This post is sponsored by Walmart. The opinions and text are all mine
Happy holidays! How was your Thanksgiving? We are in full holiday mode over here and are loving everything about it. This year we are making it just as merry as it usually is and focusing on all we have to be grateful for.
So, tell me, what are your favorite holiday recipes to make? Baking in the kitchen is one of my most favorite traditions and some of my most favorite memories. Walmart has a Holiday Recipe Guide that I am loving! We tried a couple of them already and they were so delicious and festive that I wanted to share them with you guys. You can find the full Holiday Recipe Guide here.
We first started with the Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Tree Cookies. The boys had so much fun with these! They loved helping me cut out the tree shapes with our cookie cutter. We frosted them with melted Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips. Have you tried that kind before? They’re so delicious; one of my favorites!
After we frosted them, we sprinkled them with chopped Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares. Now for the final part which we thought was just so fun. We tied a ribbon on them and hung them on our garland. The boys couldn’t get over how they got to hang cookies as holiday decor hehe. It was so much fun and so great to do with the littles.
Our next recipe that we tried from the guide was the Chessmen® Banana Foster Pudding. Okay, these Pepperidge Farm® Chessmen® Butter Cookies were so dang good! The 2 bags I bought are already gone hehe and I will be back to buy more. The only thing I tweaked in the recipe was I swapped the bourbon out for 2 tsp almond extract. The almond flavoring paired so well with the banana. This yummy dessert is packed with delicious flavors of caramel, pecans, pudding, whipped cream and cookies. Need I say more!
Traditions are what make the holidays for me. I love keeping the old ones and also creating new ones. If you could name your favorite tradition during the holidays, what would it be? I asked my husband this and he said watching Christmas movies. It is so hard to choose for me, but I would have to say going to a live nativity. I love to remind myself of the real reason for the season.
Not living by family has made traditions everything for me! It makes the season special and creates things to look forward to. This year, my husband and I have talked about adding in a service tradition. It is easy for us to sometimes get caught up in the gift giving but this year we really want to incorporate serving and blessing someone’s life. We haven’t come up with the exact thing yet, but we are putting our feelers out there.
My most favorite memory of the holidays was when I was a teenager. One Christmas my dad learned of a family that did not have any beds. We went out and bought beds for this family and delivered them. I will never forget the look on the little children’s faces as they jumped from bed to bed, laughing and smiling ear to ear. They were filled with happiness and so was I. It was very emotional for me to see how grateful they were for something I took for granted. This definitely made me more aware of all the many things I am grateful for. It most certainly made my holiday!
I hope you can make some great memories this holiday season! Check out the Holiday Recipe Guide and tell me which one is your favorite.
sincerely,
