Christmas Crafts for You and the Kids

If you like Christmas crafts there is no shortage of directions for how-to projects both on and online. On the internet you will find do it yourself projects for every type of Christmas craft imaginable. Women's magazines are also full of ideas for Christmas crafts at this time of the year.

If you are stuck for inspiration as to what types of Christmas crafts you could make this year here are some ideas –

Try baking your own shortbread cookies, decorating them with colored icing and decorative silver balls and stringing them on shiny ribbon or fish line. One good shortbread recipe can provide you with scores of cheap and creative looking cookie Christmas tree decorations. You can cut the shapes of common Christmas motifs out of dough with a knife or you can buy shapes like Christmas trees, Christmas balls, snowmen and angels as cookie cutters from a store. Perhaps the easiest shape to make out of shortbread is the Christmas ball. Simply cut the ball shape out of the dough with the rim of a glass and lavishly decorate it with candy glitter.

You can also make your own Christmas tree garlands. This is one of those ancient Christmas crafts that can be a group activity for you and your family. Simply stringing popcorn on a string makes very attractive garlands. You can also try stringing nuts or cranberries for an unusual effect. Garlands can also be made out of gold or aluminum foil that is cut up and twisted in loops that hook into each other.

It is also fun to make your own Christmas tree decorations. These types of Christmas crafts can be made from almost anything including Styrofoam, play dough, cooking' crystals and ribbons. One clever idea is to buy a box of plain glass balls and then make patterns with glue on their sides. The idea is that you then roll them in glitter to create a sparkling yet merry pattern.

If you are really ambitious you can also try making your own Christmas candles. One of the simplest ways is to buy sheets of beeswax and then roll them up to create unique one of a kind candle centerpieces. You can also melt wax in a double boiler and make your own candles. There are commercial scents such as pine and cinnamon available on the market that is specifically created for making these types of Christmas crafts smell nice. You can also buy candle molds in the shapes of popular holiday motifs such as evergreen trees, snowmen and stars.

Sitting around with your family to make xmas crafts together, even it if it is as simple as handmade Christmas cards is a great way to strengthen your loving bonds with each other at holiday time.

Chicken Cherryaki Fever

Ever since that Pepto Bismol commercial has come on talking about Cherryaki my kids have been asking me to make them Chicken Cherryaki!!
This is not a fictional food. After a little surfing on the Internet I managed to find a great recipe for this kid pleasing dish which includes cherries!
CHICKEN CHERRYAKI
2 pkg. Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 cans cranberry sauce
2 bottles (8 oz.) Catalina dressing
8 to 10 chicken breasts
2 cans dark, sweet, pitted cherries (drained)
Mix top 3 ingredients together. Place some mixture in bottom of large Pyrex dish. Place chicken breasts on top of mixture and cover with remaining mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hour.
When done, place chicken and sauce on regular or wild rice. Heat cherries a sauce pot, drain of extra juice and spoon on top of chicken.
I know it sounds high sodium and tacky and all that but it was absolutely delicious. My kids loved it too, possibly because it was the color pink. It certainly gave the impression of being a fun food.\
That was the fun version. I found another version that is a little healthier, more Asian in appearance that would make an impressive dish to serve guests.
The sweet, yet tart flavor of fresh cherries, makes them a wonderful addition to this stir-fry meal.
Makes 4 servings.
Here is an even fancier version that is appeals more to adult palates.
Asian Chicken Cherryaki
4 tablespoons (60 ml) Teriyaki sauce (available in any supermarket)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon (15 ml) cooking sherry
1/2 tablespoon (7.5 ml) fresh lime juice
.75 pound (.35 kilograms) pork*, cubed
1/2 tablespoon (7.5 ml) vegetable oil
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups whole cherries, pits removed
1-14 oz (398ml) can miniature corn cobs
1 cup snow peas
1 cup sliced red pepper
1 cup (250 ml) chicken broth
1 tablespoon (15 ml) corn starch
2 green onions, chopped (optional)
Combine first 5 ingredients and mix well. Add pork cubes. Set in fridge to marinate.
Prepare cherries, corn, snow peas and red pepper. Heat vegetable oil in wok or large saucepan on medium. Add onion and garlic. Heat for 1-2 minutes to soften slightly. Add pork marinade mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Increase the heat, add snow peas and red pepper.
Cook for 1-2 minutes. In small bowl, stir cornstarch into chicken broth until dissolved. Add to wok, cooking for 2 minutes until sauce begins to thicken. Add cherries and corn and cook until warm. Remove from heat. Garnish with chopped green onion.
To make it fancy for guests serve it over angel hair pasta! In fact this could be a great food for Valentine's Day.