The holidays always bring special memories of times past spent with family and friends. Many of these occasions included favorite foods ranging from the traditional holiday turkey to cherished recipes passed down and enjoyed for generations. We all have them… special recipes that evoke warm thoughts and memories that we can’t wait to share during the holiday season!

This month’s recipe contest is a place to showcase YOUR favorite holiday fare using Homemade Gourmet products. Post your recipe here for automatic entry and possibly even begin a cherished family recipe for someone else to pass along for generations! The First, Second, and Third place recipes will each receive a Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Mix to enjoy during the holiday season. Contest closes November 30, 2006. So, what is YOUR favorite holiday recipe? Karen- R&D Staff

I grew up in a home that was steeped in traditions.  Now…as I grew up I did not realize that they were ‘traditions’, nor did I understand that they were helping shape who I would become…they were just part of everyday life!  This is the beauty of traditions and family!  Unlike the necessary rigid calendars that keep the family activities on time and on track…and unlike necessary strict rules that keep family members from getting in trouble or veering off the path of right and wrong…traditions just happen in the daily living and growing up as a family.  And then…they are passed down for generations to come.  No one left home with a rule book telling us what traditions we were ‘required’ to pass onto our children…we just automatically do it ~ almost without thinking about it. 

I had time to reflect on this over the weekend.  It was a beautiful East Texas fall day….perfect pumpkin carving weather!  (perfect because we could do it outside and not on my kitchen floor!).  This is one of our family traditions…one started by my mother when I was a child.  As my entire family sat out in the warm sun and cool breeze carving out faces and pictures from our pumpkins, the topic of this tradition came up.  My 18 year old son’s girl friend had joined us this year and I learned that this was the first pumpkin she had ever carved in her 16 years.  I was amazed…I thought everyone did this.  But once again, I was reminded that we all have our family traditions that are unique to us.  As soon as my children were old enough to get their hands into a pumpkin and scoop out the goo…we have been carving them as a family.  Of course…as they have grown ~ they now do more of the carving themselves and at the same time seem to be more ‘grossed out’ by the scooping part…’MOOOOMMM…can you do this for me?!’ 

For us…the tradition is so ingrained that my kids had their carving pumpkins picked out and purchased weeks ago ~ in anticipation of carving day the last weekend in October.  It felt so good to see my oldest set aside time on his busy Saturday to be sure he did not miss the event.  It was fun to hear #3 (who just turned 14) say “next year mom…my goal is to carve the entire pumpkin without any help!”. 

Next year he said…wow ~ I can’t seem to put into words the warmth that fills my spirit hearing my children making plans for keeping family traditions alive.  There are so many things we wish they would do without us telling them to (take out the trash…feed the dog…) but the traditions they do without a reminder.

This is why I know that the time we spend together as a family makes a difference. This pumpkin carving tradition was about an hour or so of time spent together. It wasn’t the carving that made an impact…it was the conversations shared while we carved and the encouraging words and compliments given as pumpkins took shape. The rest of the day was spent with us all scattered about doing our weekend activies…but this one hour of a 48 hour weekend made a lifetime impression.

So our traditions shape who we are…just as our time spent connecting at the family dinner table. What are some of your traditions that have been passed down for generations? How does it make a difference in your lives? What tradition do your children look forward to every year?

God Bless and Keep You,

Tami

It is getting chilly here in Texas, reminding me that the busy holiday season is fast approaching!  I have found that if I don’t start getting ready for it now…I will be stressed and overwhelmed for most of November and December.  So what will I do?  Stock the freezer of course!  There was a time when I could carve out a full day to do some holiday freezer stocking…but these days I have to think about things I can do one day at a time.  Here are some things I do that might help you be ready as well:

• Next time I am going to make meatballs for a family spaghetti and meatball meal…I will quadruple the recipe and have the kids help me roll a bunch of meatballs for the freezer.  I have a deep 11×14 dish I can load up with a lot of meatballs at one time and get a few batches baked in an hour or so.  After dinner, the family will help me put the cooled meatballs into gallon freezer bags. 
• These can then be turned into fast appetizers: put the frozen meatballs into a slow cooker on low with some bbq sauce (great with HG Baconcheeseburger meatballs), sweet and sour sauce (great with HG Old Fashioned Meatballs) or spaghetti sauce (greaat with HG Italian Meatballs) and serve at a party buffet. 
• Of course…when making HG spaghetti Sauce…this time of year I will never make a single batch…I will make at least a quadruple batch and keep it in gallon and quart sized freezer bags for a quick sauce on a variety of meals and appetizers. 
• things like: HG lasagna for a fast and easy dinner party (and if I make one of these….you can be sure I will put together 2-3 more to freeze and bake later), the meatballs appetizer, topping for baked or grilled chicken breasts, and for a crowd…spaghetti and meatsauce.  Not to mention the variety of meals I can make in the slow cooker with the sauce, like Italian Mozzarella Roundsteak.
• I will start making 3-4 batches of our family’s favorite 4 meals in 4 minutes recipes this time of year to be sure I have enough to serve a crowd for a planned (or unplanned) party, or to pull out and use on those hectic days during the holiday season that makes meal time a challenge.  I am able to do this by simply planning on making extra on the day I am serving the meal to my family…this uses time I had planned to cook anyway to go ahead and stock up for the future.  
• Fresh baked Cookies this time of year are always a treat.  The next time I make our favorite HG cookies…I will make at least 3-4 batches.  While the cookies I want to eat that day are baking, I will scoop up the rest of the dough into balls and place them on a large cookie sheet or 2 (they can touch…so I put as many as I can on a pan).  I will then tightly cover with foil and place in the freezer.  An hour or so later….when I have 10 minutes…I will take those off the pan and place the frozen cookie dough balls into freezer bags, label with type and baking time and put back in the freezer.  Now I can make fresh cookies at a moments notice when friends and family drop by, when I am off to a holiday party and want to bring a gift to the hostess, when I am having a party myself and need a fast dessert, or just on a cold day after school to take a break and share warm cookies and milk with the kids. 

There are other things I will do this time of year to be ready to serve a crowd, get ready for gift giving needs, bring a pot luck dish at a moment’s notice, or just have a meal to enjoy with the family on a non-stop day.  As I do these things…I will be sure to share them with you…one at a time!  What do you do to get ready for this busy time of year?

God Bless,

Tami

I can remember when traveling and leaving the family at home would cause me great stress over how they were going to be fed!  I would work overtime the days leading up to a trip trying to be sure I had put a perfect meal plan together for the hubby and kids to follow while I was away.  I would leave all kinds of notes and instructions with details….all as an attempt to be sure they had nutritious meals and did not find dinner in a bag handed to them through a window! 

This was because Dad was in charge of the menu.  No offense meant here…my hubby is all about Homemade Gourmet meals…it’s just the planning ahead part that is not a skill set he has yet developed.  So back then…I had to do all the planning. 

Today…as I have hit the road one more time,  I know my family is eating at home and I didn’t have to labor over planning it before I left.  Why?  What has changed?  The Kids Can Cook!  They have grown up in the kitchen now for so many years…helping me on cook ahead days, helping make meals from things in the pantry and made ahead in the freezer…it is a ‘no brainer’, as they would say, to pull it together.  As I left yesterday…I simply rattled off a list of things they could pull together with the precooked chicken and beef in the freezer…as well as the pre-bagged 4 meals in 4 minutes choices available to them.  Of course…this list is also on a chalk board in the kitchen to help their memory…but the point is that they have it under control!

 The 2 oldest (16 and 18) are completely self sufficient in the kitchen and the 2 youngest (11 and 14) are good enough to jump in and participate as well.  All Dad has to do is make sure everyone remembers when it’s dinner time.  So to my family at home this evening….what did you choose?  Chicken Spaghetti or Garlic Lemon Pork Chops? 

God Bless and Keep You,

Tami

Can I tell you how much I enjoy feeding a large crowd?!  And can I tell you how easy it is?!  I had a busy weekend…things to do with the family both Saturday and Sunday…but both days I was able to serve a meal to 15-20 people without missing a beat or an acitivity! (Even threw in a birthday party for my 14 year old Friday night!)

On Saturday, we had the normal ‘Saturday’ family things to do. Kid stuff, a week of laundry and general house cleaning.  That night I knew I had about 20 people to feed and I had not been to the grocery store since last Sunday!  In fact…I had not even given the meal a second thought until Saturday morning, at which time I went over to my freezer to pick a meal!  I settled on a chili buffet!  I used my precooked ground beef from the freezer and made a double batch of 2 HG chilis (Bonnie’s Blue Ribbon for those that like it hot and No Alarm for our less adventurous guests!).  Because I keep the pantry filled with the standard canned goods needed to make HG mixes..I was set to go.  I put the chili in two slow cookers after lunch and went about the tasks of the day.  At dinner time…I made a quick batch of HG Texas Cornbread, a large pot of instant rice, tossed a quick salad and dinner was served.  I was able to relax and enjoy the company without fussing over the meal!  The bonus was that with the chili left over…I was able to add to my freezer inventory for another day. 

On Sunday we were all out the door by 7am for church and not home till lunch time ~ which was when the group of 15 was due for the next meal.  I had already decided what the  meal would be when I looked into the freezer on Saturday.  I saw that I had 2 packages of stew meat and the Beef Tips from our slow cooker cook book sounded like a great Sunday lunch.  I knew I would be making rice for the chili…so I made an extra large batch to have some to serve the beef tips over on Sunday.  Sunday morning…it took me about 5 minutes to put all the ingredients into the slow cooker so it could simmer till 1:00.  I looked into that pot and thought ‘this just isn’t going to be enough…what can I do?’.  I went to the freezer and pulled the 2 bags of Italian Mozerella Round Steak from the freezer and started another slow cooker.  Now my guests came home to a Sunday buffet with the choice of Beef Tips or Italian Steak and Peppers over rice!  To round it out…I served it with an Orange and Red Pepper Salad tossed with HG Orange Vinaigrette (my last package till it comes back!!).  While we ate, I popped a triple batch HG Texas Cobbler in the oven.  I used my giant baking pan, putting one each of apple, peach and cherry pie filling in rows so that the guests could have their favorite cobbler hot out of the oven for dessert and I would only have one dirty dish!  When I got home from church…I realized I had a tub of Cool Whip in the freezer, so I defrosted it in the microwave real quick and added a pack of HG Spiced Dip to it so that we would have Spiced Cool Whip to top our cobbler.  Not a bite left!

I wish I could say I had meals left in the freezer from this day as well…but they devoured ALL but one serving of the Italian Steak and Peppers…which made a great sandwich today! 

Tonight my youngest asked if we had dinner ready at home (he was here at the office with me this afternoon) and I told him I had not put anything on before I left…but how did Taco Soup sound?  BIG SMILE FROM THE PICKY EATER…confirmation that dinner will not be a challenge tonight! 

What are you having for dinner?!

God Bless and Keep You,

Tami

The other day I responded to a blog comment with these thoughts…”Time around the table represents unity in the family. No matter what is happening in each person’s life…challenges, victories, frustrations or successes…we can all come together and celebrate, discuss, solve or console. There is something about breaking bread together and nurturing unity. It is hard to be divided around the table! I know this is why God gave me a passion for this message. His desire is for there to be family unity…because in unity He can nurture and grow His plans for those lives. If we let the dinner table become just a place to eat…we skip the table and just fill our bellies on the run as we find a minute to eat individually, and we eventually find our families growing apart. If we view the table as a tradition, as a place to come together and as a place of importance where we can eat while we are there…we will prioritize it and make sure it happens on a regular basis. This is my #1 reason for being a part of this incredible business…to let God use me to encourage this tradition so He can work in furtile fields!”

As I sit here a few days later those words have been ringing in my head over and over.  My family and I have had the joy of being able to ‘break bread’ with a group of people who are traveling from school to school to share the very same message in a different way. We at Homemade Gourmet share with families how to make the meal times happen so the family can connect…and in connecting values are shared and children learn how to make good choices that will affect the rest of their lives.  This group we were in fellowship with, called Life Choices, shares with teenagers in general assemblies how they can make good choices today and begin generational change for themselves and their future families.  They do this by going into schools and sharing the story of Rachel Joy Scott…the first child to be killed at the Columbine shootings.  Rachel’s mother, other family members and friends tell her life changing story to help teens understand that there is a better way…a better choice than self destruction.  They hear from teens after these events who tell stories of despare, self doubt and hopelessness…ususally feeling this way because of a broken connection at home. 

As we shared the time around the table with the Life Choices Team these last 2 days…I kept thinking about the words of that posting I had made.  I kept wondering if we really understand the impact and power family connectiveness has…or the lack of it.  It truly hit home to me once again…family time around the table has the power to affect generational change!  It had been a while since I had been with the Life Choices Team and listened to their stories…and once again I was impacted by the thought that something as simple as taking time to bring our children into the kitchen…as simple and traditional as having dinner together around the table…can and will influence the future of our children and the future of our children’s children. 

So as I make those meal time plans, as I stock that freezer with some precooked choices and as I find a few simple meal solutions that will make family time around the table a little easier this week…I will be reminded that I am doing more than feeding my family ~ I am making a difference.  And I will smile as I realize that it can be that simple and that I don’t have to do profound things to make a profound impact. 

What do you think?

God Bless and Keep You,

Tami

for more about Life Choices, see their link on this blog. 

I have to share a new variation on our Creamy Italian Casserole mix!  We featured this mix in our October customer newsletter, In The Mix, and mentioned how you can use smoked sausage instead of chicken as an alternate meal option.  Well…this week I had some precooked Italian Sausage in the freezer (I had cooked it up earlier in the week, just like I precook ground beef, and put it in the freezer to use later). I was inspired to try adding that sausage to the casserole instead of the smoked sausage or the chicken.  FANTASTIC!  It may very well be one of my new favorites!  You really need to give it a try.  And if any of you have some recipe variations to share…I’m listening!  I love trying what others think of…and this is a great place to pass it on!  I am especially interested in cold weather meals this time of year…what do you serve when the weather turns chilly? 

I also wanted to share why I had precooked italian sausage in my freezer.  This is not something I would normally have on hand (but that is going to change now!).  Last month I was traveling a lot.  This meant I had missed many meals with my family over a period of 3 weeks.  They know that when I travel I am spreading our mission and helping other families enjoy the same things we enjoy…time around the table and having a successful home based business.  So they don’t get upset that I am gone…but just like me…they miss our time together.  Well, at the end of that travel time I had a weekend event in Oklahoma that would bring me home on a Monday and keep me home for several weeks before going out again.  My husband and 2 youngest joined me for that last leg of the trip, but jobs kept my 2 oldest at home.  They wanted to celebrate our family being back together on that Monday and because they have grown up treasuring time around the table…their natural instict was to plan and prepare a meal to for us to enjoy together.  Things happened (job called one in for a late shift, etc…) so the meal plan fell apart but the groceries had already been purchased (including the sausage…now you know why!) 

When I got the call on the way home from Oklahoma that the plans had changed…I was touched by the sincere disappointment heard in my daughter’s voice.  One more reminder that family time truly does matter.  I respected her decision to step up and help out her employer in a time of need, and I knew she did not make the decision lightly.  She is growing up… and part of growing up is learning to make the tough choices.  I took that moment to reflect and realize that one of the places she has learned how to make those choices was during conversations held around the dinner table.  What lessons have been learned around your table?

God Bless and Keep You,

Tami

As I was reading through the comments posted over the last 24 hours I was inspired by the comment from my Mom on the Family Traditions posting.  The timing was amazing.  Mom shared the Christmas Eve family tradition I grew up with and have now established with my family.  I’ve known that my children have enjoyed this tradition every year…but it was driven home just today.  I held a Sales and Marketing Planning Meeting in my home today and was cooking some things in preparation for it while my 13 year old son sat at the kitchen bar eating his cereal for breakfast.  After a few minutes of silent observation, he asked me “Mom, is this a Christmas meeting?  Do you have the cheese and beef log?”  The smells in the kitchen (caramel apple cider, an apple coffee cake…) reminded him of our Christmas Eve traditions and I was touched that he made the connection. 

 We just never know how the little things are noticed…but we can be sure they are watching!  I treasure those one off moments when a child makes a statement that seems so simple but drives home the message that what we are doing is making a difference!  For years now, even the youngest (now 11) starts asking in October “mom…when are we going to make our fudge?”  I remember the year that I got so caught up in the ‘busyness’ of launching this company that it got to be Christmas week and we had not made the fudge.  It broke my heart when Micah asked me when we were going to make it.  How could I have been too busy for that long time tradition?  I had not realized how special that time had become to all of them.

But it happens…we get caught up in the ’busyness’ of the daily demands and can lose sight of the simple things that  matter the most.  Time spent in the kitchen making cookies and then sharing the first batch hot out of the oven over a glass of milk and the events of the day.  Future plans made and dreams cast as you and a teenager stir a pot of slowly simmering spaghetti sauce.  These are the simple things that they seem to notice most and that seem to make the lasting impressions.  These are the things they bring up years later and remember with fondness…the things you thought they never noticed! 

That year I forgot the fudge made a lasting impression on me.  Now, when I am tempted to tell them that I just need to get this meal made on my own so I can get it done faster, I slow down long enough to make time for those simple moments.  Does it matter if dinner is 15 minutes late tonight?  Is there anything so important that being 15 minutes late to it will be more life changing than the 15 minutes spent together?

I am sure we are all aware of the devasting shootings in our schools these last few weeks and it’s at times like these that we wonder what we can do?  It’s simple really…tell a child today that they are important by slowing down long enough to make a memory.  The kitchen is a great place to start and then let it carry over to the dinner table.  What are your memories and traditions that you are passing on to your family?

God Bless and Keep YOu

Tami

p.s. if you are touched by the recent events in our schools, visit our link listed on this blog for Life Choices…they too want our children to hear the message that they are important!

My freezer was lacking precooked ground beef so I made it a point to restock this weekend.  I had 15 pounds of raw ground beef in the freezer already…from my shopping trip I described last weekend.  However…I never got around to cooking the meat, so into the freezer it went last Tuesday.  Sunday afternoon I cleared an hour on my calendar and made a point of getting it done.  I used my large steamer and cooked 5 pounds at a time.  While it cooked, I took advantage of time in the kitchen and straightend up a few cabinets.  All the while I couldn’t shake a chocolate craving…so I then pulled out 2 HG Chocolate Chunk cookie mixes and made some cookies (afterall…the oven was empty and I had the time while my beef cooked!).  I cooked a dozen for me and the kids and then filled a cookie sheet with preballed dough, covered it with foil and put it in the freezer.  This morning I scooped up the frozen balls and put them into a freezer back for individual cookies as needed. 

 After my beef finished cooking, my daughter helped me scoop 2 cup portions into bags for the freezer (yes…I used the cookies as a bribe!) Done! Now I have a freezer full of choices.  Fifteen pounds of ground beef, several bags of frozen chicken for quick casserole or 4 meals in 4 minutes meals, as well as a few pounds of stew meat for that day when we get our first cold front and I am inspired to make stew!  This will last me a good 30 days before I need to think about what’s for dinner.  I love having choices in the freezer with HG mixes on the pantry shelf.  I don’t know what I would do without them!  How about you?!

God Bless

Tami

Remember the old Life Cereal commercials about Mikey who wouldn’t eat anything but loved the cereal? (Am I dating myself?!)  If you don’t have a clue…ask your mom! Anyway…I was reading some of the comments recently about getting kids to eat and we can relate! 

First…I have to say that children 1 and 2 will eat anything and have since they were small (they are 16 and 18 now).  Child 3 will eat most anything and #4…well, he is my ‘Mikey’.  My little Micah is 11 and has been a challenging eater as long as I can remember.  But he is all over the board on what he will and won’t eat.  For example…shopping with him the other day he runs up and puts a bundle of asparagus in the cart and asks if we can get it.  That’s a request you don’t have to think about twice to answer!  We served it with our Garlic Lemonn Pork chops and while he was sure there was too much ‘fat’ on the pork chops and picked his way through his portion…he devoured 3 helpings of asaparagus and ate all of his salad. 

Last night we served the steak and potato bake casserole (yes…the one that took me nearly 2 hours to bake in my dysfunctional oven the other night!).  I also served a side of pineapple tidbits and decided to sprinkle them with shredded cheddar to ‘liven it up’.  Our precious little Micah then picks through both the pineapple and the casserole because he has decided he does not like cheese (since when?!  one of his favorite meals is a cheeseburger!)  To his credit…he devoured a large portion of HG coleslaw though! 

 So here is my question…do we create challenging eaters or are they born that way?  I think I created mine.  Our Micah was 2 when Homemade Gourmet was ‘born’.  Starting and running the business required a lot of time and energy.  I think I gave in too many times to his picky eating requests during that hectic time in our lives.  The others didn’t get a choice…and now they don’t really expect a choice.  (well…#3 kind of fell on the cusp…so he is a mix of the 2 extremes). 

It could be worse…our picky eater LOVES HG Taco Soup…and chooses it as a preferred meal when given the chance.  He loves asparagus and salad and will at least try things most of the time.  But I am curious how others address this meal time delimna.  What is your story?

God Bless,

Tami