I love the holidays, I really do. But if your family is anything like mine, the weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break are some of the most scheduled, intense, anxiety-producing weeks of the year. Our calendar includes school performances, church choirs, office dinners, volunteering, cookie-decorating events, piano recitals, and Christmas parties.
Family fun often gets pushed to the back burner during these weeks, and the thought of holiday cooking feels overwhelming.
Photo provided by Jennifer Neptune
Enter Newly Neptune Meal Plans, by Jessica Neptune, a local mom of two boys who loves being home, cooking, and involving her kids in the kitchen, even though Noah and Luke are still toddlers. She creates monthly meal plans based on the philosophy that when we have a dinner plan, we spend less and nourish our families more. And, when we involve our children, we save time in the long run as they grow and develop skills.
Her $10 meal plans include only tried and true recipes that her family loves. Each month is unique and free from obscure ingredients and complicated kitchen techniques.
I asked Jessica for some of her best holiday recipes that my daughter, Winnie, could easily help me make. Jessica gave me a sneak peek of a dessert bundle she’s planning to offer for families like mine, who never want to attend a special event empty-handed.
Jessica shared tips for bringing kids into the kitchen. “I try to involve the boys in anything we make, and I let them have a hand in picking out the recipe.” She advises, “Lower your expectations, and know that letting kids help in the kitchen will probably be a total mess. Buying my boys their own set of kid-friendly plastic kitchen tools changed the game for us. I’d encourage parents to practice cooking with children when the situation is low-stakes; the holidays are stressful enough without trying to introduce a new skill.”
Here are some holiday favorites – a few from Jessica and a few from me.
Happy cooking!
Classic Corn Casserole
(Jessica, adapted from TwoSistersCrafting.com)
- 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
- 1 can creamed corn
- 2 cans whole kernel corn (drained)
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup butter, melted
- Shredded cheese
Fold together the mix, drained creamed corn, drained corn, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour mixture into a greased, oven-safe baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Yoyo’s Cookies
(Anna Snyder)
My mom makes one type of cookie, again and again, to rave reviews. They’re nourishing – appropriate for breakfast, even – but feel like a treat. At Christmas, she puts a red or green peanut M&M in the center and calls it a holiday cookie.
- 2 sticks of butter, softened
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1½ cups quick oats
- 12 oz. dark chocolate chips
Beat together softened butter and sugars. Add in eggs and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients, and beat those into the butter mixture. Add in oats and chocolate chips. Beat well. Form balls of cookie dough and place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes.
Photo by Anna Snyder
Pretzel Candy Christmas Creations
(Adapted from a million recipes on the internet by Anna Snyder)
- Pretzels
- Hershey’s kisses
- M&Ms (we like peanut butter, but you can use any red and green M&Ms)
Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Place pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Unwrap Hershey’s kisses and place them on top of the pretzels. Place in oven for 5-6 minutes. Pull it out of the oven and let it cool slightly. Place a red or green M&M on top and press down.
No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
(Jessica recipe, adapted from The First Year)
Crust:
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
- 2 packages of full-fat cream
- cheese at room temperature
- 1½ cups powdered sugar, divided
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Stir together the ingredients for the crust until a thick mixture forms. Press the mixture into an ungreased springform pan. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes before adding the filling. Remove excess moisture from the pumpkin puree by placing it on a few paper towels on a plate for a few minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Add in the pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream and ½ cup powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Mix the whipped cream and the cream cheese mixture together at low speed until just combined. Scoop the filling into the crust and smooth it out. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for six hours.
photo by Anna Snyder
Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
(Anna recipe adapted from JoyFoodSunshine)
Every time Winnie and I make cut cookies, I use the same recipe from JoyFoodSunshine. It’s a simple recipe, but the secret is using organic ingredients.
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2½ cups flour
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
Cream together butter and sugar, add in vanilla and eggs. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat until combined. Divide dough into two equal portions, and shape each into a round, flat disc. Wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Remove one sugar cookie disc from the refrigerator; let it sit for a few minutes to soften. Roll it out to 1/3 inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut the dough and place cookies on cookie sheets covered in parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Let them cool completely before decorating.
Secret Weapon: Nana
We have a few secrets for hosting successful cookie-decorating parties. I have a nana – my mother-in-law – who makes the frosting and helps coordinate the usage of ingredients. (She’s a retired kindergarten teacher, and it shows!) Children decorate far fewer cookies than you think they will, requiring far more sprinkles than you ever imagined. I place giant pieces of parchment paper with each child’s name on our counter, and we place finished cookies on the parchment. Nana brings plenty of plastic knives, spoons, paper plates, and bowls. We cover our kitchen table with a disposable plastic tablecloth for easy clean-up.