Hosting a Stress Free Christmas Dinner: Part One

The key to being stress free on Christmas Day even if you are cooking and hosting the meal is to plan and work ahead.  Now, admittedly I do not have a solution for the stress caused by the dynamic of a large gathering of family members.  I don't have that problem (wink) so I can only make suggestions for the workload, but I do think that reducing stress in one area helps make other stresses easier to deal with.

It is not too late for you to implement this plan, even if you are reading this post just three of four days before Christmas.  Here's what's on the menu:
Butter Basted Turkey with aromatics and maple-sage glaze; mashed potatoes; gravy; onion and sage stuffing; cranberry-cherry-orange sauce; Roast carrots and Parsnips with honey balsamic reduction and crispy sage leaves; sautéed Brussels sprouts and squash with lemon, walnuts and goat cheese; layered salad; homemade buns with butter; Saskatoon pie with ice cream.

First, Get the Groceries (3-7 days before the event)

I bought most of my groceries a full week before Christmas to avoid the zoo-like arena that the stores become in the days before Christmas.  My turkey and veggies and a few other things that needed to be fresh are being delivered 4 days before Christmas. 

As always, I can't stress enough the importance of buying the best ingredients you can afford.  I ordered my turkey from a nearby Hutterite colony.  Buying free-range or natural protocol poultry makes such a huge difference in the flavour and texture of the meat.  It is also important to seek out and purchase sustainably caught seafood and fish.  I also get most of my vegetables, cheeses and other ingredients locally as much as possible.  Obviously citrus fruits and many other ingredients are just not available locally in central Canada, but I have been pleasantly surprised with the range of local foods that are available.  Local ingredients are more fresh and delicious as well as being more sustainable food sources (ie better for the environment).

Currently I use a grocery delivery service called Local and Fresh (Regina Only) that has made partnerships with many local farmers and artisans to provide easy access to a wide variety of locally grown and crafted products.  Check out their link if you live in Regina : localandfresh.ca

Finally, here is the link to the grocery list: Link to Christmas Dinner Grocery List
I have not provided amounts, and will not likely do so in the recipes either, you will have to improvise based on the number of people you are serving.

You will also need a large roasting tin that can also be placed directly onto the burner of your stove, a large slow cooker, a potato ricer and a digital meat thermometer as well as many other commonly used kitchen items that I assume you already have (baking trays, pots and pans and serving dishes etc.)

Cheap and Easy Holiday Crafts

Here are three crafts simple enough for toddlers using materials you may already have around the house.  They are super fun and make minimal mess as there is no paint involved!

Here are the materials needed for each, the rest is obvious!

 

For the Santa:

paper plate, googly eyes, red construction paper cut in the shape of santa's hat, cotton balls, a red pompon for the nose, a brown marker to draw the mouth, white glue 

For the Snowman:

2 paper plates, googly eyes, blue construction paper cut in the shape of a hat (and scarf if you want), orange construction paper cut in the shape of a carrot nose, pompoms for buttons, pipe cleaners for twiggy arms, small circles for the mouth (we used the eyes that popped out of our gingerbread men but you could use a hole punch and some construction paper), a stapler and white glue 

For the Gingerbread Men:

foam gingerbread man shapes (or cut some from construction paper), Pom poms, glitter glue in squeeze tubes, border stickers or ribbon and glue 

Grocery Store Beauty Products: All Natural Toners

A few months ago I made a wonderful discovery.  I had been struggling for a few months to find an affordable toner at the drugstore that still made my skin feel great. My oily-combination skin really needs something soothing and balancing - not too drying, and with anti-aging benefits too.

I had tried Burts Bee's Radiance Toner with Royal Jelly and I really liked it, but I found it hard to find and it was more than $20 a bottle, so I began searching for something cheaper.  I tried a few common drugstore brands but I found it nearly impossible to find anything that was paraben and sulphate free, as well as being alcohol free.  Any toner that contained alcohol (pretty much all of them) left my skin dry and patchy in some places and extra oily in my t-zone because my skin was overcompensating for the drying quality of the alcohol.

Then I discovered Rose Water and Orange Blossom water.  I have to give credit to Youtuber Lisa Pullano as it was watching her videos that inspired me to try using these products as toners.  I have kept these two items in my pantry for years as ingredients I used occasionally in recipes (try stirring a bit of rosewater and honey into some yogurt and drizzling over roasted figs, YUM!).  These two products smell so amazing and are less than $5 a bottle at the grocery store!! (check the international items aisle).  The only ingredients are rose petals/oranges and water.

I noticed a difference in my skin immediately.  Using orange blossom water in the morning and rose water in the evening, the dry patches on my face disappeared and the oiliness of my t-zone decreased dramatically.  I have since even learned that flower waters (aka hydrosols) have anti-aging benefits such as being packed with anti-oxidants that make them anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial as well as antiseptic. They also contains small amounts of hydrating essential oils. They are said to help with acne and redness and to prevent and even reduce the appearance of wrinkles.  They are gentle enough to use even around the delicate eye area.  Best of all, they smell amazing.  I find the rose water very soothing which makes it perfect for before bed.  The orange blossom water is the perfect natural, subtle and exotic perfume.  It is even said that the scent can reduce stress and anxiety, which makes it a perfect start to the day.  Since I began using these products, I have received so many compliments to the beauty of my skin and I believe these are the products that have made the difference.

A few other things you can do with these products:

• put a few drops into cake batter or frosting to give a subtle aroma
• Pour a few teaspoons into your bath water for a soothing soak
• Put it into a spray bottle to use as a makeup setting spray or hydrating spray throughout the day
• Pour a few teaspoons into a pot of simmering water to create a natural air freshener

Perfect Holiday Baking: Tips and recipes

Here are my holiday recipes that I am making this year, along with tips to make them the best they can be.  I have collected links to all my favourite recipes from various websites, and have developed a new recipe myself!

As with all recipes, better ingredients make a superior product.  Wherever a recipe calls for chocolate (baking squares, chocolate chips or whatever) I always substitute 70% dark chocolate (the best quality for the best price that I have found is the huge 300g Presidents Choice brand bars sold at Superstore/Loblaws).  Whatever chocolate you choose to use, make sure to find something with the percentage of cocoa solids clearly labelled.  If it is nowhere to be found anywhere on the package, who knows what you are really getting. I find many popular brands of chocolate chips and baking squares to be overly sweet and very waxy in texture.  To get a beautiful deep chocolate flavour and smooth texture, I suggest a cocoa solids percentage of at least 50%.  Costco sells packages of chocolate chips that are 51% cocao solids.  It is also important to use pure vanilla extract or vanilla powder, and I always use butter in my recipes, never margarine.

The holidays are a time to indulge and you will see that these recipes do not call for whole wheat flour, healthy fats, or anything that is very good for you.  Eat them in moderation and enjoy!  I love to make big batches and then make little packages to give as gifts.  They make a perfect hostess gift for a holiday party or dinner, they are great for taking to work as a share-able treat, or dropping of with neighbours and friends.  Just grab some cute holiday tins at the dollar store and let the generosity of the season take over!

Here are links to the recipes!  Click on the recipe title to see the actual recipe.

Crunchy, Sweet and Salty Squares (aka crunch "bars")

This recipe from Kraft Canada is so easy, and you probably have the ingredients on hand already. This square starts with a humble soda cracker, but the result is so delicious you would never guess!  The recipe calls for walnuts as a topper, but I love to add crushed candy canes as well.  They are also great with pistachios, toasted coconut, or slivered almonds.  You can customize to suit your family's tastes or allergies!  Be sure to use salted crackers, as the sweet and salty combination is what makes these so special.

Peanut Butter Fudge

This recipe from Sorted Food is very quick and easy to make.  Watch the video to get great tips and tricks to make this turn out perfectly.  Since they are Brits, the recipe is in weight measurements. See the link for the video and instructions, and here are the North Americanized measurements as best I can approximate:
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp butter
200 mL milk
2.5 cups loosely packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 1/2 cups icing sugar

Ginger Marmalade Sandwich Cookies

I love these citrusy cookies from Rachael Ray, and the basic cookie dough can be made into so many different varieties of cookies (you can check some of them out in the link).  These are my favourites, and I use the Presidents Choice Black Label Seville Orange Marmalade from Superstore/Loblaws.  It really makes these cookies special.  Any high quality marmalade will do, but one with a nice bitter note will be best to contrast the sweetness of the cookie.

My Homemade Nanaimo Bars

Suneil grew up with Nanaimo Bars at Christmas time, so when he requested these this year I knew I needed to develop a recipe to suit my own tastes.  Since I was horrified by the ingredient list on the store-bought custard powder, I decided to experiment and come up with my own delectable filling.  This recipe is also inspired by a new friend of mine, who reminded me that the key to the success of a Nanaimo Bar is in the consistency of the filling: it should be soft enough to squeeze out the sides just a little when you bite into it.  You do not want it to gush out the sides as you eat it, nor do you want it to rest firmly in place without moving.  At room temperature, I think I have achieved that with this recipe.

New Series!: Garden and Farmer"s Market Recipes

Of late, my cooking inspiration has come from the bounty of fresh summer fruits and veggies that I have had on hand.  My garden is full of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, kale, leeks, swiss chard, cucumbers and herbs.  My sister's massive garden provides beets, carrots, potatoes, onions, turnips, summer squash, beans and peas: enough to feed four families! In addition to that, we are members of the local CSA (community supported agriculture) with The Green Ranch (thegreenranch.ca) from which we get weekly delivieries of fresh organic vegetables.  This abundance of fresh delicious produce has been inspiring us to eat such healthy meals.  It is easy to make vegetables taste fantastic when they are fresh from the dirt!

I have tired of my Frugal Friday series, and I have decided to begin this new series, inspired by seasonal produce that is available in Saskatchewan this time of year. If you don't have a garden at home, consider joining a CSA near you, or shop at your local farmer's market

A harvest from my sister's garden.  I sauteed these in butter with some chopped shallots, then sprinkled them with paremsan cheese.  

This week, the recipe is Roasted Root Vegetable Chips.  These are quick and tasty, and great for using up those smaller vegetables that are too much work to peel before using (golf ball size is perfect.  Don't use smaller vegetables for this or the chips will be tiny!)  To see the recipe, click on the title, or find the link above among all of my recipe links!

I chose to remove these from the oven before they were too crispy, and I drizzled them with greek yogurt to serve.

June favourites!

Here are my favourite things from the month of June!

Beauty:

My number one favourite new product this month is my Loreal Majic Nude Foundation.  I had been putting off buying it because it is quite expensive ($19-$20 Canadian) for a drugstore foundation, and I just didn't need a new one.  When London Drugs had all Loreal foundations for $11.99 I took advantage and picked this up.  I loved it instantly.  It is a very thin consistency so it blends out really quickly and easily, but it also provides a really good medium coverage that looks really natural.  It tranforms into a powder finish when it sets so it gives a really beautiful finish to the skin.  It gives the coverage of a liquid with the lightweight feel and look of a powder.  Perfect for spring and summer!  I only wish it had SPF protection (that would make it worth the almost $20 price tag!)

My other beauty favourites have all been lipsticks, so watch for a post all about my most loved and hated lip products soon!

Parenting:

This month I have to write about something that has been one of my favourite parenting, beauty, and food products for quite a while, but I use it so often and in so many different ways that I always forget about it!  This miracle multi-purpose product is Cold-pressed Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.  I get mine in a huge tub from costco which stays in my kitchen.  Then I scoop some of it into containers that I keep in my own room and in P's room.  I use this stuff numerous times a day.  I'll stick to its parenting purposes for today, but it also has so many health benefits when used in cooking or as a beauty product.  Google it people!!

P sucks her thumb as she falls asleep, so she often gets sores on her lips and thumbs from this habit.  I apply coconut oil to her lips and thumbs a few times a day and the sores clear right up.  This stuff is perfect because it doesn't matter  if she ends up ingesting it .  For that reason I cant use polysporin or anything like that as it is being applied to spots that will inevitably end up in her mouth.

Once I started using coconut oil for that specific purpose and seeing how well it worked, I started trying it for other things as well.  Low and behold, it works great on cuts and scrapes before you put on a band-aid because of its anti-bacterial and anti-fingal properties. It is great for bug bites for the same reason, and it even soothes and heals diaper rash!  It is perfect as an all-over moisturizer for dry skin (which D suffers from terrribly).

I also use it a ton in baking and cooking because of its health benefits, but I'll write more about that in a future post.  If you don't already have some of this miracle oil in your house, you should consider getting some as soon as possible.  I just keep on discovering its wonderful qualities and uses!  

Cooking and Food:

Cooking: This month I have been inspired by a tall stack of cookbooks that I picked up at my local library.  I love food reading, and I am always interested in cookbooks written by celebrity chefs or cookbooks all about a certain country I am interested in at any given time.  My local library has a ton of cookbooks, and I bet yours does too.  For free!!  Check it out if you're a frugal food lover like me.

Food: This month I stopped drinking coffee to see if it would help me feel better, since I had been ill.  It didn't :( but I did find that I started sleeping better and those terrible headaches I'd been getting went away (the ones that used to start a few hours after I forgot to drink my coffee...).  So, I didn't start up again.  Instead I started making a cup of herbal tea in the morning, and my favourite is the Presidents Choice brand Chocolatey Chai herbal tea.  It smells so good, and with a little splash of milk it satisfies my craving for something hot in the morning.  Also satisfies my craving for something dessert-ish in the evening. Ok, the stuff is delicious any time of day. Its cheap too. Bonus!

Random Stuff:

I have, of course, been watching TV and reading books this month.  I have not, unfortunately, come across anything so wonderful that I feel the need to recommend it here today.  If I'm gonna call it a favourite, it has to be pretty great. 

Frugal Friday: Quick and Easy Frozen Snacks

Here are some of my favourite things to make and have ready in the freezer for P and D all summer long.  They are quick and easy, cool and refreshing, and most importantly: super healthy! If you don't already own a Popsicle Mould, then you need to get one! It is one of my most used summer items, and my kids LOVE all sorts of healthy creations I freeze in them.  You could also use shot glasses and Popsicle sticks in a pinch.  Alternatively, the banana coconut lollipops need nothing but a few coffee stir sticks.

Banana Blueberry Yogurt Pops:  

I make these often because The ingredients are staples that I always have in my house. 

In a large bowl, mash one ripe banana.  Stir in one cup of plain yogurt (you can use flavoured yogurt, but then don't use the honey), one heaped spoonful of almond butter, one tablespoon of honey. Stir vigorously until smooth, then fold in a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries.  Spoon into Popsicle moulds, add the sticks and pop into the freezer for at least 3 hours.  Run the mould under hot water for a few seconds to loosen the pops and make them easy to remove from the mould.

Mango Lime Fruit Pops:  

I make these when cases of mangoes go on sale.  In order to use them all while they are still delicious, I have had to get creative!

Peel 2 ripe mangoes and remove the pits.  Place the flesh of the mangoes into a blender with the zest and juice of one lime and a few leaves of mint.  Taste and add a little honey if you want, though it's not really necessary if you're using good mangoes.  Pour the purée into Popsicle moulds and freeze for at least 3 hours.  Run the mould under hot water for a few seconds to loosen the pops and make them easy to remove from the mould.

Banana Coconut Lollipops:  

These are just so easy and again, I always have all of the ingredients on hand.  P and D literally cannot get enough of these!

Slice 1-2 bananas into thick-ish rounds (about 1.5 cm).  Stick each slice with a coffee stir stick through the rounded (uncut) side.  Place on a sheet of parchement paper on a pan, then place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.  Fill two small, shallow dishes: one with plain or flavoured yogurt, and one with unsweetened desiccated shredded coconut.  Remove the frozen banana sticks from the freezer and dip both sides into the yogurt, then quickly into the coconut.  Eat immediately, or place back on the pan and into the freezer until you're ready to serve them.  

Bonus tip: these lollipops can be made using infinite substitutions or combinations.  Try substituting melted peanut butter or (for a real treat) Nutella for the yogurt.  The coconut can be replaced with chopped peanuts, almonds or any nut, or crunchy cereal.  Use whatever you have on hand that your kids love!