Christmas Cooking

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This year I have been really motivated to do more with other people than just myself. I mean, I can have lots of fun myself; it doesn't take much to keep me busy, but what good is it really to keep everything to yourself!?  What's the benefit from anything if you are the only one enjoying it?  That's something I've tried to apply over the years since I heard Mark Hall of Casting Crowns say at one of their concerts, "We're not blessed so we can have; we're blessed so we can give."  I've tried to work that into every part of what I do. God has graciously given me so much that I don't deserve, and I should not be selfish with it. I make good grades, so I should share how I work for school. I have lots of pretty notepads and stickers that make me smile, so I shouldn't keep them all for my own crafts and notes, but use them to leave others happy notes, too!  I know lots of Bible verses and songs to go with various situations, so I should encourage others when it's relevant to their lives. The list goes on. You see what I'm getting at?

Here is something that I added to my "to-do" list for Christmas Break: cook with some friends!

I have a collection of recipes on my laptop and in a binder along with a list of new ones to try and the ones in the "archive." There are just so many that I want to make that there's no way I could eat it all!  Mom and dad won't eat my food either. Occasionally we will make a new dinner, but usually it's just for me. To spread the love, cost, and food, mom let me invite friends over to cook with me!  That made it more fun, affordable, and manageable for the kitchen and fridge. 

Mom is always worried about the messed I make on the kitchen, but with Chantal and Cherie, and I, there was nothing to fear!  We are the master chefs!

These chocolate peanut butter balls turned out even better than I expected!  They also helped me win another Instagram contest, #FestiveFoodie by Nature's Path. We used their Panda Puffs cereal and one of their recipes as a guide.

Rolling out the dough!

I had saved up my mini cupcake cups for a ball or truffle recipe.

Finished product: success!

This is the spicy pumpkin bisque we made that afternoon as our "food food."  The night I ate it, I added in some corn and beans to pack an extra punch!

My second round of cooking with friends was with Katlyn and Emma for another soup and dessert!

The onion was so strong Katlyn was crying. The chopper also amused her.

Teamwork!  Cake in the oven and soup on the eye.

This soup we made was tomato sqaush!  The night I warmed it up I added peas and corn for it's extra umph.

 

Silk Nog Pumpkin Spice Cake with pumpkin maple drizzle. Here I also added ice cream and cool whip!

Of course I still whipped up concoctions of #KenziesCreations, too. 

The seasonal Clif Bars are my favorite, #1 being gingerbread, so when I saw them at Food City I bought three. Good thing, because by the next day when Chantal and Chérie went to get some, they were already gone. 

This delicious desser was cool whip and vanilla frozen yogurt flavored with "marshmallow gingerbread snickerdoodle" peanut butter powder from myoatmeal.com to create a matching ice cream for my bar!

Dark chocolate and mint are a seasonal staple, too.

Another recipe that had been on my list for years was sweet potato bald I could in a really old Christmas cookbook. Finally baked, they went great with my Bart & Judy's sweet potato cranberry cookies. 

So simple, too!

All you need is sweet potatoes, cinnamon, and marshmallows!  Then coconut, powdered sugar, or whatever you want to roll them in.

My new pancake mix I ordered from the feed is so pretty!  It was inspiration for pumpkin pancakes of course. I'm also hooked on this Silk pumpkin spice almond nog. I got one to try, found a coupon and bought two more!  I use it in everything from pancakes to coffee to oatmeal, cereal, dessert blends, etc.

Christmas parties are the most popular time for finger food buffets, and I love getting to try little bits of everything. This also gives me a excuse to cook and share more!  For our sun Deb party, I made Mediterranean chicken meatballs and a southwest bean dip.

The ninja has become my best friend. I use him every day. Some days, even multiple times and for multiple meals. It makes things so much easier.

 

 

I wanted to make a cute little treat for the class that I peer tutor, so I got this idea for sweet snowmen!  They are really easy, too. Oreos, marshmallows, icing, and mini Resee cups

Another simple gift idea: flavored hot drink spoons!  These are dark chocolate and marshmallow, obviously.

For the church Christmas party I made mocha mousse!

Days off from school are my favor when I get to do my morning run or workout then make a tasty breakfast with coffee.

I got crafty with mom and dads gifts because I wanted to get them more stuff, but just didn't know what to get!  I know mom loves her oatmeal packs that she takes for lunch, so I made some in cute jars with punny names.

Mom and Dad got punny named fudge made with some of their diet staples, including Cheerios, Wheaties, Yorks, and chocolate.

Another delicious dessert bowl featuring friends gifts. Chantal and Chérie got me the coffee thins and mom got me the complete cookies!

 I've also been on a bit more of a pumpkin/apple/carrot/sweet potato kick for desserts lately, partly because of all the seasonal items that I've just happened to accumulate!  They also make the best dessert blends.  This Oikos pumpkin pie is one of the best!  However, I think mom bought the last one available at our nearest Walmart just today.  Sorry guys.

 Look at all the pumpkin spice!  Enough to keep me going all day long.

I do love my spicy food.  Stole this from an instagram or snapchat account.  I always find relevant things on there.

Winter is just now getting started as we've had 3 snow days in a row now!  That leaves plenty of time to get cooking!

Review Requests

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I got a message a while back on Twitter from a friend in town who suggested that I post some reviews of food products that I've tried, so here are some that I've had this year.  I am always out looking for new tasty ways to fuel my life! 

 

I also have another post about things that I ordered from one specific site called The Feed.

I had never had rice pudding or creme brûlée, but these were great portable snacks to have with me for after track meets. No, they do not taste like rice. 

 

These hearty soups are great to warm you up from the inside out, while adding plenty of vegetables, protein, and fiber to satisfy your hunger and muscles!  Goes great with cornbread. 

I also used to be a huge fan of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, so I was inclined to try this as it was the real thing!  Lentils (this soup) are great foods; basically a bean.

Found in the freezer section, Orca Bay offers a wide variety of seafood at a really low price!  Nothing fancy or added junk, so you can fix it any way you want. 

Target is one of my favorite stores to find new foods. Since Morristown doesn't have one, we always find things that we've never found locally. The variety is huge and can keep me looking for hours!  Their brand, Simply Balanced, has all kinds of healthy (and indulgent) foods, too.

(Odwalla) chocolate almond coconut is one of my favorite flavor combinations, and this new snack did not disappoint. It is chewy, yet crunchy at the same time!

I usually don't drink my calories, but on the occasion, I get some as a treat. It is more rare than solid food, because food drinks are more expensive. The tropical goodness Bolthouse flavor was part of a post-track meet treat, and I have never had a better sweet drink in my life!  All fruit and super-satisfying!  I used the caramel to add to my dessert blends, oatmeal, and pancakes. 

Best granola I have had. Bear Naked is one of my preferred brands because I know that they are against all that unnecessary stuff and for real food the way it should be. This goes perfectly with apple pie or honey yogurt, apples, ice cream or frozen yogurt, pumpkin, etc. 

The new Yoplait Greek 100 Whips are perfect for a snack or dessert, even better with fruit!

I have used a couple of Silk's "milk" products, but never the yogurt until I got a coupon. It tastes just like dairy yogurt and has just the right consistency, too. 

When you're on the go all the time, especially outside or somewhere without refrigeration, it can be tough to keep certain fruits edible. Buddy Fruits' handy little pouches don't have to be refrigerated and can help you avoid messes!

If you haven't noticed, I love yogurt.  There are so any flavors, I never get bored. Yogurt is the inspiration and starting block for all my desserts. 

The flavors pictured in these two are Chobani oats banana maple; Yoplait cinnamon roll, caramel, cafe mocha, honey, banana caramel, and apple pie; Oikos caramel macchiato and butterscotch; Light and Fit caramel macchiato; and Nostimo honey.

Pomegranite is supposed to be great for helping repair muscles, so I drank some after track and cross country meets. This POM has some other flavors in it, too.

Gotta feed those muscles. Another dessert and breakfast addition. 

This oatmeal also came from The Feed!  I like to add in extra apple, banana, egg whites, spices, pumpkin, etc. 

Share Good Foods is actually a restaraunt, but you can buy some of their products!  It started out as just a coffee house in 2010, but has grown since then.

Breyers is probabaly the best brand of store ice cream that you can buy!  They are also cheap and pretty healthy!  The thin mint is my favorite Blast variety. All the Breyers flavors are as basically clouds they are so creamy and fluffy. 

Another treat drink. Someone brought me this during "hell week" for my social club. It's got flavor, vitamins, and minerals to hydrate even better. The simply bars are a kind that I live to crumble in my desserts to add a little crunch. They are excellent protein and fiber. 

This drink was quite tangy on it's own, but blended with spinach and a tomato, made some rockin pasta sauce!

Oatmeal raisin cookies are good, but these Clif Bars are better.

In one off orders from The Feed, I got in on another promotion where I got a free Health Warrior chia bar!  I love free stuff. 

More ice creams I found!  Edy's slow churned is a close second to Breyers on my list. They also have a caramel delight flavor that I buy quite often, too. The Oikos is a frozen Greek yogurt and is so rich (in a good way!). The Kemps is also a froyo, vanilla with caramel turtles throughout. 

Hotel continental breakfasts are great. Most of the time. That's where I picked up these. 

Ya know what makes these special?  They're miniature.

Great things come in small packages.

Thanks, Hilton Garden Inn of Smyrna. (:

I had first seen these on the GNC website and thought about ordering some, but then I came to find them at the new Walmart, just 2 miles from my house!  Lenny & Larry's makes all kinds of protein products, but these are the 2 that are available at our Walmart.

They go great as dessert, especially topped with ice cream or yogurt!

Now I am even an official ambassador for the products! #TeamLL #LennyAndLarrys

This is another oatmeal raisin bar!  They are super-satisfying just like the Clif ones, but these are more granola-crunchy (still chewy), while the others are more of a cookie/bread texture. 

3 musketeers and yorks are two of my favorite because they are light and dark chocolate, but these are like both of them put together!

I do love peanut butter and chocolate together, but I first bought this cereal for the puffins and cute box. However, the taste is a winner, too!  They are also dedicated to helping the environment, animals, and people, which makes it an even better buy.

Great for a night when you're in a rush. Can't forget the veggies!

 This bar was very crunchy, but still very tasty!

 I found this Sam's Choice Butterscotch Salted Chocolate Fudge ice cream at the Walmart at the beach but haven't seen it around here anywhere yet.  Another thing I love about traveling:  even the grocery stores have different things to try.  Definitely one I will get again if I find it.

I have yet to find these at a store around here, but when I do, I am stocking up!  They are the best (not-quite) ice creams I have had! 

Sweet potatoes are probably my favorite vegetable, and you know I love cereal for breakfast and dessert, so how much better can it be to put them together!?  I'm glad one of my favorite brands came out with a new flavor.

I ordered this almond butter online from Barney Butter, and got a surprise of two squeeze packs for free along with it!  The vanilla bean espresso goes best for me with cocoa powder and Special K cappuccino shake mixed in with pancake batter after a tough morning workout with more to follow!

Gotta love the beta carotene!  Next to sweet potatoes, I also really like carrots.  Plain soup is okay, but I usually add other veggies, meat, and cornbread when we have it.

These are purchases I made in the Furman bookstore while I was there for camp.  The two on the right were crunchy, and I added them to my soft serve froyo from the dining hall!  The one on the right not only tastes great (especially with a banana), but it also has a great cause behind it.  Buying those makes your tummy happy as well as one of a hungry child.