This year, I have two more helpers this holiday season. Aren’t they adorable? You all know I’m a thrifty shopper and on one of my usual stops to the thrift store, this cute little pair caught my eye. I had to give them a home.  This holiday season, I’ve decided to change much of my holiday decor to a Santa’s Workshop theme. It’s still a work in progress but the kids seem already excited about Christmas with the decorations I’ve put up so far.

What’s Cooking With The Elves?

The elves were already getting ahead start on Christmas cookie baking last night. This cookie recipe was inspired by my Sweet Apple Oatmeal and Coconut Cookies .

Christmas Gifts From The Kitchen just makes me want to start baking cookies with the kids. Every year, we pull together some of our favorite baking mixes, hot cocoa mixes or soup-in-a-jar mixes and start making gifts. Mixes-in-a jar are a beautiful and yummy treat! Not only are they fun to make, but they are practical too!

You can make Christmas gifts using your favorite muffin, cornbread, scone, biscuit, brownie and even pancake recipes. Today, I’ve put together some of our favorite mixes-in-a-jar. Batter bowls like the one picture below are perfect for the mixes-in-a jar because you can decorate them with wodden spoons and a ribbon and they get the batter bowl as a gift too.

Celebration Cookie Mix

Ingredients:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup sweetened dried cranberries
• ½ cup white or semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats
• ½ cups pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. In small batter bowl or large jar, layer ingredients as follows, gently patting each layer before adding the next ingredient: granulated sugar, cranberries, chocolate morsels, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oats and pecans. Cover with lid. Attach the gift tag recipe.

Gift Tag Recipe

Celebration Cookie Mix

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 recipe Celebration Cookie Mix

Preheat oven to 375˚F. In large bowl, combine butter, eggs and vanilla; mix until well blended. Add cookie mix to butter mixture; mix until well blended. Drop 2 tablespoons scoops of dough 2 inches apart on baking stone. Flatten dough slightly using back of spoon. Bake 13-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove to cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Cowboy Chili Mix

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup dried cilantro or parsley leaves
• ½ cup dehydrated minced onions
• ½ cup dried black beans
• ½ cup dried kidney beans
• ½ cup pinto beans
• 2 snack sized (1 oz) corn chips, unopened

Directions:

1. In a small batter bowl or large jar, layer ingredients for chili mix in order listed, gently patting each layer before adding the next. Place corn chip packages on top of chili mix. Cover with lid. Attach gift tag recipe, below.

Gift Tag Recipe

Cowboy Chili

1 recipe Cowboy Chili Mix
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 garlic clove, pressed
4 cups water
1 jar (16oz) salsa
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

Remove corn chips, set aside. Heat oil in 4 quart pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add meat and garlic. Cook and stir 6-7 minutes or until browned. Stir in chili mix and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 ½ hours. Stir in salsa and tomato sauce. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until beans and meat are tender. Top with corn chips. Makes 8 cups.

Brownie Mix

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup sugar, divided
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup candy-coated chocolate miniature baking bits
• 1/2 cup white chocolate morsels
• 1/2 cup walnut halves, coarsely chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. In small bowl or large jar, combine 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon, mix well and set aside. In a mason jar or decorative plastic bag, layer ingredients as follows, gently pat each layer before adding the next ingredient: salt, baking powder, 1/2 cup of the flour, cocoa powder, remaining 2/3 cup sugar, baking bits and remaining 1 cup flour. Top with reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture, chocolate morsels and walnuts(optional).
2. Cover with lid or tie with ribbon depending on what you choose to put the ingredients in. Attach the gift tag and give it as a gift and don’t forget to attach the recipe below.

Gift Tag Recipe

Batter Bowl Brownies

• 1 recipe Batter Bowl Brownie mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray square pan with vegetable oil. In large bowl, combine brownie mix, oil, eggs, water and vanilla; mix until well blended. Spread mixture into pan. Bake 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
.
Yields: 20 brownies

This week’s menu is intended to provide help and recipes with side dishes and Thanksgiving leftovers. Last week’s menu featured easy mashed potatoes, candied yams, favorite green bean casserole and a delicious orange cranberry sauce. But what do you do with the leftovers? This week’s featured recipes include turkey divan and turkey enchiladas. You’ll also find salads, sandwiches and soups that you can make with the leftovers. And we can’t forget about those scrumptious desserts.

You’ve spent days, maybe weeks, planning the perfect Thanksgiving menu. The day after Thanksgiving when the food coma wears off, you may find yourself with a refrigerator full of leftovers and a house full of ravenous family members.  If that’s the case, Noel’s Family Meals  has easy and quick  tasty home recipes to satisfy your famished loved ones using many Thanksgiving favorites.

And Remember, the original menu will always be available in the Tools and Resources option in your Premium Family Meals Tools section of your Member Dashboard to refer back to.  You’ll also find the most recent information and updates on the Home page under Noel’s Family Meals. If you’re not already a Premium Family Meal Member, you can find out how to join HERE.

Thanksgiving has always brought some wonderful fond memories that just stand out in my mind. Each Thanksgiving with my family is a precious memory being made.  I am so blessed for my wonderful husband of 14 years and my beautiful loving children.  I can say I have truly been blessed in my life to have such a wonderful family!! 

And to you, my readers, I just want to say how thankful I am to you. Thank you for coming back each and every day and sharing my kitchen! My wish for you is to have a wonderful happy, loving and memorable Thanksgiving with your family.

Create memories and have fun!