INGREDIENTS:

1 container (6 oz) Yoplait® Original 99% Fat Free Key lime pie yogurt 1 ripe banana, sliced 1/2 cup milk 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/4 teaspoon dry lemon [...]]]> Since today is St. Patrick’s Day, I knew I wanted to post something green. This smoothie from BettyCrocker.com looks refreshing and delicious plus it’s green!

INGREDIENTS:

1 container (6 oz) Yoplait® Original 99% Fat Free Key lime pie yogurt
1 ripe banana, sliced
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon dry lemon lime-flavored soft drink mix (from 0.13-oz package)
1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients except frozen yogurt in blender. Cover; blend on high speed until smooth.
Add frozen yogurt. Cover; blend until smooth.

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With the holidays comes the busiest cooking days of the year and the best hosts are those who are able to settle in [...]]]> Thanks to Jimmy Dean, I’ve got some tips for saving time in the kitchen and some holiday entertaining shortcuts from Lifestyle Expert Sissy Biggers to share with MomCooks readers!

Holiday Entertaining Tips

With the holidays comes the busiest cooking days of the year and the best hosts are those who are able to settle in on the couch and enjoy the quality time with their family. Below are some food prep and holiday entertaining shortcuts from Lifestyle Expert Sissy Biggers to ensure people spend less time slaving over the oven and more time with the people who mean the most.

1. Don’t be afraid to delegate!

- A good guest asks, “What can I do to help?!” Take them up on it! Whether its stuffed mushrooms, or apple pie, ask your friends and family to bring their favorite side dish or to prepare a recipe from their favorite food magazine.

2. Maximize trips to the supermarket by selecting key ingredients and holiday staples that can be used in multiple recipes.

- The same Jimmy Dean Sausage that adds traditional flavor to your stuffing can also be crumbled and stuffed into whole mushrooms for an easy hot appetizer that will keep your guest satisfied.

3. Save time by choosing recipes and side dishes that break down the process with DO-AHEAD steps that can be completed days in advance.

- Blanch green vegetables a day ahead and shock in an ice bath (to stop the cooking) and drain.

- Prepare the sausage topping for a Mushroom Bruschetta appetizer two days in advance, refrigerate and then heat before serving

4. Be sure your linens are table-ready well before the holiday and flatware is matching and polished

- NOW is the time to check your stash of cloth napkins and table coverings to be sure they are not crumpled or stained from last year’s festivities. Keep an eye out for discounted linens and choose a color scheme to compliment what you have on hand.

Holiday Recipes from Jimmy Dean

Click these links to get recipes for an appetizer, breakfast dish, and side dish all using Jimmy Dean sausage!

Sausage Cheese Balls

6 Layer Breakfast Casserole

Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Maple Sausage Corn Bread Pudding

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Families come together at Thanksgiving to celebrate, catch up and feast. While you may be looking forward to seeing your favorite relatives and eating Aunt Caroline’s famous pumpkin pie, the crush of people and unfamiliar foods can overwhelm children. Bring the holiday down to their size with a kid’s table supplied [...]]]> Reprinted from TLC Cooking

Families come together at Thanksgiving to celebrate, catch up and feast. While you may be looking forward to seeing your favorite relatives and eating Aunt Caroline’s famous pumpkin pie, the crush of people and unfamiliar foods can overwhelm children. Bring the holiday down to their size with a kid’s table supplied with familiar favorites and kid-sized versions of traditional Thanksgiving dishes.

Let Them Eat Snacks:

It’s hard to be patient and good-natured when you’re hungry, especially when you’re only about waist-high. Rather than ask your juvenile guests to wait for the turkey and trimmings to be served, let them start the party early at a children’s table set with festive offerings of healthy finger foods. They can socialize and graze on cheese straws, raw vegetables, cheese cubes, grapes, nuts and, of course, popcorn. They’ll be happy (and not underfoot) while you cook the main meal.

Downsize:

The volume of food and the oversized portions of Thanksgiving dinner can be daunting to little appetites. In your menu, include a batch of chicken drumsticks or turkey nuggets as options to the super-sized turkey drumsticks.

Then, put your muffin pans to work to take other offerings down a size, too.

* Use the mini muffin pan to bake a batch of tiny cranberry orange muffins.
* In the regular size muffin pan, bake individual servings of dressing, blessed with plenty of crispy edges.
* Make cupcakes for the kids to decorate after dinner.
* To make miniature pies, cut five-inch (12.7-centimeter) circles out of pie crust dough. Press the dough circles into muffin cups and fill with pie filling. Trim the tops with leftover dough scraps and bake.

For active kids, provide take-and-go desserts like bite-sized cookies.

Ask for Help:

Kids will be more interested in trying foods they help prepare, so get them involved in the cooking. Younger chef-apprentices can arrange vegetable and cheese trays, even if they’re too young to wield a knife. Let them toast bread for stuffing and get their hands into the bowl to mix it all up.

To get older kids cooperating, ask them to name their can’t-live-without Thanksgiving dessert or side dish then, delegate the cooking of that item to them. Urge them to start early, maybe a day or two before Thanksgiving, and provide guidance appropriate to their age. Be sure to let them present the dish at dinner, and maybe brag a little.

Happy Endings:

When you fire up the coffee pot for dessert, don’t forget to brew up some happiness for the children, too. A mug of hot chocolate is the perfect ending to a busy day. To make it like Grandma did, in a sauce pan, heat one cup of milk with two tablespoons (12 grams) of cocoa and two tablespoons (12 grams) of sugar for each serving. When the cocoa is hot (but not boiling) pour it into kid-safe mugs.

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