Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Yoders!    

Mark is heading into his fourth year as a pediatric PA and loves his job. He has stayed busy at home finishing the back yard, painting the inside of the house and getting new carpet installed. He knows how to keep his wife happy! The kids absolutely adore him and love when he’s home. The vintage arcade he built is [mostly] finished and is super awesome—come check it out!

He’s now making his own chain mail...

Melissa always has a never ending list of projects she’d like to do. She keeps busy sewing, making jewelry, blogging, making geeky t-shirts and following the kids around with a camera. She took up Pilates and attempted her first garden this year. 

Madelyn is in 2^nd grade and is a great reader! She really enjoys science too and is our mini marine biologist. She is still in gymnastics and loves playing with her friends. She is a great big sister and turned 8 on Dec. 21^st! 

Luke(3) is still our little tornado. He likes to go around the house

dumping things all over the floor and driving his mom crazy. He started (and then stopped)potty training and has become quite proficient using the computer. He knows the alphabet, phonics, can read some words and can count to 30. Smart boy! He wants to be a drummer when he grows up.

We’re so grateful to have friends like you.

Hope the new year brings lots of cheer!

Love, Mark, Melissa, Madelyn and Luke

Borax Crystal Snowflakes

Madelyn brought home this recipe for Borax snowflakes from school and she talked me into making them with her. It was an easy, fun project and now we have some more cute little ornaments for our tree.

Borax Crystal Snowflakes

Glass jar
pipe cleaners
Borax
yarn or string
water

Instructions:
1. Boil about 2 cups of water
2. Shape pipe cleaners into snowflake shapes
3. Tie a string to each snowflake, and loop around pencil
4. Dump 1/2 cup of borax into jar
5. Pour boiling water in, and stir to dissolve borax
6. Put snowflakes in, hanging from the pencil, making sure they are submerged
7. Wait one day and you will have beautiful sparkly snowflakes!

  

Eight is GREAT!

Eight years ago today, I became a mother. What a sweet, spunky, sassy, exasperating girl she is. We don't know what we'd do without her. She knows what she wants and is not afraid to let you know!!!

She has school today and then is having about 7 of her little friends over for a princess party. Of course, I'm not ready, because as you probably realize, not only is the end of the world scheduled for today, but I'm still not done with Christmas prep. But party we will!!

♥♥♥♥Happy birthday Madelyn!! ♥♥♥♥

Easily Holiday Ham and Potatoes

Yeah, another recipe. Sorry but I wanted to get them all posted before Christmas so you could get a chance to use them. And by the way, I've had a lot of compliments on the fudge we've given out, so if you haven't made some yet, DO!! (Recipes found here.)

We're big fans of ham and potatoes around here. I'm allergic to turkey, so it's our holiday meat of choice. Heck, this makes a fantastic weeknight supper as well. It's super easy and our whole family loves it.

 

I'm a fan of these little pre-sliced dinner hams you get at the grocery store. I get one that's
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. and it's the perfect size for our little family. I usually get the brown sugar kind because that's what Mark likes. Then I make a simple glaze that goes on during the last half of cooking.

 Brown Sugar & Honey Ham

Melissa Yoder

Small pre-sliced dinner ham (however big you need it to be)

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar

Unwrap ham and place in baking dish. Pour 1/4 cup of water into bottom of the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes per pound of ham.*

During the last 15 minutes of baking time, pull ham out of the oven and remove foil. Spread top all over with honey, and pack brown sugar on top of that. Put back in oven for the remainder of time. Serve each slice with a little of the resulting brown sugar/honey syrup from the pan.

*The directions on the ham usually say to heat at 325° F, but I've found that the ham never really gets sufficiently hot at that temp. So I bake it at 350° F and that way the potatoes can bake at the same time.

This potato casserole recipe is called "Murset Potatoes" in my family, but it's basically my Grandma's version of funeral potatoes. They used to be a huge ordeal to make until it occurred to me that I could use store bought hash browns instead of boiling and shredding a half dozen potatoes myself. DUH!!

"Murset Potatoes"

Mary Murset

30 oz. bag frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

1 stick melted butter

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups sour cream (reduced fat is fine)

1 cup cottage cheese

1 bunch chopped scallions (green onions), about 1/2 cup

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1/2 cup corn flakes

Combine all ingredients except for corn flakes in a large bowl. Spread into a 13x9 pan* sprayed with  vegetable spray. Top with corn flakes. Bake at 350 ° for 40 minutes.

*Instead of a 13x9 pan, I usually split the potatoes between an 11x7 and an 8x8 pan and freeze one (sans corn flakes) for later. It can then be topped with corn flakes and put straight into the oven when needed. Add 5-10 minutes to cooking time.

 

It may not be the healthiest meal, but it is festive and decadent and delicious. The ham is smoky and sweet and the potatoes are tangy and cheesy and have a lovely crunch on top. It is one of our favorite meals and usually has lots of leftovers! MMMM!

White Chocolate + Candy Cane Chocolate Oreos

Did that title get your attention?? Y U M. Here's another idea for quick, easy Christmas treats. I made these for all of Mark's co-workers last year, and they were a big hit so I just made some more today for neighbors. Regular Oreos work fine, but last year by happy chance the store was out of them, so I bought chocolate creme Oreos instead. They take it to the next level, I am telling you. If you have a microwave, a couple bowls and a spoon, you can make these.

I used two packages of double stuffed chocolate creme Oreos (actually I used Kroger brand--they taste the same as Oreos, as do Great Value), white and red candy melts (both vanilla flavored) and crushed candy cane. If you can find a bag of crushed candy cane pieces, it will save you a lot of time. In years past I always had to unwrap dozens of candy canes, put them in a big ziploc bag and whack them with a rolling pin to make my own. What a pain.

White Chocolate + Candy Cane Chocolate Oreos

1 package chocolate creme sandwich cookies, Oreo or store brand

1 (12 oz) package vanilla candy melts, or white chocolate chips (you only need about half the bag)

1 cup crushed candy cane pieces

Melt white chocolate or candy melts according to package directions. Stir until smooth. Dip half of each cookie in it and then roll in candy cane pieces. Arrange on a cookie sheet until cool and the coating has set.

The end.

I mean, how can you go wrong with these?? Everyone loves Oreos! You don't have to bake anything! It hardly uses up any dishes! It makes a ton!

I used the whole bag of both my candy melts, and with the leftover I filled up some candy molds I have. But next time I probably won't use as many chips. The stuff can be remelted and used again if you end up with extra.

Happy treat making!

3 Minute Fudge, 3 different ways

Last year, the heavens opened and I discovered this recipe over at V and Co. for 3 Minute, 3 Ingredient Mint Fudge. It was love. It was meant to be. Fudge is one of my favorite holiday treats but it used to be such a pain to make. Last night, I whipped up three batches in about 20 minutes (the second time this month I've made three batches at once) for all of Mark's coworkers.

 The hardest part is waiting for it to cool and set up so you can cut it. You can stick it in the fridge or freezer to speed up the process.

I experimented with different flavors and now have three delicious versions to share with you!

Peppermint Fudge

1 (12 oz) bag semi sweet chocolate chips

1 (10 oz) bag Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 Tablespoon butter (optional)

1/2 cup crushed candy canes, for garnish

Line a 11x7 pan with foil (leave some overhang on the edges) and spray with cooking spray. In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, mint chips, sweetened condensed milk and butter. Microwave on high for two minutes and stir. If not completely melted, microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir until smooth and spread into pan. Sprinkle with candy cane pieces. Let cool completely. Lift from pan and peel off foil--set on cutting board and cut into squares. Store tightly covered. Yield: 50-60 squares.

Peanut Butter Fudge

1 (12 oz) bag milk chocolate chips

1 (10 oz) bag Reese's peanut butter baking chips

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 Tablespoon butter (optional)

Line a 11x7 pan with foil (leave some overhang on the edges) and spray with cooking spray. In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, sweetened condensed milk and butter. Microwave on high for two minutes and stir. If not completely melted, microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir until smooth and spread into pan. Let cool completely. Lift from pan and peel off foil--set on cutting board and cut into squares. Store tightly covered. Yield: 50-60 squares.

Chocolate Toffee Fudge

1 (12 oz) bag milk chocolate chips

1 (12 oz) bag semi sweet chocolate chips

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 Tablespoon butter (optional)

1/2 cup Heath English Toffee Bits, for garnish

Line a 11x7 pan with foil (leave some overhang on the edges) and spray with cooking spray. In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and butter. Microwave on high for two minutes and stir. If not completely melted, microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir until smooth and spread into pan. Sprinkle with toffee bits. Let cool completely. Lift from pan and peel off foil--set on cutting board and cut into squares. Store tightly covered. Yield: 50-60 squares.

Easy and quick and makes a ton! A perfect Christmas goodie for sharing with friends and neighbors. :)

Grateful

 I'm grateful for my silly, mischievous kids, especially this week.

 "Letter X"

 "Letter I"

 "Letter T"

 "Letter Y"

"Letter O"

 "Muscles"

 Breaking styrofoam peanuts into a million smithereens....in the buff.

 My bedroom is Christmas central, if you can't tell!

 The Crouch of Shame when I discovered that he'd unrolled another roll of wrapping paper...

Words cannot express how awful I feel about the elementary school shooting that just happened in Connecticut. All I know is that it has made me realize how incredibly blessed I am. Go hug your family and tell them that you love them!!