The Camp Cook
Camp eBook's spot for Food, News, Tips, Ideas and Recipes

Perhaps you have just moved into your first place, or you decided that you wanted to broaden your horizons and try new things. Maybe you went to a Fourth of July barbeque party and tasted the beautiful smoked flavor, and decided you wanted to try to replicate it. After doing your research, you decided that a charcoal grill is right for you. Now what?

Now that you have decided you want a charcoal grill, you have to decide what type of charcoal grill will suit your needs. Are you planning on traveling and using your charcoal grill? If so, you will need a charcoal grill that is small enough to travel with you. Smaller charcoal grills are ideal for cookouts, camping, and tail gate parties, but would not be useful if you were cooking for a larger amount of people. If you plan on feeding a larger amount of people, a larger charcoal grill will better suit your needs. If you are having issues deciding on which type you should get, you may consider getting both. Smaller charcoals grills can cost as little as $10 to $15 dollars, and will give you the ability to travel.

Charcoal grills contain hot embers and fire when it is in use. Safety should also be a major concern when you are picking out your first Charcoal grill. Look for a charcoal grill with a sturdy structure and sturdy legs. If you grill does now have sturdy legs, it’s chances of falling over is much greater. When a charcoal grill falls over, it will send the hot coals flying. Many charcoal grills also have built in safety features such as a water reservoir and smothering valves. Undoubtedly, when you are cooking with fire, accidents can happen. In the case that your grill gets out of control or become to hot, these safety features will prevent potentially dangerous fires. The fire department has much better things to do then help you cook.

One of the most noticeable features when using charcoal is the flavor of the food you cook. To cook with a charcoal grill, you must buy charcoal briquettes and lighter fluid. Charcoal is a one use item, and will need to be discarded after each use. Charcoal can be picked up at your local superstore, gas station, or grocery store, and is typically pretty inexpensive. Charcoal must be light and allowed to burn until the charcoal is no longer on fire, but is red embers. The best way to get the pile to burn is by stacking it in a pyramid.

While no one likes to clean their grill, it is necessary to maintain your grill if you want it to last it’s intended lifetime. One problem you will face is the fact that Charcoal grills stay hot for a long period of time. You can remedy this situation 2 ways. First you can leave your grill open, allowing it to burn out. This method typically burns a lot of the grease off, but can potentially cause problems if you are not near your barbeque grill. You do not want to start a fire. Another way is to completely close off your grill and deny the fire oxygen. As soon as the grill is cold, or cold enough not to burn you, you will want to clean the grill. Leaving the grill dirty for any amount of time will cause the buildup to become hard, and may make it harder to remove. Use a wire brush to clean off the surface areas of your grill, and then spray cooking oil on the surface. Take the racks off and clean them with dishwashing soap. Dawn or other brands that have degreasers work best. Rinse the racks off, and replace them in the grill.

Be A Grill Master Cookbook. Tips for the Beginner Grill Chef.

Grill Recipes - 300 Recipes that will impess your friends and family.

Labels: Grilling

If your mother is an absolute foodie then giving her a gift of food will both warm her heart and fill her stomach with yummy goodness this Mother’s Day. Here is a short list of ideas to get your imagination flowing.

• For The Chocolate Lover – If your mother has a sweet tooth and completely adores chocolate or other types of candy then a basket (or other useful container) full of her favorite chocolates or candy from when she was a little girl – you know the one she gushes about every time she sees it? – should hit the spot. You could do a chocolate around the world themed basket with bars of chocolate, hot chocolate or cocoa from different regions or places famous for their chocolate. Places that come to mind include Mexico, Switzerland, England, Belgium, France as well as the United States.

• For The Wine Lover – Is mom a wine aficionado? A thoughtful gift for the mom who loves her wine might be to give her a gift of wine tasting at a local winery. You could also take a trip to a local wine shop and purchase a selection of wines so she could have a private tasting at home. Perhaps you could choose some artisanal cheeses and an assortment of crackers to go along with the wines you have picked for her. Package it all up in a basket with appropriate accoutrements and you have a lovely gift.

• For The Regional Cuisine Lover – If your mom is a lover of a specific cuisine such as Italian, French, Mexican, etc. Then head off to the store and put together the ingredients for a delicious meal from appetizers to desert and then include the recipes. Using Italian as an example your menu could include a bread salad, her favorite pasta & sauce, complementary wine, and tiramisu for desert. Include some Italian themed items like napkins and you are set.

• For The Tea/Coffee Lover – A thoughtful yet easy gift for your mother might include a pretty tea cup and saucer or a coffee mug with meaningful images or inspirational words. Add an assortment of tea bags or one pot coffee bags of different verities, flavored creamers or special sugars along with a new tea or coffee pot and maybe even a tea strainer for loose leaves or a special coffee scoop. A favorite book included in the package will make your gift extra special.

• For The Fresh Fruit Lover – Does your mom love Georgia peaches but you live in where Washington apples grow? Does she crave Florida or California citrus but you live in Michigan where cherries are plentiful but citrus is sparse? If your bank account isn’t rich enough to send her where her favorite fruit grows then think about “ordering in.” You could have her favorite fruit shipped to her (within agricultural guidelines) or even make a gift of fruit trees or plants for her ongoing pleasure.

• For The Food Lover – Another great idea is gifting a membership to a food of the month club. There are as many clubs as there are foods. Deserts, soups, steaks, cheese, hot sauce, salsas, barbeque sauce, pasta and pizza. Why, there’s even a bacon of the month club. Would you rather send a full meal instead of just one type of food? Then a dinner of the month club might be your answer.

So, give your mother the gift of food this Mother’s Day and she will think of you fondly all year long.

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Labels: Holidays

We love this for breakfast. This is so simple my grandchildren make it.

What You Need:

1/2 C canned peaches in light syrup, drained
1/8 t ground cinnamon
1/2 C vanilla yogurt, frozen
1/4 C honey oats and almond cereal

How to Make It:

Place the peaches into a microwave safe bowl.
Sprinkle the cinnamon over the peaches covering them well.
Place the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds on high or until the peaches are warmed through.
Place the yogurt into a serving dish.
Add the warmed peaches to the dish.
Sprinkle the top with the cereal.

Makes 1 serving

This makes a great breakfast for Mom on her special day. Serve it to her in bed with a nice hot cup of tea, flowers and her special card.

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Labels: Breakfast, Fruit, Holidays

Mother’s Day is a day to show your mother your love and appreciation. One way you can show your mother how much you care about her is by presenting her with a thoughtful gift. Think of the things your mom has talked about over the past year and take steps to make her cooking thoughts become culinary reality.

• If your mom is a gourmet cook then perhaps you could select an item that she has been dying to get her hands on. Chances are you have heard about this item over and over but if you do not have any idea where to begin looking rest assured there are many, many choices to be found for the cooking connoisseur. Some ideas might be: a gourmet knife set; those new pots and pans she has had her eye on; a new set of spices or unusual spices she has in mind for a special recipe; a gift certificate for companies like Pampered Chef, Taste of Home or other direct sales food company fan so she can get her favorite new product

• You say your mom doesn’t cook or she has been wanting to learn something new? Well, then the perfect gift might just cooking lessons and that is something you could even take together. There are all sorts of cooking lessons from learning the most basic to more advanced or specific culinary techniques. Choose something she would love and you are sure to make your mom happy this Mother’s Day.

• Is your mom a fanatic for a Italian, German, or French food? Perhaps a cook book with mom’s favorite cuisine or by her favorite chef would be an ideal gift.

• How about an evening of mother-daughter cooking? Put together the ingredients for your mother’s favorite meal and spend time together making memories.

• A basket filled with kitchen gadgets is a useful idea for any mom. Think of things that your mom does over and over in the kitchen. Is there a doodad that would help her save some time in meal preparation? What about a tool that she might only use a few times a year but she would love to have for those special recipes.

• Mom’s favorite desert is always the right way to go. You can make it for her and deliver it in a nicely decorated box or have her favorite local bakery make her favorite confection and surprise her.

• If your mom’s sweet tooth bends more toward chocolate or candy then get a bunch of her favorites and give it to her in a multi-purpose container. Every time she takes a bite she will think of you and your kindheartedness.

The trick to finding the perfect Mother’s Day gift for the cooking enthusiast is to pay attention. Watch her when you are shopping together, listen to her when she is talking with you and then take that information and create the perfect gift for your mother this year.

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Labels: Holidays

What You Need:

2 lbs lean ground beef
2 onions, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP parsley, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 flat metal skewers

How to Make It:

Place the ground beef in a food processor.
Add the onion, garlic and parsley.
Process until mixture becomes smooth.
Remove and place in a large mixing bowl.
Add the coriander, cumin, salt and pepper to the mixture.
With your hands mix all the ingredients together well.
Form the mixture into two meatloaves.
Run the skewers through the center of each loaf.
Heat the grill to medium high.
Place the loaves on the grill and cover.
Cook 20 minutes turning over half way through the cooking time.

If you like your ground beef a little rarer you can cook these for about 15 minutes. For more well done meat cook just a little longer.

Be A Grill Master Cookbook. Tips for the Beginner Grill Chef.

Grill Recipes - 300 Recipes that will impess your friends and family.

Labels: Beef, Grilling

You think about doing it each year but you keep putting it off thinking it would be too much trouble. But now, you’ve made the decision to have guests over for Easter and now you need to decide whether to host a brunch, lunch or dinner? No matter which time of day you choose to host your gathering bring out your best dishes and show them off. Make sure to take it easy and have fun. The party won’t be fun for anyone if the hostess is stressed out.

Let’s take a look at some ideas for having a gathering for each time of day.

Brunch

If you’d like to have your crew over between 10 a.m. and noon then a brunch is what you should aim for. You’ll have to get up a little earlier in the day to host a brunch but you can prepare the dishes beforehand and warm them up just prior to your guests’ arrival. Think of serving the food buffet style. This works out easier for both the host and guests.

You can serve items like:
• Quiche
• Omelets
• Fruit
• Waffles or pancakes
• Ham or egg salad sandwiches
• Breakfast breads and cakes
• Assorted appetizers or finger foods

Add a beverage like juice, coffee, tea, milk, hot chocolate or soda and you have a simple, yet satisfying brunch.

Lunch

If you are planning to have friends and family over after church or so you can sleep in a bit then a lunch between noon and 3 p.m. is the thing for you to do. A lunch can be served either buffet style or as a sit down affair but whichever you choose your lunch menu will offer a little more than a brunch menu with additional hot dishes. You can still serve finger foods but adding more meat and vegetable dishes will make your lunch-time meal a hit.

Think of items like:
• Ham
• Potato salad
• Spinach salad
• Deviled eggs
• Green beans
• Corn
• Carrots
• Macaroni and cheese
• Biscuits

Add an Easter themed punch, tea, or soft drinks and your meal will be complete.

Dinner

If you’re hosting an even anytime after 5 p.m. then a more extensive menu is in order. A larger menu can still be simple yet elegant. If you can make a dish in advance, do it. Anything you can do prior to the day of the even will help keep you sane and stress-free.

For the main course think:
• Leg of Lamb
• Rib Roast
• Ham
• Salmon

Ideas for side dishes could include:
• New potatoes
• Roasted root vegetables
• Green Beans
• Rice Pilaf
• Pasta
• Sugar Peas
• Artichokes
• Asparagus

Don’t forget to include other items such as salads, various appetizers, fruits, cakes, and breads. Complement your meal with a nice beverage and your elegant dinner is complete.

Once you’ve decided what time of day to hold your event, you’ll want to plan the decorations and come up with any games you might play. Don’t forget desserts too.

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Labels: Holidays

Do you know there are many different ways to conduct an Easter Egg hunt? As a young child growing up, my parents used to add fun new twists to our Easter Egg hunt each year and some of them have become fond memories. Today, we often do the same with our children as well. If you’re looking for a fun twist for your Easter Egg hunt this year, here are a four great versions we have tried in the past.

The Easter Bible Verse Hunt:

This version works best with older children and teens who can read and decipher clues well. The year that we did this, the older teens were paired up with one of the smaller children. Then, each “team” was given an envelope with a Bible verse in it. The verse was a clue to the location of the first treat and the next clue. After 4-5 clues, the last clue took us to the biggest treat: a large Easter basket for each of us.

Putting together the clues may seem like a lot of work at first, but it’s actually fairly simple. A verse about rocks told us to look in the rock garden. A verse about sleeping would mean to look in your bedroom. If your children are a little younger, you could help by highlighting the portions of the verse that are most important to finding the location.

An Easter Treasure Trail:

This version is perfect for very small children/toddlers. When our eldest was 18 months old, we greeted her on Easter morning at her crib with a basket. Leading from her crib was a trail of mini Easter eggs. She took the basket and followed the trail, putting the eggs in her basket as she went. The trail led through the house and ended behind the couch where a bigger treat was waiting.

When laying out your treasure trail, keep your child’s attention span in mind. Some children will follow the trail for quite a while before getting bored, others may need something shorter or more broken up. Perhaps a series of smaller prizes along the path where they can stop and enjoy if they wish?

An Easter Scavenger Hunt:

A scavenger hunt is another fun variation and it can be modified to suit any age. For older children, a written list of items to collect will work. For younger children, a sheet with pictures of the different treats they need to find may be a better choice. A very simple version would have children look for specific colors: 1 red egg, 3 blue eggs, etc.

For those who, like us, add other items besides chocolate eggs, your list might include a chocolate Easter bunny, a skipping rope, a chocolate bar, a crème egg, a small toy, etc. Items are hidden at random throughout the specified area and make sure children understand not to remove items that are not on their own list.

The Easter Challenge:

The Easter challenge is a fun party game version of an Easter egg hunt that older children and adults will love. Instead of hiding candy eggs, you would hide small plastic eggs. Inside each egg would be a task that has to be completed. Sing a song, recite a verse from memory, jump on one foot for 10 seconds, draw a picture, etc. After each task is completed, the child receives another treat for their basket. Make sure to keep a camera on hand to capture all of the fun.

So, as you’re dyeing your Easter eggs and planning your egg hunt, take one of these suggestions – use as is or improve upon it – and make it a wonderful Easter egg hunt.

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Labels: Holidays

It never fails. Year after year the stores pack their shelves with various items mean to “decorate” an egg. All dressed up for Easter, the plain, white egg you normally have for breakfast or use in your baking becomes a multi-colored, glittery, or tie-dyed work of art.

If you celebrate Easter then you, too, probably purchase dozens of eggs to decorate but do you know why you do it? Is it simply because that’s what your mother did each year because that’s what her mother did? And why does a bunny deliver them?

Though-out history, eggs have been a part of many spring celebrations. Eggs are generally thought of as a symbol of life and Easter is in Spring when new life abounds in the world. The Romans, who believe that “All life comes from an egg” used eggs in their spring festivals and feasts and salted hardboiled eggs were part of Jewish traditions as well.

Pagan beliefs viewed the egg as a sacred symbol and an old fable told of an egg that fell from heaven and hatched the goddess of Fertility, Astarte (Easter) Since then eggs have been found as symbols of new life and fertility in Rome, Northern Europe, China and Japan.

Christians later adopted the use of eggs into their Easter celebrations as the “seed of life” symbolizing Christ’s resurrection. Many different beliefs have been held about the actual use of eggs. It was once believed that eggs laid on Good Friday and cooked on Easter would promote fertility of the trees and crops will protecting against sudden deaths.

Today Easter Eggs have become a central part of Christian Easter celebrations in North America with chocolate Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts and decorating Easter eggs. It is unclear as to the specific reason for decorating eggs, but painted eggs have been part of spring celebrations in many cultures for centuries, each with their own styles and color traditions. Red and version of red have been the most common color in many cultures, symbolizing the blood of Christ.

The most famous Easter egg to date is the first Faberge egg. This small gold egg encased in platinum and enamel was created by Peter Carl Faberge in 1883 as an Easter gift for the Empress Marie of Russia from her husband Tsar Alexander. The egg was gorgeous, and a tradition began with a new egg being designed each Easter. Nicholas II, Alexander’s son, continued this tradition with a total of 57 eggs designed in total.

Today, Easter eggs are generally connected with the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts. The Easter bunny came to be part of Easter tradition because rabbits and hares are known for their ability to produce multiple births and that made them a natural choice for the celebration of spring and new life. For many decades, young children have taken part in Easter egg hunts, searching for colorful eggs laid by the Easter bunny in the grass. Easter egg hunts have become a traditional part of American Easter celebrations, with the Whitehouse and many community churches hosting annual Easter egg hunts each year.

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Labels: Holidays

Every candy lover has a favorite. It could be a yummy chocolate anything or maybe even a fruit flavored something but one thing is for sure: If you are giving an Easter basket this year then you probably have an idea of what favorite candies you will be searching for up and down the aisles at your local store.

However, if you haven’t yet thought about what to put in your Easter baskets (and even if you have) then we’ve compiled a list of 10 all time favorites for your consideration.

Jelly Beans – Whether or not you actually eat them, with approximately 14 billion sold each year, you probably expect them in your Easter basket. An Easter candy staple since the 1930’s, these fruit flavored sugary beans now come in almost any flavor imaginable thanks to the Jelly Belly Company.

Chocolate Bunnies – If you love chocolate, then you love your chocolate bunnies. Solid, hollow, milk or dark – ears or feet first – all that matters to you is there is one located somewhere in your Easter basket. A chocolate bunny is chocolate –‘nough said.

Peeps – A marshmallow confection in a rainbow of pastel colors for spring, Peeps is an Easter basket mainstay. Take your pick – yellow, pink, lavender, blue & green ; bunnies, chicks, tulips, eggs in orange cream or you can decorate your own and a personal favorite –a yellow chick inside a chocolate egg (yep, I said chocolate).

Chocolate Candy Bars – Your favorite every day candy bar just became your favorite Easter candy bar all dressed up for the holiday. Virtually anything the Nestle, Mars or Cadbury companies make is put on offer for Easter. Kit Kat does bunny ears while Snickers, Almond Joy & Milky Way all offer egg shaped confections.

Cadbury Crème Eggs – Hershey’s manufactures & sells Cadbury in the US but reserves sales of the Crème & Caramel Eggs only for the Easter season. If you’re not familiar with the crème eggs, they are a yummy concoction of a thick milk chocolate shell with white & yellow fondant cream inside mimicking the egg white & yolk. They are a sticky sweet treat for the season.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg – What more do you have to say. There’s peanut butter in the chocolate and chocolate in the peanut butter – like the old advertisement says. Made by the Hershey company and slightly larger than a regular peanut butter cup the Reese’s peanut butter egg never fails to impress. Make sure to put in more than one.

Robin Eggs –Tasty, egg shaped, malted milk candy in a pastel colored candy coating Robin Eggs are a nifty treat for your taste buds. Several companies make similar candies and some even have great flavors like strawberry milkshake. They are sometimes packed in tiny egg cartons to add to the Easter theme.

Pez – Each year Pez comes out with a new Easter themed dispenser for their timeless candy. This would be a perfect addition the your favorite collector’s Easter basket.

M & Ms – Along with themed dispensers, M & M candies put on their Easter best for the season. They even offer personalized candy if you order from their website so put on your favorite bunny suit and upload that photo to create your Easter candy surprise.

SweeTart Eggs – Shaped like chicks, ducks, bunnies & eggs, SweeTarts are just like you remember from your childhood. Slightly sweet – a little tart and if you eat too many you just might get sick. They haven’t forgotten chocolate lovers either. If you look really hard you just might be able to find a hollow chocolate egg with SweeTart candy inside.

Now that you have a few ideas of what to put inside your Easter basket you just have to decide what shape your basket will take and if you’ll use plastic or edible Easter grass. Yep, there is such a thing.

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Labels: Holidays

Chicken is possibly the most popular food in the world. It is economical and easy to get. It goes with almost any side dish and it can be cooked on the grill. This is great when summer gets here and you want to spend time outdoors grilling instead of being in the kitchen.

Grilling chicken can seem overwhelming to some people. Will it be done all the way through? What about the bone? Will the chicken breast be dried out? Now sit back and take a deep breath before we continue.

Chicken can be cooked boneless or bone in on the grill. Just like steaks, the meat that is closest to the bone will take longer to cook than the rest of it. For chickens also, the dark meat needs to cook longer than white meat portions.

Boneless chicken pieces are healthier for you and take less time to cook. Marinate your chicken breasts for at least an hour, overnight would be best. Don’t pierce the chicken to get the marinade to seep in. use a cutting board and a meat tenderizer before adding the chicken to the marinade.
A meat tenderizer also creates a cut of chicken with the same thickness throughout. This helps the cooking time. Most chicken breasts are thicker through the middle and thinner on the ends. That’s why some chicken breasts have burnt or dry ends because it cooked faster than the middle.

Marinating chicken pieces add a lot of flavor. Shake off excess to avoid flare ups. Chicken, like other meats need be turned only once. Too much turning slows the cooking process. Once the meat is done on one side (about seven minutes), turn it over for even grill marks and even cooking.

If you want to add barbeque sauce, the key is to wait until the meat is almost done before brushing it on. You don’t want to gum up your grill with the sweet sauce or have it burn. Brushing it one stops the sauce from running off the meat and into the fire.

Chicken with bones left in will take a little longer to cook. These pieces will need to turn a couple of extra times to ensure that the meat near the bone is done. To test for doneness, remove one piece of chicken and cut into it for a look. Since all the chicken was added at the same time to the grill, one piece is a good indicator. Other than the test piece, don’t poke any other pieces. Do not use grill forks as this causes the juices to run out and dries the chicken. The use of long handled tongs will be easier on the chicken.

Do you love chicken? Then don’t be afraid to throw it on the grill! Grilled chicken makes a healthy meal for everyone.

Be A Grill Master Cookbook. Tips for the Beginner Grill Chef.

Grill Recipes - 300 Recipes that will impess your friends and family.

Labels: Chicken, Grilling

Do you know there are many different ways to conduct an Easter Egg hunt? As a young child growing up, my parents used to add fun new twists to our Easter Egg hunt each year and some of them have become fond memories. Today, we often do the same with our children as well. If you’re looking for a fun twist for your Easter Egg hunt this year, here are a four great versions we have tried in the past.

The Easter Bible Verse Hunt:

This version works best with older children and teens who can read and decipher clues well. The year that we did this, the older teens were paired up with one of the smaller children. Then, each “team” was given an envelope with a Bible verse in it. The verse was a clue to the location of the first treat and the next clue. After 4-5 clues, the last clue took us to the biggest treat: a large Easter basket for each of us.

Putting together the clues may seem like a lot of work at first, but it’s actually fairly simple. A verse about rocks told us to look in the rock garden. A verse about sleeping would mean to look in your bedroom. If your children are a little younger, you could help by highlighting the portions of the verse that are most important to finding the location.

An Easter Treasure Trail:

This version is perfect for very small children/toddlers. When our eldest was 18 months old, we greeted her on Easter morning at her crib with a basket. Leading from her crib was a trail of mini Easter eggs. She took the basket and followed the trail, putting the eggs in her basket as she went. The trail led through the house and ended behind the couch where a bigger treat was waiting.

When laying out your treasure trail, keep your child’s attention span in mind. Some children will follow the trail for quite a while before getting bored, others may need something shorter or more broken up. Perhaps a series of smaller prizes along the path where they can stop and enjoy if they wish?

An Easter Scavenger Hunt:

A scavenger hunt is another fun variation and it can be modified to suit any age. For older children, a written list of items to collect will work. For younger children, a sheet with pictures of the different treats they need to find may be a better choice. A very simple version would have children look for specific colors: 1 red egg, 3 blue eggs, etc.

For those who, like us, add other items besides chocolate eggs, your list might include a chocolate Easter bunny, a skipping rope, a chocolate bar, a crème egg, a small toy, etc. Items are hidden at random throughout the specified area and make sure children understand not to remove items that are not on their own list.

The Easter Challenge:

The Easter challenge is a fun party game version of an Easter egg hunt that older children and adults will love. Instead of hiding candy eggs, you would hide small plastic eggs. Inside each egg would be a task that has to be completed. Sing a song, recite a verse from memory, jump on one foot for 10 seconds, draw a picture, etc. After each task is completed, the child receives another treat for their basket. Make sure to keep a camera on hand to capture all of the fun.

So, as you’re dyeing your Easter eggs and planning your egg hunt, take one of these suggestions – use as is or improve upon it – and make it a wonderful Easter egg hunt.

Kids Fun Recipes, Creating Fun Foods that Kids will Love.

Labels: Chicken, Holidays

Nothing says Easter like a fabulous Easter dinner with friends and family. What do you serve for Easter dinner with your family? Every year there are a few traditional Easter dishes that make their way onto dinner tables across America and many of them have interesting symbolism behind them that you may not even be aware of.

Hot Cross Buns
These currant or raisin filled yeast bun is a traditional favorite in England. Usually eaten on Good Friday they also have a “cross” on top of the bun. Mostly thought of as a Christian symbol it the hot cross bun finds its roots in pagan tradition. There is some disagreement with the symbolism of the cross from the pagan custom. Some thoughts are that the cross represents the sun wheel while others believe the cross might symbolized the four quarters of the moon.

When the Christian Church attempted to ban the buns the people balked so the church did the next best thing and "Christianized" the bread. Queen Elizabeth I passed a law that only allowed the bun to be eaten during Christmas, Easter or funerals.

Pretzels
Originally created by monks with leftover scraps of dough and given to students as rewards, pretzels became a popular part of Lent celebration during the Middle Ages. Pretzels do not contain eggs, milk, butter or lard, ingredients which are avoided during lent. Pretzels are said to represent praying arms and the three holes represent the trinity. In some countries, pretzels used to hidden together with eggs at Easter as well.

Greek Easter Bread
Greek Easter bread, or tsoureki, is a sweet dessert bread traditionally served as part of the Greek Orthodox Easter feast. Tsoureki was also traditionally given as an Easter gift from children to their godparents. Different versions many include a citrus flavor, topped with nuts. A red egg is traditionally cooked with the bread as well.

This Easter treat is traditional shaped into a braid with a red egg tucked into the braids of dough. The bread is said to represent the light given to us by Christ’s resurrection and the red egg represents Christ’s blood. Another version of Greek Easter bread is cooked as a circle with red eggs forming a cross across the top of the bread.

Ham
Ham is a traditional part of the Easter feast in many American homes, and it’s origin is more practical rather then symbolic. In early years, before refrigeration, fresh pork slaughtered in the fall that hadn’t been consumed before Lent had to be cured for preservation. Curing was a slow process and the first hams were generally ready around Easter time, making it a common choice for Easter feasting. Today, many American families still serve ham as part of their Easter celebrations.

Lamb
Another meat commonly served at Easter time is Lamb. This tradition is actually a combination of two symbolisms. The original use of lamb dates back before Easter as part of the Jewish Passover where a sacrificial lamb is roasted and eaten as a reminder of the angel of God passing over their homes in Egypt.

Later, Jesus was often referred to by Christians as The Lamb of God. As Christianity grew, Hebrews converting to Christianity brought their traditions with and the combination resulted in the use of lamb as part of many Easter dinners.

As you plan your Easter meal think about incorporating some of these traditional foods. When you gather around your table this Easter season you’ll be able to share good food and interesting information. Your guests will be impressed by your cooking skills and your smarts.

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Labels: Holidays

In many households, crafts are part of holiday celebrations. They are a great way to teach children about the holiday and keep them occupied as well. Putting together an Easter themed craft kit will keep you prepared for those moments where something is needed to keep small hands busy.

Here are some items your craft kit should include:

Crayons or Markers
Easter stickers
Glue sticks
Cardstock and construction paper
Regular white paper
Craft scissors
Easter stencils
Easter stamps and ink
Foam shapes, small pompoms, googly eyes, etc.
Ribbon or yarn scraps

The craft kit is generally fairly easy to put together and can be done very affordably using times from your local dollar store and discount outlets. It helps to have a good idea of the age group that will be using the kit. Younger children will prefer crayons and stickers while older children may prefer glitter glue, markers and fancy edge scissors. Older children will be able to come up with dozens of craft ideas from this selection of craft times, but here are a few ideas to get you started.

Easter Bookmarks - Cut cardstock into 6x2” strips and use a hole punch to put a hole at the top of each bookmark. Your child can decorate their bookmarks using items from the kit and a ribbon or yarn scrap can be added through the hole at the top to finish it off. Help your child pick an appropriate verse to include on their bookmark in keeping with the Easter theme. These bookmarks can be for their own use, or given as gifts to friends or grandparents.

Easter Cards - Cards are another simple craft idea that can also be used to create gifts for grandparents or other family members. Younger children may need help cutting and folding the cardstock which can then be decorated using the items in the kit. For an extra touch, try other shapes: egg shaped cards, cross shaped cards, etc.

If your child is going to be giving their cards to friends and family, envelopes offer additional craft options. You may want to provide basic envelopes for younger children to decorate, or print out templates for older children to make their own envelopes. You can find envelope templates from many online scrapbook and craft sites.

Easter Journals - An Easter journal is really a craft within a craft. Children will enjoy creating their journals, and can later use them for entertainment as well. To start off, create a cover using folded cardstock and inside pages using regular white paper. Help your child staples the pages together. Your child can then decorate the cover of their journal using the items in the kit.

These journals can be used as coloring pages to keep your child busy during family gatherings or on long drives between gatherings. They can also serve as a place for your child to write about their Easter celebrations, making a great keepsake to look back at in years to come. Older teens may want to use their journals as a special place to journal during their devotional time over the Easter holiday.

Kids Fun Recipes, Creating Fun Foods that Kids will Love.

Labels: Children, Holidays