Gathering the kids around the table for a holiday meal should be a easy, not a chore. Adding fun, kid-friendly dishes to the meal is a surefire way to ensure that they'll be running for their seats come dinnertime. This Christmas, why not shake up the menu a bit to include some festive side dishes — they're sure to bring out the kid in everyone at the table!
Move over, eggnog: there's a new holiday cocktail in town. At your next holiday fete, we urge you to get into the yuletide spirit with a candy cane cocktail that calls for only three ingredients. To get everyone in the Christmas spirit, we'll show you how to create a candy garnish two ways: a superspeedy method and another that's sure to be the talk of the party. Watch the video to see how it's done, then print out the candy cane cocktail recipe for easy reference.
In the middle of all this holiday hustle and bustle, give your loved ones a good laugh by sending these hilarious Christmas-themed Someecards to your fun-loving family and friends. Everyone can use a silly, lighthearted note during these busy weeks. And it's nice to be a little naughty sometimes. So pick from these playful cards to share some festive, flippant holiday wishes!
Nothing says holiday happy hour like a classic eggnog cocktail. While this thick and frothy drink may be a holiday tradition, its heavy cream base offers nothing friendly to your waistline. For a lighter take on this creamy drink, we turned to Richard Blais, the winner of Bravo's Top Chef All-Stars. Blais lightened up this drink using protein-packed Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. Finish with nutmeg, vanilla, and a pinch of cinnamon for a reduced-guilt drink that is just as decedent as it is delicious!
See the recipe when you read more.
I'll be honest with you: I've never been responsible for making the holiday ham. Typically, one of the men in my family (usually my grandfather) is smoking or roasting a ham. I'm not even sure what the process is; because it's never cooked in the oven, I've never even seen the ham prior to its dazzling presentation on the table. However, this year, in an effort to improve my large meat roasting skills, I volunteered to try out a holiday ham recipe. Since I'm from the South, I had to turn to a trusty source, Southern Living, for the recipe.
The key ingredient in this recipe is bourbon. Your kitchen will smell like molasses and bourbon as the ham slow roasts in your oven for several hours. Be sure to roast it the full recommended length so the sauce reduces into a sticky glaze that caramelizes the edges of the ham.
After a few bites from my most honest taste testers, my parents said, "Hmm . . . maybe you need to be responsible for the ham this year . . ." The bourbon's the trick, y'all. It adds an oaky, smoky flavor that complements the salty pork. The honey, molasses, and brown sugar just about turn this into a caramel-covered ham! My parents especially adored the bourbon glaze and even ladled hefty spoonfuls of it onto their rice and collard greens.
Prepare to fall in love with this bourbon ham recipe this holiday season.
As if the time that we spend shopping for the perfect gifts for our kids isn't enough, we also love to come up with new and creative ways to package them every year. Rather than reinventing the wheel, we scoured the web to see how the craftiest and most resourceful bloggers out there are handling the presentation of their presents. While there are infinite options, we narrowed it down to our eight favorites, all of which will appeal to both kids and kids at heart.
Don't miss the Christmas morning magic! San Francisco shutterbug Lauri Levenfeld teaches moms how to capture interesting images of their tots and holidays are the perfect time to put her tips to use. "The images you capture are bound to create lasting and special memories, even if you have to find a little humor in some of the recordings," she said. "The best way to capture all the wonderful aspects of your family's celebration is to treat your recordings as an overall story of the day," Levenfeld added. Check out her five fabulous tips!
All photos courtesy of: Zoom Photography
Do your kiddos leave a milk and cookies snack for Santa? It's a tradition that's too cute to pass up. Tots light up with joy on Christmas Day as they catch a glimpse of all of the presents Santa has left them — and a cookie platter with nothing but crumbs! This holiday season, treat Santa to a delightful midnight snack with unique Christmas cookies to swoon over.
Feast your eyes on these 13 sweet Christmas cookies sold online; no baking required. They'll have you jiggling your belly and shouting "ho! ho! ho!" in no time, and they make great holiday gifts for anyone on your list!
If you're looking for a last-minute gift to give to a loved one, why not go for something homemade and delicious? Whether you're looking for a quick and easy project or a more involved afternoon affair, these creative gifts will impress all of your friends and family. Likewise, we have picks for any palate and proclivity, including those with a raging sweet tooth, the salt-obsessed, the boozehound, and more.
Chocolate crinkle cookies are a holiday favorite. Gooey and fudgy, with plenty of powdered sugar to go around, a package of these cookies is sure to please anyone on your gift list. The recipe is inspired by my absolute favorite chocolate crinkle cookies from Williams-Sonoma ($19). The mix is heavenly, but the price tag keeps me pretty limited to making them for special occasions only. Determined to see if I could hack recipe myself, I got out my trusty scale and started weighing out all the ingredients on the package. I felt like a modernist cook, breaking down the recipe bit by bit.
My experimental hack was a success, and tasters loved the crumbliness of the cookies and the brownie-like interior. Do these taste exactly like the Williams-Sonoma brand? Not exactly, but that is to be expected since I used different cocoa powder, pastry flour, chocolate, and vanilla. Next time, I do plan to splurge on all of Williams-Sonoma's baking ingredients, so I can get even closer to the flavor of the original mix.
