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.

© 2010 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

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.

© 2010 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

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.

© 2009 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

I got this delicious recipe from the Kraft website. I made it for the Home Teachers tonight and they loved it! It’s a perfect thing to munch on while you’re carving your pumpkin for family home evening. It’s perfect because it calls for 1/4 C. Evaporated milk. This is my favorite time to use powdered milk for evaporated milk because normally if you used canned evaporated milk you would have left over evaporated milk which just gets put in the fridge until it goes bad. So, since we’re going to use powdered milk we’ll make just enough for the recipe.

Caramallow Dip-

4 cups Miniature Marshmallows
25 KRAFT Caramels (about 1/2 of 14-oz. bag)
1/4 cup evaporated milk (or 1-1/2 T. dry powdered milk + 1/4 C. Water)
Make It

MICROWAVE marshmallows, caramels and evaporated milk in large (not kidding…I would put a paper towel underneath the bowl, the mixture can get frothie) microwavable bowl on

HIGH 2 minutes; stir. Microwave 1 minute or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended. Cool slightly.

SERVE warm as a dip.

Pumpkin Carving Family Home Evening Lesson  

This family home evening idea for pumpkin carving is so cute! I found it at a blog called Inspiration Organization.

Lesson: Because I am His child, I will serve God with all my heart, might, mind, and strength.
Scripture:(D&C 4:2). “Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.”

This pumpkin is going to help us remember how we can better serve God.
I can open my mind so I can learn about Heavenly Father and his plan for me to return to him.(Cut the top of the pumpkin)

I can repent when I make a wrong choice.(Clean out the inside)

I can keep my eyes open for opportunities to serve others.(Cut the eyes out in shape of heart)

I can be a good friend to everyone and not turn up my nose to anyone.(Cut a nose)

I can open my ears so I can listen and learn.(Cut the ears)

I can open my mouth so I can share the gospel with the world.(Cut the mouth)

I can follow the Saviors example and let my light shine in all that I say and do.(Place a candle inside and light it)

Activity: It is no trick to treat others with kindness: Have small paper pumpkins cut. Family members can write acts of kindness they will do on each pumpkin.

Isn’t that just too cute! I love it. Have a great time tonight at your Family Home Evening!

© 2009 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.

Growing up we always had an Family Home Evening before Thanksgiving where we made Thankful Turkeys. I think it’s a great way to talk about gratitude with kids and to really make it a focus this week. I want the same for your family, so I found hte thankful turkey craft, a gratitude FHE lesson and a super cute treat to make with your family.

To download the thankful turkeys craft click HERE

To go to the FHE Gratitude lesson click HERE

And for the treat…Thankful Turkey Cookies!

This idea (and picture) is from Pillsbury.  Isn’t is so CUTE?!  I love it!  And let’s be honest…if you’re cooking Thanksgiving on Thursday, this is a great everyday emergency and purchasing the dough may be a great time saver tip click HERE for a coupon (unless of course you freeze your sugar cookie dough and have some in the freezer

Thankful Turkey Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies (or your favorite sugar cookie recipe..don’t worry I’ve supplied one down below)
1 container (16 oz) chocolate creamy frosting (I would use vanilla and tint it orange with food coloring which would negate the decorating icing and gel)
Candy corn
Orange decorating icing
Black decorating gel
Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits (or find some M&Ms in your kids Halloween candy)

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies as directed on roll. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
2. Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small hole in bottom corner of bag. On each cookie, pipe frosting on outer edge of half of cookie. Arrange candy corn over frosting for feathers.
3. Pipe orange icing onto each cookie to resemble turkey face and feet. Use orange icing to attach baking bits to turkey face for eyes. Pipe black gel on baking bits for centers of eyes.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

This is my mother-in-law’s recipe (the real cookie queen)
Sugar Cookies

¾ c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 eggs (1/4 C. Dry Egg Powder + 1/2 C. Water)
½ tsp. lemon flavoring or vanilla
2 ½ c. flour (1 C. Whole Wheat Flour & 1 1/2 C. All Purpose Flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and flavoring thoroughly.
Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together; blend in.
Chill for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Roll dough 1/8” thick on lightly floured board. Cut with 3” cookie cutter.
Cook 6-8 minutes.

For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET

© 2008 – 2011, Crystal. All rights reserved.