This holiday season is going to look different from years past. Yankee Candle is spreading the holiday magic by giving families a sneak peek into Santa Claus’ workshop via The Official Santa Cam. They are also offering a series of backgrounds for those virtually celebrating the holidays with loved ones.
Yankee Candle sent a magical candle to Santa Claus. This candle has a special power to connect everyone around the world to Santa Claus’ private office. This one candle will make you believe in the magic of Santa.
Families will have the opportunity to check-in on Santa by logging into TheOfficialSantaCam.com. Access to Santa’s virtual office is available this holiday season, around the clock, now through Dec. 24, when Mr. Claus heads out for work. The virtual Santa Cam will feature Santa’s routine at the North Pole including:
Santa will start his morning with a cup of cocoa and read through the North Pole News. As the day continues, Santa will look through his schedule, write at his desk, build toys, read letters, eat cookies, take naps and watch as Mrs. Claus delivers sweets.
During the prime hours of 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Santa will partake in extra activities including learning a TikTok dance, sketching a picture of Rudolph, painting toys, taking a Zoom call, among others.
Yankee Candle is also launching a series of virtual backgrounds for those celebrating the holidays virtually this year! Families can access the holiday inspired backgrounds on yankeecandle.com/inspiration starting on Dec. 9.
Don’t forget to check out Yankee Candle’s Magical Christmas Morning Holiday Scents.
Santa’s Cookies: A treat worthy of Santa’s attention: Freshly baked vanilla sugar cookies with a dash of spice.
Christmas Morning Punch: A spectacular blend of ruby-red pomegranate, strawberry, cranberry — a celebratory drink the whole family will love.
Holiday Hearth: A cozy gathering by the fireplace, all decked out with festive décor…warm, spicy, and sweet, like the magic of holiday traditions.
Singing Carols: A harmonious combination of fruit, evergreen, and spice notes that create an inspiring Christmas melody.
Happy Morning: Awaken to the delight of Christmas morning with a cheerful fragrance bursting with bright berries, evergreens, and a touch of caramel.
To many, the holiday season means it’s time to dust off those tried and true festive recipes from years past. Chex cereal has unveiled new recipes that will bring some extra cheer to 2020. The holiday party staple ingredient has teamed up with Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, who know the keys to a good celebration, to deliver some serious cooking inspiration.
Teigen and Legend created these recipes to help foodies put a new twist on this year’s holiday celebrations, including:
Legendary Muddy Buddies: this deliciously sweet spin on classic Muddy Buddies™ was created by Teigen and Legend with double the chocolate and peanut butter flavors for a truly legendary holiday snack mix.
Sugar and Spice Chex Holiday Mix: seasoned Chex cereal, pretzels and peanuts are combined with vanilla coated Chex and marshmallows for a salty sweet treat with a kick.
“Chex has been my go-to snack forever. It’s in my cookbooks and is always in our pantry for when I need to mix up a last-minute party snack, so when I had the chance to team up with Chex to create some holiday ideas, I was all in,” said Teigen. “Chex is a versatile staple that enables creativity and fun with kid-friendly recipes. My hope is these recipes inspire families to get into the kitchen together with Chex for the holidays.”
With more people than ever planning to be home for the holidays, cooking is sure to continue as a pastime to both celebrate and stay entertained with everyone at home together. Popular, easy-to-make Chex recipes are the perfect way to get the whole family involved in making festive snacks that become holiday traditions.
As a part of the holiday campaign, fans can find Teigen and Legend on specially marked Chex cereal boxes, as well as videos on Chex.com where Teigen and Legend show how to make the Legendary Muddy Buddies recipes in two minutes or less as well as one with Legend on bended knee sharing a very special holiday gift with Teigen.
“We know the holidays are going to look different this year, but that doesn’t mean they will be any less special,” said Taylor Gessell, Marketing Communications Manager for Chex. “We are here to bring joy to families with easy recipes and activities that will help them make the most of this holiday season and who better than Chrissy and John to share a modern take on classic recipes to remind us all of how much fun we can have together in the kitchen.”
This holiday season, kiss the canned cranberry sauce of your youth goodbye and make a homemade cranberry sauce instead. Using real cranberries lets you adjust the sweetness levels yourself, and you can spice it up with new and interesting flavors. Plus it’s not just for the turkey—use the leftovers in everything from yogurt to waffles to smoothies. Scroll down to see our favorite recipes below.
Chef Ryan Rendano offers up a wonderfully spiced version of cranberry sauce that only takes 20 minutes to make. We love that the recipe includes lemon and orange, some of the best winter produce around. Get it here.
Maple Cranberry Sauce
This easy cranberry sauce from The View from Great Island takes just 15 minutes to make, is made with just two ingredients, and has the perfect amount of tartness. Get the recipe here.
Keep it simple with this easy recipe from Eat Within Your Means. It’s sweetened with apple cider and maple syrup instead of sugar and makes a perfect alternative to the canned stuff. To get the recipe, click here.
This refreshing take on cranberries from Kevin Is Cooking turns the traditional sauce on its head. Instead of cooking the cranberries, they’re blitzed up with orange and mixed with cherry jello to make a yummy relish. Cross your fingers for leftovers—this will taste fantastic on those day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches. To grab the recipe, click here.
This paleo sauce from Anya’s Eats is sure to be a crowd pleaser. The cranberries are complemented by fresh orange juice and ginger. Just a touch of maple sugar ensures that the berries’ bright flavor shines through. Get the recipe by clicking here.
Step outside the box by making this flavorful chutney from Magnolia Days. Not only will it taste great with the turkey, but you can also pair it with cheese and crackers for an easy appetizer. With apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and jalapenos, this sauce is bursting with bold flavors. To grab the recipe, click here.
Instead of using sugar to sweeten the sauce, this recipe from Dad with a Pan uses fresh mango chunks—yum! Tropical fruit on the Thanksgiving table is definitely something we can get behind. Click here to get the recipe.
The secret ingredient in this recipe by 2 Aussie Travellers is balsamic vinegar—it cuts the bitterness of the cranberries while adding some depth. The thicker, chunkier texture keeps the cranberries closer to their natural state, unlike some of the more jelly-like sauces. To get the recipe, click here.
Pears, cinnamon and ginger come together to help create this sauce from Veggie Inspired. Your whole family will love the warm fall flavors. Get the recipe by clicking here.
Researchers may have found a way for people to live longer and the answer lies with chili pepper! A new study will be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2020 that could demonstrate a significantly reduced risk of dying from cancer or cardiovascular disease when people consume chili pepper.
After analyzing 570,000 individuals in the United States, Italy, China and Iran and combing through 4,729 studies, researchers produced four unique studies on the power of chili peppers. So what did they discover?
Science has long known the power of capsaicin (what gives peppers their spice) and the capabilities it has in regarding to being an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, anticancer and a possessing a blood-glucose regulating effect. Researchers took it one step further by comparing records of those who regularly consumed chili peppers with those who rarely or never did.
Those who did eat chili pepper had a 26% relative reduction in cardiovascular mortality, a 23% relative reduction in cancer mortality and a 25% relative reduction in all-cause mortality.
“We were surprised to find that in these previously published studies, regular consumption of chili pepper was associated with an overall risk-reduction of all cause, CVD and cancer mortality,” said senior author Bo Xu, M.D., cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute in Cleveland, Ohio.
“The exact reasons and mechanisms that might explain our findings, though, are currently unknown. Therefore, it is impossible to conclusively say that eating more chili pepper can prolong life and reduce deaths, especially from cardiovascular factors or cancer. More research, especially evidence from randomized controlled studies, is needed to confirm these preliminary findings.”
While there are still plenty of unknowns, tossing in a little extra chili pepper couldn’t hurt and it will definitely spice up your dinner.
You’ve heard the warning about having too many cooks in the kitchen, but at Tukwila’s new food hall, it’s a good thing. Spice Bridge features eight different women-owned food vendors with different cuisines to share. Not only is it a great place for tasty food, but consider it a cultural hot spot for you and your crew as well. Read on for the delish dish on this true melting pot!
Meet the Chefs
Operated by the nonprofit organization Global to Local, the Spice Bridge food court helps aspiring entrepreneurs launch and build food businesses one delicious dish at a time. Since there are just four stalls, they rotate offering a new dining experience Tuesdays through Sundays. And when these chefs aren't busy cooking for you, they're busy providing no-cost meals for seniors and families in need. Ready to take the kids but not sure what to try? We asked Global to Local's Program Director to share her top kid-friendly picks for each spot.
Who's cooking: From top left to bottom right, meet Nasrin Noori of Jazze's, Theary Ngeth of Theary Cambodian Foods, Adama Jammeh & Oumie Sallah of Afella Jollof Catering, Monica Di Bartolomeo of Seatango, Liyu Wirdaw of WUHA, Mwana Moyo & Batulo Nuh of Moyo Kitchen, Krizia Cherece of Wengay's Kitchen and Caroline Musitu of Taste of Congo.
Taste of Congo
Want to try something you have never tasted before? You've gotta try Taste of Congo, the only Congolese food business in Washington! The beef stew is seasoned with garlic, nutmeg and onion and stewed with tomatoes, carrots and golden potatoes. The grilled mackeral is big enough for two and with enough seasoning to go around too. Also popular is the chicken mayo and fried plantains. You'll recognize the garlic and paprika used to flavor it, but consider the rest of the spice mix the chef’s best kept secret.
Kid-approved dishes: We think your kids will love the yellow rice and beef stew.
Stop by Afella Jollof Catering for authentic Gambian/Senegalese cuisine. Nosh on popular choices like the Veggie Samosa, which is not only tasty, but easy on the wallet. It's seasoned with the chef’s special marinade and the veggies are stuffed into flaky pastry dough. Heartier appetites will appreciate the Chicken Kebab Combo that includes jollof rice and veggie samosa or a beef pastell.
Kid-approved dishes: Stick with simple and familiar when you order chicken kebabs and samosa for the kids.
Hailing from Argentina, Seatango offers a variety of artisan empandas and sweet pastries made from scratch. Here you’ll find facturas and alfajores alongside special coffees and teas.
Kid-approved dishes: While the sweet treats are a gimme, pair them with a savory empanda for the kids.
This unique restaurant offers a fusion of Somali, Kenyan and Tanzanian dishes all inspired by Zanzibar, the world’s spice capital. It's a place where you'll find flavorful (and familiar) faves like Tandoori Chicken and Sambusa, alongside new-to-you taste sensations like Samaki Wa Kupaka (salmon or golden pompano floating in a coconut sauce) and Sukuma (kale stew served with cornbread). Most of the dishes are served with pilau rice or chapatti for you to enjoy.
Kid-approved dishes: It's stuffed sambusa and pilau rice for the win.
Enjoy authenic Filipino food that is not only cooked with love, but also prepared with traditional ingredients when you visit Wengay's Kitchen. If you're looking for a special dish, try the Lumpia and Lumpiang Sariwa, eggrolls that are either fried or wrapped in a crepe. The Pancit Bihon noodle and veggie stir fry is an easy meatless option, and the Bicol Express, that features creamy chicken cooked in thick coconut milk, is a satisfying option if you're not going veg.
Kid-approved dishes: Order lumpia or pancit bihon for your cuties when you visit.
Serving healthy, authentic Cambodian/Khmer cuisine, this food booth has lots of must-trys. The beef back ribs and veggies over rice found in the Soup Go Me Ga Tunk are a fall comfort food fave, while the Me Ga Tunk, sauteed meat and eggs mixed with seasoned vegetables, and the Cambodian Ka Ry Stew, with its specially spiced beef back ribs really stick to your insides. Are you hungry yet?
Kid-approved dishes: Nothing pairs better with a chilly fall day and your kiddo than Soup Go Me Ga Tunk.
WUHA offers fast food Ethiopian style! The food options here include both authentic Ethiopian dishes and as well as American foods cooked with Ethiopian spices, serving as a gateway to more traditional dishes. Enjoy the Black Lentil Veggie Sandwich served with oven-roasted potatoes, Beef Roast Sandwiches and Injera Rolls available in beef, vegetarian and wheat-free options.
Kid-approved dishes: Injera rolls are always a hit with kids, as is eating with their fingers!
Chef Nasrin Noori cooks up Afghan food made from organic, locally grown ingredients. If you're looking for some stand-outs, we suggest the Boulanee, a pastry filled with potatoes, leeks, pumpkins or carrots served up crisp with a side of yogurt for dipping. The signature fusion Pulled Lamb Sliders are an easy pick and the oven roasted chicken in the Pilau-E-Murgh pairs nicely with an Afghan mixed salad.
Kid-approved dishes: Because it's hard to go wrong with fresh-made savory pastries, Boulanee is sure to be a hit with your kiddos.
Good to know: 1. Entrée prices range from $8-16, so you can feed the whole fam.
2. Currently, Spice Bridge is only offering takeout meals due to the COVID-19 safety measures. Families can find outdoor dining seating options and a grassy area nearby if the weather is nice.
3. Free parking is available between Spice Bridge and the Tukwila Library.
4. While you’re there, take time to explore. The grounds are dotted with interesting sculptures and a giant globe fountain too.
5. While it’s too late in the season to enjoy it this year, this unique food court sits next to the Tukwila Village Farmers Market, open every Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. from mid-June through mid-October. This is a great place for families too, as special activities for kids are often featured.
Spice Bridge
Tukwila Village
14200 Tukwila International Blvd., Ste. 141
Tukwila, WA
“Make three different cookies–a dozen of each–inspired by your family holiday memories and traditions.”
That was the assignment on a recent holiday baking show I watched.
It occurred to me that I would have failed miserably. It’s not that I can’t bake, or that I can’t bake cookies. I just have no family memories or traditions associated with cookies.
My family never baked at the holidays. Occasionally we’d get a tin or box of assorted cookies—chocolate and plain shortbreads, butter cookies, and so forth—that we kids called “kind-a-wanna cookies” because we could each choose the kind we wanted. My mother’s baking exploits centered around box cake mixes, lemon meringue pies for my father (his favorite dessert), and slice-n-bake chocolate chip cookies. (I notice that now the company that makes these believes even slicing to be too much to task the modern baker with.)
I did have one holiday cookie-baking ritual in my teens, however. I would go over to my friend Peggy’s house and we would make either chocolate chip cookies (from scratch, no slicing involved) or sugar cookies.
The chocolate chip cookies were ones we had learned how to bake in home ec class and Peggy still had the original recipe on the original 3″ by 5″ index card. I know she recopied the card when it became old and ragged, and I think she may have laminated it. Actually, Peggy did the baking. I helped with the math and ate some of the raw cookie dough, this being back in the days before that was dangerous or if it was, we didn’t know it.
Our other holiday cookie tradition was Christmas sugar cookies. Again, these were from scratch and my assignment was to sprinkle the cut-out Santas and bells and stars with red and green sugar sprinkles. We’d listen to the radio (but not Christmas carols) and tuck the cookies lovingly away in colorful tin boxes with layers of wax paper. After eating just a couple ourselves, of course.
So, were I to be magically transported to a holiday baking contest, what could I make? Chocolate chip and sugar cookies, of course. Though I’d have to think up trendy flavors like bourbon-guava-cinnamon-chip cookies and sugar cookies adorned with fondant and gum paste and decorative isomalt shards.
But what would my third cookie be?
As a young adult, I had a recipe for a spice cake with raisins that I adored. Back in the day my friends and I were always broke, so I made small loaf pans of spice cake and my husband made miniature banana cakes from his Grammy’s recipe. So I suppose I might have to fudge a little and make banana-spice cookies with raisins. (Fudge! Now there’s an idea!) Not a childhood memory, but sort of a family tradition, of a new family just starting out anyway.
I suppose I could make some kind of peanut butter cookie. That was one my mother did make from scratch, and I loved pressing the fork into the dough to make the criss-cross on top. I suppose today we would call them “hashtag cookies.” They’re not very “holiday,” but at least they represent a family memory.
Or, if I was a really accomplished baker, I could invent some kind of lemon-bar cookie with a toasted meringue on top, in honor of my father’s favorite, but non-holiday, pie. My mother would slip the pie into the oven to brown the meringue, but nowadays I see people using blowtorches. I still think of blowtorches as things that belong in the garage, though, not the kitchen.
No, this year I’ll do the same as ever. I don’t have children and Peggy’s son is now grown, but when she comes to town for the holidays, I fully expect we’ll both make time in our schedules for a cookie-baking fest. Chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies with red and green sprinkles. They won’t win any competitions, but I can honestly say they are holiday traditions.
Hi! I'm a freelance writer and editor who writes about education, books, cats and other pets, bipolar disorder, and anything else that interests me. I live in Ohio with my husband and a varying number of cats.
Your favorite childhood snack cake is coming to the breakfast table. Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the original Little Debbie snack cake, Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies are the first Little Debbie treat to be transformed into a cereal. With sweetly coated, creme-flavored frosting covering crispy spiced oatmeal cookie cereal pieces.
Kellogg’s Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies Cereal features oatmeal cookie pieces made with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of molasses. They taste just like how you remember Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies tasting.
Kellogg’s Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies Cereal will be available in Dec. 2020 at retailers nationwide retailing for $3.99 (9.1 oz box) and $5.69 (14.5 oz box).
Social distancing has been keeping many families apart. Kids are missing out on hugs from their grandparents. Keebler wants to connect families and sweeten moments of togetherness, from afar, by giving people the opportunity to send a touch of magic with the gift of a free Keebler Magical Cookie Bouquet to those they miss most.
Grandparents and grandkids are feeling the heartache more than ever during these challenging times, so Ernie and the rest of the Keebler Elves found a way to reimagine family moments for those that are apart. Starting on Sept. 8, in the days leading up to Grandparent’s Day (September 13), Keebler will team up with experiential marketing partner, Fooji, to create some magic and give families the opportunity to gift a loved one a a complimentary Keebler Magical Cookie Bouquet.
During this limited time offer, fans can either send a Tweet using hashtag #SendKeeblerMagic and #promo or go to https://Keebler-magic.fooji.com/#start starting Tues., Sept. 8 and a cookie bouquet will be delivered right to the doorstep of someone you love and miss most.
The Keebler Magical Cookie Bouquets come in an arrangement of “long stem Keebler Fudge Stripe cookie flowers” – complete with a spice drop center. Loved ones who receive the Keebler Magical Cookie Bouquet will also get to try a few of their favorite Keebler cookies, featuring more of Keebler’s Elfin’ Magic from the Hollow Tree and baked with a variety of real ingredients. In addition to the Fudge Stripes, made with Real Keebler Fudge, recipients will also receive Pecan Sandies and Chips Deluxe Original, which are made with Real Madagascar vanilla and more Real Chocolate, respectively.
Everyone can get in on the fun on social, too. Check out Instagram Lenses to play a game of catch with Fudge Stripes, Sandies, or Chips Deluxe cookies. Win and you’ll be transformed into Ernie the Elf and get to visit the Hollow Tree. Users can also take on the challenge of helping Ernie add Real ingredients to the Keebler cookies through engaging arcade-style games on the GIPHY Arcade platform.
“With the Keebler Magical Cookie Bouquets, we wanted to help families feel like they’re together in spirit,” said Senior Associate Brand Manager Ryan Nolan. “And as a part of that, we extended the magic of Ernie and the Keebler elves to families through different means like the games on social where they may be connecting with loved ones most often during this time.”
Craving pumpkin spice? Krispy Kreme has the solution. Starting Sept. 1, four pumpkin spice doughnuts, including the return of the fan favorite Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed and the brand-new Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Roll Doughnut will be available for the entire month.
The Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Collection, which is available all month long for the first time, offers a perfect pumpkin-to-spice ratio that even pumpkins can be proud of.
“We’ve not only brought back your favorites, we’ve added a new Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Roll Doughnut and you’re going to love it,” said Dave Skena, Chief Marketing Officer of Krispy Kreme. “Plus, we’re making them every day all month long, so you’ll have the time to try them all.”
The Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Collection includes:
Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed Doughnut: a classic Original Glazed doughnut with a pumpkin spice twist.
Pumpkin Spice Cake Doughnut: a perfectly spiced old-fashioned cake doughnut covered in our signature glaze.
Pumpkin Spice Original Filled Cheesecake Doughnut: a Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed doughnut with creamy cheesecake filing decorated with cheesecake icing.
Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Roll Doughnut: a Pumpkin Spice Doughnut, tossed in a pumpkin spice sugar blend and topped with cream cheese icing and cinnamon schmear.
Fans can show how they’re enjoying Krispy Kreme’s Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Collection by using #KrispyKreme and tagging @krispykreme. For more information about the new Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Collection, please visit www.krispykreme.com/promos/pumpkinspice.
Looking for new ways to spice up your homeschool science curriculum? Even though the Kennedy Space Center is temporarily closed, they are offering a new roster of free online content for children from elementary school to high school. This educational resource will continue to be available throughout May 2020.
Many of the topics also include an interactive at-home activity to keep kids excited and engaged.
Following is the new schedule of featured topics for upcoming virtual lessons:
