Family Traditions | Holiday Baking

I can't believe Christmas is just twelve days away!!  I just had a mild panic attack as I typed those words : )   It's been slightly hectic and crazy at work but I am trying to carve out time to do things with the girls.  One of the activities on our Advent Calendar was to Bake a Holiday Treat and the holiday treat we decided on was the Peppermint Pretzel Marshmallow Fudge from Joy the Baker.

The girls love peppermint, marshmallows, and chocolate.  Having all of it in one treat was a dream come true for them.  They had a blast crushing the pretzels and the peppermint candy and spreading all the treats in the pan.  I'm sure a bunch of it was gobbled when I wasn't looking.

peppermint, marshmallows, pretzels

then the chocolate mixture poured over it all

finishing touch - add more pretzels, marshmallows and peppermint

They had so much fun making this.  I think the hard part is always the wait for it to cool and set.  Since we made it at night, I just popped it into the fridge to set overnight.  Of course, the next morning, the first questions out of their mouths was "is it ready?" and "can we have one for a treat for lunch?" : )

What are your favorite holiday baking recipes?  Do you have one that your family makes every year or do you try to find a new family fave each time?

Traditions | Winter Solstice

This winter, I had the luxury of my parents being around to share some Chinese traditions with my daughters.  Besides Chinese New Year this past weekend, we also celebrated Winter Solstice back in December.  A traditional dish eaten during the Winter Solstice Festival is Tang Yuan - a sweet dumpling soup.  I remember making these tang yuan from scratch with my mom.  This year, my mom shared that tradition with my daughters and they had such a great time making them with her.

Tang Yuan is very easy to make (basically glutinous rice flour, a little sugar, and water).  Once the dough is made, you knead it until it's soft.  You can divide the dough in half to add color (optional).  We wanted to make red and white balls so for our red (or pink) ones, we used beet juice instead of food coloring.  Once the dough is of the desired consistency - smooth yet not too sticky, you pinch off pieces to make round little balls.  Z & L got creative and made different shapes.  When they are ready to cook, you just drop into boiling water.  Once they float to the top, they are done.  You then drop it into the sweet soup which is water, brown sugar, and ginger slices (optional).

Traditions | Chinese New Year

We typically don't celebrate Chinese New Year since my parents are usually not in town this time of year.  However, this year, they extended their stay so this past weekend, we were fortunate enough to enjoy some of the traditions of Chinese New Year.

Festivities included a big family feast with traditional Chinese dishes. Food is such an integral part of the Chinese culture, that it is no wonder many of the types of foods eaten holds a special meaning.  Below are some of the dishes and what they symbolize:

• Fish is typically served since it symbolizes prosperity.  Consuming it durng this time means that it will help you achieve what you want in the coming year.
• Chicken is popular during Chinese New Year since it symbolizes a happy household.
• Tangerines, Oranges, and/or Pomelos represent luck, wealth, and abundance
• Sticky Rice Cake (nian gao) is a very traditional dessert during this time of year because the round shape represents family togetherness, height and layers symbolizes continued abundance, and the sweet flavor stands for a rich and sweet life.
• Other dishes eaten during this time are noodles for longevity and chinese dumpling to represent continued prosperity (dumplings are believed to look like silver ingots).

Z and L also got to enjoy the tradition of "hong bao" - which are red envelopes filled with money.  They really enjoyed the celebrations but it got me thinking ... I need to do a better job incorporating our cultural heritage into their lives.

Family Fun | Friendly Neighborhood Boo - Happy Halloween

One night earlier this month, we came home to find a basket full of goodies on our porch along with a picture of a ghost and a little poem explaining we'd been Boo'd.

Have I mentioned how much I love my neighborhood and this tradition?  My girls were so excited ... wondering who boo'd them and planning what treats to put into their boo basket and who they should boo.

So if you don't have this tradition in your neighborhood, start one next year:
1.  Prep two Boo baskets / bags ready with treats

2.  Print out two Boo-grams.  You can use the one above or below which I found online.

3.  Print out the Boo Poem:

You’ve Been Boo’d

Now it’s your turn to “Boo” two other people in the neighborhood.
You should “Boo” these people within 2 days of receiving your treat.

Hang the ghost on your front door so that everyone can see that you have been “Boo’d” and will not Boo you again. 

This will also let you know who you can Boo.
Fill 2 bags with candy and treats. 

Copy this letter and the ghost twice. Include treats, letter, and ghost in your bag of goodies for the neighbors that you choose.
After dark, and only with an adult, “Boo” 2 of your neighbors.
Do not let the person that you are “Boo’ing” see you, for it adds to the fun of it all.
Place the treat bag on the doorstep, ring the doorbell and run!
It will be fun to see how many ghosts will appear in our neighborhood by Halloween.
Please keep it safe and enjoy!

4.  Deliver the basket, picture of ghost, and poem to the neighbors of your choice - ring doorbell & RUN!!!

Goal is not to be seen so it remains anonymous and have some good ol' halloween fun.