Kids in the Holiday Kitchen
Kids in the Holiday Kitchen: Making, Baking, Giving
The holidays are a time when everyone just wants to create. Weather it be crafts, gifts or yummy treats to eat- the time that we get to spend together is so much better spent when we get our hands sticky, right!? Kids (and even adults) of all ages will find some eye-catching pictures in Kids in the Holiday Kitchen, pictures that will reel them right in to want to make the recipes/crafts. From the Stuffed French Toast (on page 14), the Sugarplum Lollies (p. 36) to the crafts of Stellar (felted) Stockings (p. 81) and the Let There Be Light (colourful beeswax candle) (p. 88) there is more than enough so that everyone in the family will find a "must make".
These projects are made to be kid friendly and most kids preschool age and older could do a portion of the work with a parent helper. Older kids could do them completely by themselves. It is a way that children can take ownership of making their gifts for their teachers, aunts or that special friend that needs a little encouragement. It is never to early to encourage giving and Kids in the Holiday Kitchen encourages a season of giving all year round, even from the littlest hands. This books gets two thumbs way up from me. I am leaving you with a recipe from the book that would be perfect for your New Year's celebrations!! Yum.
New Year's Nuggets
Chocolate-Caramel Popcorn, from Kids in the Holiday Kitchen (p. 45)
You'll Need:
1/2 Cup Dried Yellow Popcorn
Scant 1/4 Cup Water
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil (optional)
1/4 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
1 Cup Sugar
8 Ounces Milk Chocolate
1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup
What to do:
1. Pop the popcorn.
2. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat over medium-high heat until golden brown, and 5 minutes. Stir gently, add the orange extract, if using, stir again. Add some of the popcorn and coat it with the caramel. use a wooden utensil to help coat the corn. Place the coated kernels on the parchment paper to cool. Repeat.
4. When cool, break up the clumps of caramel corn, keeping the corn clumps on the parchment.
5. Heat the chocolate over low heat in the top of a double boiler, or in a metal bowl over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of hot water (creating your own double boiler). Heat the chocolate until it's smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure the chocolate doesn't burn.
6. Fill a ladle with the melted chocolate and lightly drizzle over the caramel corn. Let the chocolate caramel corn cool for 30 to 45 minutes. To make gifts, put small batches in cellophane bags; otherwise, wrap in parchment paper and keep in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Makes 4 Cups
Watch Chronicle Book's Kids in the Holiday Kitchen book trailer:
Title: Kids in the Holiday Kitchen
ISBN: 9780811861397
Subtitle: Making, Baking, Giving
Author: Jessica Strand & Tammy Massman-Johnson
Photographer: James Baigrie
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Subject:Holiday - Christmas, Crafts for Children, Handicraft, Recipes
Publication Date: November 2008
Pages: 95
I am an affiliate of TOMS SHOES and Powell’s Books and I do receive a percentage of the sales of any item you buy using my links. Thank you!
I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
There are so many things about Christmas that are fabulous, with spending time with the family, and eating good food at the top. However Christmas can be a very wasteful holiday- if we aren't keeping an eye out that is. What to do about that? I've got a book for you! I'm Dreaming of A Green Christmas has some very practical solutions to go and green up your Christmas. I'm Dreaming of A Green Christmas includes solutions for green holiday home decor, how to save energy, delightful new recipes, homemade craft ideas (to keep or to gift), pretty green wrapping options, and all the info you need to enable your own family to celebrate a green Christmas in style not giving up any of the glam (unless you really do still like tinsel).
Green looks better, local/organic tastes better so it is all around the best choice. If you are a green fanatic already, or just need the ideas and tips to get you there, I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas is your book! There are so many ideas that would work perfect year-round as well.
I love the VS. sections in this book, one of them being The Party Line On Cloth vs. Paper Napkins, you shouldn't have to think to hard to know that it would be greener to launder your napkins rather than throw them away. I really don't like cloth napkins, or I haven't in the past. I just didn't feel like they got my hands really wiped off at all. However it was because the napkin fabric used was more for decoration rather than to clean your hands. A stout cotton fabric would do the trick for sure. I am on a mission now to make myself some good napkins that we could use, maybe even with personalised embroidery for each family member (Lets see how ambitious I am feeling when I actually get to making them though!). I'll get back to you on that.
There is a recipe in I'm Dreaming of A Green Christmas that I just HAVE to share. I'll leave you with it:
Chai Hot Cocoa With Whipped Cream
For the Chai Hot Cocoa:
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup water
3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar (optional, sugar to taste)
2 Cinnamon Sticks
5 Cardamom Pods
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Pinch Ground Cloves
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
4 Ounces of Bittersweet Chocolate
For The Whipped Cream:
2 Cups Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1+1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
To Make The Chai Hot Cocoa:
1. Combine the milk, water, cocoa powder, sugar (if using), cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, ginger, cayenne, cloves, and vanilla in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat until scalding. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes, then strain into a bowl or pitcher.
2. Transfer the milk back to the sauce-pan and heat over medium-high heat to scalding. Add the chocolate and stir for 5 minutes, just until chocolate is melted.
3. Strain again and pour into 4 mugs. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.
To Make the Whipped Cream:
1. Place a mixing bowl and the beaters of an electric mixer in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 15 minutes.
2. Pour the cream, sugar, vanilla and salt into the chilled bowl and whip on high speed until soft peaks form.
I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas Book Deets:
Title: I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas
ISBN:9780811867672
Subtitle:Gifts, Decorations, and Recipes That Use Less and Mean More
Author: Anna Getty
Photographer: Ron Hamad
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Subjects: Seasonal
Entertaining - General
Holiday - Christmas/Hanukkah
Handicraft
Pages: 180
Publication Date: September 2009
I am an affiliate of TOMS SHOES and Powell’s Books and I do receive a percentage of the sales of any item you buy using my links. Thank you!
A Child’s Christmas in Wales
Title: A Child's Christmas in Wales
Author: Dylan Thomas
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Pages: 48
Genre: Children's Christmas
Yearly Count b: 91
This is the first time I have been exposed to the book by Dylan Thomas. Since I was young we would watch the TV version of this and loved it. Since the book was selected for the online book club, Travel the World (from a comfy chair) this month, and it is really short I read right through it. I read it to my little boys. They were mostly curious as to why kids would think it was fun to throw snowballs at cats. My two little ones have three cats and they knew that was a naughty thing to do for sure! I couldn't help but see them smile during the description of the fire where the slipper is being waved around. It is neat being able to share this with my kids.
I like reading it allowed, the words flow so strongly from the lips and even though my boys are too young to understand their beauty, sharing beauty even at their age is priceless to me. It is all about exposure to the arts at this point and to give them wings. Even if the beauty goes over their heads, the pictures are so amazing that they stare at them the entire time. Chris Raschka is the artist and the book received A New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children's Book for his illustrations. I don't think I need to say much more than that, other than that they are somehow earthy in tones and colours, rustic in their perfection and perfectly, intensely real as well. The lines are jagged, and imperfect and yet the detail of the paintings brilliantly glows through to form a whole image that is nothing less than spectacular.
So, there you go, the words are amazing...many of you have heard this short story of Wales, and the pictures I believe equally match the performance of the words, a marriage meant to be (at least in my book 
. I am going to institute the tradition of reading this book allowed to my kids, even when they can read on their own, or when they can read on their own they can read it to us! I think every household should own a copy of this book!
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