Meal Planning with Connie

Gifts from the kitchen are a real treat! Everyone's time is so limited. I truly feel special when someone makes something homemade for me! This year I want to try to share a neat gift idea from the kitchen on the week of the 25 th  each month. The holidays are always so busy, and I don’t always get to share a lot of ideas during that time. We’ll see how it goes… My friend, Donna, brought this big container of cocoa mix to our house just as it began to snow one afternoon a couple of weeks back. What a treat! We made cups of this delicious beverage immediately. Donna probably hadn’t even gotten out of the drive when we started! I do believe this is the best cocoa mix I’ve ever tasted. Yummy! Donna got the recipe from a mutual, sweet friend of ours, Jennifer. I just love how a great recipe gets shared from friend to friend to friend! A container of this mix makes a perfect gift for Christmas, Valentines, Hostess Happy, or National Hot Cocoa Day, which is celebrated each year on ...

Mrs. Kat’s Wassail Mrs. Kat’s Wassail Christmas simply wouldn’t be Christmas without a batch or two or three of Larry’s mom’s wassail. It is so good! We have been asked for this recipe dozens of times. Larry usually makes it, not me. He has it down to a science. He prepared his first batch of the season to share with co-workers today. Christmastime is here! 1 gallon apple cider 1 large can unsweetened pineapple juice 1 large can unsweetened orange juice 1½  cups sugar 2 sticks cinnamon juice of 2 lemons Combine all ingredients. Never boil only simmer...