Kids

Gourmet Hot Cocoa Mix for Gift Giving

by Tammy

in Drinks, Holiday Recipes, Kids, Recipes, The Christmas Kitchen

December 12th is National Cocoa Day!

Did you know that?

It doesn’t get any better than this! Homemade hot chocolate with marshmallows. It’s old fashioned, it’s comforting and it’s good for the soul.

Christmas isn’t just about presents. Yet Christmas is a festive celebration of giving—and the Christmas Kitchen is one of your best resources. It can be both an inspiration and a workshop for creating gifts that delight the heart and the soul . . . not to mention the taste buds.

And giving from your kitchen is its own reward.

What can be more satisfying than to whip up something beautiful and delicious, wrap it beautifully and imaginatively, and place it in someone else’s eager hands?

If your heart is telling you to dedicate a day or days to making gifts from the kitchen, I think you should listen. Much joy can be found putting a little more time and talent into your gifting than you can easily afford. It’s Christmas, after all! So put on some holiday music, maybe invite someone to help you, and go for it! You can even make extras of whatever you’re giving and keep them on hand for spur-of-the-moment gifting opportunities.

Through it all, remember that the best gifts, after all, are simply messengers. They’re concrete ways of saying, “I see you,” “I’m thinking about you,” “I care about you,” “I want to share this wonderful season with you.” And there are many ways to send that message. A shared cup of coffee and a cookie can be a gift. A phone call or a note can be a treasured gift. A meal for your family is a gift of love. There’s a gift in the stories that are told by the sink and stove, the memories that are made around the table.

All gifts from the Christmas Kitchen.

All fitting tributes to the One who is the greatest gift of all.

Cohen my first grandson making Gourmet Hot Cocoa with me for his teachers!

Gourmet Hot Cocoa Mix

This fancy version of a traditional hot cocoa mix is a perfect and yummy gift for teachers and neighbors—but keep some at home, too, for your family and for impromptu hospitality. (I love to add a little to my coffee.)

4 cups instant nonfat dry milk

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 cups powdered French vanilla nondairy coffee creamer

2 cups powdered chocolate milk mix (the store brand works just fine)

1 5-ounce package cook-and-serve (not instant) chocolate pudding mix

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups miniature marshmallows and/or miniature chocolate chips

Crushed candy canes.

Combine all ingredients and stir well.

Store in air tight container. Makes 8 cups mix, or 32 servings.

To serve, place ¼ cup mix in mug or cup. Add ¾ cup boiling water or hot milk and stir well.

To give as a gift, put mix in a pretty, covered glass container. Use ribbon to tie on two decorative mugs. You could also attach miniature bottles of liquid flavoring (cherry, amaretto, Irish crème, etc.) from a coffee shop, peppermint or cinnamon sticks for stirring, a lovely ornament . . . use your imagination. Be sure to attach the recipe or you will be getting calls for it!
Simple Variations

• Minted Hot Cocoa Mix: Omit marshmallows and add 1 cup mint chocolate morsels.

• Mexican Hot Cocoa Mix: Omit marshmallows and add 2 tsp. cinnamon. If you’re brave, stir in a little cayenne pepper too.

• Rich Mocha Mix: Use mocha-flavored creamer and add 1 cup instant-coffee granules to mix.

• Guiltless Indulgence: Combine 3 cups nonfat dry milk, 1 cup artificial sweetener (such as Splenda), ½ cup unsweetened cocoa, and 1 small (.8 ounce) package fat-free, sugar-free vanilla pudding mix.
Simple Idea

Always include recipes with any gift from your Christmas Kitchen. That way the recipients won’t be calling up at inconvenient times to ask for it, they’ll be forewarned of any ingredients they may be allergic to, and the recipe itself will be a bonus gift.
Simple Idea

I always bring food instead of flowers as a hostess gift. Wrapping it beautifully will give the message that you don’t expect her to serve it immediately to the guests.

The Christmas Kitchen makes a wonderful Christmas and hostess gift. Bring some of this amazing cocoa mix with the cookbook!

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A Holiday House-Raising and Gingerbread on the Side

by Tammy

in Holiday Recipes, Kids, Recipes, The Christmas Kitchen

Start a New Tradition!

This is a beloved activity in our house. Every Thanksgiving evening, we gather to make these fun gingerbread houses. Because I typically have a large crowd over for Thanksgiving, we like to divide into family teams (one family per house), but you could do this any way you want. If you’re a small group, why not build a large house together?

This year start a new tradition. Building Gingerbread houses is a great place to start. Your children and grandchildren will love it!

For each house you’ll need the following:

A ready-baked gingerbread house kit (from a hobby or cooking store,or Costco has them for 10 dollars right now)

A base—I usually use a piece of heavy cardboard covered with foil

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Icing “cement” to attach decorations (recipe below)

An assortment of candy, cookies, and other items for decoration (suggestions below)

Friends and family to make the house!
Icing Cement for Gingerbread Houses

This kind of icing, also called royal icing, dries hard and is perfect for attaching decorations to gingerbread houses. Use this recipe, or purchase a can of dried egg whites and follow the recipe on the label for royal icing. Plan to make extra batches. Keep the icing covered with a moist towel when not in use. And keep extra ingredients on hand to make more—we always run out!

2 large egg whites

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

2 tsp. water

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

With a mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and water until frothy. Blend in sugar on high speed until stiff, 5 to 10 minutes. Use immediately or cover and use within 8 hours. Makes about 1½ cups.
Decoration Ideas for Gingerbread Houses

This is the fun part. Use your imagination and set out a variety of goodies to decorate the houses. The list below is just a start!

• Candy: gumdrops; chocolate bars and kisses; peppermint sticks, canes, and rounds; licorice; cinnamon candies, candy wafers; caramel squares and rolls (such as Tootsie Rolls); jelly beans; hard candies; breath mints, Gummi candies.

• Marshmallows: white and colored and marshmallow snowmen and Santas.

• Chewing gum: small squares, colored and striped strips

• Fruit leather and candied fruits

• Cookies and crackers: vanilla and chocolate wafers,; graham crackers, cookie shapes

• Cereal: miniature shredded-wheat biscuits, plain and frosted; square checkerboard cereal (such as Chex); round oat cereal (such as Cheerios)

• Pretzels

• Ice-cream cones

• Raisins, cranberries, nuts

• Spices: cinnamon sticks, allspice, whole cloves, whole nutmeg

• Cake decorations: gel icing in tubes, sprinkles, nonpareils, powdered sugar

Gingerbread on the Side

This is the best gingerbread—a variation on a recipe given to me by a dear friend in Dallas named Susan Lovvorn. It practically melts in your mouth, and it makes a wonderful gift. You can make it as muffins, mini loaves, or big loaves. But any way you bake it, it won’t last long.

1½ cups light brown sugar

1–1½ cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

2/3 cup water or apple cider

1 16-ounce can pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

3½ cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp salt

½ tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. ground ginger

1½ tsp. allspice

1½ tsp. cinnamon

1½ tsp. cloves

½ tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325º. Grease well 2 5×9-inch bread pans, 2 muffin tins, or 6 miniature loaf pans. In a medium bowl, beat sugar, oil, and eggs until smooth. Add cider and beat until well blended. Beat in pumpkin. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and spices. Add pumpkin mixture and stir just until incorporated. Pour batter into pans and bake 70 minutes for loaves, 25 minutes for muffins, or 45 minutes for mini-loaves. The gingerbread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream, top with cream-cheese frosting (recipe below), or simply sprinkle with a little powdered sugar. Serves 12.
Simple Variation

Add golden raisins, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, chocolate chips, or cinnamon chips.
Simple, Healthier Variation

Replace oil with unsweetened applesauce and sweeten with sweetener (such as Splenda). Still tastes great!
Easy Cream-Cheese Frosting

This recipe will frost 24 muffins, 2 loaves, or a 13x9x2-inch cake. Double the recipe to frost an 8- or 9-inch layer cake.

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter (no substitutes!), softened

2–3 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

6–6¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted

Optional: 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (delicious for gingerbread frosting) or ½ cup unsweetened cocoa (for chocolate cream-cheese frosting)

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, beating well. Continue to beat in powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. To make chocolate cream-cheese frosting, prepare as above, but beat cocoa powder into cream-cheese mixture and reduce powdered sugar to 5¼–6 cups. Makes about 2 cups of frosting.
Simple Hint

I freeze this frosting if I have extra. It keeps its texture and spreads beautifully when thawed.

Buy The Christmas Kitchen here: http://tammymaltby.com/the-christmas-kitchen/

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This Thanksgiving bring in a new tradition. Make these easy Gingerbread Houses!

by admin

in Breads and Muffins, Kids, The Christmas Kitchen

A Holiday House-Raising

Gingerbread Houses and

Gingerbread on the Side!

This is a beloved activity in our house. Every Thanksgiving evening, we gather to make these fun gingerbread houses. Because I typically have a large crowd over for Thanksgiving, we like to divide into family teams (one family per house), but you could do this any way you want. If you’re a small group, why not build a large house together? For each house you’ll need the following:

A ready-baked gingerbread house kit (from a hobby or cooking store, or order online)

A base—I usually use a piece of heavy cardboard covered with foil

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Icing “cement” to attach decorations (recipe below)

An assortment of candy, cookies, and other items for decoration (suggestions below)

Friends and family to make the house!

Icing Cement for Gingerbread Houses

This kind of icing, also called royal icing, dries hard and is perfect for attaching decorations to gingerbread houses. Use this recipe, or purchase a can of dried egg whites and follow the recipe on the label for royal icing. (If you plan to eat the icing, definitely use the powdered egg whites.) Either way, plan to make extra batches. Keep the icing covered with a moist towel when not in use. And keep extra ingredients on hand to make more—we always run out!

2 large egg whites

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

2 tsp. water

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

With a mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and water until frothy. Blend in sugar on high speed until stiff, 5 to 10 minutes. Use immediately or cover and use within 8 hours. Makes about 1½ cups.

Decoration Ideas for Gingerbread Houses

This is the fun part. Use your imagination and set out a variety of goodies to decorate the houses. The list below is just a start!

• Candy: gumdrops; chocolate bars and kisses; peppermint sticks, canes, and rounds; licorice; cinnamon candies, candy wafers; caramel squares and rolls (such as Tootsie Rolls); jelly beans; hard candies; breath mints, Gummi candies

• Marshmallows: white and colored, marshmallow snowmen and Santas

• Chewing gum: small squares, colored and striped strips

• Fruit leather and candied fruits

• Cookies and crackers: vanilla and chocolate wafers, graham crackers, cookie shapes

• Cereal: miniature shredded-wheat biscuits, plain and frosted; square checkerboard cereal (such as Chex); round oat cereal (such as Cheerios)

• Pretzels

• Ice-cream cones

• Raisins, cranberries, nuts (especially sliced almonds)

• Spices: cinnamon sticks, allspice, whole cloves, whole nutmeg

• Cake decorations: gel icing in tubes, sprinkles, nonpareils, powdered sugar

Gingerbread on the Side

This is the best gingerbread—a variation on a recipe given to me by a dear friend in Dallas named Susan Lovvorn. It practically melts in your mouth, and it makes a wonderful gift. You can make it as muffins, mini loaves, or big loaves. But any way you bake it, it won’t last long.

1½ cups light brown sugar

1–1½ cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

2/3 cup water or apple cider

1 16-ounce can pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

3½ cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1½ tsp salt

½ tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. ground ginger

1½ tsp. allspice

1½ tsp. cinnamon

1½ tsp. cloves

½ tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325º. Grease well 2 5×9-inch bread pans, 2 muffin tins, or 6 miniature loaf pans. In a medium bowl, beat sugar, oil, and eggs until smooth. Add cider and beat until well blended. Beat in pumpkin. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and spices. Add pumpkin mixture and stir just until incorporated. Pour batter into pans and bake 70 minutes for loaves, 25 minutes for muffins, or 45 minutes for mini-loaves. (The gingerbread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.) Serve warm with whipped cream, top with cream-cheese frosting (recipe below), or simply sprinkle with a little powdered sugar. Serves 12.

Simple Variation

Add golden raisins, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, chocolate chips, or cinnamon chips.

Simple, Healthier Variation

Replace oil with unsweetened applesauce and sweeten with “bake-able” artificial sweetener (such as Splenda). Still tastes great!

Easy Cream-Cheese Frosting

This recipe will frost 24 muffins, 2 loaves, or a 13x9x2-inch cake. Double the recipe to frost an 8- or 9-inch layer cake.

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter (no substitutes!), softened

2–3 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

6–6¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted

Optional: 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (delicious for gingerbread frosting) or ½ cup unsweetened cocoa (for chocolate cream-cheese frosting)

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, beating well. Continue to beat in powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. To make chocolate cream-cheese frosting, prepare as above, but beat cocoa powder into cream-cheese mixture and reduce powdered sugar to 5¼–6 cups. Makes about 2 cups of frosting.

Simple Hint

I freeze this frosting if I have extra. It keeps its texture and spreads beautifully when thawed.

From The Christmas Kitchen a gathering place for making memories by Tammy Maltby and Anne Christian Buchanan. All rights reserved. This holiday season contact Tammy at [email protected] or facebook to order personally signed copies of The Christmas Kitchen for yourself and those you love.

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Christmas Mix

by admin

in Desserts, Kids, The Christmas Kitchen

“Thank You for Helping Me Grow” Christmas Snack Mix

It’s easy to make, and kids love the pouring and mixing. It’s also beautifully Christmasy. My kids made it for their teachers, packaged in an adorable flowerpot—and it was always a hit.

Christmas Mix two

1 large (14 ounce) bag red and green candy-covered chocolate pieces (such as M&M’s)

1 large (14 ounce) bag red and green candy-and-chocolate-covered peanuts (such as peanut M&M’s)

1 large bag (11 ounce) red and green candy-and-chocolate-covered almonds (such as almond M&M’s)

3 cups corn cereal squares (such as Chex)

3 cups rice cereal squares (such as Chex)

3 cups oat cereal circles (such as Cheerios)

4 cups small pretzels

1 16-ounce jar dry-roasted peanuts

1 small can (about 9 ounces) mixed nuts or cashews

1 6-ounce package dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries

2 pounds almond bark or white-chocolate chips

Mix all dry ingredients together in large bowl or jumbo (2.5 gallon) zippered plastic bag. In large microwave-safe container, melt almond bark or chocolate chips, stirring after every 30 seconds. Carefully pour over dry mixture and mix together thoroughly. Spread mixture on parchment or waxed paper to cool, breaking up large clumps. (Mix will be coated but not completely white.) Makes about 15 cups.

To make the gift package for teachers, pour mix into flowerpots lined with plastic wrap and “plant” an artificial poinsettia or other flower in each pot. Add a pretty bow and a card from your child that says, “Thank you for helping me grow.” The child can write or dictate a personal note: “I like you because . . . ” “My best memory was . . . ”

Simple Variation

For an even richer taste, substitute one 12-ounce package butterscotch chips for part of the almond bark or white chocolate. Delicious!

Recipe From The Christmas Kitchen a gathering place for making memories by:

Tammy Maltby with Anne Christian Buchanan

Tips on Fun with Kids in the Kitchen

• Allow extra time for making crafts and recipes. If you’re not in a hurry, everything will be a lot more peaceful.

• Expect a mess—but expect the kids to help with cleanup too.

• Provide kids with appropriate-height work spaces (or sturdy stools) and, if possible, tools that fit their hands.

• Match the projects to the kids’ maturity level and plan activities that everyone can participate in without frustration.

• Especially with small children, don’t provide too many options for craft or food projects. Keep it simple.

• Whenever possible, let kids do the project (or their part in it) themselves. Don’t do it for them and just let them watch, and don’t insist they do things only one way.

• Do the activity with the children. (You’d be surprised how fun it can be to string macaroni on a piece of yarn!)

• Don’t have too many rules, but make the basics very clear: “Wash your hands.” “Always have an adult present.” Rules for using the stove or knives will depend on the age of the children.

• Expect the unexpected—and enjoy it.

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Reindeer Cupcakes

by admin

in Kids, The Christmas Kitchen

What is it about Reindeer Cupcakes that makes you want to smile?

It kinda like how I feel when my brand new grandson Noble makes one of those "Oh baby I know I am so cute!" Totally yum I am telling you!

Not only are these easy to make they are a kids (okay a mom's) best friend. Chocolate everything with a red gumdrop nose.

Make some new memories and traditions this holiday season. Gather up your kids, grand kids, someone elses kids and have some fun.. And buy a few extra red gumdrops…you will be glad you did!

Reindeer cupcakes

24 chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting and rolled into chocolate sprinkles (Time tip: Buy your cupcakes baked and frosted at Sam's Club or Costco and just do the decorating!)

24 red gumdrops

48 white tick tacs

48 stick pretzels

48 pecan halves

Decorate your cupcakes buy using the gumdrop for the nose. The tick tacs for the eyes, pretzels for the antlers and the pecan halves for the ears.

And you will have yourself one yummy Rudolf the Red nosed Reindeer!

From The Christmas Kitchen A Gathering Place for Making Memories by Tammy Maltby and Anne Christian Buchanan

Christmas Kitchen Pinery Event 1