Give the gift of cookies that they can enjoy whenever the mood strikes them. An easy gingerbread cookie mix in a jar makes a great teacher gift this Christmas and holiday season. Christmas is right around the corner, and that can only mean one thing: Run through the mall scanning the shelves for random gifts to throw into your cart for all those people you still have left to buy for, right? Okay, so I try to avoid the mall at all cost this time of year. I haven’t even stepped foot inside one... more

Gingerbread cookies are the quintessential Christmas treat. People from all over enjoy variations of them come Christmastime. Here are a few variations you could try with just one simple gingerbread cookie recipe. I’ve been sitting quietly for a long time thinking about what to write in this space. I had set out to show you the versatility of gingerbread cookies, and I thought I might entertain you with a story. I’d weave a tale of childlike fantasy of a gingerbread boy and the amazing... more

Considering New Year’s Eve is tomorrow, I thought I’d get on sharing our card before the holidays are behind us. Maybe I was aiming for Valentine’s Day? I joked about it on Twitter today in an attempt to conceal my shame. In an attempt to rectify the end-of-the-year disorganization that seems to be controlling me the last two weeks, HERE is our Christmas/New Year/12th Day of Christmas/January card: I’m looking forward to our first full year here on Food for My Family,... more

Finally, I share my shortbread for all the world to see. You can just add this to the list of things I have failed or fallen short at recently. It belongs right there next to purchasing pants that actually fit my growing 5-year-old and scrubbing my floor. You see, I made and photographed this shortbread late one night before I left for San Francisco. I brought the pictures with me. I even brought the cookies with me. Yet, despite my good intentions, technology interfered. Not only did it take... more

So, you may have been wondering how much hot chocolate I was going to make with all that ganache the other day. Hot chocolate for everyone! Actually, not really. Hot chocolate for no one. Truffles for everyone…or at least for me. The bonus of making hot chocolate from ganache is that I successfully crossed off one of the items on my holiday “baking” list: truffles. They are flashy, and I like adding a few here and there to cookie gift containers. Plus, they’re easy, especially... more

I mentioned that the tree had made an appearance at our home not too long ago just the other day. Since the moment it walked in through the door and found a place to rest in the living room, Kola Nut has been asking every. five. minutes. to put the ornaments on. So, naturally, we made him wait until we were all there together. He got over the waiting when he remembered that tree decoration and ornaments came in tandem with candy canes and marshmallows in hot chocolate. Even better? A foot or... more

Remember the scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where the turkey comes to the table, browned and glorious, and then as Clark goes to carve it the whole thing deflates? Here, let me refresh your memory. This doesn’t have to be you. Roasting a turkey can be easy, and it doesn’t take as long as you think. This is a no-fuss, surefire way to get a perfect holiday turkey. Of course, for inspiration, I looked to Ina. When in doubt, look to Ina. Hungry? Ina. Confused?... more