Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Fudge in a Bag

Christmas baking time is here! At a class I gave a few weeks ago in Billings, one of the participants mentioned that she made fudge in a bag with her kids. Not only was it a great Christmas tradition, it kept them occupied and quiet for Family Councils and Family Home Evening lessons. Since I want occupied and quiet kids at FHE, I was intrigued and looked up the recipe. It's very simple - and inexpensive!:) Here's the link http://www.food.com/recipe/Fudge-in-a-Ziploc-Bag-293041 Try it and give me some feedback. How did it work for your family?

Friday, November 19, 2010

Yummy Yams

Looking for a delicious alternative for run-of-the-mill candied yams? I found this recipe at Better Homes and Gardens, and it looked so good I had to try it. Delicious! We're having this for Thanksgiving. See the recipe at http://www.bhg.com/recipe/vegetables/florence-mamas-candied-yams/
On a personal note - I don't like candied yams. My mother always served a yummy Apples and Yams dish at Thanksgiving which is heavenly. It's my traditional yam dish as well, but I found this, and had to try it out. So this year we're having two yam dishes.:) 
I did find an online recipe for Apples and Yams here http://thanksgiving.betterrecipes.com/yams-and-apples.html It doesn't have a picture or really comprehensive instructions. To add to it - Cook the yams in salted water for 25 minutes. Peel them and slice in half-moons that are 1/2 inch thick. In greased casserole alternate yam slices (standing up) and apple (peeled) sections between the yams. Pour the sauce over and spread to cover.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

Turkeys are 29 cents a pound at Safeway! I haven't seen a better (or even close) price elsewhere.

Also, I really liked this study on the Secrets of Low-Stress Families. Check it out at http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/seven-secrets-of-low-stress-families

  Officially, cooking from scratch is a secret of low-stress families! Actually I believe it. Families that use pre-packaged foods spend just as much time in meal preparation as families that cook from scratch. That's been proven before in other studies. So if you're not saving time, isn't peeling carrots more relaxing than reading instructions and scheduling the microwave? Of course. What I don't know is - does cooking from scratch make us a low-stress family? Hmm....