General Conference Ideas for Kids

   I had an idea last April to try to help my kids stay tuned in to our church's General Conference that is held every April and October.  Here we get to listen to all of our church's leaders as a congregation throughout the world.  It is actually pretty cool as an adult, but it is hard to pay attention as a kid.  I know because I was there as a kid myself.  It was really hard to listen to them even though they were telling us all kinds of important information.  They always have good stories that help bring the concepts home, but if you can't concentrate long enough to hear the story, it doesn't do much good, right?
   I have tried using the activity sheets that can usually be found around April and October that basically have this same concept, however, they don't really hold my children's attention for long.  They might listen to 1 talk or 2 and then they are done.  That makes it difficult for the parents to be able to listen to much more either.  Anyhow, I tried my idea this time and it worked AWESOME!!!  They stayed in the living room with me the entire conference and were actually paying attention.  For those who do not know what this is, it is 4 segments, 2 hours each, in which our highest leaders talk to all of the members of our church.  It is held on one Saturday (2 sessions) and Sunday (2 sessions).  We were only able to watch the Sunday sessions because of games and stuff, but that is still 4 hours of attention from a 9 and 6 year old!
  So, all that I did was have the kids go shopping with me to pick out 7 treats.  We got things like M&M's, Jelly beans, Smarties, Jolly Ranchers, Rolo's, Skittles, and Gummy Bears.  The important thing was to get things they enjoy, or it kind of defeats the purpose.  Once at home, we picked out 7 jars to put the candies in, and picked 7 words we thought the speakers would use frequently during the conference.  I gave some suggestions, but the kids came up with most of them.  I will list the ones we used and a few other suggestions to choose from that I actually did hear a lot this time.

Prophet
Holy Ghost
Temples
Jesus Christ
Heavenly Father
Joseph Smith
Prayer
Testimony
Rejoice
Eternal
Mission (Missionary)
Tithing
Priesthood
Pioneer
Baptism
Sacrament
Faith
Savior
The Lord

   What you do is have the kids pick out a candy from the jar whenever they hear that particular word.  For the littler things like Skittles and Jelly Beans, I let them choose 2 or 3, but everything else, just 1.  I would also suggest having the smaller candies for the words you think they will use the very most.  They will get less of a sugar rush but to them, it will still feel like a lot because the get to choose 2 or 3!  It worked out great.  They got to a point they were tired of candy so they each went in the kitchen and got a sandwich bag and started putting the candy in there to save for later, but they didn't stop listening to the talks.  I was really happy and really impressed with how well it worked!  Hope it will work well for your family too!

Here is what ours looked like!

~Stacy~

Hershey Sunday Pie

My mother-in-law was here helping my family out with the new baby over Valentines week and she and my boys brought my husband and me a slice of the Hershey Sunday Pie from Burger King for a Valentines Day treat.  It was amazing!  Talk about a mouth-watering dessert.  I instantly became obsessed with it!  My son asked me if we could make our own for everyone.  I had no objections about that one!  It was really easy and my kids think it was "the best pie" I've ever made.  

Crust
Option 1:  Package of oreo's crushed and pressed around the pie pan.
Option 2:  Buy a pre-made oreo pie crust

Layer 1:
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 C. Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Cool Whip
1 tsp Vanilla

Layer 2:
1 1/2 Cup Milk
1 (3.5 oz) Chocolate Pudding
1 Cup Cool Whip

Layer 3:
Cool Whip
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Mini Chocolate Chips

 1.  For layer 1, cream all ingredients together and pour into the pie crust.
2.  Next, mix the milk with the chocolate pudding mix for 2-3 minutes.  When it thickens up, fold cool whip into the pudding.  Pour this mixture on top of the first layer.
3.  Decorate the top with cool whip around the edge of the pie.  Squeeze the Hershey syrup over the top of the pie in a criss-cross pattern.  Finally, sprinkle some mini chocolate chips over the top of every thing.
4.  Refridgerate for 3-4 hours before serving to allow pie to set up.  Enjoy!

~Stacy~

Chicken Pot Pie

   Our dear friends from Alabama had us over for dinner one night and she had cooked this amazing Chicken Pot Pie.  She is a really good cook to begin with but my mouth watered with this dish!  I always assumed it was a difficult dish to make because I had never attempted it and it just seemed like a lot of work.  This is not the case though.  It is simple to make and so delicious!  You will only need a few ingredients for this dinner.  I don't even add a side dish with it because it includes your vegetables, protein, and starch making it a complete meal!

You will need:

Vegetables of choice:
Carrots
Peas
Green Beans
Onions
Celery Corn
Or any other veggie you want add or eliminate from the above list.  Birds Eye brand vegetables have a frozen packet of mixed veggies with everything included but onions and celery.  This is a really easy substitute requiring no chopping!

2 Pie Crusts (refrigerated 2 pack is what I have used)
Cream of Chicken soup
Chicken Broth
Sage (optional)
Salt and Pepper

1.  You will preheat the oven to 375°.
2.  Grease pie pan and spread 1st pie crust into the pan.
3.  Sauté the vegetables until tender.
4.  Add chicken, cream of chicken soup, and chicken broth to the consistency you would like.  Once warmed, pour into the first pie crust.
5.  Spread second pie crust over the top, sealing the edges.  Cut about 5-6 holes in the top and cook for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

It is as simple as that!  Hope you enjoy this meal too!

~Stacy~

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

  Nothing is better than having hot chocolate on a cold night, especially on Christmas Eve.  Try changing it up just a bit, making it even better this Christmas Eve by adding in one of the many candy candy canes you are sure to have around your home.  Add 2-3 large marshmallows or a handful of small ones to make it a little creamier.
  The packets of hot chocolate are wonderful and easy, but my favorite has always been the hot chocolate my mom makes from scratch.  It is also very easy and so delicious.

Hot Chocolate

1/2 C. Sugar                                                          1/4 C. Cocoa                                                     

1/3 C. Hot Water                                                   Dash of Salt (I don't ever add)

3/4 tsp Vanilla                                                        4 Cups Milk

 Combine all of these in a large cooking pot and bring to a boil.  Stir and keep boiling for 2 minutes.  Add 4 C. Milk and 3/4 tsp. Vanilla.  Heat it through and serve when hot.  Spice it up by adding marshmallows, whipping cream, or a candy cane.  If you are serving more than 4 people, you will want to double or triple this and add more like a gallon of milk.  

**Suggestion for leftover hot chocolate if you use a gallon of milk.  Just put the remaining hot chocolate back into the gallon, refrigerate, and you will be able to warm it up and have it again in the morning.  It stores and reheats really nicely.

Day 1   Day 2   Day 3   Day 4     Day 5   Day 6   Day 7   Day 8   Day 10   Day 11   Day 12   

A Time to Give Thanks

  We have all collaborated again to share our best ideas for a fantastic Thanksgiving Day.  We hope you will enjoy all of the ideas!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin pie is kind of a staple for Thanksgiving, right?  I LOVE pumpkin pie but I also like variations of this great pumpkin treat.  One that I found this year is a pumpkin cheesecake and it is so incredibly delicious.

2 (8 ounce) packages Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 (9 inch) pie crust- Graham cracker or regular pie crust
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2 Cup Frozen Whipped Topping

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 325° F.

2.  In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Blend in eggs one at a time.
3.  Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into the bottom of the pie crust.
4.  Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir until blended well.  Spread this mixture over the batter in the pie crust.
5.  Bake in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes or until the center is almost set.  Allow the cheesecake to cool, then place in fridge for at least 3 hours.  (The original recipe called for 35-40 minutes, but I have made it 3 times now, and it was always closer to an hour cooking before it was completely done).
6.  Spread the cool whip over the top before serving.

Crafts for Kids

    For the past couple of years, the kids have made placemats or some cute Thanksgiving craft at school and they turned out so cute we want to share some of them!  

    This first one is a Turkey made from Pine cones, Acorns, Feathers, Googly Eyes, and Craft Foam pieces.  All you do for these is select an acorn for each pine cone.  The acorns will serve as the head, so pick the size accordingly.

   1.  You can have the turkey standing or laying down.  If it is standing, hot glue the acorn at the top, but facing forward.  If laying down, glue it at the top facing up.  

2.  Glue the googly eyes to the acorn for the face.

3.  Next, cut out a small triangle from the orange foam.  Glue it under the eyes, kind of curving it to form the beak.  You can also cut out feet with the orange foam if you want to add those.  

4.  Add feathers to the back or bottom (depending on how you have it positioned) to make the tail.  

**My son glued these to a paper plate for the display, but you can just have the turkey itself to display!

Another cute Turkey idea is with a toilet paper roll and construction paper.  

1.  First you need to make the feet so they can act as a base for the turkey.  Make it just about a 1/2" around bigger than the toilet paper roll.

2.  Make 4-6 large feathers to put around the back side of the toilet paper rolls for its tail.  Have the kids write something they are thankful for on each feather.
3.  Design a hat and beak from the construction paper and attach accordingly.
4.  You can draw on eyes or use the googly eyes for the bird.

Pilgrims and Indians

This one is another idea to be made out of toilet paper rolls and construction paper.
You will basically follow the instructions for the turkey, just adjust it to the Indian with feathers and the pilgrims in their hats.  So Cute!!!

Placemats

 We have several ideas for placemats, so take your pick, or do them all!

1.  The first option was one done at school.  They used long (11X14") construction paper, preferably 2 different colors.  You could use 8X10" sheets if you don't mind a smaller mat.

       a.  Choose your main color and cut length wise, strips about 1 inch apart all the way from one edge to  

           the other, width wise.  Leave about 2 inches at the end of the paper length wise.  (I hope all of this 

           makes sense.  Hopefully the picture will help with the visual of which directions the strips are cut and 

           weaved)

       b.  Take the second color of construction paper and cut it into 1 inch strips width wise.

       c.  Next, you will take one strip and start weaving over and under the long sheet, starting as close to the 

           2 inch margin as you can.  Continue weaving each strip until you get to the second margin.  

                ***If you get to the end and there is not enough space, just cut the margin a little wider on each 

                      side until the final strip fits. If the last strip has just a little extra room and you don't want to try 

                      to fit another strip in, simply spread the strips apart from each other a little bit.

       d.  Finally, decorate it with the child's name, pictures or drawings.  My son's teacher used some paint on 

            their hands and made a turkey out of it!  It turned out really cute.  (Laminate if you can for future
            years)

2.  The second idea was something Stacy did last year in Alabama.  Since there was no family there, we just had Thanksgiving with several of our friends and their families.  About a week before, we got all of the kids together with a bunch of old magazines.  We used 8X10" construction paper for this project.  We also had stickers and stencils, markers and crayons, and other little shapes they could add to their mat.  The kids went through and found pictures representing things they were thankful for.  

      a.  We had all of the kids glue their pictures and accessories to their paper however they wanted. 

      c.  Have them add their name somewhere on their design.  

      d.  Finally, my friend had a laminator, and if this is available, I would highly recommend it.  You can just 

           make this a one time thing though and skip the laminating!  

               ***If you want it laminated and don't have access to a laminator, one cheater way to accomplish  

                this is to use clear packing tape.  Just tape it across the paper length wise from top to bottom.  Do 

               the same thing on the back side to seal it.  USe your finger or scissors to go around all of the 

               edges one more time then cut the excess off.

3.  

Table Runner
I think a fun tradition to start would be this table runner. You buy a table runner and then have everyone in your family put their handprint in paint in a different color, add the year and voila! Something fun for the kids to pull out every year and see how much they've grown over the years. I think this is so cute!

Beadboard Turkeys

I came across these beadboard turkeys on pinterest and thought they are such a cute decoration for Thanksgiving! Here is the tutorial to make them.

We hope these fun ideas might help make a great Thanksgiving!

Love, The Sissies

 

Raspberry Cheesecake Jello Dessert

   Michelle made this delicious Raspberry dessert for Easter this year and I finally made it for my family.  YUM!!  It is just a small twist to Heather's Raspberry Jello Dessert, but nevertheless, it is delicious too and a great side for a meal.

For this, you will mix:
1 8 oz container of Cool Whip
1 large container of Raspberry Yogurt (if you can find it, if not substitute with Strawberry or Vanilla)
1 3 oz box of Cheesecake Pudding Mix (again, if you can't find cheesecake pudding mix, substitute with vanilla, white chocolate, or french vanilla)
1 bag (8 -12 oz) frozen Raspberries

This makes quite a bit so mix in a large bowl and refrigerate.  I would also suggest to add the raspberries about 15 minutes before serving.

~Stacy and Michelle~

Father's Day Dinner

I wanted to make a great dinner for my husband yesterday for Father's Day.  I know I have already posted the "Star Jones Lobster and Steak dinner," but I wanted to make it again for him and it turned out great.  My 6 year old loved the lobster so much, he ate 2 whole tails!  He kept saying over and over how good the lobster was too.  It kind of made my day!

Star Jones Lobster Tail and Stacy's Steak

The rolls are the recipe Michelle posted a while ago that I finally tried.  Click here for the link.

Grilled Green Beans

As for the green beans, this was the first time I tried them on the grill this way and they were AMAZING!!  I wish I had made more.  

1.  All I did for those was pull out about 2-3 cups of frozen green beans and put them in an 8X8" glass dish.  

2.  I put 1 tbsp of olive oil over the top of them and made sure they were all covered with it.  

3.  Then I salt and peppered them.  

4.  Finally, I just put them on the grill when I put the steak out there.  I left one of the burners off and just placed the pan over that burner so they weren't getting direct heat.  I stirred it when I turned the steak over and took them off just prior to taking the steak off the grill.  DELICIOUS!

Strawberry Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping

My husband loves cheesecake and I have tried a homemade recipe before and quite frankly, it was gross.  That is the reason I have always just done them from a box--they turn out everytime and they are good.  Well, I found this recipe in the July 2013 Issue of "All You".  I just had to try to make another homemade cheesecake again.  Turns out, it was Delicious too!  We all liked it.  So here is the recipe.

16 oz. Cream Cheese at room temperature
1 Cup Sugar
3 Large, lightly beaten eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 9-inch prebaked Graham Cracker crust
1 1/2 Cups Sour Cream
1 pint of fruit of choice

   1.  Preheat oven to 350°.  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and 3/4 C Sugar with an electric mixer on medium until smooth.  Add Eggs, Lemon Juice, and 1 tsp Vanilla; beat until blended.  Pour into crust.  Bake until edges are set and center jiggles a bit, about 30 minutes.

   2.  In a medium bowl, stir Sour Cream, 3/4 C Sugar, and 1 tsp Vanilla.  Remove cheesecake from oven; let cool 5 minutes.  Spread Sour Cream mixture on top and return to oven.  Bake until topping is firm, about 15 minutes.  Let cool 20 minutes on a wire rack, then cover and chill 4 hours or overnight.

   3.  If desired, place half of the berries of choice in a medium bowl, sprinkle with 1 tsp Sugar and lightly mash.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Serve over cheesecake.

More recipes like this can be found at All You.

Graham Cracker Crust

If you don't have a Graham Cracker crust on hand, you can easily make one by combining a package of Graham Crackers- crushed, 4 Tbsp of Sugar, and 4 Tbsp butter, melted.  It should be soft and kind of clumpy.  Mash it around the sides first and make sure they are covered, then mash the rest down on the bottom.

Rhubarb Dump Cake

When we were growing up I remember every year for Father's Day my Mom would bake my Dad a Rhubarb pie. He LOVED rhubarb pie!! Now that I am all growed up, I love  rhubarb too! I love to make rhubarb crisp, rhubarb/strawberry pie or crisp and this delicious rhubarb dump cake.  This is my children's favorite rhubarb recipe, so I thought I would share.

Rhubarb Dump Cake

1 lb rhubarb, cut into 1/4" pieces (between 4-5 C.)
1 C. white sugar
1 (3 oz) strawberry jell-o
1 package yellow cake mix
1 C. water
1/4 C. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Spread rhubarb on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle sugar over the rhubarb, followed by the jell-o, and finally the cake mix. Pour the water and melted butter over the top.  Do not stir.  Bake 45 minutes or until rhubarb is tender.


Hope you enjoy!!
~Rachel~

White Chocolate Popcorn

I, like Rachel and her family, also love popcorn! One of my favorites has been this caramel popcorn. A few years ago when we lived in Rexburg we had a New Year's Eve party with Meagan and John and Meagan made AMAZING popcorn...and ever since then I will get these random cravings for the delicious White Chocolate Popcorn. And the best part...it is so easy to make!

You will need:

Almond Bark

Popped Popcorn

Sprinkles (optional...but make it pretty)

All you need to do is have your popcorn popped and then I used 4-6 squares of the almond bark for a big bowl of popcorn. (2 bags of microwave popcorn, or if you use airpop then 2 or 3 batches)

Then, melt the chocolate for 30 seconds, then stir and repeat until it is all melted, and pour over the popcorn and add your sprinkles! I usually let it sit for a little bit so it gives the chocolate time to set.

Then enjoy!!

--Michelle--

Valentine's Chex Mix

Day 11:

Okay, okay, I admit that I love Pinterest!  When I meal a meal idea I turn to Pinterest, when I need a project for the kids bordem (besides the offering of chores) I turn to Pinterest.  I seriously LOVE pinterest. And yes, my husband knows and approves.  So when I was looking for some ideas to make Valentine's Day a little more special for my kids I came across this Chex mix recipe.  I knew that it would be perfect for a little treat in their lunch.  I decided to try it out at the Super Bowl party we went to, and my daughters loved it so much they begged me to make it again, and soon!  Little do they know, they will be getting it again next week!

4 1/2 C. Rice Chex Mix cereal

1/2 C. white vanilla baking chips

1/4 C. peanut butter

2 Tbsp. butter

1/3 C. powdered sugar

1/4 C. white, pink, and red chocolate coated candies

2 Tbsp. sprinkles

Place cereal in a medium bowl.  In a small microwave safe bowl microwave baking chips, peanut butter and butter on high for 1 to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.  Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

Place 1/2 of the cereal in a 1 gallon ziplock bag.  Add powdered sugar.  Seal bag and shake well.  Spread on waxed paper or foil and let cool for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir in sprinkles and candies in the remaining cereal.  Spread on waxed paper or foil and let cool for about 15 minutes.

In a serving bowl, combine both cereals.  Store in an airtight container (if you have any left).

Enjoy!

~Rachel~

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10

Homemade Salsa

There are some things that I just love about going home to visit.  One of my favorite things is my Mom's cooking.  She is seriously my inspiration in cooking.  Everything she makes is WONDERFUL!!  I love to eat at her house.  I hope that one day my kids will feel the same way about my cooking, because I sure do try to be like my Mom.

My Mom cans the greatest salsa every year, and I LOVE IT!  So do my husband and kids.  So a few years ago I decided that I needed to plant my garden according to what I needed for the salsa.  And that is exactly what I did, and still do (plus a lot more).

My garden is finally getting to the point where I can harvest enough tomatoes and peppers to make salsa.

Terry's Salsa  :)

7-8 qts tomatoes                                                            1 1/2 C. lemon juice or vinegar
5 C. chopped onions                                                      1 1/2 T. ground oregano
1 C. chopped green bell peppers                                    2 T.  ground cumin
1 C. Anaheim peppers                                                    2 1/2 T. onion salt
1/4-1/2 C. Jalapenos                                                      2 T. garlic salt
1/4 C. Cayenne peppers                                                 1 bunch fresh cilantro
2 cloves fresh garlic                                                         1 C. sugar

Blanch and skin tomatoes.  Puree the tomatoes.  Simmer onions, peppers, garlic, and tomatoes for several hours.  You want to cook off a lot of the watery-ness that comes from the tomatoes.  When it gets to the consistancy that you like add the rest of the ingredients.  Put in clean, hot jars.  Give them a hot bath for 22 minutes after the water starts boiling.

I had a hard time finding Anaheim and Cayenne peppers this spring when I was planting my garden, so I just planted 4 different kinds of peppers, including green and jalapenos, and used what I planted.  I think that it turned out really good, even though it was not exactly the right peppers.  I always leave out enough salsa for us to eat over the next few days.  This time, as the hubby was eating his chips and salsa (almost finished half the bowl by himself) he commented that this was the best salsa I have ever made.  So really, add peppers that you like.

I decided that I would get as many canned as I could and give them as neighbor gifts this year.  Otherwise, with baby #4 coming just a little before Christmas season, my neighbors would not get anything.  So I hope I can get enough tomatoes before the freeze hits!

Crockpot Lasagna

The other day Austin was eating some leftover crockpot lasgna while John and Meagan were over.  He commented on how it was the BEST lasagna I have ever made.  Mind you, I am a terrible, and I do mean terrible, lasagna maker.  But this one turned out really good, and it was so easy and really quick. 

I got the recipe from this website... crockpot365.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

The Ingredients:

--box of regular lasagna noodles

--jar of pasta sauce

--cottage or ricotta cheese

--package of shredded Mozzerella cheese

--mushrooms (optional)

--meat (optional)-- I happened to use 1 pound of hamburger meat.

--spices you use normally when you brown ground meat (I use salt and pepper)

--1/4 cup water

The Directions:

--brown meat with chosen spices in large skillet

--pour in entire jar of pasta sauce (save jar, don't rinse or throw away!)

--simmer on low for a few minutes

--put a ladle-full of sauce mixture into the bottom of your crockpot.

--top with a layer of dried lasagna noodles. You'll have to break them to fit, and little pieces will fly all over the place.

--smear cottage cheese on top of lasagna noodles
--layer mushrooms cottage cheese
--add a handful of the shredded cheese
--ladle on some more of the meat sauce
--top with more dry noodles and repeat layers until crock is to desired capacity.

--put the 1/4 cup of water into your empty pasta jar and shake. Pour tomatoey juice over the whole pile of food.

--cover and cook on low for 8 hours, high for 4.
--Check noodles an hour before serving, and push the top ones down into the liquid if they are getting too hard or are curling up


This lady added a lot of veggies that I did not.  My kids eat vegtables good enough that I do not need to hide them in food.  But more power to you if want to hide them in this.  I think she had spinach and chopped up other veggies.  :)

Rachel   :)

Breakfast smoothie

Lately I have also been trying to eat a little more healthy.  I try to work out 4-5 times a week.  Before I start my workout I have been trying these Access bars from Meleluca.  They say they turn fat into fuel.  I am not sold on them yet.  Then I do my workout, which by the way... I LOVE the Jillian Micheals DVD's, no kidding, I work harder in those videos than any other workout, including 1 1/2 hrs of basketball! Anywho, After my workout I make myself a breakfast smoothie.  It is similar to Michelle's, but different. 

1/2 C. yogurt
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. frozen fruit  (I have a freezer full, but my favorite is peach with a few strawberries)

Blend and drink.

LOVE IT!!

I am not a great one at drinking milk, so this gets me my milk and some extra calcium in the yogurt.  I really do love this for breakfast.

Enjoy!

Rachel