Here’s a quick idea for some holiday baking fun…

I awoke the other day to my wife in the kitchen making these:

You can either use store bought cookie dough, or you can whip up a batch peanut butter cookies yourself. You’ll also need mini-pretzels, chocolate chips, and red M&Ms.

Step 1: Shape the dough into reindeer head-shaped triangles like these:

Step 2: Insert the pretzels and bake.

Step 3: Insert chocolate chips (eyes) and red M&Ms (nose) into the warm cookies.

Step 4: Eat them.

That’s it. As our five year old would say, “Easy-peesy, lemon squeezy!”

I love chili. As far as I’m concerned, nothing warms the soul quite like a steaming hot bowl of chili. So when we were looking for something to do with our leftover Thanksgiving turkey, my mind naturally drifted to… Chili! [more]

Our four year old has a discriminating palate. In other words, he’s a VERY picky eater. I keep telling myself that there’s nothing unusual about this. Lots of parents are in the same boat. But this doesn’t make it any less frustrating. My first priority is to not make his eating habits become a battle, as I know that I’ll lose. The second priority is to make sure that he gets proper nutrition. This is the biggest challenge. And the third priority is to keep introducing and reintroducing (and reintroducing, and reintroducing, and so on) foods that he refuses to eat in the hope that he’ll try them and like them. [more]

Just in time for your Super Bowl party (or just dinner)… Our old standby chili recipe. It’s very easy to make (just add one of everything!), popular with the whole family, and delicious just about anytime. Without further ado, here’s what you need:

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 14-16 oz. can diced tomatoes (or break up if whole)
1 14-16 oz. can chili beans
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. oregano

Brown the meat and onions in a large pan and put them in a pot. Then add the rest of the ingredients, stir well and simmer for at least 15-20 minutes.

Notes: We usually replace the ground beef with ground turkey — you can’t tell the difference, and it’s a whole lot healthier. Also, this recipe doubles or triples (and beyond) very well.