St. Patricks Day FHE, Jell-O Cookies: Food Storage Recipes
I thought I’d share with you a really fun idea for a St. Patricks Day Family Home Evening. Tradition says that St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach people about the trinity. Likewise we can teach our family that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are separate but one in purpose. However, most of us don’t have shamrocks growing in our back yard (and if you do…you’re really lucky because that means you live in a WARM area!). That is why I’m sharing this new recipe with you for Jell-O Cookies that you can shape shamrocks out of by forming 3 balls (while teaching that the God Head is three separate beings) and flattening them with a glass (while teaching they are one in purpose). These cookies are also great for other holidays if you use different flavors of Jell-O to make different colors.
Fruit Jell-O Cookies
1/2 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup shortening (butter works well too)
1 3oz. pkg flavored Jell-O (lime or other green colored Jell-O)
2 eggs (2 T. Dry Powdered Eggs + 1/4 C. Water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 Cups flour (I used half white wheat, half all-purpose)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2-3 drops green food coloring
Mix first five ingredients. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and blend into first mixture. Roll into nickel sized balls, place three together and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls with flat cookie stamp or glass bottom. Bake 6 to 8 minutes at 400 degrees.
Roll cookie dough into nickel sized balls and place three together in pyramid form.
Take cookies and flatten with bottom of glass.
Flattened cookies on cookie sheet.
FHE Tidbit: 72 Hour Kits and Food Storage Treat Recipe
Okay, I have this feeling that most of you (at least if you’re female) feel entirely overwhelmed with everything you have to do in the day what with taking kids to school, laundry (YUCK!), preparing meals, soccer practice, and on top of it all spending time together as a family….oh yeah and that HUGE project of getting prepared. Well, you all probably know by now that I’m a HUGE fan of multi-tasking so I figured why couldn’t you make getting prepared a family event?! I asked my good friends at www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net to help me (since they have all the WONDERFUL information on getting your food storage gathered and basic emergency preparedness) with some Family Home Evening Tidbits. They are quick ideas that will help you on the road to becoming prepared! At the end there is also a treat you can make using your food storage. So all in a night, you’ll have spent time together as a family, taken a step towards being prepared, and practiced using your food storage! AWESOME!
This week I thought “Milk Jug 72 hour kits” would be fun and easy to get people prepared…here is what Jodi from www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net has to say about it:
What a great treat for talking about 72 hour kits! This recipe comes entirely from shelf stable items and happens to be my all time favorite cookie recipe (HONEST!)
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
*a tip before you begin…I always soak my raisins in water & vanilla so that the raisins are plump and juicy and taste like vanilla. If you don’t have a lot of time you can heat the water, vanilla, and raisins in the microwave for 2 minutes. Remember that you can definitely use your leftover water to hydrate your eggs!
Cream together:
1 C shortening
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 eggs (2 T. dry egg powder + 1/4 C. Water)
1 tsp. vanilla
Stir into creamed mixture
1 ½ C whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
3 C. oats
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 C. raisins
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
Christmas FHE Idea with Holly Cookies for a Treat-3 Month Food Storage Recipes
This is a great lesson to share with your family and to help keep Christ in Christmas! I’m always fascinated with symbolism and how some of these famous symbols of Christmas came to be and what they REALLY mean. The legend of the holly is fabulous, heart warming, and worth sharing with your family! Not to mention I have a super easy recipe (think a spin on Rice Krispie Treats) that I grew up with that also works well for cookie exchanges, neighborhood gifts, or anything you may need to bring a treat to this Christmas Season.
The Legend of the Holly:
When Christ was born in Bethlehem on that first Christmas night
A barren bush outside the stable blossomed full and bright
It bore a grim reminder of the crown he’d one day wear
It’s prickly leaves foretold the thorns of sorrow he would bear
Amidst the green there grew strange fruit – small berries scarlet red
As crimson as the blood our savior was to shed
In honor of the Prince of Peace
A flower pure and white
Blossomed sweetly when the Lord was
born that holy Christmas night.
* Author unknown
Christian tradition assigns significance to Holly:
The perennial green leaves represent eternal life.
According to tradition the pointy leaves
represent the thorns of Christ’s Crown.
The tradition says that holly was used to make
the crown of thorns at Christ’s death.
At that time, the berries were yellow.
In honor of the blood shed by Christ,
for our salvation, the berries turned red.
(While holly is most often pictured as having red berries, the berries come in other colors too.
One tradition say that white berries represent Jesus’ purity… green berries the cross of wood…
and black berries his death.)
Holly Cookies
These are very easy (so easy you could have your kids to most of the work-who doesn’t love that?!), very impressive looking, and will stand out in a crowd of other cookies.
1/2 c. butter
8 oz. mini marshmallows (or 30 large marshmallows)
1/2 t. green food coloring
1 t. vanilla
3 1/2 c. corn flakes
Melt butter and marshmallows in microwave safe bowl for about 2 minutes or until it is melted together, stirring after each minute in the microwave. Add vanilla and green food coloring to marshmallow mixture and stir until well blended. Then add in the cornflakes and stir. Drop by fork onto wax paper. Press 3 red hot candies while into cookie while still sticky. - See what I mean? E-A-S-Y!
Note to the wise buyer: Red hot candies are much cheaper if you can purchase them in a bag instead of the little jars sold in the spice aisle of your grocery store-so check in your grocery store’s candy aisle for red hots in a bag. I’ve also been able to find big bags at my favorite store-the Dollar Tree.
This recipe makes about 2 dozen.
Easy Gourmet Pomegranate Chicken: Rice Food Storage Recipe
If you’re like me, you agonize over what to cook for a group gathering or…your in-laws! With the holidays approaching, chances are you’ll be doing some entertaining or maybe even playing host to your in-laws and you’ll be wondering what fabulous holiday dish you can prepare with all you have going on. Well, last night I found just that dish! It highlights pomegranate, which is the new “in” food with all of it’s anti-oxidant powers and delicious taste, and is a PERFECT festive holiday food. This meal should be started in the morning (since it needs to marinate) which means less prep time for you in the evening when it all needs to be made. My suggestion is to get as much ready in the morning as you can while you’re getting the chicken marinating so when it’s time for dinner, you’ll look like super woman just tossing a few things together to make such a fabulous meal that will seem to your guests like you slaved in the kitchen all day for. I’ve included the recipe and what to do in the morning and evening and how to put it together for presenation. Here’s to very successful entertaining by YOU! Good luck!
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Pomegranate Chicken
1 c. unsweetened pomegranate juice (from about 5 large pomegranates or from store bought juice)
3 T. soy sauce
1/2 t. dry rosemary (or about double for fresh)
1/2 t. fresh grated ginger (I don’t peel mine and you can freeze leftover whole ginger in your freezer, just grate what you need)
2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (really the richness of thigh meat is needed in this recipe)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. pomegranate seeds (optional)
fresh rosemary or parsley sprigs
In a 9×13 baking dish, combine pomegranate juice, soy sauce, rosemary, ginger, and garlic. Coat chicen wit marinade. Cover, refrigerate 8 hours or over night.
Drain off and reserve marinade. Arrange chicken pieces slightly apart in baking dish. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven about 30-45 minutes, basting occasionally with marinade. (Your chicken will be dyed red due to the pomegranate juice so you’ll want to use a thememometer for doneness, it should be 165)
Transfer chicken to platter and keep warm. Then pour drippings into a 1 1/2-2 qt. pan, stir in cream. Bring to boil over high heat and boil rapidly until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup. Spoon sauce evenly over chicken. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and rosemary sprigs. Serve over Pomegranate Rice.
Pomegranate Rice
2 green onions, chopped with the tops (cut the white in half and shop horizontally)
1 T. butter
1 c. long grain rice
2 t. grated fresh ginger
1/8 t. ground cinnamon
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. roasted salted pistachio nuts, shelled (or you could sub in coarsely chopped cashews)
1 c. pomegranate seeds
lemon peel strips (optional)
In large saucepan cook green onions in hot butter over medium heat 3-5 minutes or just until tender, stirring occasionally. Add rice, ginger, and cinnamon. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until rice begins to brown.
Carefully add broth to rice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer covered, 14 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
Stir in nuts and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle with lemon peel.
Putting both recipes together:
In the morning do the following:
- grate 2 1/2 t. fresh ginger (using 1/2 t. for the marinade and reserving 2 t. for the rice)
- get chicken in marinade and soaking in your fridge for 8 hours
- open pomegranate and empty seeds (you’ll need 1 1/3 c.- 1 c. for the rice and 1/3 c. for the chicken)
- chop 2 green onions and place in the fridge for later
- check and make sure you’ve all the needed ingredients (running to the store in the morning is a lot easier than doing it while you’re making dinner)
In the evening:
- Get your chicken cooking
- Start your rice
- While the rice is cooking prepare side dishes (I did asparagus and artichokes- but you could do nice salad, green beans, etc.)
Presentation:
On a large platter overlap chicken thighs around the edge. Fill the center with rice. Pour chicken sauce over chicken and garnish with pomegranate seeds. Place sprigs of rosemary in between the chicken thighs and one in the center of the rice. Place lemon strips on top of rice.
