Our Family’s Christmas Traditions

Our Family’s Christmas Traditions

Dec 23, 2022 | Faith, Family & Home, For The Holidays

I absolutely love Christmas, it is fascinating to me. Christmas has become one of the most magical seasons and loving on those dearest to my heart while learning more about them is so special. Most importantly, it’s a powerful time for reminiscing on the miraculous gift of Jesus! 

Years ago, I established an ample amount of Christmas traditions that my family cherishes! Some of our traditions include:

On Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we host a party and cook everyone’s favorite appetizers. I get everyone (including our guests) matching Christmas pajamas and we play music, games, and have deep dialogue. 

The kids participate in a Gingerbread house competition where they each build and decorate their own Gingerbread house. But don’t worry, everyone’s the winner!  

Demario and I always sneak away at some point during the night for a special surprise. He dresses up like Santa and I dress up as his elf. We give everyone in the house a gift and then slip away, returning as ourselves again. The entire crew loves it and it is prosperous for us to make everyone’s eyes twinkle. 

Before bed, we bake cookies to leave as snacks for Mom and Dad when we are working on getting gifts out!

On Christmas Day 

On Christmas Day we begin the day by reading the birth story of Jesus. I want to make sure that my little ones understand what we are really celebrating. We exchange gifts, followed by a mouthwatering brunch. We end the day with a delicious Christmas Dinner!

Although we celebrate all the normal Christmas traditions, I DO tell the kids that Santa is a character (like Mickey Mouse), and he’s not capable of all the things we sing about. It is very important to me that they know the real history and facts about the reason for the season!

The Giving Manger

A couple of years ago, we added “the giving manger” to our Christmas traditions. This practice teaches the kids to serve others, be intentional about kindness, and prepare for baby Jesus to go on display in the manger. We read the book and lay out the manger. Each day they are able to add a piece of straw after doing an act of service for someone. Once we’ve added all the straw from serving others, we get to place baby Jesus in the manger. 

This is a great Christmas activity because it reminds the kids of the true meaning of Christmas and the importance of giving back to others in Jesus’ name. 

We did let go of the elf on the shelf. It was just too much to remember to move those things every night. But I may add them back this year! 

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!

Christmas-Themed Dessert Charcuterie Board Recipe

Christmas-Themed Dessert Charcuterie Board Recipe

Dec 22, 2022 | Dessert, Food, Holiday Food

 

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cooking Time:

0 mins 

Serves:

6-8 people

 

This super easy recipe is a fun twist on a classic charcuterie board! Instead of meat and cheese, the board is dessert themed with a variety of sweet Christmas treats.

Ingredients

  • Peppermint bark
  • Chocolate covered pretzels
  • Christmas Oreos
  • Christmas M&M’s 
  • Christmas tree-shaped cakes, cookies, and brownies
  • Chocolate covered strawberries

Prep Instructions:

Step 1

First, find a large cutting board or platter as your base. Then, pull together all of the yummy desserts you want on your board. I recommend choosing treats with different flavors and textures. Feel free to mix up the ingredients based on your preferences! 

Step 2

Place the Christmas M&Ms into small bowls and place them on the platter. I recommend putting smaller ingredients or dips into small bowls and building the board around the bowls.

Step 3

The next part is easy! Assemble the remaining desserts (peppermint bark, chocolate-covered pretzels, Oreos, cakes, cookies, brownies, and chocolate-covered strawberries) around your board and serve!

 

This recipe is great for dinner parties and events where people will be mingling and snacking. I hope you and your family try and enjoy a dessert charcuterie board this holiday season! 

 

Daddy’s Favorite French Toast

Daddy’s Favorite French Toast

Nov 28, 2022 | Breakfast, Food, Tamela's Tailgate Treats

[It’s National French Toast Day! I’m re-sharing this post today to celebrate.]

When Daddy is home having breakfast with us during his offseason, we add one of his favorites into our weekly breakfast rotation – my special french toast! My little lambs aren’t crazy about this recipe. (It’s not always about them though, right?) Well, Daddy absolutely loves them, and when Daddy loves something, Mommy keeps it coming.

Weeks ago, I shared a list of five delicious dairy-free alternatives that my family and I enjoy. One of our favorites on that list was So Delicious Creamy Vanilla Oat Milk Creamer, which happens to be a major part of this French toast recipe.

Let’s get into it!

Ingredients

    • 8 slices brioche, or any bread you’d like

    • 2 tablespoons sugar

    • 4 tablespoons butter

    • 4 eggs

    • 1/4 cup milk of your choice

    • 1/3 cup of So Delicious Creamy Vanilla Oat Milk Creamer

    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

    • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Toppings 

    • 1 cup of sliced strawberries, bananas, and/or blueberries

    • 1/2 cup maple syrup, warmed

    • 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar to sprinkle

Directions

    1. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar and set aside.

    1. Whisk together cinnamon mixture, eggs, milk, creamer and vanilla.

    1. Pour into a shallow container, like a pie plate.

    1. In a 10-inch or 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat.

    1. Soak each side of bread in egg mixture.

    1. Fry slices until golden brown, and then flip to cook the other side.

    1. Serve immediately with warmed syrup and other toppings.

Leave a comment and tell me how you and your family enjoy this recipe!

Choc. Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Choc. Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Nov 11, 2022 | Dessert, Food, Tamela's Tailgate Treats

 

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cooking Time:

8-11 mins 

Serves:

8

 

Ingredients

  • 1 stick of salted butter
  • 1 cup of brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1 jumbo egg, room temperature
  • 3 tbsps of vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp of baking soda & baking powder
  • 1 tsp of sea salt + more for sprinkling
  • 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • Ice cream brand and flavor of your choice

Prep and Cooking Instructions:

Step 1

Brown the butter over medium heat, constantly stirring until the butter begins to turn a golden brown. Make sure you only brown the butter lightly. Take the butter off the heat immediately and allow it to cool.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until blended, then add the egg and vanilla extract.

Step 3

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Mix half the dry ingredients into the wet until everything comes together. Slowly add in the remaining flour, a little bit at a time. Fold in the chocolate chips slowly, do not over-mix.

Step 4

Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes or overnight.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough into balls, placing them 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet. Bake for 11 minutes or until the edges are just golden brown. Top with sea salt.

Allow cooling before inserting ice cream into a sandwich. (See Assembling the Sandwiches below.)

 

Assembling the Sandwiches
Place one scoop of ice cream (about 1/3 cup) for each ice cream sandwich between 2 cookies. Gently press cookies together, and roll ice cream edges in sprinkles. Eat immediately; OR, to save for later, wrap sandwiches individually in plastic wrap. Place into a resealable freezer bag, and freeze until needed.

 

 

The Ultimate Slider Station

The Ultimate Slider Station

Nov 11, 2022 | Food, Lunch, Quick Snacks, Tamela's Tailgate Treats

 

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cooking Time:

15 mins 

Serves:

24

 

For this recipe, I prefer Sweet Hawaiian rolls with my slider station. They complement each slider exceptionally well — and depending on your cheese and sauce choices, each slider is packed with a unique taste!

Ingredients

  • 2 packs of Slider buns – I prefer sweet Hawaiian rolls with my slider station. They complement each slider exceptionally well– and depending on your cheese and sauce choices, each slider is packed with a unique taste!

  • 1 lb. Deli sliced ham (deli meat of your choice (chicken, tuna, or turkey burger.)
  • 1 lb. Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, Coby jack, pepper jack cheese.
  • cup mayonnaise
  • Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • Tbsp. yellow mustard
  • Tblsp. Ketchup
  • 1 ½ stick Kerry gold Herb Butter
  • Tsp. onion powder
  • Tsp. garlic powder
  • Tsp. ranch seasoning 
  • Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • Tbsp. Poppy seeds (optional)
  • Tbsp. Chives 
  • Tbsp. Parsley
  • Onion (sliced and grilled)

HOW TO MAKE HAM AND CHEESE SLIDERS

Prep and Cooking Instructions:

Step 1

Let’s start this party by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2

Then you’ll cut your slider buns open and place the bottom half of the buns in a greased casserole dish. To make it easier to assemble sliders, attempt not to pull the buns apart completely.

Step 3

Next, mix the mayo, ketchup, yellow mustard, ranch seasoning, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Then spread the sauce over the inside of the buns.

Step 4

Now it’s time to layer. First, top the sauce with overlapping layers of sliced ham (or other meats) and cheese. Make sure the deli and cheese slices are not too thick for this. I also place cheese on both sides for chicken and turkey burger sliders. Once the meat and cheese are on, gently close the sliders.

Step 5

Next, let’s make the savory butter sauce that goes on the sliders. Add the melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, chives, and poppy seeds in a small bowl. Then pour this flavorful mixture all over the slider rolls.

Step 6

Then, cover the casserole dish with foil and bake the sliders for about 10 minutes. Then, carefully remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Step 7

Once you remove your sliders from the oven, grab a sharp knife and cut them into parts. I usually serve
them right in the baking dish. However, when hosting Tailgate Party, I transfer them to a serving platter and creation stations.

 

*Please note that the turkey burger and fried chicken recipes are used to make burgers and chicken sliders. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or thinly sliced chicken breast. Follow the steps above to melt the cheese.