A Winter Dinner, Pumpkin Chicken Chili

I know that pumpkin may sound like an odd ingredient to put into a chili recipe. But this chili is perfect for a cold winter's night dinner, and certainly makes use of the stray can of pumpkin left over in the pantry.

No worries of your chili tasting like pumpkin pie, it won't, it will be unusual though, and I mean that in the best way.

This is the first time I have made Pumpkin Chicken Chili, but it certainly won't be the last. My family loved it, and the next time I make it, I'll make a double batch, and freeze half for another dinner.

I used chicken thigh meat instead of chicken breasts because I like the more flavorful dark meat. And it's less expensive, too.

Merry Christmas!!



We are already for Christmas, and the kids are waiting for Santa to arrive tonight.

We would like to wish all of our readers and friends a very Merry Christmas. Thank you all for coming here to Frugal Family Tree.


                                                       Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday,

                                                          Laura, Samantha, and Patricia





*Image via Pinterest

Eggnog Fudge

We are still busy whipping things up in the kitchen around here. Last week I made lots of pans of chocolate fudge, and got it in the mail to Laura, and my son, Mike.
I have made my fudge for 34 years I think, and it just wouldn't be Christmas without it.

But it's definitely fun to change things up, and try something new. Samantha made this Eggnog Fudge yesterday, and it is just fabulous.
It is really creamy, and the eggnog flavor is delicious. This recipe will be added to our yearly must-make list, for sure.

I know we are getting short on time here, but this fudge is so worth whipping up at the last minute for friends and family to enjoy. And of course, it would be great at New Years, too.


Recipe for Eggnog Fudge:

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup salted butter
3/4 cup eggnog
10.5 ounces white chocolate bar, chopped into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, plus a little more for dusting top of fudge
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon rum extract

Copycat Recipe For Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Have you ever had those golden, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits from Red Lobster restaurant?

Oh my, they are so good, and one of my favorite reasons to go there. But now I've found a recipe that creates biscuits so much like the restaurant's, I don't think I could tell them apart. The recipe is super easy to put together, and they reheat beautifully.

And they are perfect to go with a Christmas ham, or a festive dinner on New Year's Eve. Yum!!


Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick biscuit mix
2/3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

Snowball Cookie Recipe

As the children get older and start attending school (elementary or preschool) holiday teachers gifts are something we love to make and buy. Teachers are a very important part of our lives, they help mold our children into the adults they will someday be. I want them to know how important they are to not only my children, but to our family as a whole. Homemade gifts, along with a gift card to their favorite coffee shop or café are a pretty standard gift for our family to give. This year we made Snowball Cookies for the teachers and they were a huge hit! The boys helped out by rolling the dough in the "snow", it ended up everywhere but at least they had fun!

 

DIY Pinecone Christmas Trees

As a child the magic of Christmas was always in the decorations, especially ones that my brothers and sisters and I had made ourselves. Every year our mother would pull out the decorations we had made over the years and floods of great memories always came to mind.

I set out to do a simple project with my little ones, something easy, fun with instant results. These Pinecone Christmas Trees were perfect for my 3 year old and almost 2 year old.

A Healthy Dinner, Pasta With Ground Turkey and Broccoli

I have to confess that I haven't had much luck staying away from all the holiday goodies lately.

I've been making cupcakes, and cookies and fudge lately, and sampling everyone else's yummy food and treats, and I'm beginning to feel the effects.

I need to bring in some healthy eating during the holidays, and not just indulge in heavy holiday meals.
This great tasting recipe for Pasta With Ground Turkey and Broccoli is just what I need to eat better and feel better. It's easy to put together, and the ground turkey is readily available at your grocery store.

I first published this on Popcorn and Pearls, but it's delicious enough to share it here, and I'll be making this again tonight.

Have A Merry Christmas With M&Ms and Forza Motorsport 5 #FueledbyMM #shop #cbias

Christmas is less than two weeks away, and I'm proud of myself for having already gotten most of my shopping done. There's a rumor going around in my family that Santa just might be bringing us an Xbox One this year. Wouldn't that be fun?

So I decided that it must be true, that Santa will deliver that highly coveted Xbox One to our house, and I will make it even merrier by buying the Forza Motorsport 5 game to go with it.

I got a little crafty when I wrapped the game, and I know my family will get some laughs when they see how I decorated the package. It's perfect for under the tree, and I love that it's a little tease of the Xbox One that they all want.

I went to Walmart to look for Forza  Motorsport 5 and I was relieved to see they had some in stock. I know this is a very popular game, and I wanted to be able to make sure I had one on Christmas morning.

Plus, Walmart has an easy way to get a $10 eGift Card when you buy this game and a qualifying bag of M&Ms.

We love M&Ms, so a snack and video games is a favorite way my family likes to spent time during the holidays. The 'kids' that love playing the video games in our family are mostly in their 20s and 30s now, but they pretty much revert to being ten year olds, and have a lot of fun together.

Gingerbread Cupcakes With Gingerbread M&Ms

Baking gingerbread is one of the easiest ways to get me into the Christmas spirit. I just love the way it smells, and the delicious taste, too.

I usually bake it in a pan and slice it up, but cupcakes are more fun for my grandchildren to eat, especially when they are topped with yummy buttercream frosting and Gingerbread M&Ms. This is a fun recipe to let the kids help with on those long days of winter vacation.

Recipe for Gingerbread Cupcakes with M&Ms and Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup Gingerbread M&Ms, chopped

Aurorae Yoga Backpack and Candle Review and Giveaway #sponsored

I've been doing yoga for quite a few years now. Believe me when I say that it has made a huge difference in my happiness in life.

I always encourage people to look into starting a yoga practice, and science now backs up the facts that yoga is good for you, both physically and mentally.

Having the right mat and yoga accessories is crucial to having a successful practice, and the company I like best for that is Aurorae Yoga.

They offer everything you need, including mats, comfortable yoga wear, props, accessories, and more.