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Santa HQ – A Family Experience

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Disclosure:  This Santa HQ post is sponsored by HGTV. Thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

A few years ago, I didn’t even know if we were going to do Santa. Each year, I still question it in the back of my mind and each year I’m so happy at the memories we’ve created around Santa. Both girls eyes light up, their little voices glee with happiness, and their laughter brings everyone so much joy. I know in those moments that it’s so worth it.

Surprise at the mall 

A few weeks ago, we rushed into the mall to grab something and I was surprised that Santa was already there.  I tried to hide the girls’ views of the set-up to no avail. They saw him.  They wanted to go immediately, but we were in a rush and I promised to get them back there.  And that we did.

Introducing Santa HQ

One of our local malls in Deptford, NJ teamed up with HGTV to bring locals “Santa HQ“. It’s a super fun and exciting holiday experience that the whole family will enjoy in addition to the traditional visit with Santa Claus. *Bonus: Santa in Deptford has a real beard 😉

As soon as you walk in you are immersed in all things Christmas holidays. Starting with an elf adding you to the list to see if you’ve been naughty or nice (hint: it’s always nice!), followed by a holiday photo set-up at “The North Pole”. Next, families are invited to the Elfie Selfie movie station where you get a shot at being your own Elf Star! Feel free to check out our family Elfie Selfie movie. Next, families head for a fun adventure to the Elf-Ray Vision Station where children use tablets to project elves working, Santa’s sleigh and more. Finally, it’s time to see the big jolly guy and families end the experience with the traditional Santa Claus photo-op.

Check Out Our Photos From Our Visit:

Honestly, it’s just such a fun and unique way to enjoy Santa.  I know growing up as a kid, I loved going to see Santa. However, I never wanted to stand in the mall lines.  The Santa HQ experience not only is a fun way to get into the holiday spirit, but it’s also great for breaking up the line so parents aren’t waiting for an exorbitant amount of time. The elves (staff) and Santa are amazing with the kids and it’s truly just so great.

More About Santa HQ

Santa HQ free for anyone to enjoy. You only pay for photos if you decide you would like to purchase those.  Reservations are recommended for a faster experience. Also, you can even pre-pay for your photo package. Santa HQ is currently at 15 shopping locations in California, New Jersey, Chicago, NYC, DC, and more. See if there’s a location near here by visiting the Santa HQ site.

Holiday Giving

Also, when heading over to Santa HQ consider bringing a toy to donate.  Visitors at Santa HQ, in conjunction with HGTV’s Help Through Holiday Giving Drive, are encouraged to donate a new, unwrapped toy. Toys go to benefit local organizations like Toys for Tots, Salvation Army Angel Tree, Forgotten Angel Tree and more. However, this is not required.

Check Out Even More By Watching the Video Below:

Cranberry Cheesecake Cookies

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My entire life, the Christmas season has been my most favorite time.  Growing up, it meant lots of time doing fun activities with my family, fun trips to see different lights, and of course presents.  Joyous is how I always feel this time of year. One of my favorite activities growing up was our annual Christmas Cookie day.  We would go to my oldest aunt’s house and spend the day making and decorating cookies.  It was always so much fun.

I love making unique cookies that are crowd pleasers. 

Today, we don’t have a ton of family around, but I do love carrying on this tradition with our girls.  I always try to work throughout the year to create one new recipe that we are going to create as our signature holiday cookie.  This is one that we take on Christmas to our family’s house that we attend for the holiday festivities.

Introducing Cranberry Cheesecake Cookies 

This year our signature cookie is going to be these cranberry cheesecake cookies.  They are phenomenal and a total game changer in the cookie field. We start with a delicious graham cracker dough with dried cranberries. Then, make a hole similar to thumbprint cookies. Next, fill with a cheesecake filling and bake! It’s super easy!

In the end, you have a sure hit thats going to please everyone! Check out our Cranberry Cheesecake cookies here:

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Cranberry Cheesecake Cookies
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
Cookie dough
  • 1 1/4 cups finely crushed graham crackers about 9 crackers
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 stick unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg white save yolk for filling below
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Cheesecake Filling
  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • Lemon zest from 1 large lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 egg yolk
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, flour and baking powder.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter with the brown sugar.
  4. Add the egg white and vanilla and beat until well combined.
  5. Add to the graham cracker crumbs mixture and blend until just combined.
  6. Fold in cranberries.
  7. In a separate medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese with the granulated sugar, egg yolk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until well combined. Set aside.
  8. Using a small scoop, scoop out the cookie dough and place on nonstick baking sheet.
  9. Using the back of a teaspoon, make an inverted dome in the center of each cookie.
  10. Spoon the cheesecake filling into the indents in the cookies.
  11. Bake for 12 minutes. The cheesecake should be just set and cookies starting to turn golden brown.
  12. Allow to cool a few minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
  13. Serve or keep leftovers refrigerated.

 

Welcome to Houseful of Cookies

This year we are happy to have created this recipe for Houseful of Cookies.  It’s a fun link-up of some of my favorite bloggers (and a few I don’t know yet) all creating spectacular cookie ideas for the holiday season.  Some are traditional, while others, like our Cranberry Cheesecake Cookies, are a bit of grandma’s beaten path. All though, I’m sure, are deliciously amazing.  Here’s the recipes that these amazing creators have thought up for you!  Check them each out!

Happy Holidays!!!

Carrot Cake with Maple Cashew Frosting

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One of my main goals, after just keeping the girls alive, is to get them to have an extremely versatile palate when it comes to food.  I want them growing up and constantly tasting new things, challenging their senses, and grow up loving all types of different things. This Carrot Cake with Maple Cashew Frosting was something that I would have never touched at their age. I wouldn’t have even touched it as a high school student. But yet, here we are, making this carrot cake together as a great brunch dessert for Easter, and my kid’s gobbled it up.

Think about it…growing up, you weren’t touching Aunt Sally’s carrot cake when you saw real carrots in the cake. Who’s eating that? I barely ate the vegetables on my plate, really only because I was forced too, yet here we are and you think You’re going to be able to get me to eat some?  You must have lost your mind. 

But seriously, a lot of us didn’t/don’t eat carrot cake.

I don’t actually recall the first time I did try a carrot cake, but I remember being like DOH. Why did I never have this before, it’s actually really good!

Our homemade version carrot cake from scratch is insanely easy to make and our girls loved licking the beaters clean. It was my favorite thing to do as a kid and I love sharing in their joy as they do it now (Andrew, however, thinks we are nuts because he was never allowed to do it growing up). The only downside is that I don’t get one for myself anymore.


The baby is really getting involved more in the kitchen and it’s absolutely adorable to see her excitement as she stirs and mixes things together. There’s no greater feeling than watching the joy on your child’s face. I love that she’s learning at such a young age also.

Tip Time!

The carrot cake recipe is super easy to make. We make it a bit healthier by subbing in applesauce instead of using oil, which does make for a denser cake.  If you aren’t a fan of that, definitely try making it with coconut oil instead.

Always fold in your carrots.  You don’t want these being mixed earlier because they will stick to the beaters and become super annoying. Trust me from experience. 

Always make your frosting ahead of time.  It takes awhile to make maple cashew frosting, as the cashews need to soak in water, so don’t wait!

One of my favorite cake tips to share is that as soon as your cake is cool enough to touch, but still very warm, take plastic wrap and wrap up the cake. Then put in the freezer until completely cooled.  This allows for all the steam to stay trapped inside the cake, allowing for a very moist cake.

The blend of homemade carrot cake mixed in with the maple cashew frosting is such an amazing combination.  We can’t wait to eat it again!

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Carrot Cake with Maple Cashew Frosting
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Maple Cashew Frosting
  • 2 cup cashews
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp pink salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9 pan with coconut oil.
  3. In a large bowl, mix sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs for 30 seconds.
  4. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Beat for 1 minute.
  6. Fold in carrots and nuts.
  7. Pour into greased pan.
  8. Cook 30-40 minutes
  9. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, cool completely.
Maple Cashew Frosting
  1. Soak cashews in water for 1 hour. Water should cover cashews.
  2. Strain cashews from water
  3. Add to food processor with maple syrup until smooth
  4. Stir in remaining ingredients.
  5. Spread on top of cooled cake.
  6. Sprinkle nutmeg on top of frosting.
  7. Serve!

ENJOY!

Here’s some things that could help you with your cake making!


NEED MORE IDEAS FOR EASTER!?  

HERE’S 25 EASTER RECIPES FOR THE ULTIMATE MENU! 

Teaching Knife Skills + Banana Santa Snacks

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banana-santa-snack-idea

     The Seasoned Kids

Lesson 9: Teaching Knife Skills

Knife skills.  It’s the part of teaching kids cooking skills that make parents cringe. They always seem to go for the sharpest, biggest knife around. I’m hear to tell you that you can put all those sharp knives away because we have the perfect solution for you. Regardless of how you feel about your kid using a knife, it’s an integral part of teaching independence in the kitchen. Put your fears aside, read our tips, and get them chopping up everything.

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How to Start

To start, put the sharp knives away. Butter knives are the way to start by cutting small things. Kids can cut their sandwiches, cut bananas, or soft (warm not hot) potatoes. Unfortunately for your sanity, they will quickly want to move away from using a butter knife and they will want to use those sharp knives. But wait! There are kid friendly options in between using a butter knife and those sharp knives (see tips below). When moving on from butter knives, keep cutting to single slices before you move onto chopping skills. Once you get more comfortable, there’s nothing you can’t let them do!  Just continuously remind them of safety.

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Tips for teaching your kids knife skills

  • Use a learning tower to get them stable at the counter
    • Standing on a stool or sitting on the counter, doesn’t stabilize kids as much as a tower will
  • Ergonomically designed nylon knives, cutting gloves, and finger guards are options for in between the butter knife and sharp knife stages.
  • Teach them how to hold the knife with one hand, hold object with other hand, and slowly move the holding hand as you as cutting
  • You are more than likely to cut fingers with a dull knife rather than a sharp one so avoid giving them a dull knife
  • If you want to start teaching knife skills but this makes you nervous, use the nylon knives to cut clay or play-doh before working with food!

Recipe Time!

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santa-banana-snacks

These Banana Santa Snacks are perfect for after school snacks or snacks for holiday playdates. Watch the video, then grab the full recipe below!

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Teaching Knife Skills + Banana Santa Snacks
Servings: 2 banana santa snacks
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 banana
  • 1 large marshmallow
  • 2 mini marshmallows
  • 2 fresh cranberries
  • 2 fresh strawberries
  • 4 chocolate chips
  • 4 chocolate sprinkles
  • coconut flakes
  • optional: 2 pretzel sticks
Instructions
  1. Peel banana.
  2. Cut it in half.
  3. Push cranberry into center of each banana piece.
  4. Add two chocolate chips for eyes and two sprinkles for eyebrows above the cranberry on each banana.
  5. Tear big marshmallow in half. Using a skewer or toothpick, push one half onto the top of the banana.
  6. Cut top of strawberries and add one strawberry, skinny side up, to the top of the marshmallow.
  7. Top with a mini marshmallow.
  8. Push on a small handful of coconut flakes for the beard.
  9. If desired, push a pretzel stick into the bottom of the bottom for a stick.
  10. Enjoy!

This post is a part of our “The Seasoned Kids”, kid’s cooking series. Learn more about The Seasoned Kids here.

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Sifting + Snowball Bites

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     The Seasoned Kids

Lesson 8: Sifting

I have to admit, growing up one of my favorite things to do was to sift, sieve, or strain anything that I was allowed too. It’s such a fun activity as a child to watch. As our girl is getting older, we have been letting her do these things as well and she has the same excitement as I did. Watching things separate when straining is a great lesson for science activities with kids too!

How to Start

This lesson should definitely be reserved for a slightly older child simply because sifting = mess and straining typically involves pouring from heavier containers. Our Snowball Bites aka Peanut Butter Balls recipe below is definitely the perfect starting recipe.

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Tips for teaching your kids to sift, sieve, or strain

  • Use a learning tower to get them stable at the counter
    • Standing on a stool or sitting on the counter, doesn’t stabilize kids as much as a tower will
  • Use large measuring cups to strain things instead of pots or crockpots that an adult would pour from
  • Use smaller strainers (like this) or larger sifters (like this or this) instead to help with small hands
  • In the beginning, only do cold or room temperature foods, no hot liquids. Flour or powdered sugar, while messier, are easier to start with.

Recipe Time!

snowball-bites-peanut-butter-balls

These Snowball Bites (also called Peanut Butter Balls to some) are perfect to get your kids involved in helping with seasonal cookie trays that you may be giving out. Let them help! Watch the video, then grab the full recipe below!

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Sifting + Snowball Bites
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar + more for sifting
Instructions
  1. Mix the peanut butter and butter together.
  2. Add the vanilla and stir until combined.
  3. Add the powdered sugar and mix until no powder remains.
  4. Roll into balls. (*Tip: Should make 2 dozen 1 inch balls or you can make less, but larger ones)
  5. Roll balls in or sift powdered sugar over the balls.
  6. Let sit in fridge for an hour.
  7. Eat! Nom Nom!

snowball-bites-3179

This post is a part of our “The Seasoned Kids”, kid’s cooking series. Learn more about The Seasoned Kids here.

Previous Lessons!

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DIY Twine Napkin Holder Centerpieces

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. and Georgia-Pacific LLC. All opinions are my own. #DrinkMakeWishBake #CollectiveBias

DIY Twine Napkin Holder Centerpieces

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I remember growing up, every holiday we would head to my great-grandparent’s house.  It would be an hours long event every time with nothing really to do there for kids. When you hear about kids just going outside and playing for hours, that’s what we did. We weren’t allowed to watch TV because there was always a football game, car race, or their favorite talk show on at the time. It was a horrid talk show to a tween, FYI. And even if everyone (i.e., all the men) were asleep in front of the TV, we still weren’t allowed to change it.  So we would run around outside, explore all the oddities of an old house, like tiny hidden closets, and wait until the food was ready. Y’all know we weren’t allowed to be running through the kitchen!

Just thinking about the food brings back memories.  There was always a candy dish that was sitting on the corner of the counter and we would always try to sneak and grab a few pieces.  It was the only time we got chocolate milk. There wasn’t a get together without my great-grandma’s famous homemade potato chips. And it wasn’t even close to being a holiday celebration without the indulgent homemade ice cream and fudge sauce.

Fast forward to after dinner was over and the men went back in front of the TV, and all the women in the family helped clean up everything else. There were piles and piles of dishes to be done because everything was on the “nice china”. However, house was never left messy when everyone was gone.

Now, fast forward again to present time. We have our own house now.  Our great-grandparents have passed and we have started our own traditions with friends and family. One thing is certain. Don’t nobody have time to be toiling for hours over the sink after dinner is over. Even though, unlike my great-grandparents, we have dishwashers now, I need simple. I want to enjoy my company and the memories with them. Life is chaotic enough and for us the holidays are about joy, giving, and friendship.

holiday-tablescape-napkin-tutorial

That’s why this holiday season, I encourage you to stick with the basics.  You can still use paper plates and napkins and still have an amazing, simple tablescape that your guests will swoon over.

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A few weeks ago, I decided I would have my closest friends and their families for a “Thanksmas” party. Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one and all taking place before any of the holidays actually hit. We all know it gets crazy with our own families so I wanted to make sure that we got together before it was too busy.  I knew I didn’t want to be standing, washing dishes all night after, or loading the dishwasher for the next three days, so I knew I was going to head to our local Target to grab Dixie Ultra® Holiday Plates and Vanity Fair® Impressions® napkins.  My other two stipulations was that I needed a “wow” factor and it had to be “simple, elegant, and budget-friendly”.

napkin-centerpiece-holiday-tablescape-napkin-tutorial-2398

Here’s our step-by-step tutorial on how to make these awesome DIY Twine Napkin Holder Centerpieces.

  1. Using an old toilet paper roll, mark off every inch. You will get four ring per every toilet paper holder.
  2. Cut along the line made in Step 1, keeping as straight at you can.
  3. Using a hot glue gun, place a line from edge to edge on shorted side around.
  4. Being careful of the hot glue guns, slowly wrap twine around under the entire toilet paper roll is covered.
  5. Once the entire piece is covered, add another dab of glue from the glue gun and seal the last bit of string to it.
  6. Using two Vanity Fair® Impressions® napkins stacked together (no one likes just one napkin!), start at one edge and diagonally roll towards opposite end.
  7. Using your twine napkin ring, place it over the  the folded napkins.
  8. Using shrubbery leaves (we clipped ours from our yard!), place some gently between the napkin ring and the napkins.
  9. Stick a cinnamon stick down between the napkin ring and the leaves.
  10. Repeat steps 1-9 until you have desired number of DIY Twine Napkin Holder Centerpieces.

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*To get the look we have here, layer Dixie Ultra® Holiday Plates in three different sizes on top of each other. Add the DIY Holiday Napkin Ring Centerpieces on top of the layered plates.

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We added in Canada Dry® Ginger Ale to the table in case our friends wanted to add a little fizz to the homemade fruit punch or sangria we made.

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By using Dixie Ultra® Holiday Plates and Vanity Fair® Impressions® napkins we were able to be more present in the moments that mattered the most to us during our “Thanksmas” party and the confidence that the products would hold up during performance.

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You can find Dixie Ultra® Holiday Plates in the Holiday seasonal section at Target or in-aisle with other disposable tableware items. Plus!  Check out these upcoming CartWheel Deals!

Pin to Pinterest!

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Make sure to enter the sweepstakes fun by DPSG/Georgia Pacific below!

 
#DrinkMakeWishBake DPSG/Georgia Pacific Holiday Sweeps

DIY Essential Oil Hostess Gift Basket

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #StimulateTheSenses #CollectiveBias

diy-essential-oils-hostess-gift-basket

While we having been exploring our own semi-crunchy journey for a little over four years now, we know that many people in our family still think we are a bit on the hippie wagon. Yet and still, I’m always looking for ways to get our family and friends on a more natural journey of their own.  One of the ways I love to do this is by introducing them to essential oils.  They are so versatile and amazing that it’s no wonder that people typically fall in love with them after just a few uses.

With the holiday season officially here, we came up with this awesome DIY Essential Oil Hostess Gift Basket. This is a super simple idea for any parties that you are going too where you want to bring over a gift for the hostess or hosting family.  You could even just do one of the projects if you have a smaller budget.

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Inside our basket we included Nature’s Truth Essential Oils, a pair of fuzzy socks (who doesn’t love fuzzy socks!?), DIY Homemade Bath Bombs, DIY Homemade Room Spray, and DIY No-Sew Rice Heating Pack. Everyone always wants to make sure that their houses look and smell amazing for company, so we bust our butts cleaning every last detail and cooking food for 3x the amount of people we invited. While the get together goes off without a hitch and no one realized that you completely forgot to scrub an entire section of the baseboards in the kitchen, you melt into a puddle of exhaustion the second you close the door behind the last guest.  This type of exhaustion needs pampering and that’s exactly why this is the perfect hostess gift.

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Cinnamon Room Spray

**Directions: In a 4oz glass spray bottle, add the witch hazel and essential oils. Fill with water to top. Use as needed. Store in a cool area away from sunlight.

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No Sew Heating Pack

**Directions: In a bowl, add the essential oil to the rice. Using a funnel, add the rice to the sock. On the open end of the sock, quadruple knot the thread to seal the hole. Then tie in a bow or snip the excess thread. Repeat on the close end of the sock. Heat in microwave 30 seconds at a time until desired temperature achieved.

**Optional: If not adding the essential oil to the rice, include a note with the gift that explains to recipient to add 2-3 drops on the outside of the sock with every use. 

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DIY Lemon Bath Bombs

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**Directions: In one bowl, mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk until very well combined.  In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Slowly combine wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Note: if the mixture is foaming, you are adding too fast.  Keep whisking together until very well combined.  Using silicone baking molds, firmly pack mixture in each mold. Let air dry for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.  Pop out and keep in an airtight container.

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Some other DIY projects you could think about making with Nature’s Truth Essential Oils to add to your hostess basket are: soaps, candles, dryer sheets, massage oil, and a mini diffuser.

You can find Nature’s Truth Essential Oils at Target.com

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Or inside the vitamin aisle at the following stores (essential oils available vary by store): , CVS, Walgreens, HEB, Meijer, Albertsons, ShopRite, Rite Aid, and Stop & Shop.

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