Packer Parties

Yes, I realize it's Christmas.  But in our household we also have PACKERS on the brain.  Nothing goes together better than football and food!    I'm a huge Packer fan going back to the days of Lynn Dickie.  Lucky me, I got to meet him this year thanks to my friend Denise. 

To start with, I made this yummy Packer Parfait. 

Packer Parfait

I layered pistachio pudding, and granola and it's delicious!

Of course, I like to serve green and gold vegetables with hummus.  Believe it or not, the veggies are usually a hit.

Packer Vegetables

If we have veggies, we must have fruit.  So, I like to serve green apples, pears and pineapple. 

Packer Fruit and Popcorn in my Grandma's Bowls

For dessert, we like to serve Packer Ice Cream which is chocolate mint ice cream with candy jelly rings on the side.  This bowl was my Grandma Johnson's too.  Love this bowl!

Greta with Packer Ice Cream

OK,  I gotta' admit this next recipe is not very healthy, but this green popcorn is always a hit with the kids.
It's basically like popcorn balls, but the lime gelatin gives it a different flavor.  Here's the recipe:  Packer Popcorn

Graham with Green Bay Popcorn

And, I do have a recipe for a Packer punch, but Chad makes a mean bloody mary.  They are superb and perfect for a Packer Party.  

Here's his coveted recipe:

Chad's Bloody Mary's
Clamato (he swears this is the ticket)
1 ounce vodka
Silver Springs Horseradish (another secret)
Pickle juice
Worchestire
Salt, pepper and Tabasco

Add one ounce of vodka to a mug.  Fill almost to the top with clamato.  Add a dash of horseradish, a dash of Worchestire, a tinge pickle juice, salt, pepper and a dash of Tabasco.   Of course, the more you can garnish the better the bloody mary!

Chad's Bloody Mary

Santa brought me a Packer ticket to the Lions game at Lambeau one week from today.  I hope Santa brings the Packers a win today against the bears!

Merry Christmas to All.  And, go Packers!!!

Kristin

P.S.   For the Vikings fans, I would serve purple cauliflower and yellow peppers, plums and bananas, and black cherry ice cream with gold candy accents.

Frane's Holiday Baking Extravagenza

The kids and I bake a few things every year so we have something for Santa.  This year we made 6 different goodies with 3 considered a complete success - 50/50, not bad.  To be honest, I'm not much of a baker-type.  Baking requires precision and great attention to detail, which is something I lack.  I'm more of a broad vision, big picture type person.    Here's the low-down:

• Snowflake Cookies looked beautiful but lacked great taste.  I had 3 teenage boys over and they ate one pan and our dog ate the other pan.  My taste buds may have been whacked from all the sugar. 

Cocounut Snowflake Cookies

• Sugar cut-out cookies were the hit!  We made 10 dozen cookies.  Gus made 2 special ones for Santa and Greta made 2 special ones to put on her Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's grave when we are in Osseo on the 23rd.  She thought Santa might come by to say hi to them.  For my Grandma, she made an angel decorated with yellow and blue frosting because she thought those were her favorite colors. For my Grandpa, she made a tree cut-out.  The rest of the cookies have been packed up and sent onward.  That's right, we made over 100 cookies and we're out and I'm glad (they are so good). 

Gus concentrating on his cutouts

• Almond-dipped pretzels tasted great!  But, I forgot to put wax paper down on the pan so they stuck and I couldn't get them off.  Funny!

Almond Bark Dipped Pretzels

• Super easy fudge was awesome!  It literally took 5 minutes and tasted great!

Super Easy Fudge

• Popcorn balls were fun and delicious.  But they didn't stick together.  We ate them anyway, but couldn't give them away because they did not stick. 

• Crock Pot White Hot Cocoa turned out fabulous!  I'm going to make this again.  Actually, I was going to enter it into a hot chocolate competition, but I had to stand outside for 3 hours and dish it out, so I decided to skip it.  I wasn't mentally prepared for that part of it.

White Hot Chocolate

All of our recipes were used with my Grandma's bowls, rolling pin, cut-outs, 65 year old Cuisinart, crockpot, and spoons.  We felt like she must've been there in spirit making cookies with us.  Here's a picture of some of my Grandma's supplies, all antiques I'm sure, being put to good use.

Grandma Johnson's Bowls, Cuisinart, Rolling Pin, Cutouts

Below you will find the 3 recipes I recommend!

Easy Fudge:

Microwave 1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips for 45 seconds.  Stir and add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk.  Heat for another 30 seconds.  Add in 1 cup of walnuts and stir.  Refrigerate overnight.  Delish!

Crockpot White Hot Cocoa:

In a crockpot add 12 ounces of white chocolate chips, 1 cup of whipping cream, 6 cups of milk and 1 tablespoon of vanilla.  Heat on low until warm.  Yum!

Sugar Cut-out Cookies:

Click on the link for the recipe:  Sugar Cut Out Cookies

Here's a picture of my kids making cookies at the Frane's just 2 years ago.  I can't believe how much they've grown.  Yikes!

Gus, Greta and Graham Frane

Gus and Greta before they made deliveries to our neighbors

Despite our 50% success rate, we had a total blast.  I couldn't count how many times I heard Gus tell Greta "I love you" and vice versa or Greta tell me how much fun she was having.  Makes my heart feel like it could burst with love.  How cool is that at Christmas time? 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Kristin

Winter Squash

Winter is here!    And guess what, I just discovered 10 winter squash that were laying around.  Lucky for me my friend Susan Buchman gave me some great squash recipes at the end of the growing season so I was able to try a few out!  Unfortunately (or fortunately) I'm the only one at this time that will eat squash.  I guess that's a sign I over-did it a month ago. 

Susan Buchman's Winter Squash and Tomato Bisque

1 small winter squash
6 cups of diced squash
4 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t paprika
1 t cayenne
4 cups tomatoes (I used a jar of my canned tomatoes)
3 cups of broth
1 cup cream or 1/2 cup sour cream

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Rub the cavities with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake at 425 for 20 minutes and scoop out when cooled.  Saute onions and garlic.  While cooking onions and garlic, blend squash and tomatoes.  Add to dutch oven along with the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.  Yum!!

Squash Soup

Next I made an AWESOME Squash Bake from Susan Buchman.

3 cups mashed squash or yams
Blend
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
After you blend, add squash.  Add to greased 9 x 13 pan.

Top with:  3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup pecans, 1/2 cup four/ 1/3 cup cold butter.  Mix together and put on top of squash.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes until hop and topping makes a crust.  Yum!

Squash Bake

Susan also gave me some recipes for squash pie and for home-made squash ravioli, but I've been a little busy trying to keep up with the holiday season, so the recipes will have to wait until next September!
Finally, I had some banana's that were beyond the point of normal consumption (meaning, pretty brown), so I made an easy banana bread from an old church cookbook.

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour milk
1 1/2 tsp soda
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. sat
3 bananas mashed
1/2 cup nuts

Mix in order given.  Add soda to sour milk.  Mash bananas before adding to mixture.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.  Double yum!

Banana Bread

Tomorrow the kids and I will be doing our annual cookie baking.  Expect a blog on our Three G Cooking Baking Traditions soon!  Honestly, our baking day is all about the kids and we do not even try anything complex.  We get really messy and have fun.  Good thing Chad is out of town (just kidding Chad). 
Kristin :)

Six Tips for Staying Healthy

I remain relatively healthy throughout the year and I've been wondering, "why do I stay healthy when the majority of people around me need to use sick days throughout the year?"  I have not missed a day of work for ions and I plan on staying healthy for ions to come.  Here's my tips for avoiding the cold and flu:

1.  EAT HEALTHY:

As I said in my last blog, I start my day with a healthy breakfast.  Once a year I might have a doughnut or cinnamon roll, but 99.9% of the time I will start my day off right.  My all time favorite breakfast is a fruit smoothie.

Fruit Smoothies for Breakfast

Combine 1 cup of kefir, 1 cup of berries, and 1 tablespoon of flax seed.  Sometimes I blend it, sometimes I just eat it with a spoon, either way, it's DELISH!!  Kefir is full of probiotics and helps boosts my immune system.

I really try to avoid processed foods if I can.  If I eat a cookie, it's made with real sugar, eggs, butter, and flour versus the overly processed oreo cookie (for example) that is made with crazy chemicals leading you to intense cravings causing you to eat the whole bag of Oreos.  Here's a good article about the Oreo cookie:  Death By Oreos  I can go on and on about the chemicals in processed foods, but I won't bore you.  When you eat good food you feel good.  Period.

I also try and eat at least 4-6 servings of vegetables a day.  When I get home from work and the kids get home from school I serve raw, organic veggies of some sort.  There are five of us, and we consume a mixed bag of organic raw vegetables daily.  In the growing season, we snack on whatever is in season.  This is our snack before supper and I like the fact that my kids are eating raw vegetables.  That's right.  All of my children eat and like raw vegetables and I bet not every mom can say that!  

2.  STAY HYDRATED

Yes, we all know the importance of staying hydrated.  I spent years drinking 64 ounces of water every day until newer studies indicated we should be drinking only when we are thirsty.  I still try to stick to 8 glasses of liquid, but I'm not nearly as rigid as I used to be.    You may think I'm weird, but this is what I drink nearly EVERY single day.

Kombucha Tea is a bottled fermented mushroom drink that I swear keeps me healthy and happy.  I've tried many different kinds but GT's Kombucha ROCKS.  When there was a recall on GT's for about 2 months, I thought I was going to die.   Kombucha tea is full of 1 million probiotics and makes me feel fantastic!  Yes, it's an acquired taste, but if you can drink it I guarantee you will be hooked.  Not to mention the fact that if you drink one that's close to the expiration date, you feel as if you have a slight beer buzz (the fermentation.....shhhh!).

My FAVORITE Drink, Kombucha

Read this article, and I think you'll understand why I'm TOTALLY hooked on Kombucha:  Health Benefits of Kombucha

I also drink chia seeds daily.   I add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds to my water daily and I have a days worth of omega 3 fatty acids, some added fiber, and it helps maintain blood sugar levels.  Here's the website with all the benefits of drinking chia seeds:  Benefits of Chia Seeds

Last but not least, I drink 2 cups of green tea a day which is full of antioxidants.  My cousin Erinn bought me a two cup tea maker and I use it daily.  Greta also loves green tea, so we drink it frequently drink out of my Grandma's tea cups.   As with most foods, all tea's are not created equal so I try and stick with organic green tea varieties 

As you can see, my days of only drinking water are long gone, and these beverages keep me hydrated and healthy!

3.  SLEEP

I manage to get 9 hours of sleep most nights.  Over the years, I've found that with 9 hours of sleep I feel my best.  Eight hours is fine, 10 is too many, but 9 is the magic number.  And yes, that means I have to go to bed early, but I'm convinced that's why I can ward off the bugs.  I exercise daily and limit caffeine after noon, so 99% of the time I have no problem falling asleep.

I also believe in the power of a cat nap.   My naps are no longer than 20 minutes (if I sleep longer I don't feel refreshed), and I take about 2 naps a week.  Afterwards, I feel like a million bucks!   

This Thanksgiving when I wasn't feeling 100%, I slept for 12 hours and then took a 2 hour nap on Black Friday.  By Saturday I was back to normal.  My body just needed a little extra sleep to get back on track.  Had I pushed myself, it may have turned into something.


4.  MANAGE STRESS

We all have stress, who doesn't right?   First and foremost, I'm the mother of 3 busy and active children and I have a full-time job as CEO of a medium size multi-million dollar company with 60 staff.   Despite these responsibilities, I rarely feel overly stressed.  There are 3 ways I manage my stress:  exercising daily, brief daily meditation (5 minutes), and I use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT / tapping) as needed to deal with my unresolved issues.    EFT is a blog onto itself, but here's some information:  Benefits of Tapping

When I first heard of tapping, I thought it sounded very weird.  Now I use it daily and I was able to work through issues that had bothered me for years and now I just tap on current events.  How cool is that?


5.  KEEP FIT

I am a cardio junky.   I try and exercise daily and I believe it has boosted my immune system.  Even on the days when I'm not feeling up to it, I go at it and ALWAYS feel better afterwards.  If I feel a cold coming on and I exercise, I swear I sweat it out of my system and I'm back to normal. 

Working Out With Friends

6.  FOCUS YOUR MIND ON YOUR HEALTH

I have a day or two throughout the year where I may not feel not up to par, but if I feel "feverish" I take Tylenol and if my joints ache I take Ibuprofen and most importantly I DO NOT GIVE ANY MENTAL ENERGY TO ACHES, PAINS, or SICKNESS!  If I wake up and I'm not 100%, I'll take something and go to work and if someone says, "how are you?", I say, "great" and usually within hours I feel great.  A lot of sickness could be avoided by focusing the mind on feeling healthy.  Sounds crazy, but it works for me.  I'm also grateful for my immune system that keeps me on track. 
And finally, if you do find yourself unheatlhy, here's my favorite chicken soup recipe to get you back at it:

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

What's your tip for staying healthy? 

Here's Wishing You A Healthy, Healthy Holiday Season!

Kristin