What are your family holiday traditions?

Monday night when we arrived home, I pulled out a 9′ inflatable, holiday polar bear – to put up in my living room. Last year we didn’t put it up – I was afraid my …

Christmas Eve: Nothing happened

Ok, so that’s not entirely true. We had a very eventful Christmas Eve. But in previous years, I’ve had some story to report after Christmas Eve Mass: my daughter falling into the fountain, the kids …

Holiday aftermath: How do you put the house back in order?

A friend posted a one-liner on her Facebook page the day after Christmas: “Collapse.”
Yup, I felt the same way!
With our hustle and bustle from one family to the next complete, we arrived home about 9, …

Holiday baking: It’s a wrap

My daughter and I wrapped up our holiday baking over the weekend with a gingerbread house. I’ll say “baking” loosely since we didn’t actually bake the house. We just decorated it. We giggled and smiled …

Holiday favorites: Class winter parties

Each year it seems my kids’ teachers get more and more creative with winter holiday parties.

What’s a holiday cookie without sprinkles?
My kids attend the same school for the first time, so they had holiday …

Holiday baking: Fudge recipe gone soupy

During a college speech class, I once presented a talk on my history of cooking disasters. It wasn’t hard. Earlier that year I started a small fire in the dorm kitchen. It resulted in more …

Holiday baking: Fudge in a box

This week is CRAZY (ok, so are the next few weeks). So when I bought baking supplies from the store, I picked up a few easy, put together kits (that bakes up goodies I don’t …

Holiday baking: Turtle bars

YUM! There are a two downtown Mesa locations that sell a treat called “magic bars.” If I go there for lunch, I often buy one.
Now, I can make them at home! (They look better in …

Holiday traditions: Capturing holiday memories

With so much that goes on this month, I’m snapping away with my phone camera. Each year, I create a digital scrapbook (using Shutterfly.com) to make a photo book of memories. I usually just capture …

Holiday baking: Chocolate bliss cheesecake

We took a few days off baking because I was sick. Maybe I’ll make up for it this weekend.
Maybe I won’t.
I made my first cheesecake last night. As usual, I’ve discovered a few things. First, …