4. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes.
5. Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes. If desired, melt the extra white chocolate chips and drizzle over the top of the cookies. Enjoy!
(These cookies are kid-approved.)
I think these cookies are best warm out of the oven, with a glass of milk! It probably would be the perfect cookie to leave out for "Santa" on Christmas Eve.
I was really debating whether to use the Quaker® Simply Granola or Quaker® Real Medleys® for these cookies - specifically the Cherry Almond Pecan one. I ended up choosing the Simply Granola, but I think the Real Medleys cereal would be great for some variety!
We picked up a box at Walmart the other day when we got the Quaker® Simply Granola, and it's a yummy cereal too! It is filling and not too sweet, and it stays nice and crispy in the milk. Anyway, I was letting the kids snack on the Quaker® Oatmeal Squares and Quaker® Simply Granola while I baked. They are my sweet little baking buddies!
What are some of your must-have Christmas treats? Are you trying any new cookie recipes this year?
A few weeks before Wyatt turned a year old, I bought a DSLR. Through that first year of his life I just found myself repeatedly frustrated with how slow my point and shoot was, and I wanted to be able to blur the background in my pictures, so I bought a refurbished Nikon. I didn't even want to tell anemone I got it at first, because I was afraid they would be expecting amazing pictures right away, and I knew that having a good camera wasn't all there was to getting good photos. But I practiced, and I think I've slowly gotten better.
I've been using it for taking pictures of the kids ever since, but there have been many times when I have found myself losing inspiration. Sometimes I won't even pull my camera out for weeks at a time. I'll feel like I have no new ideas, or I get frustrated that my pictures aren't turning out exactly like I want, but I hate it when I lose momentum because I want to document my kids' lives.
It's at times like those that I look for books like "Your Family In Pictures" by Me Ra Koh. This book has so many inspiring photos, with basic "photo recipes" for each section. She includes her camera settings and tips for setting up the photo and getting the effect you want. Throughout this book she also includes tips for getting good pictures with a point and shoot and smartphones, so you don't have to own a DSLR to benefit from this book.
(This is a picture I took of Gwen and Derek when Gwen was a newborn, inspired by a different book from Me Ra Koh. I'm a fan.)
I think my favorite thing about this book is all the tips she shares for capturing who people are through photos by strategizing to catch them in moments that show their personalities or interest. After reading this book I feel more inspired to not only capture my kids' personalities, but also to take more pictures of my husband, and even myself!
I think whether you are a beginner at photograph or have a lot of experience, you will find useful tips and inspiration from this book. If you want to take better pictures of the people you love most, this is definitely one to check out!
Note: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
The other day I made Wyatt and Gwen some Christmas cookies, and appropriately the song "Christmas Cookies" came on the radio. That is one of those songs that always gets stuck in my head. The rest of the afternoon I was singing "I sure do like those Christmas cookies, Sugar. I sure do like those Christmas cookies, Babe" to Wyatt.
After Wyatt's nap that day, he came out of his room, climbed up on the couch, and said "Can I have some Christmas cookies babe?" So apparently Christmas cookies in general are now called "Christmas cookies babe"! He is just so cute.
One of my favorite kinds of Christmas cookies ever is Snowdrop cookies. They are kind of like a meringue cookie, but they aren't just crumbly, they are actually a little chewy too, It's hard to explain, but they are so good. I have a horrible time making them because I don't have enough patience to beat them long enough, but Derek always makes them perfectly - so now I just make him make them every December, naturally. If they look familiar, you might recognize them from our Christmas gender reveal party last year.
This is the recipe - we have been making it since I was a girl, so I don't know where it came from originally, or if it was just passed down through the family. If anyone has seen this recipe before, I would love to know the original source. One big bonus to this recipe for all of you who are gluten intolerant is that it is already mostly gluten-free. As long as you use chocolate chips that do not have gluten, you are good to go.
Snowdrop Cookies
2 egg whites
¾ tsp. cream of tartar
¾ c. sugar
1 c. chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Take out the oven racks and place foil over them before heating the oven. Leave the racks out of the oven.
2. Beat egg whites with hand mixer until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat until stiff. Slowly beat in sugar; beat until stiff (the mixture will form little soupy peaks). Add chocolate chips and stir to mix them in.
3. Place by teaspoon on foil-covered racks and put racks in oven. Turn oven OFF. Leave overnight.
4. Wake up in the morning and enjoy!
-----
On a sidenote - the kids are getting to the age where I have to start thinking about how to handle Santa as a Christian mom. Do you have any thoughts? You can read what I think about the Santa question on the Tommy Nelson blog!
I know I am not alone in loving this time of year! Christmas time is just full of fun, cozy events with family and friends, and I love it. I am trying to make a big deal of all of the Christmas festivities this year, so the kids can learn to enjoy Christmas for other things beside just the presents. I want them to enjoy all aspects of this season, not just getting things. If you want to instill some gratitude in your kids for non-present yuletide blessings, here is a list of Christmas things to be grateful for.
Christmas Music. I know there is many a Christmas music grinch out there, but all I can say is - it's one month of the year. Humor those of us who love it! I have so many favorite Christmas albums, and a lot of them are from my childhood. My family had a tradition of going on a shopping day every year, and we would always get a new Christmas CD, so we developed quite a collection. One of my old favorites is Alabama's first Christmas album, and one of my new favorites is Sidewalk Prophet's Christmas album.
Christmas Food. We have a lot of goodies that we just make at Christmas time, and I look forward to them all year long. My favorite has always been snowdrop cookies, but ironically, I always mess them up when I make them. Derek has become our official snowdrop cookie maker.
Snow. At no other time of the year is snow welcomed by the majority. I happen to be one of those people that thinks if it's winter time, it should be snowing, but snow at Christmas is extra special.
Christmas Movies. We have a lot of favorites that we bring out each year, and I also love those cheesy Christmas movies that the Hallmark channel puts out every year. I hope they never stop!
Christmas Parades. Derek and I started going to the Christmas parade in a town near us several years ago, and I think it is safe to say it is a tradition now. It's just a small, old-fashioned parade, with local groups walking and driving down the street. They always have people on these big bikes, a fire engine, Clydesdale horses, and Santa in a red convertible. It's just fun.
Christmas Jammies. This is a new tradition to me, because we never did Christmas pajamas growing up - but I couldn't resist buying the kids three sets of matching Christmas jammies this year. I can't wait to see them on Christmas morning wearing their new pajamas!
Chrismtas Cards. Can I get a cheer for snail mail? It's a dying art form that lots of people revive at Christmas time. Nothing cheers me up like a big old stack of Christmas cards.
Christmas Lights. Why don't we put up twinkly lights all year 'round anyway? They are so pretty.
Christmas Gatherings. It can make the season a little crazy, but I love all the Christmas gatherings with family and friends! I am a pretty social person, so parties just add so much to the fun for me.
Christmas Books. Once again, we had a lot of Christmas books growing up that we would just bring out in December. I have a collection started for my kids, and I was thrilled to be able to add "God Bless Our Christmas" to it this year! Tommy Nelson gave us this sweet book. It is written in a poem format, and cute little winter woodland characters participate in lots of Christmas activities - but the greatest gift of all is Jesus, and the book conveys that wonderfully. The illustrations are adorable, and the kids love it! It reminds me of a book we had growing up that I loved, and I think this will be one of our favorites for Christmas time. I also thought it was appropriate to mention it in this post, because the first part of the book lists a bunch of fun, Christmas-y things too!
The Excitement Of The Kids. Amidst all the craziness that this season brings, sometimes we adults need a reminder of things to love about Christmas too, don't we? And one of my favorite things about Christmas as an adult is watching how excited my kids get about everything this season brings - presents included.
The Focus On Jesus's Birth. Even though some secular institutions may try to ignore it, it can't be avoided that in the end, Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of our Savior. It's not just about love and family - it is about God's love in giving us His Son, so that we can be a part of His family! That is ultimately what makes Christmas so special to me. None of the other activities would be as wonderful to me without that true meaning of Christmas behind them (which is another reason I love Christmas books like the one above that point out the true meaning of Christmas!).
What did I miss guys? What are some reasons that you love Christmas time?
---
Note: I received a copy of "God Bless Our Christmas" from Tommy Nelson for free in exchange for a review. This is my honest opinion.
Christmas Music. I know there is many a Christmas music grinch out there, but all I can say is - it's one month of the year. Humor those of us who love it! I have so many favorite Christmas albums, and a lot of them are from my childhood. My family had a tradition of going on a shopping day every year, and we would always get a new Christmas CD, so we developed quite a collection. One of my old favorites is Alabama's first Christmas album, and one of my new favorites is Sidewalk Prophet's Christmas album.
Christmas Food. We have a lot of goodies that we just make at Christmas time, and I look forward to them all year long. My favorite has always been snowdrop cookies, but ironically, I always mess them up when I make them. Derek has become our official snowdrop cookie maker.
Snow. At no other time of the year is snow welcomed by the majority. I happen to be one of those people that thinks if it's winter time, it should be snowing, but snow at Christmas is extra special.
Christmas Movies. We have a lot of favorites that we bring out each year, and I also love those cheesy Christmas movies that the Hallmark channel puts out every year. I hope they never stop!
Christmas Parades. Derek and I started going to the Christmas parade in a town near us several years ago, and I think it is safe to say it is a tradition now. It's just a small, old-fashioned parade, with local groups walking and driving down the street. They always have people on these big bikes, a fire engine, Clydesdale horses, and Santa in a red convertible. It's just fun.
Christmas Jammies. This is a new tradition to me, because we never did Christmas pajamas growing up - but I couldn't resist buying the kids three sets of matching Christmas jammies this year. I can't wait to see them on Christmas morning wearing their new pajamas!
Chrismtas Cards. Can I get a cheer for snail mail? It's a dying art form that lots of people revive at Christmas time. Nothing cheers me up like a big old stack of Christmas cards.
Christmas Lights. Why don't we put up twinkly lights all year 'round anyway? They are so pretty.
Christmas Gatherings. It can make the season a little crazy, but I love all the Christmas gatherings with family and friends! I am a pretty social person, so parties just add so much to the fun for me.
Christmas Books. Once again, we had a lot of Christmas books growing up that we would just bring out in December. I have a collection started for my kids, and I was thrilled to be able to add "God Bless Our Christmas" to it this year! Tommy Nelson gave us this sweet book. It is written in a poem format, and cute little winter woodland characters participate in lots of Christmas activities - but the greatest gift of all is Jesus, and the book conveys that wonderfully. The illustrations are adorable, and the kids love it! It reminds me of a book we had growing up that I loved, and I think this will be one of our favorites for Christmas time. I also thought it was appropriate to mention it in this post, because the first part of the book lists a bunch of fun, Christmas-y things too!
The Excitement Of The Kids. Amidst all the craziness that this season brings, sometimes we adults need a reminder of things to love about Christmas too, don't we? And one of my favorite things about Christmas as an adult is watching how excited my kids get about everything this season brings - presents included.
The Focus On Jesus's Birth. Even though some secular institutions may try to ignore it, it can't be avoided that in the end, Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of our Savior. It's not just about love and family - it is about God's love in giving us His Son, so that we can be a part of His family! That is ultimately what makes Christmas so special to me. None of the other activities would be as wonderful to me without that true meaning of Christmas behind them (which is another reason I love Christmas books like the one above that point out the true meaning of Christmas!).
What did I miss guys? What are some reasons that you love Christmas time?
---
Note: I received a copy of "God Bless Our Christmas" from Tommy Nelson for free in exchange for a review. This is my honest opinion.
When I was a girl, one of my favorite Christmas songs was "Silver Bells". Now I'm not exactly sure why, but it just seemed to usher in the Christmas season for me.
Last year I put together these lyrics to Silver Bells with the intention of using the lettering to create a painted Christmas sign - but the sign never got finished, and I lost my motivation. So this year, I changed up the file a bit and made printables instead! I think they look pretty cute with my poinsettia flowers that Derek got me a few years ago, my little snowmen figurines that were a gift from my sister, and some Walmart sparkly ornaments stringed up on my wall.
Lately I've been working on getting a blog newsletter going - my plan is to send out a newsletter once a month or so, and I'll include personal updates and pictures, links to some of my more popular posts that month, links to other articles that I've liked, and the occasional freebie. I am excited about this new project!
And you are in luck, because if you sign up for my newsletter before the end of December, I'll send give you this set of printables! Consider it a thank-you-for-reading-and-signing-up-and-merry-Christmas gift. You can sign up below, and then keep an eye out for the printables in your inbox! You can either sign up for the monthly version, or you can sign up to get a weekly roundup of posts from the blog instead.
Speaking of personal updates, I think I might have some good news on the job front for Derek - I don't want to say too much yet just in case it doesn't work out, but things are looking promising - keep us in your prayers, and I'll post an update (if there is anything to tell) next week!
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
In The Wishing Season by Denise Hunter, PJ McKinley is excited to finally make her dream of running a restaurant a reality by entering a competition to win The Wishing House, a historic house that is up for grabs through a competition held by it's eccentric owner, Mrs Simmons. But Cole Evans also wants to Wishing House to open a transitional home for foster kids that have aged out of the system. Mrs. Simmons decides that they will share the house for a year before she decides who will finally win the contest, but as PJ and Cole get to know each other, they find themselves attracted to each other and unsure of how their relationship will work out as the year comes to a close.
I enjoyed this book. I feel like the characters and their issues were believable, even if a contest for a historical home is not something that is likely to happen in real life. I think Hunter struck a good balance with describing the tension between Cole and PJ's conflicting goals while still making you like both characters. I wasn't sure who to root for throughout the book.
I realized after I started the book that this is part of The Chapel Hill romance series, and so characters from the other two books in this series make appearances (I wrote about the second book, Dancing With Fireflies, here). I always like when books tie in well with the other books in the series and let us catch up with all the characters. Hunter also talked quite a bit about PJ's brother and his problems in this book, so I'm hoping she writes one more story about him!
Hunter's books are always quick, easy reads, and they keep me interested throughout the story. Part of this book takes place at Christmastime, but the book spans an entire year, so contrary to my first impression, I wouldn't say this is exclusively a Christmas book. It's perfect for Christmas time, but it would be good to read any time of the year!
I was lucky enough to get an advance copy - but lucky for you, The Wishing Season came out today! Check it out!
Note: I received a digital copy of this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
I was in an experimenting mood the other day, and I came up with a new fudge recipe! Making Fudge is so fun to me, because as long as you have a good base, you can change it up in so many different ways. I basically searched in my cupboards for stuff to add to this fudge, and it turned out really well!
Pecan Coconut Orange Fudge
2 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. milk
1/2 stick butter (1/4 c.)
1 1/2 c. white chocolate chips
1/4 c. pecans chopped
1/4 c. coconut
1 tsp. orange extract
1. Prepare a pan by lining with tin foil and greasing foil.
2. Mix together sugar, milk, and butter in saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Once mixture is boiling, let it boil untouched for five minutes.
4. Take mixture off stove and beat mixture. Add in white chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans, and stir until chips melt and are well blended.
5. Add orange extract last. Extract may partially evaporate when it hits the hot fudge, just stir into mixture quickly.
6. Spread fudge into prepared pan. Fudge should set in about 10 minutes.
I made this fudge twice and we really liked it! I think it is especially good with a cup of hot coffee (of course, I think anything is that much better with coffee). Enjoy!
Pecan Coconut Orange Fudge
2 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. milk
1/2 stick butter (1/4 c.)
1 1/2 c. white chocolate chips
1/4 c. pecans chopped
1/4 c. coconut
1 tsp. orange extract
2. Mix together sugar, milk, and butter in saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Once mixture is boiling, let it boil untouched for five minutes.
4. Take mixture off stove and beat mixture. Add in white chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans, and stir until chips melt and are well blended.
5. Add orange extract last. Extract may partially evaporate when it hits the hot fudge, just stir into mixture quickly.
6. Spread fudge into prepared pan. Fudge should set in about 10 minutes.
I made this fudge twice and we really liked it! I think it is especially good with a cup of hot coffee (of course, I think anything is that much better with coffee). Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
