Green Camping Gear That is Easy on the Earth AND Your Budget

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Chris Stevens

There are tons of ways to save the earth and save money on vacations too.

Camping with green camping gear can actually do both, but you need to know how to get good deals on your eco friendly camping gear before you can put those luxury camping supplies into a limited family vacation budget. If you like the idea of green camping products but are not sure you can afford them, here’s a list of the top discount camping gear and camping gear stores (or other retail stores that carry camping supplies) that will help you go green AND let you stretch your family camping vacation budget at the same time.

Getting Green Camping Gear at a Discount

Going Green When You’re Going Camping is Easy AND Affordable!

How to Find Affordable Green Camping Gear

1.  Look for online camping stores that offer eco friendly products and which also offer regular discounts, sales, and membership bargains, and check their specials regularly throughout the year for special purchases.

Big Agnes (https://www.bigagnes.com/) makes tents from recycled and recyclable materials and sell closeouts and demos at a special website connected to their main website.

Marmot (marmot.com) has a line called Marmot UpCycle (http://marmot.com/upcycle_products) that uses recycled, organic, and discarded material that would otherwise end up in a landfill.  While some of their products are top quality and on the expensive side, you CAN find some lesser priced items, and they have corporate sales and past year closeouts for good deals on those items you might not have been able to have afforded immediately.

Camping World has tons of green camping supplies as well as tons of sales and incentives.  Just do a search for “eco friendly” in their search box at their online camping store, and you’ll get a huge list of their green camping products as well as their price, many with internet sales prices, and make sure you check their rebates (the more you buy, the more you save), free shipping,  and additional percentage markdowns for Good Sam members (when you join their Good Sam Club, one of the best $17.00 investments you could make if you’ll be traveling in the near future).

2.  Do advance search and discover those camping supply companies that consider themselves friendly to the environment in all their manufacturing and business practices, and follow them on social network sites for advance notice of any special offers from their eco friendly products line.

Rei, one of the nation’s largest camping supply stores, is one of those conservationist companies that considers everything they do in terms of their stewardship of the earth.  Consequently, they like to pass that stewardship onto their customers.  Fortunately for you, they are also one of the companies that also pass on some of the biggest savings in terms of sales and clearance items. To see Rei’s pledge to sell camping supplies using sustainable business practices and environmentally friendly products for campers and outdoor enthusiasts, check them out at http://www.rei.com/stewardship.html.

Rei isn’t the only company selling environmentally friendly camping gear either.

Timberland uses green material and sustainable product development in their outdoor clothing line which you can find at their Timberland Factory Stores, located at various outlet malls featuring brand name factory outlet stores.

Sierra Designs has a “Green Effect Program” but also  web specials on their supplies for green camping and hiking.

Backcountry.com offers solar powered camping gear plus constant discounts on camping gear and an online outlet with Facebook specials to boot. Backcountry has tons of really fun things for ALL outdoor recreation too.  Just looking at the site makes me want to go snowboarding, hiking, and rock climbing!

3.  Solar powered showers and lanterns with rechargeable batteries are available at retail stores like Sears, Target, or Walmart, many times on sale and most of the time at at least a reasonable price.

These are smaller items, but if you want to start making a dent in your green purchases, sometimes smaller items are a great place to start.

Fortunately too, the largest discount retail stores in your community probably carry these small green products, making this kind of purchase even that much easier and cost-efficient.

4.  Many people don’t think of Amazon when they want to purchase camping gear, but Amazon has lots of cool camping gear that is eco friendly and at a great prices.  It’s kind of like a camping store with green products inside… well…. Amazon!  

Who likes the idea of a solar powered air fan cooled baseball hat?

You can even find non toxic fruit fly traps, wind up flash lights, compostable knives, natural candles, and organic mosquito foggers, all available for comparison price shopping.

Just do some searches like “eco friendly camping” or solar powered camping gear, and see your results!

5.  Used camping gear is always the perfect green camping gear because it’s already made,  needs no more material or electric to make, needs to be used, and won’t cost you as much as having to purchase new supplies.

You can find tents, backpacks, camping kitchens, and just about everything else you can think of on Ebay and Craigs List.

We even found a wonderful Coleman tent at a “Too Good to Waste Place” at our local landfill years ago.   Someone thought it was too good to throw away and placed it in the shelter provided there.  We thought it was too good to pass up, and we had some great family camping trips using that old tent which cost us absolutely nothing at all.

Does your county landfill have such a service?  If not, you should definitely suggest they start one!

6.  Ask any close but extended family members if they want to share resources, and then share the cost and the benefits.

Does your brother or sister’s family live in the area, or do you have an adult son or daughter (or parents close by if YOU’RE the adult son or daughter)?  If so, perhaps you can work something out that will work for all.

One idea might be dividing up the purchases of green camping supplies, each getting some green gear of their own, then either going camping together or making sure dates of family camping vacations don’t conflict.  This might work long term, or it might be a short term option until everyone involved purchases all their own green outdoor supplies.

This option works best with some long term group planning before you start.

Another idea might be to simply borrow the ecological camping gear one of your family member’s own already.  If your family is comfortable borrowing and sharing what they have with others, and you don’t mind sharing with them, this is a great way to decrease your own carbon footprint by using already manufactured items.

Remember, going green is more than purchasing an eco friendly product, and being green requires more than buying tons of new green products.

Green living means LIVING green, making the best choices you can to do the most you can for your world.

Sometimes that may mean some new green outdoor gear.  Sometimes that may mean you recycle something, make something yourself, or make something “do” for a while longer.

If it’s your goal to have environmentally friendly camping supplies, it can also be your choice as to the best way get to that earth friendly goal!

Happy camping!

Posted in Family Travel | Tagged camping gear, camping stores, discount camping gear, eco friendly, eco friendly camping gear, eco friendly products, environmentally friendly camping gear, environmentally friendly products, environmentally friendly products for campers, green camping, green camping gear, green camping products, green camping supplies, green outdoor gear, online camping stores, solar powered camping gear | Leave a comment

Most Suited Food for Children This Winter

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Chris Stevens

Most suited food for children this winter

A guest post by Michelle Ryan.

When winter starts setting, children start to suffer from all kinds of health problems. Well it’s not their fault. Their immune system is not as well built and healthy like us grown-ups. Many kids across the globe suffer from various ailments such as flues, dry skin, wheezing and cough, frostbites, viral fevers and many more during the winter season. Such health problems in children during winter can be prevented by the right kind of diet. There are certain food items to be consumed during winter that not only prevents health problems, but also provides the body with essential nutrients that we lack in mostly during the cold season.

See our list of healthy food for children below which are prevalent and especially beneficial for kids health during the winter months, and you’ll be ready for your child’s health and nutrition needs all year long!

Healthy Food for Children

When you offer good food for children to have during the winter months, you’re promoting good health during a time period that is very important to your child’s health needs.

The following Top 5 list of winter food items should be consumed by children during winter on regular bases to stay health and fit:

Oily fish:

Oily fishes contain an amount of 30% of oil in them. Usually during winter, vitamin D levels in the body reduce very rapidly. Oily fish consumption provides children with a good amount of vitamin D for their body. Oily fishes such as Atlantic Bluefin Tuna are a good source of vitamin D. Not only they are proven to be extremely healthy but also tasty as well. Fish like salmon can be consumed by the children too.

Apricot:

Apricot is the best fruit to be consumed during winter. Children should eat a lot of apricot as it contains vitamin A, iron and copper which prevents anemia and fever. It is also very rich in fiber and helps kids that suffer from constipation during the cold seasons. Vitamin A also improves eye health in children. Apricot prevents kids from getting gallstones in the gallbladder which could be a big threat in the future. Apricot oil nourishes the skin, preventing it from drying and cracking.

Sweet potato:

Root vegetables are very good foods to be consumed during winter. Sweet potatoes come under root vegetables. Beta carotene is one kind of sweet potato that is very rich in vitamin A and C. They also contain a remarkable amount of carbohydrates and fibers. This root vegetable keeps children warm during winter seasons and also prevents them from catching a cold. They could be consumed in a baked, boiled or in the form of soup.

Niacin Rich foods:

Food items such as liver of animals, eggs, milk, cheese, etc. contain a good amount of Niacin. Niacin rich foods improve the circulatory system and also steady the nerves. It increases the size of the capillaries which in turn increases blood and keeps a child’s legs and hands warm.

Ferrum rich foods:

Food items such as black fungus, soybeans, jujube, beef, eggs, fish, etc. are rich in ferrum. Ferrum helps in blood production and improves metabolism in children. Ferrum rich foods must be consumed by children to prevent them from health problems during winter.

 

Author bio: This article was contributed by Michelle, a writer from Manchester, UK. Apart from content writing, she does research on PPI Claims, travel, sports and health.

Posted in Health | Tagged food for children, food items, health problems in children, health problems in children during the winter, healthy food, healthy food for children, kids health, kids health during the winter months, list of healthy food, list of healthy food for children, winter food items | Leave a comment

How to Make Basil Tea From Fresh Basil

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Chris Stevens

How to Make Basil Tea From a Basil PlantSince my coffee pot was spitting water and grounds all over my counter this morning, I opted to start my day with a cup of hot basil tea from my new basil plant. Oh, that’s the best stuff, really!

If you don’t have a basil plant, you really should think about one. I got mine at Trader Joe’s for less than I would have purchased one lone package of fresh basil for a homemade tomato soup recipe I am going to be making.

When I asked the clerk at Trader Joe’s where I could find the basil, and she suggested just getting one of the basil plants there instead, I was a little intimidated.  Oh, the clerk was providing a real service to me.  She was being fantastically nice and was trying to save money on my part.  I couldn’t be more grateful than I was for such a sweet clerk there!  However, I was intimidated as to what to do with a basil plant!

Still, I figured, it must not be that hard to figure out, and besides…  I thought….  if I only get my few little leaves off the plant for my tomato basil soup before I kill the dog gone thing (by accident or neglect of course, lol), I’d still have gotten what I went there for…  my fresh basil leaves.

Figuring out what to do with that basil plant was only icing on the cake… an experiment … a new learned skill perhaps!

So I purchased the plant, and let’s not mention that I quizzed the cashier at Trader Joe’s a little bit too, OK?  All right… I just opened the door a little bit, and he gave me some good points like:

1.  They like to be watered but make sure the plant drains and the plant is above sitting water so the plant is not just bathing in water from the bottom all the time, and

2.  They like a lot of sunlight but don’t like to be TOO close to a cold winder.  His poor mom lost a basil plant via the sniffles it got by a cold window.  Poor lady.  Poor basil plant.

Oh, back to my story.

So I came home from the store that day with my basil for soup plus a basil plant I was now at least a little less afraid of.  I could do this!

Well of course, since basil is an herb (how did I even know that much????), I thought one thing I might be able to figure out was how to make a cup of basil tea.  If I could do that one thing even just one time, if I could figure out how to make basil tea from fresh basil AND have what I needed for my tomato basil soup recipe, I’d be set up big time as far as getting use of my new plant before I killed it!

What I discovered is this:

It is EASY to make basil tea from basil leaves, and this homemade herbal tea is so good, I want to make sure I take care of my basil plant for a long, long time!

Here is my basil tea recipe:

How to Make Basil Tea From a Basil Plant

Ingredients:

  • 4 – 6 large basil leaves (approximately 2 – 3 Tablespoons)
  • Cup of hot water
  • 1 tsp or so sweetener or your choice

Directions:

  1. Pinch (don’t cut, just pinch) 4 – 5 larger leaves off the basil plant.
  2. Rinse the leaves gently under water.
  3. On a chopping board, cut the stems from the leafy part and discard the stems.
  4. Chop the basil leaves up a little with a knife.
  5. Pour hot (not boiling at the time but still very hot) water over the leaves.
  6. Let it set for 4 to 5 minutes, COVERED. (Covering your brewing tea keeps your beverage hotter, plus you keep nutrients in the cup instead of letting them steam away into the room.)  I poured my hot water over my leaves in a small mason jar and covered with a mason jar lid which served the purposes of keeping the steam in AND making me feel good I was using my mason jars which I love to use whenever possible!
  7. After approximately 5 minutes, not much longer though as long-sitting basil can become bitter tasting if left too long, pour basil infused water into a cup through a sieve (Those little tea sieves, maybe they call them strainers sometimes, are great!)
  8. Sweeten if you like (I really like that new natural sweetener called Skoopz, one package was just perfect for my cup of basil tea!)

By the way, when I made my cup of hot tea, I had a little more than my cup would hold, so I poured the rest into my iced tea pitcher (made with a mixture of green and black tea bags) which was in the fridge.  Oh wow, THAT was great too!  The flavor of iced basil tea with the benefits of green tea just seems to scream the words “healthy drink beverage here!”

When you make your own herbal teas, you’re also doing a good thing for your health and your family’s health.  Since coming home with my new basil plant, I  read that basil is a very good herbal remedy for indigestion, coughs and colds, heart ailments, even arthritis, constipation, high blood pressure and sugar counts, and a great herbal remedy for the flu,  and that if you want to make basil tea for helping your body heal naturally, you could sometimes even use a few more leaves than just what you might normally for a cup of tea.

For regular basil tea though, just use the 4 – 5, maybe 6, larger leaves.  You’ll have a nice smooth cup of tea to drink, and you’ll still get the health benefits over a longer term basis.

Just to make sure that’s clear, lol, here’s the approximate amount of basil to use to make tea:

4 – 6 larger leaves from a plant

2-3 Tablespoons if you’re using fresh basil leaves off the plant

Or a little less than 1 Tablespoon of dried basil leaves

You’ll find that basil has a lot of healthy healing properties that are worth taking advantage of.  What’s more….  or should I say what I discovered and am sharing with you today, is that when you learn how to make tea from a basil plant, you’ll also find that hot basil tea is just a great hot beverage to enjoy too!

OK, I’ve been drinking a cup of basil tea as I wrote this article, and it’s gone now, sniff, sniff.  Maybe it’s time to go back and see what I need to do about that stupid coffee maker now.  Coffee…. well…  maybe not as exciting as a great herbal tea recipe, and from looking at my counter top, coffee is a lot messier too sometimes, but still…  I would still like a cup of morning coffee sometimes too.  It’s only fair.

Hey… Should I check Trader Joe’s for some kind of coffee plant next time I’m there perhaps?   I have no clue what to do with one, but who knows what the future holds!  Who knows?

Posted in Health, Recipes | Tagged amount of basil to use to make tea, basil tea, basil tea from a basil plant, basil tea recipe, healthy drink, healthy drink beverage, herbal remedy, herbal remedy for indigestion, herbal remedy for the flu, herbal tea, how to make a cup of basil tea, how to make basil tea from fresh basil, make basil tea from a basil plant, make basil tea from basil leaves, make basil tea from fresh basil, make tea, tea recipe, what to do with a basil plant | Leave a comment

Edible Gifts You Can Bake in a Jar – Great Food Gifts to Make

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Chris Stevens
Edible Gifts

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Edible food gifts are always a hit.  Whether you’re looking for some edible Christmas gifts, edible birthday gifts, or food gifts to make for any holiday or occasion, these recipes for gift giving are sure to please.

These aren’t just edible gifts to make either.  These are homemade edible gifts you have put together (easily) and baked (quickly) and given to someone to enjoy immediately (if desired) or a little later (if preferred).

Edible gifts you can bake in a jar are simply just great food gifts to make!

Want to see some people smile?

Then check out our gift giving Mason Jar recipes to bake here!

Mason Jar Apple Crisp with Oatmeal and Cinnamon

These are very quaint edible gifts from the kitchen that are a tribute of the joys of country living and the natural blessings of life.

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (probably 5 to 6 larger apples, depending on size)
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 6 pint-size mason jars
  • 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • Ground cinnamon to sprinkle on top

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Placed the sliced apples in a large bowl.
  3. Add the 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. all purpose flour, and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon.  Stir with apple slices to combine.
  4. Pour 1/4 cup water over the apple-sugar-flour-cinnamon mixture, and stir gently to combine.
  5. Spray jars with a little cooking spray.
  6. Divide apple mixture between 6 pint size mason jars, and set aside.
  7. In another large bowl, combine 1/2 cup quick oats, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. baking soda and melted butter.  Stir until mixture is crumbly.
  8. Crumble evenly over the 6 mason jars filled with the apple mixture, and sprinkle a little ground cinnamon  on top each apple crisp jar.
  9. Pour 1 cup water in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, and place mason jars filled with apple crisp mixture and topping into the pan.
  10. Bake a 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
  11. When cool, top with a mason jar lid if giving as a gift or traveling.

Makes 6 mason jar gifts.

 

Pineapple Banana Bread With Coconut in a Jar

These are nice enough to be edible Christmas gifts but are also perfect gifts for a man or woman any time of the year.   Their sturdy, compact nature also make them edible gifts to mail across country or across the sea.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 2 cups very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 6 pint size mason jars
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, add flour, white sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Stir until combined.
  3. In another large bowl, combine eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.  Beat until frothy.
  4. Add drained, crushed pineapple and mashed bananas, and stir to mix.
  5. Pour liquid-fruit mixture until the dry ingredients, and stir just until ingredients are combined.
  6. Spray the quart-sized mason jars with cooking spray, and pour pineapple banana bread batter equally between the  jars.
  7. Place jars into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, and bake uncovered for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  8. About 5 minutes before done, pull bread out long enough to sprinkle the flaked coconut equally on top of the bread jars so that it can bake on top of the bread loaves for the last five minutes.

Makes 3 large quart size or 6 pint size mason jar pineapple banana bread loaves.

Monkey Bread in a Mason Jar

Ingredients:

  • 4 pint size mason jars
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 10 refrigerated biscuits, cut into quarters

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray jars with cooking spray.
  3. In a medium to large size bowl, mix white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
  4. Cut biscuits into quarters, tossing each biscuit piece into sugar-cinnamon mixture until well coated.
  5. Put sugar-cinnamon coated biscuit pieces into the mason jars, filling to only about 3/4 of the way full to allow room for the  bread to expand.
  6. Sprinkle any remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture onto the top of the filled jars.
  7. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
  8. Allow jars time to cool completely.

Makes 4 gift jars.

 

Oreo Layered Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 10 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 (15 – 16 ounce) bag Oreo Double Stuf Sandwich Cookies (or other double stuffed chocolate cream cookies)
  • 9 pint mason jars

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl,  combine softened butter, brown sugar and white granulated sugar, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla until well combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda.
  5. Slowly add wet ingredients to flour-salt-baking soda mixture.
  6. Stir in chocolate chips until just combined.
  7. Spray jars with cooking oil spray.
  8. Using an ice cream scoop or similarly sized scoop or spoon, place some cookie dough into the bottom of each jar, using about 1/2 of the dough to cover the bottoms of the 9 jars.
  9. Then drop two double stuffed chocolate cream cookies into each jar.  (You may place them there in whole or broken, but even if broken, keep them in large pieces for the best appearance.  Complete, full cookies have the most fun and unique look.
  10. Top each cookie jar with the rest of the chocolate chip cookie dough.
  11. Place the jars on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes.
  12. Remove from oven while still on cookie sheet, then move the jars to a cooling rack to cool completely there.

Makes 9 jars.

Baking Brownies in a Mason Jar

If you don’t know how to bake brownies in a mason jar, relax!  It’s easy to do, and these favorite chocolate treats are so easy to pack and mail, you may want to send brownies in the mail all the time!  Here’s a quick overview on making and sending Mason Jar Brownies.

Any homemade or store purchased brownie mix can be baked in a mason jar for a gift.

Just make the brownies as instructed on the package (or by your recipe); butter small, wide mouth half pint mason jars, and fill those jars one quarter full with brownie mix, tapping lightly to remove any air bubbles.

When that’s done, just place the jars on a baking sheet, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Brownies are one of those best edible gifts to send in the mail to homesick college students or overseas to family, friends, missionaries, and military stationed away from home.

If you’re planning on sending some brownies to a far-away family member or friend, you can protect your gift even a little more by slightly undercooking the brownies in the oven by a couple of minutes, then boiling mason jar lids and bands in boiling hot water for 10 to 15 minutes, drying them WELL  and then immediately placing them on the brownie jars while they are still a little hot and the brownies are still a little warm.

The brownies will continue baking in the jars ever so slightly, so they will be cooked just right, and the hot lids will form a seal right on the jar, giving them a little longer “shelf” life to mail longer distances.

Who might enjoy edible gifts?

Homemade edible gifts in a mason jar are wonderful to  make, give, or send in the mail when necessary for any reason or occasion.  Because they are useful, special, and made with love, almost everyone who receives an edible gift loves what they receive too!

They make great thank you gifts, thinking of you gifts, gifts for college students or military family members far from home, even as homemade birthday gifts for Grandma or gifts for Grandpa.

They are cheap gifts and are quick and easy to make, yet they are also nice enough to be given as Christmas presents, housewarming gifts, new mom gifts, or even as corporate gifts to business partners.

They are  simple enough for kids to make, or at least help with, making these nice gifts for Dad on Father’s Day, for Mom on Mother’s Day, or a teacher at the end of the school year.

Additionally, you can personalize them with custom mason jar labels or tags, or decorate the lids with specific holiday, seasonal, patriotic,  sports, baby shower, kid friendly, hobby-oriented, funny, or other personalized fabric (even as simple as just cutting a fabric circle a couple inches larger than the rim and placing it on the lid before you screw the ring on)… or you can leave them as is for a natural, country look.

The possibilities, occasions, and recipients are endless!

With so many purposes and so many benefits, edible gifts in a jar are simply the best food gifts around!

Posted in Gifts and Gift Baskets, Recipes | Tagged best food gifts, edible birthday gifts, edible Christmas gifts, edible food gifts, edible gifts, edible gifts from the kitchen, edible gifts in a jar, edible gifts you can bake, edible gifts you can bake in a jar, food gifts, food gifts to make, gifts for grandma, gifts for grandpa, gifts in a jar, gifts to make, gifts you can bake in a jar, great food gifts, homemade birthday gifts, homemade birthday gifts for grandma, homemade edible gifts, mason jar gifts, recipes for gift giving | Leave a comment

The Best Educational Christmas Songs for Kids on YouTube

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Chris Stevens

We all love Christmas songs, but when you’re a kid, Christmas music adds a special blend of magic to the Christmas season.  After all, when Frosty the Snowman runs around the streets of town and Rudolf the Reindeer plays games with other reindeer, why wouldn’t a child believe special things can actually happen during the holiday season?

Now that you’ve got your children’s attention with kids Christmas songs, why not add some educational features that teach them real life basics along with the Christmas fun?

It’s easy to do.  One need not look any further than YouTube to get some great teaching ideas.

Let’s look at a few Christmas songs for kids YouTube has, and then take some lessons from those videos on how to incorporate teaching concepts into other music you might have on hand as well.  These are some of the best educational Christmas songs on YouTube, but they are not, by any means, the only good ones available.  There are tons of great Christmas songs for children that can be used in one way or another to help a child learn.

Christmas Songs for Kids

Six Christmas Bells Are Ringing!

Here are a couple of the best preschool Christmas songs and kindergarten Christmas songs that you can take right from YouTube’s website and sing (and move) with your children.

The Dancing Christmas Tree Song



Using movement of body parts has always been a traditional way of teaching a child body awareness and coordination, sometimes even body parts themselves (Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes).  Why not carry that teaching concept over to Christmas items in your home!

This video has the additional benefit of including the song’s simple words along with the video, a good tool for older preschoolers, kindergartners, and young elementary students just learning to read or having difficulty making the connections.

Here’s another YouTube Christmas song video that teaches counting.

Christmas Bells to Ring



By taking a traditional children’s rhyme and adapting it to items of the season, it’s easy to teach counting during the holidays!

Need a little higher counting song for Christmas?

How about counting the presents that Santa has in his backpack?

The Santa Counting Song



You could probably even find some fun children’s songs that incorporate math or counting and change the words to fit Christmas.  For instance, “One, two, Santa buckled his shoe; three four, the elf ran out the door…”

We saw a video above which added a very simple song with words to the video, making it easy for even the youngest of children to either read those simple words or at least become aware there are written words that go with words they hear.

This concept works really well with older children as well.

YouTube Christmas videos that provide words with Christmas songs children can read along with or even sing along are easy to find online and an easy activity to give to your child.  You might even want to have a sing-a-long with your kids watching the videos!

Here is one of the best of the Christian Christmas songs on YouTube that shows how easy it is to learn reading (or become a better reader) during the holidays.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing with Lyrics



Christmas songs with lyrics are one of your best teaching tools during the Christmas holidays!

Have you ever thought about teaching Social Studies, Geography, or even Anthropology through Christmas music and songs from around the world?

Whether your child is young or old, using the concept of Christmas around the world, you can find lots of YouTube videos that promote Christmas music in different cultures and in different parts of the world.

While your child may or may not learn directly from these videos, you are bringing an awareness of other places and people into your home and family, raising awareness and hopefully cultivating an interest in your child upon which you can build from using additional learning activities, games, reading, and so forth.

Here is one of the best international Christmas videos I’ve seen on YouTube which, at least for me and I believe possibly for you, will foster tons of ideas for teaching about other places and other people.  While the video was not made specifically for kids at Christmas, the lively music and fast-moving images will keep your children occupied and wondering what all the unfamiliar objects and settings are all about.

Sing Noel – African Christmas Song



Another way to encourage appreciation of other lands and culture is to watch some videos of Christmas around the world, complete with traditional Christmas songs your child is used to.

This video of Christmas in France should make anyone get at least a little excited about this beautiful country and traditions.

Noël à Metz



Have a student of foreign language in your household?  If you do, why not find some YouTube videos that have words to Christmas songs in other languages?

A high schooler, college student, or parenting adult taking foreign language might like this kind of German Christmas song sing-a-long with lyrics:

Vom Himmel Hoch



So far, we have looked at videos OTHERS have made which you can use at Christmastime to teach your children, but I’m sure you know that doing is the best learning tool around.

Why not use the season to make your own video or have your children make their own YouTube Christmas song video for Christmas?  The videos will be at different based on the different age and skill levels, personality, and interests, but every single Christmas song video your child makes will be the best Christmas song ever.

Here’s a pretty elaborate video someone made as a Christmas gift to their family.  Now I don’t know this person, so this may be the result of an adult’s work or a college student studying photography or media and digital technology, but the idea is there for any individual, adult or child alike, to take a Christmas song and put with pictures, photos, icons, or objects.

The Little Drummer Boy



And let me repeat…  you don’t need to be a computer wiz to make a Christmas song video with your child.

The Cutest 12 Days of Christmas



OK, so maybe children’s Christmas songs don’t always fit into our traditional Christmas mode, but isn’t that sweet innocence part of what makes this time of year so special!

Whatever your child’s age, music skills, or media savvy understanding, kids Christmas songs are always fun, but educational Christmas songs for kids are a fun way of learning during a special time of the year.

The good news is that these are FREE teaching resources for parents to use!

With just a little searching on YouTube, some Christmas YouTube videos with music and song, and perhaps sometimes a little additional thought to connect some other activities with the songs or videos, you can find many good Christmas songs for kids to learn and grow by and which will help your family have some cherished times together this holiday season.

Yes, Christmas songs are a fun and enjoyable part of family holidays, but when utilized as a part of a child’s everyday educational environment, even learning can become part of the magic of Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Haap—peeeeee Neeeeew Yeeeaaaaarrrrrr!

Posted in Family Holidays, Homeschooling | Tagged children s christmas songs, childrens christmas songs, christmas songs, christmas songs children, christmas songs for children, christmas songs for kids, christmas songs for kids on youtube, christmas songs for kids to learn, christmas songs for kids youtube, christmas youtube videos, christmas youtube videos with music, educational christmas songs, good christmas songs for kids, kids christmas songs | Leave a comment

Send Christmas Cards for Charity This Year and Help Someone

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Chris Stevens
Christmas Cards for Charity

Christmas Cards for Charity Make a Lot of People Happy!
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Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Fewer people send Christmas cards than ever before, but the wish to make someone’s holiday season a little more special is still very much alive.

While the red kettles of the Salvation Army and the packed shoe boxes of Samaritan’s Purse are still great ways to make someone feel a little more special during the holidays, why not also consider sending Christmas cards benefiting charity during the holidays too?

Charity Christmas cards provide the card’s recipient all the fun and joy of traditional cards sent in the mail but also provide you the opportunity to donate, to reach out to others in a way a simple card from the store can not provide.   They also let the world (or someone in particular) know you support them, care for them, and will help them with their battle or cause!

The heart is willing.  The time is right.  Now you also have the tool to use to make a difference in so many ways.

Help someone this year by sending Christmas cards charity organizations can benefit from!

Where can you get Christmas cards for charity?

Probably the best place to find Christmas charity cards is online.  Here’s an example of how one charitable organization provides this service product.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation has four ways to get and send Christmas greeting cards and Winter Holiday certificates, personalized if desired, and either mailed by them or to you for your own handling at home, or emailed online if preferred.

The four ways you can order through this charity organization is:

  1. When you make an online donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, you can download free printable Christmas flyers (certificates) you can print right at home and mail out
  2. You can also order Christmas cards online, and the Make-A-Wish group will personalize the cards for you and mail them as well.  You can also order cards online and request blank cards be mailed to your home address after which you and the kids can write your own personal notes to your family and friends or include a family letter which can then be mailed directly by you.  (If you are ordering cards online and mailing them, the Foundation recommends you place your order by December 19 to better ensure delivery by Christmas!)
  3. If you think sending online charity Christmas cards would work best for you or your Christmas card recipient(s), Make-A-Wish will send email Christmas cards to one or multiple recipients on your behalf.  If you’re a business, they can also add your business logo.  Charity Christmas e cards are such an easy way to remember others while donating to a special cause to help others!
  4. A fourth way to get your holiday message to others this year may be an “In Memory Of” holiday certificate or “In Honor Of” Merry Christmas card, reflecting the memory of or a tribute to someone special from your life while donating to your charity.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is only one charity organization that sells charity Christmas cards.

If you have a loved one battling cancer, cancer charity Christmas cards might be just right for you to send.  A family who lost a family dog this past year might find peace sending dog charity Christmas cards.  Even if your family is facing difficult economic times and financial difficulties, you can help others by donating used Christmas cards for charity.

After all, in times such as these, the more we can help each other, the more we have done to make life a little better for everyone.

Below are some places you can find Christmas cards for charity organizations and causes.  However, please remember this is only a partial list from all the wonderful service organizations and noble causes out there and is meant only to give you an idea of just how many ways you can help others this Christmas holiday season.

To find out more about the Make A Wish Charity Christmas card program, go to:  http://www.wish.org/help/donate/cards_and_certs/winter_holiday

The American Cancer Society has Christmas cards here:  http://www.acsholidaycollection.org/index.jsp

The American Humane Society has very cute dog, cat, and other animal charity Christmas cards that benefit orphaned pets here:  http://www.acsholidaycollection.org/index.jsp

Learn more about the St. Jude’s Ranch for Children “Recycled Card Program”, where you can donate used cards all year long, here:  http://www.stjudesranch.org/shop/recycled-card-program/

The American Diabetes Association has personalized and photo Christmas cards which benefit their Diabetes research here:  http://www.diabetes.org/donate/promotions-that-give-back/gift-of-hope-charity-holiday-greeting-cards.html

Doctors Without Borders offers charity holiday cards here:  http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/holidaycards/

If you have any good charity or cause which sells or provides Charity Christmas cards for a donation, please let us know by posting that info in the comments section below because if it is important to you, it may very well be important to someone else as well.

In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.  Matthew 5: 16

“A Merry Christmas to all; God bless us , every one” – Tiny Tim

Posted in Family Holidays | Tagged charity christmas cards, charity christmas cards online, charity christmas e cards, christmas cards, christmas cards benefiting charity, christmas cards charity, christmas cards charity organizations, christmas cards for charity, christmas e cards, email christmas cards, help others this christmas, online charity christmas cards | Leave a comment

M&M Cookie Bars – A Cookie Bar Recipe for the Holidays

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Chris Stevens
M&M Cookie Bars

Free images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

M&M Cookie Bars are great for any holiday.  The colorful array of M&Ms these days are perfect for Christmas, Easter, or just about any day of the year.

I used the mini red and green candy pieces for the M & M cookie bars  I made yesterday… just to make sure the Christmas holiday spirit would shine through this M&M cookie bars recipe, and sure enough, I was just about ready to sing Deck the Halls!

Depending on what day you want to make these cookies, you can use pretty pastel candy pieces for baby showers or Easter; red, white, and blue ones for the 4th of July or Memorial Day picnics; or pick a favorite color and decorate this cookie bar recipe for a friend’s birthday, graduation, or retirement.

You might even want to get some pink M and Ms during breast cancer awareness month!

These make very nice gift cookies, Christmas exchange cookies, bake sale cookies, and college exam cookies too, by the way, regardless of the color.

Even the regular, traditional candy colors are enough to brighten any one’s day and make any day a special occasion.

The stores in your community generally carry special colors for all the big holidays, but did you know you can also order custom color M&Ms online too?  Here are a couple of websites you can look to see what special colors or color schemes you can get:

http://www.mymms.com/colorsonly/

http://www.sweetbe.com/candystore/catalog/Custom-Color-MMs-orderby0-p-1-c-259.html

But even though these cookies are cute and festive and fun, when it all came down to it, I was most happy with how easy it was to make these cookie bars.

One of the things that made this recipe particularly easy was using refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough.  You simply need one 18 ounce package of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough to make a base.  If you were making plain Tollhouse Cookie Bars, you might need two packages for a 9 x 13 baking pan, but for these, one is just fine as a base for the toppings.

Can you imagine what comes next?  This was so much fun!

I simply baked the cookie base for a few minutes then dropped some marshmallow creme and creamy peanut butter onto the top of the cookie base while it was still hot!

Here’s what it looked like right then.

M & M Cookie Bars

But if you’re doing this, don’t spread those creamy scoops over the cookie base just yet!

Another minute in the oven, and the marshmallow and peanut butter are both soft enough to spread over the chocolate cookie base.

The last part came easy too with the addition of the corn cereal and candy pieces.

M&M Cookie Bars for Christmas

The addition of toasted corn cereal in this recipe seemed a little weird to me at first, but when one bite was taken, there were no more doubts.  The flavor and texture of the cereal pieces with the candy in the peanut butter fluff marshmallow frosting made it a perfect adornment.

With the green and red candy pieces, the toasted corn reminded me of that yummy pretzel, nuts, and cereal mix my Aunt Glenda used to make at Christmas, making me think this was the perfect Christmas cookie recipe.  However, I’m sure those crunchy bites would have a different appeal with a different color of M&Ms.

I was actually kind of thinking that cereal might remind me of little birdies at Easter.  Maybe hay in the summer…  oh never mind, that’s too weird!  But yea….  :)

Anyway, my M&M Christmas cookie bars were complete.. well, except for cooling and letting the toppings settle into the fluff and butter frosting before cutting.

And here is what I had when done:

Christmas Cookies With M&Ms

One half of cookies from my Christmas cookies recipe shown here

I love my Christmas cookies with M&Ms, and apparently the rest of my family loves this Christmas cookie recipe too because all of these cookie bars were gone that day and the rest seemed to disappear pretty quickly thereafter!

Oh no!  I just realized all my M and M cookie bars for Christmas are gone, and the holiday season has yet to begin!

Oh well, I’ll just have to make some more.

Here’s the recipe.

M&M Cookie Bars Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 package (18 ounce) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
  • 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 cups toasted corn cereal
  • 1/2 cup miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease or spray a 9 x 13 baking pan.
  3. Open dough and remove from plastic packaging, and place in baking pan.
  4. Press dough evenly over the entire bottom of the pan.  (I needed to put a little flour on my fingertips to keep the dough from sticking to my fingers).  Yes, you will have enough to cover it all!
  5. Bake the cookie dough base in the 350 degree oven for 12 – 13 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven, and immediately drop marshmallow creme and peanut butter over the hot cookie base.  Just drop!  Don’t try to spread it yet!
  7. Put the pan back into the 350 degree oven for 1 more minute, then remove and spread the peanut butter marshmallow mixture over the entire cookie base.
  8. Sprinkle the cereal and the chocolate candy pieces over the fluff n butter spread, and RETURN to the oven one more time.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 more minutes.
  10. Remove from oven, and cool completely on a wire rack.
  11. Let cool completely before cutting.

Makes 3 dozen 2 inch bars.

So long as we have M&M candy or any candy coated chocolate pieces at all for that matter, we’ll be enjoying M&M cookie bars!  (Come to think of it… I’m so glad I didn’t make these cookies with Hostess Twinkies.)

I can hardly wait now to make some M&M Easter cookies!  Let’s see Valentine’s Day Cookies with red M&Ms might work too.  Yes, that will do.

Posted in Family Holidays, Recipes | Tagged christmas cookie bars, christmas cookie recipe, christmas cookies, christmas cookies with m&ms, cookie bar recipe, cookie bars recipe, m & m cookie bars, m and m cookie bars, m&m christmas cookie bars, m&m cookie bars, m&m cookie bars recipe, tollhouse cookie bars | Leave a comment

Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes for Kids and Fun Loving Adults

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Chris Stevens
Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Isn’t the Christmas season more fun with kids around, but if you do have some precious little joys running around or even just visiting from out of town during the holidays, you may want to find some good Christmas cookie recipes kids love.

These easy Christmas cookie recipes have the color and tastes that appeal to kids while adding a little flair for the Christmas holiday season.  And for those grown ups who still enjoy the sweet and simple things in life, these cookie recipes are for them  (you) as well.

After all, the tradition of Christmas cookies never grows old, so why should a person’s taste buds?

These easy Christmas cookie recipes for kids should probably work for just about everyone in the family who enjoys Christmas and a good Christmas cookie to go with it!

Mini Chocolate Chips Snowball Cookies

Christmas Cookies for Kids

What cute Christmas cookies, and they are so simple to make too!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
  • 1 2/3 cup mini sized (preferred) or regular white chocolate chips
  • 3 Tbsp. red and green decorative candy sprinkles (like the kind you purchase from the cake decorating section)
  • Additional powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside for use.
  3. In a large bowl, combine butter, the 3/4 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.  Beat with a mixer on low to medium speed until batter is smooth and creamy.
  4. Add flour and ground pecans (or walnuts) by hand, and mix until well combined.
  5. Then add the white chocolate chips and red and green sprinkles to the batter, and stir gently to mix throughout.
  6. Shape batter into 1 inch balls, and place on prepared cookie sheet.
  7. Bake approximately 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees until the outside is VERY lightly browned.
  8. Remove from oven, and let cookies the cookies sit on the sheet for 1 to 2 minutes.  Then dust with powdered sugar.
  9. Remove from sheet and let the cookies cool completely.

Note:  The powdered sugar dusting after a couple minutes cooling should be plenty for your cookies, but if you desire a lighter, fresh snow kind of look, you can also sprinkle a tiny bit more powdered sugar on top of the cookies when they are completely cooled.

Holiday Red Raspberry Streusel Bars

Christmas cookie bars are quick and easy to make since you only need to bake one batch, and you’re done with all the baking!  Then, when you find an cute and quick holiday cookie recipe that has healthy ingredients like oatmeal and whole wheat flour too, your kids can have it all.   Easy.  Quick.  Cute.  Healthy.  Happy Holidays!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup uncooked quick oats
  • 1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 7 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled a little
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. milk
  • 1 cup raspberry all fruit spread
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut flakes
  • 1/4 cup ground walnuts
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Ingredients For Streusel Icing:

  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/8 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray 8 inch square pan with cooking spray, and set aside for use.
  3. In a large bowl, mix oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt until well mixed.
  4. Add melted butter and milk, and mix until mixture is combined and crumbly.
  5. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture in a separate small to medium sized mixing bowl.
  6. Press the rest of the crumble mixture into the bottom of an prepared 8 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.
  7. Spread the raspberry all fruit spread over the partially baked cookie bars, stopping about 1/4 inch from the edges, and set aside for the moment.
  8. AIn the small to medium mixing bowl you set aside, add the coconut flakes, ground walnuts, and white chocolate chips to the reserved crumble mixture that was not baked.
  9. Sprinkle crumble mixture over raspberry fruit spread.
  10. Return to oven and bake for about 25- 30 more minutes.
  11. While streusel bars are baking, mix 3/4 cup milk, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract in a small bowl, and set aside for use as a drizzle.
  12. When cookies are done baking, remove them from oven.
  13. Let the cookies set for about 10 – 15 minutes, then drizzle icing on top.
  14. Continue cooling in the baking pan until the cookie bars are completely cool, then cut into squares.

Makes 16 servings.

Holly Cookies – Rice Crispy Treats for Christmas

Half cookie maybe, but this Christmas treat is cookie enough to make it on the list of favorite kids Christmas cookies!

With their dark green holly leaves that taste like Holiday Rice Crispy Treats and the little red candy berries on top, perfect for little fingers to pull off first, these are simply cute cookies that are also fun to eat.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 30 large marshmallows
  • 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 tsp. green food coloring
  • 3 1/2 cup corn flakes
  • Red Hots cinnamon candy

Directions:

  1. Either grease a baking sheet or spray waxed paper with cooking spray, and set aside for use.
  2. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter and marshmallows.
  3. Add vanilla extract and green food coloring.
  4. Add corn flakes quickly, stirring to mix all ingredients and cover corn flakes.
  5. Then QUICKLY drop mixture by teaspoons onto the greased baking sheet or prepared wax paper.  Do not mash down!  You want the textured leaves of a holly bush!  You’ll also need to complete this step ASAP as this mixture doesn’t take long at all to set, thus stopping your work in its tracks.
  6. Quickly, before holly cookies set, add 3 Red Hots cinnamon candies on top center of each cookie.  Press ever so gently to place cinnamon candies firmly in place, but don’t push down in a way that would small the leaves.  Don’t worry…  as long as the candy pieces have come in contact with the corn flake-marshmallow mixture, they’ll stay there.
  7. Let the cookies sit for a while until they are firmly set.

Makes approximately 24 cookies.

 

How to Decorate a Sugar Cookie to Make it Look Like Santa Clause

I saw this at Six Sisters Stuff blog (aren’t they amazing gals) and thought I would share it with you.  Actually, I used to do this myself but had forgotten how.  Thanks Six Sisters for reminding me of a very special activity I used to do with my kids!

If you’re baking cookies with the kids and want a quick activity for them to do, here’s an idea:  Bake and decorate refrigerated sugar cookies (or make your own round sugar cookies) and let the children decorate them in the likes of Santa!  It’s easy to do.  Here’s how.

Bake round sugar cookies according to directions on package.

Top with some white icing, your own or from the store.

Then place a small bowl right over the bottom two thirds of the cookie, and sprinkle the top of the cookie with the red sugar crystals.

Next, sprinkle white coconut flakes on the bottom third of the cookie, coming up to the red sugar hat on one side and almost up to the hat on the other side.

In the bare space between the red sugar hat and the coconut flake beard, place a miniature marshmallow at the tip of the red to serve as the ball of Santa’s hat.

Finally, add two chocolate chips for Santa’s eyes and a Red Hot cinnamon for his nose.

Hey Mr. Santa Clause Cookie, you look good enough to eat!

Kids Christmas Cookies

Get the above Six Sister’s Santa sugar cookies recipe and their recipe for sugar cookie icing at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/12/santa-sugar-cookies.html

There are some really great recipes for Christmas cookies that are easy to make and fun to do.  If you have any good Christmas cookie recipes for kids you would like to share, please feel free to do so!   One can never seem to get enough sweets at Christmastime!

Posted in Family Holidays, Recipes | Tagged christmas cookie recipes, christmas cookie recipes for kids, christmas cookie recipes kids love, christmas cookies, cookie recipes, cookie recipes kids love, cute christmas cookies, easy christmas cookie recipes, easy christmas cookie recipes for kids, kids christmas cookies | Leave a comment

Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes for the Man in Your Life

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Chris Stevens
Christmas Cookie Recipes

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In addition to celebrating Christ’s birth, Christmas is the time for love, family and….  cookies, and cooks all over the country, the world even, seek out those Christmas cookie recipes that brighten the holiday spirit, show their love for others, and make the Christmas season more memorable for all.

This year, along with all the cute Christmas cookies for kids and Christmas cookie recipes for a cookie exchange, why not make some cookies that specifically appeal to the man in your life!

Now we know fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, and boyfriends are generally agreeable family members that usually love ANYTHING made just for them.  However, we think these easy Christmas cookie recipes with bold Christmas flavors and a unique holiday appeal will be just the thing to add to your holiday baking plans this year anyway.  They are simple recipes that don’t take a lot of effort or thought (easy if your cooking with kids), yet they aren’t your normal, every day kind of holiday cookie.

These “men’s favorite Christmas cookie recipes” are distinctly his kind of cookie.  After all, you’ve got a keeper there… isn’t it nice to show him he is special enough to get his own batch of homemade Christmas cookies?

Fudgy Fruitcake Drops

We MUST give fruitcake to Dad every year!  Who else will love us no matter what!  The good news is that these fruitcake cookies are actually one of the best Christmas cookie recipes you can find to eat.  With a little chocolate and an interesting combination of walnuts, raisins, and grape jelly, this isn’t just a recipe to make Christmas cookies for Dad, it is a Christmas cookie recipe for kids, for gift giving (and they won’t get thrown away like fruitcake), for holiday guests, and  for Christmas parties too!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup grape jelly
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups chopped walnuts
  • 1 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
  • Powdered sugar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder; set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.
  4. Add granulated sugar, and best until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
  5. Beat in egg, graped jelly, and vanilla.
  6. Beat in flour mixture.
  7. Stir in nuts, rasins, and chocolate pieces by hand.
  8. Spray a baking pan with cookie spray, and drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart.
  9. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or just until set.
  10. When you take them out of the oven, let them set for about 1 minutes before transferring them to a rack to let cool.
  11. When cooled, sift or sprinkle some powdered sugar over the cookies.

Makes about 48 cookies.

Eggnog Thumbprints

These eggnog cookies with rum butter icing used as a thumbprint filling is sure to capture the holiday spirit for your hubby.  While you fortunately don’t need real rum for this unique Christmas cookie recipe, the old fashioned taste will make Dad think he’s sitting by the fireplace inside a quaint Victorian home.

Ingredients:

For cookies:

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 slightly beaten egg whites
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts
  • Nutmeg to sprinkle (when cookies are done and filled with icing)

 

For the Rum Icing Filling:

  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. rum extract
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp. milk

Directions:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for about 30 seconds.
  2. Add sugar and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, and beat until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
  3. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.
  4. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer; then stir in any remaining flour by hand.
  5. Cover and chill for at least one hour or overnight.  This makes the dough easier to roll in handle.
When ready to complete your batch of eggnog cookies: 
  1. Make the rum icing filling by mixing the 1/4 cup butter with the 1 cup powdered sugar, the 1/4 tsp. rum extract, and 1 to 2 teaspoons milk, to right consistency to fill cookies, mixing with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.  Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Then spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
  3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Roll balls in egg whites, then in the chopped walnuts to coat.
  4. Place balls on the cookie sheet about 1 inch apart, and press your thumb into the center of each ball to make an indention.  (Can you tell this is a great Christmas cookie recipe for kids to make?)  :)
  5. Bake in the 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
  6. When done baking, let cookies set a minute on the sheet, then transfer to cool.
  7. When cookies are completely cool, pipe or spoon the rum butter icing into the indention of each cookies.
  8. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Makes about 40 cookies.

 

Peanut Brittle Cookies

These are more like soft oatmeal cookies with peanut brittle baked in.  With peanut brittle as an ingredient, they are on the men’s favorite cookie list  for Christmas, but they’re so good, you might even want to keep this peanut brittle recipe around for National Peanut Brittle Day on January 26 too!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups quick cooking rolled oats
  • 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup crushed peanut brittle

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Line two cookie sheets with aluminium foil, and grease the foil.  Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
  4. Add brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Beat until combined.
  5. Beat in egg and vanilla.
  6. Beat as much of the flour as possible with the mixer, then add remaining flour by hand, stirring as you go.
  7. Then stir in rolled oats, chopped chocolate, and 1/2 cup of the crushed peanut brittle.
  8. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheet.  Flatten each mound slightly.
  9. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes.
  10. Remove cookie sheet from oven, and sprinkle each cookie with the remaining crushed peanut brittle, carefully pressing in slightly again.
  11. Bake for about 4 to 5 more minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
  12. Remove from oven; cool for about 2 minutes, then remove from sheet to cool completely.

Makes about 24 cookies.

These are only some of the best Christmas cookie recipes awaiting your family’s holiday season.  Feel free to look through our site for other great holiday treats that are sure to please each one of those people you care greatly for and for whom you wish to spread good cheer, good wishes, and the good news that they are loved.

And throughout this holiday season, don’t forget to share the most important love of all with someone…

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3: 16

Here’s to a very merry Christmas for all!

Posted in Family Holidays, Recipes | Tagged best christmas cookie recipes, christmas cookie recipe for kids to make, christmas cookie recipes, christmas cookies, cookie recipes, cookie recipes for christmas, easy christmas cookie recipes, eggnog cookies, eggnog cookies with rum butter icing, favorite christmas cookie recipes, favorite cookie recipes, favorite cookie recipes for christmas, fruitcake, fruitcake cookies, peanut brittle, peanut brittle cookies, peanut brittle recipe, unique Christmas cookie recipe | Leave a comment

How to Make Deep Fried Twinkies at Home

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Chris Stevens

Deep Fried TwinkiesMany people love the deep fried Twinkies they can get at some of the state fairs and festivals across the country, but few know how to make deep fried Twinkies themselves.

The good news is that it is easy to make them, and you don’t even need actual Hostess Twinkies to do that.  You just need some homemade Twinkies or Twinkie cupcakes (got you covered there, just look through our site for recipes to do that) or you can use those smiling Little Debbie Cloud Cakes.   (Oh yea, they are smiling now that Hostess isn’t a competition for them anymore, but let’s not blame that on them.)

You can even use specialty cream filled sponge cakes from any snack company.

Who cares at this point when you are talking about a deep fried Twinkie!

This deep fried Twinkies recipe isn’t hard, but you will need to start in advance because your snack cakes will need to be in a frozen state when you dip them in batter to deep fry.  Other than that early step, or making your own homemade Twinkies or Twinkie cupcakes if you want the homemade ones, it’s not hard to make them.

Ready?

Hey kids, we’ve got fried Twinkies here!

Deep Fried Twinkies

Ingredients for the Twinkies component:

  • 6 Twinkies, Little Debbie Cloud Cakes, homemade cream filled sponge cakes, or specialty cream filled cakes (Use this recipe for Hostess Twinkies or Twinkie Cupcakes for a real homemade treat!)
  • 6 Popsicle sticks
  • 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
  • Flour for dusting (before dipping in batter)
  • Powdered sugar for dusting (after deep fried and cooled)

For the batter component:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 Tbsp. malt vinegar, preferred (or apple cider vinegar which works well too)
  • 1 Tbsp. oil (separate from frying oil)
  • 1 cup flour (separate from dusting flour)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

  1. Freeze Twinkies for a few hours or overnight.
  2. When ready to prepare, heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep frying to about 375 degrees.  While this works best in a deep fryer, if you don’t have one, you can deep fry in a large skillet.  Be prepared to use a little extra oil depending on the depth of you skillet.
  3. While your oil is heating, mix milk, vinegar, and your tablespoon of oil in a small to medium sized mixing bowl.
  4. In a large bowl, blend flour, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients in the large bowl, and whisk until the batter if frothy.  Whisking a batter for deep fried Twinkies will give you that airy consistency that melts in your mouth.
  6. Set your batter to the side; take frozen cakes out of the freezer, and push the sticks into each individual Twinkie lengthwise, leaving about 2 inches to use for a handle.
  7. Dust each cake piece flour, then dip each one into the batter, rotating until the batter covers the entire piece.
  8. Place individual cakes into the hot oil.  You’ll notice the Twinkies will float while frying, so you’ll need to hold it under the top of the oil with a utensil to ensure even browning.  Continue deep frying until your deep fried Twinkie is golden brown, about 3 – 4 minutes each.
  9. Remove, and place on a paper towel to drain.
  10. Let cool for at least 5 minutes; then sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

You can also sprinkle powdered sugar and then some chocolate sprinkles, candy sprinkles, or a little colored sugar on your fried Twinkie.  Many enjoy them with fruit preserves or maple syrup spread on top as well.

Won’t it be fun to enjoy some of these deep fried Twinkies with you family at home instead of waiting until the next fair comes to town?  Well, having some family fun at the fair sounds kind of nice too.

Posted in Recipes | Tagged batter for deep fried twinkies, deep fried twinkie, deep fried twinkies, deep fried twinkies recipe, fried twinkies, fried twinkies recipe, homemade twinkies, how to make deep fried twinkies, recipe, recipes, twinkie, twinkies | Leave a comment