Holiday Ideas to Warm Your Heart and Home
Email your holiday ideas to csheets1@aol.com and we will post them on line for all to enjoy!
Easy Crafts - Favorite Recipies - Family Traditions
Party/Hospitality - Decorating - Budget Gifts
Frozen Strawberry Yogurt Pie by Dr. Linda Hardin
For pie crust combine:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup melted butter
Press mixture into 9 x 13 pan or two 8" pie pans. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally for uniform baking ... cool.
Strawberry filling ... combine:
16 ounces vanilla yogurt
8 ounces Cool Whip
10-16 ounce can frozen, sliced strawberries—thawed
Mix together and pour over cooled crust.
Freeze 4 hours.
Taco Pie by Dr. Linda Hardin
1 pound ground beef, browned and seasoned with taco packet
1 deep dish pie shell
Doritos
In separate bowl, combine:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
A dash of chili powder
Shredded cheese
In a deep dish pie shell, crumble Doritos to form a thin layer of chips over the pie crust. Spoon in prepared taco meat.
Combine ½ cup sour cream and ½ cup Ranch dressing. Add chili powder to taste. Pour over taco meat. Cover with shredded cheese. Crumble Doritos on top. Bake 30 minutes at 350*.
Recipe - Nate's Taco Soup
1 lb. ground beef - browned (Substitute ground turkey for low fat recipe)
1 ranch seasoning packet
1 taco seasoning packet
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 can original rotel
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can diced green chili's
1 can green beans - undrained
1 can corn - undrained
Combine all ingredients and simmer on low heat until bubbly.
Serve with shredded cheese and corn chips.
Recipe - Caramel Layered Chocolate Squares - Kari Burns
1 bag Kraft caramels
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 box German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350*
Grease & flour 9" X 13" pan
In sauce pan, over medium heat, stir caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk until caramels are melted. Set aside.
In mixing bowl combine:
Cake mix, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, 3/4 cup butter and nuts. Stir by hand until dough holds together.
Press half of the dough mixture into prepared pan. Reserve other half for topping.
Bake for 6 minutes at 350*
Sprinkle chocolate chips over top of baked mix
Spread caramel mixture over layer of chocolate chips
Crumble remaining dough over top and bake for 15-18 minutes.
Let cool slightly. Refrigerate 30 minutes then cut into squares.
Keep stored in a cool place.
Family Tradition - Carol Zurcher
For about 12 years I have been making family calendars for the coming year. I have done Scrapbooking pages of family photos, some current, some old and had them printed at a local printers. A few years ago my oldest daughter, Kay, started helping me and we have done six pages each and given them to the family. This year we heard about ttp://www.facebook.com/l/51851;Shutterfly.com on the internet so so decided to go that route and are very happy with the outcome. They are something that each family can keep for years to come."
Recipe - "Christmas Crunch" - Cheryl Roland
2 cups Peanut M & Ms (1 lb)
2 cups Salted mixed nuts
5 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
5 cups Rice Chex
5 cups Pretzels
2 pkg White chocolate chips
3 T Crisco oil
Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl.
In separate bowl stir together white chocolate chips and vegetable oil.
Melt in microwave 1 1/2 minutes on low power (7 on my oven).
Stir and cook another 45 seconds on low power.
Mixture should be melted and easy to pour but not bubbling.
Pour melted chocolate over dry mixture and stir carefully.
Spread on two large cookie sheets and let set one hour or until dry to touch.
Break into bite sized pieces and fill party bags. (I wear gloves :)
You can find the clear bags in the party aisle at Wal Mart.
This recipe fills 7 bags about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Just tie with a pretty bow and ENJOY!
Family Tradition – The Elf - Connie Sheets
Over 35 years ago my parents, Jim and Jewel Norris, hung a small 4” red and green bendable elf on our family Christmas tree for all of us kids to enjoy. We hung this ornament on our tree every year, but with time the elf became worn and it eventually lost it’s arm. I thought that the elf was gone, until several years later, after I was married, my Mom gave me a box of Christmas decorations and in the box I found the elf. It was so ugly, red and green hard plastic, with a missing arm that I feared if hung on my tree, it would mess it up. So, when Christmas came around and all my decorations were hung on the tree, I tucked the elf in the branches so that it would be hidden and not noticeable.
One day, during the Christmas Season, I was home with our three small children, and like most kids, they were bored and needed something to do. Since I had nothing planned, I asked Tim, Christy, and Shelly to find the elf in the tree. I told the kids the elf was hiding in the tree, and for them to see who could find it first. It was so much fun watching the kids look through the branches for the elf, that the next year, I hid the elf again, and again the next year, and again each year.
Today, it’s been over 20 years, the tradition of hiding and finding the elf continues. Even though the head comes off the one-armed, plastic, bendable, red and green ugly elf, it is still fun hiding it in the Christmas Tree. Larry and I still enjoy watching our big kids, Tim, Christy, Shelly, their spouses, and my grandkids find the ugly elf on our family tree.
Recipe - Medley Casserole - Sheila Jetmore
1pkg California Blend Vegetables. Microwave as directed on bag. Place in baking dish. Top with 8oz of velveeta cheese. Mix 1 stick butter with 1 sleeve of fine crushed ritz crackers and sprinkle on top. Bake 20 min. at 350.
Recipe - Pine Needle Tea - Renae Slonecker
Found on line at www. ehow.com
This is a simple herbal recipe from the 19th century that is said to remedy many common illnesses. The needles of the white pine are very high in Vitamin C (more than 6 lemons!)
Step 1 Select your pine needles by picking the newest green ones from the tree. These would be the ones nearest the end of each branch, and slightly lighter green than the rest of the needles.
Step 2 Finely chop them until you have about 1/2 cup.
Step 3 Add your needles to the boiling water and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the volume of water has reduced by about 1/3.
Step 4 Allow it to steep for anywhere from 20 minutes to overnight, depending on how strong you like your tea. The result will be a reddish colored tea with a mild taste. Store in the refrigerator.
Recipe - Crockpot Corn-Potato Chowder - Susan Downs
1 package of Knorr's Leek Soup Mix
1 can of creamed corn
1 package of frozen corn
2 cans of diced potatoes (don't drain the liquid. add to soup.)
1 can of evaporated milk
1/2 a stick of real butter (or less if you're worried about cholesterol.)
Sprinkle in seasoned salt to taste, plus a hearty dash of pepper. Add milk to preferred soup consistency.
Add cubed cooked chicken if desired. I usually add two cooked chicken breasts. Cook in crockpot or on stove, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.
Recipe - Cara C. Putman
Here's an effortless recipe for CROCKPOT VEGETABLE SOUP that is yummy:
1 bottle v8
1 lb browned, seasoned hamburger
1 bag frozen veggie soup vegetables.
Barley if like -- prepare according to package instructions. Mix and throw in a Crockpot. That's it. Add fresh bread and salad and you've got a great meal.
Recipe - From Stephanie Whitson who got it from Nancy Moser who got it from Mrs. Bright.
Crockpot Mrs. Bright's Taco Soup
2 large cans tomatoes
1 can white beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can red beans
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg ranch dressing seasoning
1/2 bag frozen corn.
Puree tomatoes with liquid and spices. Put in crockpot or soup pot. Add beans (drained) and corn.
Recipe - Crockpot Italian Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken - Susan Downs
1 pkg of 4 chicken breasts
1 jar of julienne cut sun-dried tomatos
1 package of pre-sliced, fresh mushrooms
1 can of pre-sliced black olives
Basil
Spray crockpot with Pam. Lay the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crockpot. Add the sun-dried tomatos, mushrooms and black olives on top. Sprinkle with basil. Cook for 8 hours on low. (If you use the thin-sliced chicken breasts, such as what is used for scallopini, you only have to cook it for 3-4 hours). That's it! No fattening or difficult sauces to make. Serving suggestion: pair it with a side of spaghetti (or spaghetti squash) topped with marinara and frozen or homemade garlic bread.
Recipe - Rebecca Dimarino's Taco Salad
Brown a pound of lean ground beef and add a packet of taco seasoning mix, simmer 10 minutes (sometimes I sauté onions and green peppers in the pan before adding the ground beef - it depends on how rushed I am) While meat is simmering, put salad greens in large salad bowl. Add chopped tomato, avocado, 1 small can sliced black olives, grated cheddar cheese. Sometimes I add a cup of black or kidney beans. Stir together nonfat sour cream, bottled salsa and a few sprinkles of hot sauce,to taste. Add to salad and toss. Top with meat, sprinkle additional cheese and salsa, if desired. Ta Da: dinner in a bowl! Yummy!
Recipe - Crockpot Pork Tenderloin - Susan Downs
Get a pork tenderloin (my grocery store sells them buy one/get one free all the time so I stock up) and put it in your crockpot. Pour your favorite barbecue sauce over top and cook all day. Just before eating, shred with two forks and serve on buns. We are having that tomorrow night with tater tots and corn. The kids love it!
Recipe - Crockpot Chicken - Susan Downs
Another idea, lay chicken breasts in your crockpot and pour bottled gravy over top-- I use the Campbells' kind. I usually use 2.5 pounds of chicken and about 3 cans of gravy. Cook all day and then chunk up just before serving. Serve over Minute Rice for easy chicken and rice with a green veggie on the side.
Recipe - LEFSA FOR THE HOLIDAYS - Patsy Burelison Nelson
6 C. flour--1/2 cube butter or oleo--2 C. boiling water. Mix well. will be rather stiff. [ Add salt to flour] Roll in balls about the size of a walnut, then roll as thin as possible. place in a hot skillet and cook on both sides a few minutes until brown spots appear, turn and repeat. Remove to platter and repeat with another ball. These will be very dry and can break so handle carefully. They will keep for several days if thouroughly dry. Place in a cool room, the Norskis placed on a towel or tablecloth in the center of a bed until ready to eat. When ready, hold under the faucet and get completely wet. Pat dry with a paper towel, spread butter, sprinkle sugar over it. You can roll, cut and fold, lay on a platter, cover with a damp towel or saran wrap until ready to eat.
Decoration Ideas - Amy Tescher
Table decoration: Take any clear glass container: Ball Jar, glass cylinders, the plainer the better. Fill them 1/2 way with water add fresh cranberries and a floating white candle. Raffia tied around them also adds the country touch.
Tree decoration: I use a recipe for hard rock candy, making several different colors. Pour it out onto a marble slab. It makes a perfect circle. Before it hardens I add a sucker stick. When completely cooled I cover them with celo bag and tie them with a christmas ribbon. Using a florist wire I wire each sucker to a branch of my tree making sure a light bulb from the tree is positioned behind each one. They add lots of color and sparkle to my tree.
Homemade gifts are the best: Last year I gave each of my co-workers a christmas card with an invitation to a home cooked dinner in my home for their family. Be careful, it's now November and I still have two co-worker families to get done. Six down...two to go!
Family Tradition - Julie Townsend
"Ever since I can remember, setting up our family's Christmas Nativity Scene while reading the story of Jesus' birth has been our family tradition. My sister and I would take turns reading the story and putting the shephards, wise men, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the stable. I always thought that this was a common occurance in every home. Now that I'm an adult and am able to see how hectic that time of year can get, I have a great appreciation for the effort that my parents made so that my sister and I knew the true reason for celebrating Christmas."
Family Tradition - Sarah Lampman
"Every Christmas before we open gifts, we passs out candle sticks to everyone and then turn out the lights. Then one person starts by lighting their candle and saying what they are thankful for. Once they are done, they turn to the next person and light their candle. We all take a turn lighting a candle saying what we are thankful for this year, and then passing on the light, even the younger ones. Once everyone's candle is lit, we sing silent night. Then we blow out the candles and start opening gifts. I really enjoy it because it reminds me to be thankful for what God has given me and then follows with a blessing of gifts and happy faces."
Family Tradition - Robin Marshall
"My favorite part of the holidays is just being with family. Our tradition is to get up on Christmas morning to Papa (Randy) making pancakes. These arent ordinary pancakes but made to order in whatever shape you want. The kids have asked for everything from Micky Mouse to Bulldozers and it is a favorite part of our Christmas day. Opening presents is a process that takes hours. We do it as slow as we can..one person at a time opening...going from youngest to oldest, then by birthday month...whatever we can think of. This allows everyone to 'owe and Ahh' over all the presents. In the afternoon, we've done everything from cross word puzzles to ginger bread houses. Eating usually amounts to big juicy steaks on the grill and shrimp cocktail! Hmmm ...can't wait!"
Family Tradition - Allison Lee
"Well we just started this 2 yrs ago with the girls(I actually got it off Jackie). I wrap all the girls presents in their own wrapping paper with no names on it. They don't know which paper is theirs until Christmas morning when they open their stockings. In their stockings they will find that same piece of wrapping paper. Then they go and find there gifts under the tree. It's fun throughout the month putting gifts under the tree and them not knowing which one it belongs to!!"