Do you need a quick yet delicious idea for a winter warming soup? Do you need a new way of preparing frozen white fish from your freezer?
You must try this 20-minute Manhattan Fish Chowder recipe.
20-Minute Manhattan Fish Chowder
Ingredients:
24-ounces of white fish such as Cod
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
4 fluid ounces white wine
4 tablespoons tomato paste
4 teaspoons vegetable base
2 shallots, diced - could use 1 small white or yellow onion
Parsley to taste, chopped (optional)
Directions:
Cook fish in pan with 4 teaspoons of olive oil until 145 degrees, approximately 3-5 minutes per side. Remove fish from pan and break into bite-sized chunks.
Add diced shallot (or onion) to pan (no need to clean it out) and cook to soften 3-5 minutes. Add two cups water, tomato paste, Old Bay, chopped tomatoes, vegetable base, and wine. Boil and then cook for 5 minutes.
Add cod and chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Warm through by cooking 1-2 minutes.
We loved how fast this meal came together and appreciated being able to use fish from the freezer caught from a recent ocean-fishing trip.
31 Days of December: Ideas to Make Each Day Special
Just a few ideas of special ways to make December special and memorable...
Early in the month:
1. Create an iTunes Playlist of your favorite Christmas Carols and Holiday Music and then share a CD of the favorites with family or friends.
2. Attend the local Christmas Tree Lighting or Christmas parade.
3. Participate in an Angel Tree by giving gifts for a child in need. We not only love this tradition but also really enjoyed helping wrap presents for the local Angel Tree as a family last year.
4. Go Christmas shopping for the family with the grandparents at the Dollar Store. Our kids treasured this special shopping trip with Gram and Poppy that also includes a lunch date. The kids are given a dollar for each family recipient and then set about shopping for the perfect dollar store gift for each person. This has turned into a great tradition and as the kids get older, the gifts bring on great creativity and often times, fits of laughter.
5. Head to the hills to a favorite tree farm and hunt for then cut down your own tree. We pack up our hot cocoa and some special holiday goodies, snow picnic-style. One year we decked out the kids in all their winter coats, hats, gloves, snow boots and when we arrived up the mountain, the sun was shining and the kids melted from the heat.
31 Days: December To Do List - Our Annual Christmas Tree Hunt circa 2007
6. Conduct good deedsto accumulate straw for the manger. My favorite tradition is one my mom started when we were little. We use a Nativity set and we leave baby Jesus put away until Christmas morning. All month, we encourage good deeds by all the family members. For each good deed, another piece of straw is added to the manger. The whole family is working together to make the manger cozy with added straw for each good deed. On Christmas morning, Jesus is put into the manger overflowing with straw.
For each good deed, a new piece of straw is added to the manger for Jesus' arrival Christmas morning.
7. Light Up Your Community with 50 Ideas to Light Up Your Community with Kindness to include sidewalk chalk greetings to treats and posters of gratitude to paying for someone’s Starbucks. Have a playdate to work on working on ways that you can spread cheer.
8. Read The 13 Day of Christmas or Christmas Jarsby Jason F. Wright as a family. We are currently reading the Christmas Jars and are feeling inspired to start our own jars for next year.
10. Make a Christmas Ornament Journal to tell the history behind each ornament. Take a photo of the ornament as it is added to the collection each year and fill out a litle index card on why it was purchased, who purchased it or was gifted the ornament and the significance.
Miss Bella loves decorating for the holidays!
11. Make or find an ornament each year that represents their activity of the year (soccer, basketball, ballet) or a favorite memory of that year (getting braces, a family trip) and write the date on the ornament. One year I hung Miss B's ballet slippers from her first year of ballet on the tree with the date and her name as an ornament.
12. Wrap Christmas books in butcher paper and put in a tote to unwrap and then read every day.
13. Trace the kid’s hands on the Christmas tree skirt and date it to watch the growth over the years. I started out putting their hands in gold fabric paint when they were little. It makes me cry when I pull it out. One family has traced the kids' hands on the back of their tree skirt with a Sharpie pen on the bottom of their tree skirt to keep track of the changes.
14. Draw names to make an "Angel Gift" for the person you drew. The rules are that the supplies cannot cost more than $10 and the gift has to be handmade.
15. Display a photo in a frame for every single Christmas to be on display all month.
The first year as a newly blended family, I loved the idea of color-coordinated outfits!
16. Put a nail with a ribbon on the tree. Poem: "This is the Christmas Nail. It is to be hung on a sturdy branch, a branch near the trunk, a branch that will hold such a spike without being noticed by well-wishers dropping by to admire one's tinseled tree. The nail is know only to the home that hangs it. Understood only by the heart that knows its significance. It is hung with the thought: The Christmas tree but foreshadows the Christ tree which only He could decorate for us, with nails such as this."
18. Host an Ornament Gift Exchange! For many years my mom hosted an Annual Ornament Gift Exchange similar to the goofy White Elephant gift exchange swap. Each participant brought a wrapped ornament and after drawing numbers, the ornament would be unveiled or stolen.
19. Get a family photo taken of all the grandkids for the grandparents.
20. Hide the Christmas Pickle in the tree. As teenagers, my kids still love to hunt for the Christmas Pickle hiding amongst the tree branches.
21. Buy a new Christmas Movie and hide it via a Scavenger Hunt.
22. Have a “favorite things” party with sister-in-laws/friends. Everyone brings a few of their "favorite things" and you have a gift exchange to swap everything from household cleaning supplies and make-up can't-live-withouts to favorite holiday sweets or favorite accessories.
23. Write a love note and put it under the pillow of someone in the family.
24. Do a random act of kindness for someone at school or work.
27. Spend an evening by the light of the tree. There is something really special about having the house aglow in holiday lights during December. Turn off all the other lights, lighting candles as necessary, and spend an evening doing activities via candlelight and the glow of the tree.
28. Draw a candlelight bubble bath for your kids or yourself.
2. Treat a special family or friends to a 12 Days of Christmas surprise. The Dating Divas http://www.thedatingdivas.com/lisa-m/the-12-days-of-christmas/ has a cute 12 Days of Christmas activity that costs less than $30 for gifts to go with all 12 days for a lucky family of your choosing.
3. Host our own SUV Express! After reading Polar Express or watching the movie, have the kids get ready for bed and in their jammies. While making the tuck-in rounds, present a golden ticket and whisk them off to the sounds of Christmas music for an evening adventure. First stop is at a Dariy Queen to get a Blizzard for everyone to enjoy as you make the trek to see holiday lights throughout the town! Our kids love to vote on the "best" display of the year. It would be fun to have some type of award drawn up to share with the owner of what our family has voted the "best display" for the year.
4. For the girls – have sparkling cider and give each other pedicures for a home Spa Night while watching a sappy Hallmark Christmas love story.
For the guys – have a video games, wings and soda night.
7. Write what you plan to do in the coming year as a thank you and birthday present for baby Jesus. We store these in a golden star box and open them to read them each year.
8. Attend a candlelight Christmas service.
9. Open an early present on Christmas Eve. Our kids always get to open their new jammies on Christmas Eve. It makes for cute photos on Christmas morning too!
10. Read the Christmas story from Luke on Christmas Eve.
11. Sing a song outside at night to a shining star and remember loved ones who are no longer here to celebrate with us.
12. Prepare an elaborate plate of holiday goodies and savory snacks for Santa to include a special beverage to quench his thirst. Veggies for the reindeer are always a good snack that we often find bits outside the next day as evidence of the reindeer visit.
On Christmas Day:
Serve the traditional Christmas Breakfast: Sausage Rolls, Sausage Egg Casserole, Cinnamon Rolls, Fruit Cocktail, Fuzzy Navels and Sparkling Cider.
Sing Christmas carols around the piano in memory of our Granny.
Give a new Family Game each year to play on Christmas night and a new puzzle the kids can work for the rest of the break from school.
Take turns swinging at a Pinata stuffed with special lottery tickets and holiday candies. My parents started this tradition years ago and we all fight over the See's candy, lottery tickets and the cash!
After Christmas:
Host a Post-Christmas Potluck party the week after Christmas when families are winding down and have more free-time to fellowship.
Write thank you notes on the back of photos of the kids with their gifts, either playing with them or posing in the clothes they received. Or Use the Postagram service to send thank you notes with your child wearing or playing with the gift given to them.
Don't forget to have the kids write thank you notes!
Take a photo of everyone in their Santa hats, the goofier, the better.
After Christmas, reuse the leftover wrapping paper to wrap your holiday books for next year's daily unveiling of a holiday book.
Have a picnic by the Christmas Tree with only the Christmas tree lights on in the house.
Hold a Christmas Photo Scavenger Hunt in which the kids and friends have to pose in photos next to traditional Christmas or holiday items.
It was really challenging to pick just 12 of our favorite Christmas books (actually, the list started with Top 10 but had to be extended for two extra books). Drum roll please...and the winners of our favorite Christmas Books are:
The Tale of Three Trees book is one of my personal favorites.
My personal favorite, The Tale of Three Trees. Once upon a mountaintop, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The years pass and the trees nearly forget their dreams. Each eventually receive their wish, but not in the way they expected - in much bigger and better ways than they could have ever dreamed. It's a great message that we may not always get what we want because there is something even better in store for us. This is one of those stories that will always stay with you.
Our favorites all tucked away in a Christmas basket until December.
Our Christmas book collection (minus a few that can't fit), reside in this little holiday basket year-round. They are stored during the off-season but get to have a prominent living arrangement during the Christmas season.
Can you still hear the bells? We can. Don't just watch this movie...make sure you read this award-winning book.
Santa Clause
Although this book doesn't necessarily read like a story, this treasured book answers all the must-know questions about Santa Claus. I think it is perfect for the 2nd - 5th grade set that start to ask a lot of questions about Jolly Old St. Nick.
This book makes my heart melt every time I read it. Just last night, we all went outside right before bed and were treasuring the cold, clear winter evening. Magically, shooting stars started to appear and we were able to experience 7 shooting stars. Later, we discovered it was the beginning of a meteor shower that would be experienced around the world.
A great telling of the Christmas Story with beautiful illustrations and simple words that speak to the natural beauty of the manger. No tinsel or ornaments yet, the light of the star with dew drops glistening like diamonds and spidery threads like ribbons of silk.
Christmas Jars
We are currently reading Christmas Jars together and it is a beautiful story of hope and spreading the joy of the season. Rising newspaper reporter Hope Jensen uncovers the secret behind the "Christmas Jars" - filled with coins and bills anonymously given to people in need.
Dear Santa Claus is a lovely book with letters that can be removed from envelopes in the book and read, just like Holly, the heroine of the book who writes Santa letters. Our favorite part if the pull-out reindeer guide and the mini advent calendar.
A favorite through the ages.
This holiday classic always makes an appearance during December as we learn the story of Rudolph.
My very first Christmas book purchase.
The Starlight Bride was the very first Christmas book that I bought for my future family when I was freshly graduated from college. I was a long way off from having the family of my own that I have today but I knew that I wanted to share this special story someday. The romantic that I am fell in love with this book as I read through it amongst the shelves of the bookstore. It has a lovely message about marrying the person who shares your values and helps you become a better person.
Owl Moon
'It was late one winter night, long past my bedtime, when Pa and I went owling...and the moon was so bright the sky seemed to shine. When you go owling you don't need words or warm or anything but hope...the kind of hope that flies on silent wings under a shining Owl Moon.' Owl Moon was awarded the 1988 Caldecott Medal.
How Santa Got His Job
How Santa Got His Job is a fun little humorous read that explains how Santa acquired all the skills that have made him the success he is today. The message in this book can be a great discussion prompt for career education and finding rewarding and satisfying work. This is a perfect read-aloud for the children who don't believe that Santa is real.
One last honorable mention is The Last Strawby Frederick H. Thury that follows the adventures and misadventures of the camel named Hoshmakaka as he reluctantly journeys to Bethlehem to deliver the gifts to the new baby king. Taking the notion, "the last straw that broke the camel's back" figuratively and literally, portrays both an uplifting and humorous look at carrying what the camel believes to be the "largest burden" of the last, yet, best straw.
Here are 20 Perfect Family Gift Ideas for the Holidays
Some of our favorite family gifts we have received have been gift certificates or tickets to go have adventures and experiences together as a family. From family memberships at Children's Museums and the Zoo to outings and trips to take together - we have definitely made some rich family memories, thanks to family gifts such as these mentioned below.
I've put together a list of ideas families of all ages would enjoy.
The gift of time spent together...
1. These two books give great inspiration for experiences you should share with your kids.101 Things You Should Do Before Your Kids Leave Home or 100 Things Kids Should See and Do (Or Else They Will Never Leave Home)
These two books have great ideas to spend quality time together.
2. A family pass to an area pool or many local pools have punch cards that can be used on a per-visit basis.
Gift certificates to water parks are always a hit!
3. Tickets to a Cultural Experience such as a Native American Pow Wow, a Jazz Festival or an Art Show.
Cultural experiences such as this Native American Pow Wow
4. Passes to an aquarium.
5. A membership or passes to a Children's Museum. Many Children's Museums and Zoos have reciprocal relationships with other museums and zoos across the country. When our kids were younger, we had a membership to a Children's Museum and a nearby zoo with reciprocal relationship with other fun museums in an hour radius of our local museum which made for great adventures. This makes a welcome gift for young families, providing easy access to educational outings.
6. A gift certificate for a day at the mountain with lift tickets for snow skiing or snow boarding or even a beginner or advanced class. Or tickets to spend a day tubing down a mountain.
LIft tickets for snow skiing or snowboarding
7. A gift certificate for an art class or a day at an art studio.
We spent many visits at the Masterpiece Art Studio in Portland, Oregon.
8. Passes to visit an interactive garden or outdoor horticulture exhibit. We are lucky to have the Oregon Garden near us and we have enjoyed seasonal events, activities and the Children's Museum especially.
The Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon is a stunning destination for all ages.
9. Entry fees or passes to wildlife exhibits. The High Desert Museum in Bend is an example of a fun, interactive destination for kids to learn about wildlife native to high desert along with history of the area.
The High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon
High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon
10. Entry passes to area or regional tourist attractions. The World of Coke in Atlanta, Georgia, which was a personal favorite of mine.
World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta, Georgia
Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washinton
11. Family Memberships to a Zoo or tickets to a game park. One year we were gifted a family pass to the Oregon Zoo and we absolutely loved being able to visit the animals frequently. We are huge fans of Bandon's West Coast Game Park Safari.
12. Tickets to Sporting Events. Connor has received tickets to an NBA game, college basketball and college football games as he is such a sport buff and has loved the special memories collected from each event.
University of Oregon Duck Game
13. Tickets to Amusement Parks. My parents treated us to a trip to Disneyland and California Adventure the first Christmas that we had blended our family and it was one of our best family vacations ever. Many friends have surprised their kids with trips to Disneyland or Disneyworld and have not told them where they were headed until arriving at their destination. I love this idea and would love to pull of a surprise trip some time with our kids.
Disneyland, Anaheim, California
14. Tickets to Indoor or Outdoor Wave Parks. We are lucky to live fairly close to Great Wolf Lodge and McMinnville, Oregon's Evergreen Wings & Waves Waterpark which is not only fun but a great educational waterpark.
Evergreen Wings and Waves Waterpark, McMinnville, Oregon
15. Movie Tickets or a subscription to Netflix. Although families may not be interacting during the movie, there is always time for great discussions after movies or during movie breaks while watching at home. We watched Downton Abbey with the kids during one holiday vacation and had such a good time talking about the characters and the historical period.
A subscription to Netflix
16. Tickets to a play, musical or a concert.
17. Passes to play paintball together. Even our girls are huge fans of playing paintball together.
These two are huge fans of playing paintball.
Here are a few gift items that can be picked up in local bookstores or toy stores (or ordered via Amazon, my crutch, during busy holiday seasons).
18. Outdoor Games families can play together. My parents gifted our kids a tetherball pole set, volleyball set and a wiffleball set over the years and they have all led to fun family challenges.
19. Family Time Fun's Dinner Games and Activities have activities that families can do during the dinner hour. These have been a big hit in our house!
Family Time Fun's Dinner Games
20. Family Games are always a sure bet. Fun family-friendly games we love include Qwirkle, Blokus, Kadoo, Sequence, Rummikub, Scattergories, Taboo, Bunco, Apples to Apples and WhooNu but I would be remiss to not include our kids' all-time favorites, Monopoly and Yahtzee. Watch out for the game, Beat the Parents if you are one who doesn't like to lose! The kids LOVE this game, the parents typcially lose. It makes for some good laughs though.
Do you know how many hours I have played Monopoly as a parent? I would not trade that time for anything.
Family Game Night
Good luck and happy gifting!
What are your family favorite gift ideas that you have gifted or received?
I grew up adoring the tradition of putting a daily embroidered ornament on a felt tree. My brother and I took turns each day, each vying for the opportunity to put the last ornament, a star, on Dec. 25th, on the top of the tree.
I wanted my kids to have that same love of counting down the days until Christmas but wanted to have my own twist. I loved the idea of doing a little activity each day in preparation for the holiday. I was inspired by an advent calendar created by the great scrapbooker, Ali Edwards, who used scrapbook supplies to create her activity advent calendar.
Using jewelry boxes, I set about to create my own. I enlisted the help of the hubs to prepare a piece of wood for the backing (as this was something I wanted to use year after year) and the boys helped paint the prepared board. The girls helped me paint the box tops, covering any lids or boxes that had print or any type of decoration previously on them. Then the fun part began as I decorated 25 individual, uniquely shaped and unequally proportioned boxes. These boxes were then tacked down using furniture tacks and a glue gun was used for extra reinforcements.
Homemade Advent Calendar
I made lists of activities and fun little items that I could put into the crafted boxes. We determined that the kids would rotate opening the boxes but the activities would be such that would include the whole family. Using a mix of family fun and service-type projects sprinkled in with little gifts to make the countdown special - our Advent Countdown Calendar was created. The following ideas are all based around a Christmas song and/or book.
Our 25 Unique Advent Countdown Calendar Ideas
Dec. 1 - It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Welcome Elf on the Shelf. Get out the decorations and listen to Christmas music while we deck the halls! Download a new holiday song on iTunes.
Dec. 2 –The Heart of Christmas Think about the real meaning of Christmas. Talk about hope and how Christmas is the season of “giving” not receiving. Talk about ways we can help others in our community this month.
I’ll Be Home for Christmas Make a Christmas Card and/or care package for a soldier.
Dec. 3 – Do You Hear What I Hear? Unwrap a Christmas book to read together. One of our favorites that is still appropriate for older kids/teens and adults is the Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt about the three trees who dream of what they will become someday – a holder of treasure, a fine ship and a mountaintop beacon. The trees forget their dreams over the years yet each eventually gets its wish in a powerful way, unlike what they imagined. The message is that we may not get what we want because something better is in store for us.
My dear uncle Harlan gave this great Christmas chapter book to the kids. It's a holiday special!
Dec. 4 – We Three Kings – (Bearing gifts we traverse afar.) Find a toy, game, book or movie that you have outgrown to pass on to someone else. Clean out our closets of unwanted clothes and coats. Donate those in good condition to a shelter or charity.
Watch a Christmas Special with hot Caramel Apple Cider and popcorn.
Dec. 5 – Joy to the World! Put shoes out for Sinterklaas. Create a holiday playlist on iTunes and burn a CD for a family member or friend.
Dec. 6 Old-FashionedDeck the Halls! Make orange and clove decorations and string popcorn and cranberries like the days of old.
I treasure each child's homemade ornaments!
I find the kid-crafted ornaments the absolute best!
Dec. 7 - Have a Grinch Night. Complete with the Grinch movie, Grinch Punch and green goodies. Make a Who-feast with Who-Hash, Who-Pudding and Who-Roast Beast. Don't forget the Grinch Green Smoothies or the Spinach Sorbet for dessert.
Dec. 8 –Silent NightCelebration of light Candle light dinner. Talk about the real meaning of Christmas and the star that shined the way for the wise men to find baby Jesus. How are you being a light in your world? Reach out and love your friends and family. Come up with ways to let your friends and family see His light shine in you.
Dec. 9 – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree - Ornament Making Madness! Make ornaments out of applesauce and cinnamon or salt dough ornaments while having a dance session to Christmas carols.
Photo Credit: Silver Falls State Park
Dec. 10 – We Wish You a Merry Christmas! Random Acts of Kindness – Do a random act of kindness at school today. Make these adorable Rice Krispie Christmas Cottages
or decorate Gingerbread Houses or Gingerbread men and women.
Decorating Christmas Gingerbread Houses
Dec. 11 – Walking in a Winter Wonderland – Read the book The Mittenby Jan Brett while making treats for the animals. Go for a winter hike and leave the animals their gifts.
Come home to a hot cocoa bar with homemade marshmallows cut into hearts.
Take a winter hike!
Sing a song outside at night to a shining star and remember loved ones who are no longer here to celebrate with us. (Let Heaven and Nature Sing!)
Dec. 12 – What a Wonderful World! Research and try a holiday tradition from another country. Consider making tacos or Lime Chili Steak with Homemade Tortillas in honor of the feast of our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.
Try an International Holiday Tradition
Dec. 13 – Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Make Snowman Pizza on Christmas Movie Night (use white Alfredo sauce, white cheeses, olive eyes, mouth and buttons with a carrot nose and maybe a red pepper scarf). If you can’t have a snow picnic, consider a picnic under the Christmas tree!
Go for a Winter Picnic!
Dec. 14- Frosty the Snowman Day – Serve Melted Snowman Soup (Potato Soup with Bacon eyes, carrot nose and olive mouth), Snow Balls (doughnut holes decorated with candy corn nose and chocolate chip eyes). Have a snowball fight with white fluff balls/pom-poms. Make snow globes.
Donate winter coats to a local Coat Drive.
Dec. 15- Baby It’s Cold Outside! Find our old coats and deliver them to the local coat drive for the homeless.
Assemble pairs of socks with granola bars and toiletries for the homeless and the next time you see one at a stop sign, you will have something to share.
Go Ice-Skating!
Go Ice Skating!
Dec. 16 – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!Make teacher gifts and gifts for those who help us! Homemade Caramels and Candy Canes with melted chocolate shaped as a heart. After making the goodies, go out for a Christmas treat or special Starbucks drink.
Dec. 17 – All I Want for Christmas Is You! Give a “Secret” Gift to someone. Knock and leave it on their doorstep. Write a love note or message and hide it under someone’s pillow.
Have a fondue night and invite a friend for dinner.
Dec.18- Rudolph’ the Red Nosed Reindeer Night Have a special "red dinner" We made Spaghetti and salad with strawberries, fruit punch and a Red Velvet Cake as our red meal items in honor of Rudolph’s nose. This year I want to try pancakes with bacon antlers and a cherry nose.
Have a special "red dinner"!
Dec. 19 - Little Drummer Boy – his gift to baby Jesus was very simple but came from his heart and had great value. Gifts from the heart are the best you can give. Give the gift of yourself to others by helping someone else today.
Dec. 20- Our Polar Express! All Aboard! Tonight’s the night to see the lights! Here’s your golden ticket. Get in your jammies and we will get our Blizzards at DQ and drive around admiring and voting on our favorite Christmas light displays.
Dress in your pajamas and drive around to see Christmas lights!
Dec. 21 – White ChristmasNorth Pole Breakfast – play a Christmas classic movie such as White Christmas, make funnel cakes and a special frozen fruit smoothie. Don't forget the whipped cream!
A North Pole Breakfast calls for whipped cream.
Dec. 22 – Santa Claus is Coming To Town!It’s Santa’s Workshop Day to make crafts and gifts!
Dec. 23 –Dream a Dream Have the Annual Camp Out under the Christmas Tree
Have a sleepover under the Christmas tree.
Dec. 24 – It Came Upon A Midnight Clear Open early present (Jammies) and read the Christmas Story. Leave out cookies and a special beverage for Santa and the reindeers.
We love to prepare special "Santa" goodies.
Dec. 25 – O Come All Ye Faithful!Happy Birthday Jesus! Put baby Jesus into the manger and celebrate Christmas.
Dec. 26 – Angels We Have Heard on High - In honor of St. Stephen, light a candle for all the men and women in armed services.
A girl in love with the seasons who wants to cram as much as she can into the 365 days of the year to live a life of bliss. Welcome to What Matters Most Now! I hope you will find inspiration and recipes you love.
