Are you tired of wasting your money on gifts that just aren’t appreciated? Or maybe you’ve noticed that your dollar just doesn’t stretch as far as it used to?
Well, here are a few gifts that are sure to be well-loved and appreciated!
These are always a hit around our home and everyone who gets any as gifts always ask for more!
Fudge — Always a Winner!
Continue reading “Made From Scratch Gifts”
There’s nothing like snuggling up with a cup of hot cocoa after coming in from the cold… ok, ok, I know… it doesn’t really get that COLD here in Florida but I sure can remember some cold days from my
time further north and I still enjoy a nice cup of hot cocoa every now and then.
I can remember my mom making us a pot of cocoa on the old wood cookstove. We would sip as much as we could before we had to head out the door to catch the school bus… at one time we had to walk 1/2 mile uphill to get to the bus and in another place we lived it was an even further walk downhill… not much easier if the driveway was iced over.
Here are some of our All-Time Favorite cocoa recipes:
Hot Cocoa (Powdered)
Of course, you can always use the ready-made kind at the store too but there is just something a little extra special about whipping up some cocoa from scratch and the memories you make will be cherished for a lifetime!
You can also whip up some fresh cookies to go along with your cocoa for an extra special snack!
I know I haven’t posted a menu in a while but I figured I could post the one I just made up. This was made using the free printable meal planner I have HERE. You will see that we have certain things that rotate on a set schedule but we do try to keep our dinners a little varied to keep everyone happy.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks | Desserts |
| Sunday 12/4 | Eggs, hash browns, sausage, English muffins | Fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans | Fruit | ||
| Monday | Cereal/Oatmeal | scrambled egg sandwiches | Steak/Sweet N Sour Meatballs, Mac N Cheese, Baked Potato | Fruit | |
| Tuesday St. Nicholas Day | Santa Pancakes | PB&J sandwiches, fruit | Leftovers | Fruit | |
| Wednesday FULL MOON | Muffins, Bagels, or Toast W/Eggs and Cheesy Grits | soup, grilled cheese, fruit slices, rice pudding | Homemade pizzas | Fruit | |
| Thursday | French Toast, Fruit | Chicken Salad, sliced tomatoes & cucumbers, lettuce | Loaded potato soup, crackers | Fruit | |
| Friday | Cereal/Oatmeal | Leftovers | Salmon/Chicken Patties, Mashed Caulitaters, Creamed Peas, pineapple slices | Fruit | |
| Saturday | Make Sourdough Donuts or English Muffins | Chicken Stir Fry, Fried Rice, Egg Rolls, steamed veggies, sauce | Fruit |
Notes:
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks | Desserts |
| Sunday 12/11 | Monkey Bread, Eggs & Grits | Cheddar Chicken, potatoes, veggies | Fruit | ||
| Monday | Cereal/Oatmeal | egg salad sandwiches, veggies | Homemade pizzas | Fruit | |
| Tuesday | French Toast, Fruit | PB&J sandwiches, fruit | Taco ring, salad | Fruit | |
| Wednesday | Blueberry Oatmeal Bread, scrambled eggs | Soup, Grilled Cheese | Sandwiches, french fries | Fruit | |
| Thursday | Pancakes, Fruit | tuna salad sandwiches, fresh veggies | Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Cheesy pull-apart bread | Fruit | |
| Friday | Cereal/Oatmeal | Leftovers | Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, mashed potatoes, veggies | Fruit | |
| Saturday POLAR EXPRESS! | Waffles, Eggs, Bacon | SEE MENU | Fruit | Fudge Cookies |
Notes:
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks | Desserts |
| Sunday 12/18 | Biscuits n gravy/Sausage/Eggs | Breakfast for Dinner | Fruit | ||
| Monday | Cereal/Oatmeal | scrambled egg sandwiches | Tortellini Soup, buttered bread | Fruit | |
| Tuesday | French Toast, Fruit | PB&J sandwiches, fruit | Easy Bean Tostadas, Rice, Salad | Fruit | |
| Wednesday | Muffins, Bagels, or Toast W/Eggs and Cheesy Grits | soup, grilled cheese, fruit slices, rice pudding | Shepherd’s pie, fried cabbage, beer bread, fried apples | Fruit | |
| Thursday | Pancakes, Fruit | Chicken Salad, sliced tomatoes & cucumbers, lettuce | Homemade Pizzas | Fruit | |
| Friday | Cereal/Oatmeal | Leftovers | Alice Springs Chicken, salad, baked potatoes | Fruit | |
| Saturday Christmas Eve | Make Sourdough Donuts or English Muffins | Fruit |
Notes:
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks | Desserts |
| Sunday 12/25 CHRISTMAS | Cinnamon Rolls, SCRAMBLED EGGS, SAUSAGE, OR BACON | SEE MENU | |||
| Monday | Cereal/Oatmeal | egg salad sandwiches, veggies | Leftovers | Fruit | |
| Tuesday | French Toast, Fruit | PB&J sandwiches, fruit | Tacos or Taco Soup, Rice, Chips | Fruit | |
| Wednesday | Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread, scrambled eggs | Leftovers | Mississippi Pot Roast, mashed potatoes or egg noodles, veggies, milk | Fruit | |
| Thursday | Pancakes, Fruit | tuna salad sandwiches, fresh veggies | Creamed Spinach & Bacon-Smothered Chicken, salad, garlic bread | Fruit | |
| Friday | Cereal/Oatmeal | Leftovers | Sloppy Joes, French Fries, Slaw | Fruit | |
| Saturday NEW YEARS EVE | Cheese Danish, eggs, bacon | Crunchy Chicken, Squash Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, or potato cakes | Fruit |
Notes:
Some days are left blank to allow us to use up some of our pantry and freezer supplies. You can check out some other meal-planning posts HERE and HERE.
Here are some of our favorite Cookie Recipes:
Day 1:
Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Day 2:
Day 3:
Haystacks aka Noodle Cookies (2 versions here)
Day 4:
Easy Sugar Cookies (We also added some butterscotch and some white chocolate chips to a few and they were delicious.)
Continue reading “12 Days of Cookies”
I don’t know if you have gotten in on the Kefir craze or not but we’ve been drinking it for a bit now and we love it! The slight tang reminds me a bit of buttermilk and we weren’t really crazy at first but now we can’t seem to get enough of it.
The kids are especially fond of their water kefir but we make and use a lot of milk kefir as well. We were doing a lot of different smoothies but the kids got a bit bored with my lack of creativity until recently.
Continue reading “Orange Kefir Smoothie”
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