Once we had children we started the tradition of staying home Christmas day so our girls could play with their new toys from Santa and we could just relax and enjoy some family time.

My family is coming over tomorrow for a casual lunch and I thought I’d share a few recipes I’m considering. I’m definitely making the dip and the ham sandwiches. I’m running out of time, so I may buy a store bought dessert (thank God for Publix), but here are a few good recipes.

Feta Artichoke Dip

I’ve been making this for years and cut it out of the coupon section of the Sunday Tennessean years ago.

Prep: 10 minutes

Bake: 25 minutes

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Feta Cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup regular or light mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jar (2 oz.) diced pimientos, drained (optional)

Mix all ingredients. Spoon into a 9-inch plate or 3-cup shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve with assorted crackers, veggies, or pita triangles. Makes 2 cups.

Ham Delights

I’ve never made this recipe, but I have two packages of Sister Schubert’s yeast rolls in the freezer just waiting to be used!

Ham Delights

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 2 Tablespoons prepared mustard
* 1/2teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
* 3 green onions, chopped
* 1 pound Honey ham, chopped
* 6 ounces grated Swiss cheese
* 4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
* 6 ounces grated sharp Cheddar cheese
* 2 pans thawed Parkerhouse Rolls

Combine first 5 ingredients. Stir in ham and cheeses. Place 1 teaspoon filling in center of each roll. Place back in pan. Cover until ready to eat. Cover rolls with aluminum foil, and heat at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Yield: two to three dozen rolls

Snowball Cake

Our good friend Brad, who was best man in our wedding, is from Illinois. His mother made this 12 years ago when we visited and it is delicious!

1 (3-ounce) package lemon flavored gelatin

1/2 cup granulated sugar, optional

1 cup boiling water

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice

orange juice or water, if needed

1 (8 ounce) container lemon-flavored yogurt

1 (12 ounce) container frozen nondairy whipped topping, thawed, divided

1 medium angel food cake (purchased or homemade), torn into pieces

Flaked coconut or colored decorating sugar, optional

Stir gelatin and sugar into boiling water until dissolved. Drain pineapple, reserving juice, stir 3/4 cup drained pineapple juice into gelatin mixture. (If you don’t have enough pineapple juice, add orange juice or water to make 3/4 cup.) Refrigerate mixture about 1 hour or until partly set.

With electric mixer on high speed, beat thickened gelatin about 2 minhutes. Mix pineapple into whipped gelatin mixture. Stir in yogurt and 2 cups nondairy whipped topping.

Line a 10-cup bowl with plastic wrap. Fill bowl with alternating layers of cake and whipped mixture. Cover; refrigerate overnight.

The next day, invert bowl onto cake plate. Remove plastic wrap. Frost with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with coconut or decorating sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Cranberry Tea

My mother has made this for years and it is delicious and festive.

1 qt. cranberry juice

6 cups water

3 tsp. lemon juice.

Boil together 2 cups of the 6 ups of water with 1 cup  sugar.

Add 3 cinnamon sticks and 12 cloves. Mix and add a touch of red food coloring. Remove cinnamon and cloves before serving. Pour into coffee pot to serve. My mother uses her “retro” (I think it’s from the 1960s) coffee pot.

Merry Christmas everyone!

What’s for dinner? It’s the question that never dies.

Mompreneuer Lindsay Siebert has taken the work out of meal planning for busy moms with the creation of her My Family Meal Planner in October 2006. Lindsay has experience as a daycare provider and was already familiar with USDA requirements in planning balanced meals so she turned her meal plans into a helpful spiral bound book. She’s now developed a second My Family Meal Planner book, which includes a crockpot meal every week. I can’t wait to try the crockpot meal recipes this fall and winter. Organized by month and by day, Lindsay has also included an extremely helpful grocery list section which coincides with each weekly menu in the planner.

The latest in the meal planner books, My Family Meal Planner Light, was released this fall. All meals are 500 calories or less, which is a great option for so many of us eyeing the skinny jeans.

Want to win your own Family Meal Planner along with a helpful magnetic meal planner grocery list for your refrigerator? Visit the Family Meal Planner website and then come back and leave a comment on this post by midnight Saturday, November 1, telling me which planner you’d like to win. A random winner will be selected from all comments (U.S. residents only); please make sure you leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you. I’ll announce the Bloggy Giveaways fall carnival winner on Sunday.

Be sure to check out my giveaway on BlondeMomBlog for SIX chocolate and caramel theme Baskets of Indulgence, courtesy of General Mills and Chex.