Food Family Finds | Illinois Mom Blogger and Foodie
Recipes | Parenting | Reviews
This Christmas Eve we had all of our family over for dinner and gift exchanges ... that includes the five of us plus my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law and two nieces. Written down, that doesn't really seem like a lot of people but when you stuff them all into one kitchen and living room, it feels like you're tripping over people left and right. In terms of family size, I thank my parents for only have the two of us. I can't even begin to image … [Read more...]
During the holidays, one thing I'm always looking forward to is the family feast. It's a time when I love cooking the most and sharing my favorite recipes with my family. This Christmas I'm putting a new spin on an old favorite. Baked macaroni and cheese has always been my signature dish for the holidays but this year I want to dress it up a bit and that's where my recipe for Holiday White Cheddar Mac n Cheese comes in. To make this dish … [Read more...]
If you've ever thought store bought, bagged marshmallows were good enough ... I'm here to say you are oh-so-wrong. One bite of a homemade marshmallow and you'll forever be changed. Really, they're that good. For a few weeks now I've had all of the ingredients to make marshmallows hanging out in my pantry but they just continued to sit and sit and sit. I've always been a bit intimidated by any candy making process that involves a thermometer … [Read more...]
When I was a little kid (not really all that long ago it feels) my mom use to take my to a little bakery called Jubelt's. Back then the bakery was thriving and serving up one of my favorite cookies in the whole world ... Tea Cookies. Today, the bakery has since moved on and away to Litchfield, IL. The distance hasn't stopped me though. Just last week we packed up the kids for a little 50 mile road trip to pick up some fresh holiday cookies … [Read more...]
During the holiday season, one candy you'll see around our house is the York Peppermint Patty. I grew up on this candy since my dad is a huge lover of them, well, those and Junior Mints. He seems to have a thing for mint and we do too! I found this recipe for the peppermint patty on Joy of Baking and it looked easy enough to make so I totally went for it. They are really good, especially if you use a good quality chocolate. My only wish is … [Read more...]
This past weekend I did some major cleaning in my kitchen, especially in the bakeware department. Over the years I collected so many pans and sheets that they outgrew my cabinets and ended up in several plastic bins, big ones. It got so ridiculous I just started throwing stuff out, especially the specialty pans that never got used more than once. But when I came across my Wilton Donut baking pan, I couldn't bring myself to toss it. While it's … [Read more...]
When I first ran into this recipe for Chocolate Crinkles I was in awe. The powdered sugar cracks and dark chocolate contrast had me instantly in love and I was desperate to try them ... weeks ago. Life got in the way as it always does though. After I finally managed to get all of the ingredients it took me another week to find the time to just make the batter. I figured that might sit in the fridge for another week but as it happens, my cat … [Read more...]
Earlier this week I was talking with my mom about holiday desserts, specifically pies. I was trying to decide on a dessert for Christmas Eve dinner but wanted to get away from the pumpkin, apple, pecan pies. I wanted something different and that's when she reminded me she use to make custard pies when I was growing up. For some reason, I have zero recollection of these pies, what they smelled like or even tasted like. Maybe I never even tried … [Read more...]
Growing up, I remember eating tapioca pudding on occasion. It was a treat that my big sister would sometimes make for me. But oddly, I haven't had it since, unless you count the pre-packaged pudding cups which are rather horrendous in comparison. So when I ran into these packages of Reese small pearl tapioca I knew I had to at least try it. I thought it would be nice to have a little bit of my childhood at the family table this Christmas and … [Read more...]
Last week I was poking around Walmart doing my grocery shopping as usual. Sometimes I feel like I live there but anyways, I made a pit stop in the holiday candy aisle. I couldn't resist it, holiday candies are my favorite because they're always fresh and well, the packaging is just too pretty. It was there that I caught sight of these new Cherry Cordial M&M's. Cherry flavored chocolate candy. Doesn't sound too unusual right? Much like the … [Read more...]
