Holiday Survival Guide: T Minus 7!!

The holidays are upon us! It's the time of year for shopping, gift exchanges, decorating, and, best of all, parties! FunnySpoon helps take the stress out of the holidays, so check out our fast party fixes that'll make all your elves giddy with joy!

Seasonal Eats: AKA Party Food!
Ensure your spot on the nice list with these Santa-stic party foods guaranteed to be loved by all and save you time in the kitchen. That's a holiday duo every cook loves!

BBQ Bacon Chestnuts: Make a double batch because these mouthwatering apps will be devoured in minutes!

Best Party Dip Ever: The name says it all! And if you're not a feta-lover, substitute shredded sharp cheddar for an equally fabulous taste.

Crab Rangoon Dip: Simple and elegant! So scrumptious that you might not want to share (but you better if you want to remain on the nice list!)


Need to feed the kids before a big party? Try the Spinach Pita Pizzas or the Ravioli Bites. They're hearty enough to be substituted for a meal and double as a party appetizer, too!

And go ahead, be a little naughty. Pair these melt-in-your-mouth Mint Chocolate Brownies with a King's Cider. We promise Santa won't hold it against you!

Mirth-Making Mood

Update your holiday playlist with "A Very Special Christmas" compilations – they're loaded with contemporary artists that are bound to brighten your mood and chase scrooge out of the house!

Healthy Holidays

'Tis the season to falalala ... and that leads to lots of rundown and sick people! Take care of yourself and your family this merry season with our top tips to fight off colds:

Eat more mushrooms - they're a natural (and delicious!) source of vitamin D.

Get sunshine whenever it peeks out at you. Just 15 minutes a day gives you all the vitamin D you need.

Drink Emergen-C - it's LOADED with vitamins and B12, which keep us healthy and provide extra energy around the holidays.

Most importantly ... take time to enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. Didn't get something done? Don't sweat it! There's always next year ...

Bon Appétit!
Carrie & Vicki

Chocolate Covered Anything??

Wow ... I think this just might be my favorite day ever! It's National Chocolate Covered Anything Day. Yep, that's right - chocolate covered pretzels, peanuts, raisins, marshmallows, fruit, espresso beans. I believe that even chocolate covered chocolate counts!

Looking for a little inspiration? Never fear, try some of these chocolate recipes.

Go ahead and indulge. January 1 and your new year resolution to work off the holiday pounds is right around the corner. Go out in style!

Veggie Tuesday: Holiday Style

Tick-tock, tick-tock. The days are flying by and somehow my list keeps getting longer with all of the last minute things to do before the holidays are here! And, to be honest, I'm still struggling a bit to get in the Ho-Ho-Ho spirit of things. However, tonight we're going to have this delish Holiday Rotini for dinner. And I think I'll turn on a little 'Santa Baby' while I'm cooking. Between the festive food and the merry music I'm sure to get in the holiday spirit, right?



What are some of your favorite holiday dishes? Or holiday mood-making tricks? Help me out, please?!?

Cozy Up Tonight!

With the cold wave passing through the nation (and if it hasn't hit you, don't rub it in!) why not cozy up tonight with these tasty cinnamon treats:

Cinn-ful Apple Cider



Maple, Apple, and Cinnamon Dip



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Farm Rich is a brand we personally love and is also one of our sponsors. Thanks to brands like them, we can recommend tasty, high quality products while keeping the site alive. Want more info? Check out our advertisers page.

Festively Fun Salad

I know, I know, who wants to talk about salads when there are tons of cookies and party appetizers and roasted turkeys everywhere? Well, maybe that's precisely WHY we could all use a salad! Instead of overloading on all the decadent holiday stuff, why not take a break this evening with a light salad, but one that's still festive so you don't feel like a scrooge?

Voila - this Bridal Shower Salad (not just for bridal showers, obviously!) from our partner Stephanie Ashcraft is the perfect solution.

Festive (with the red and green) - check
Light (save those calories for parties) - check
Tasty (even if you aren't big on salads this is a winner) - check
Easy (hello, it's FunnySpoon, easy is our middle name) - check

National Pastry Day

We'll probably be indulging ourselves all month, so might as well start now, right? For National Pastry Day try one of the following easy treats, and spend the rest of your time making your wish list for the holidays!

These Chocolate Croissants are a taste of Paris (home of the best pastries in the world!) right at home - and only have two ingredients!



This Strawberry Shortcake is marginally more difficult with a whopping three ingredients but I'm pretty sure you can handle it. Plus it uses one of our freezer faves: Farm Rich French Toast Sticks.



Got something to say? Share it on the blog, Facebook or Twitter! If you mention Farm Rich you'll automatically be entered in our contest for a free Farm Rich product. While you're at it, might as well check out all our fabulous contests!

Farm Rich is a brand we personally love and is also one of our sponsors. Thanks to brands like them, we can recommend tasty, high quality products while keeping the site alive. Want more info? Check out our advertisers page.

Veggie Tuesday: If a Beatle says so ...

If I learned one thing from my mom, it's that Paul McCartney is the coolest Beatle. So if he says it's a good idea to go meatless once per week, I'm cool with doing it. Especially since we've already been doing it.

However, "going meatless once a week" is easier said than done for most people who are used to throwing some ground beef in a pan or some chicken in the oven for a quick dinner. So hopefully you'll find our meatless dinner suggestions helpful (and tasty!) as opposed to preachy.

Tonight, why not try the Spinach and Articohoke Strata? It only takes 10 minutes to prepare, then you can toss it in the oven for 30 minutes while you do something else (like throw on your comfy pants, pop in the Beatles Love album, and dance like an idiot. No? Just me?). Plus, the festive red and green will put you in the holiday mood!

Now, if anyone has Mr. McCartney's number, I'd be happy to cook this for him tonight. Just trying to help, you know.

5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Mushrooms

I was digging through some papers and found a newpaper clipping with some interesting facts about mushrooms. The good news? You get interesting facts about mushrooms. The bad news? I didn't save the whole thing so I'm having a hard time giving proper credit. But I found the same info on this site so hopefully that proves to you that I am in no way trying to be Mushroom Information Queen of the World (but that would be cool). And now, without further ado:

Margo Kraus, a registered dietitian and consultant for The Mushroom Council, advises:

1. 20 calories: Just a handful of mushrooms may be nature's hidden treasure for healthier meals. Mushrooms have essential nutrients that are good for heart health and help boost immunity. With just 20 calories per serving, they have fewer calories than a rice cake.

2. Flavor: Mushrooms have umami -- the fifth taste. They add savory flavor when paired with other foods.

3. Vitamin D: Mushrooms contain 4 percent of the daily value of vitamin D. No other fresh vegetable or fruit has vitamin D.

4. Good for you: Mushrooms' antioxidant capacity is comparable to that of brightly colored vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, red peppers and broccoli.

5. Hold the burger: Data suggests if men substituted a 4-ounce grilled portabello mushroom for a 4-ounce grilled hamburger over the course of a year and didn't change anything else, they could save more than 18,000 calories and nearly 3,000 grams of fat. That's the equivalent of 5.3 pounds, or 30 sticks of butter.

Did that get your taste buds going? Then check out these easy recipes with mushrooms or try Farm Rich's breaded mushrooms for a quick appetizer.

Take mushrooms to the max with this Portabello Lasagna.



Speaking of Farm Rich, if you haven't entered our contests yet, what are you waiting for?

Farm Rich is a brand we personally love and is also one of our sponsors. Thanks to brands like them, we can recommend tasty, high quality products while keeping the site alive. Want more info? Check out our advertisers page.

Two Ways to Win This Holiday Season

This holiday season we're offering two ways to win some great goodies from Farm Rich!

The Farm Rich Coupon Giveaway

You probably noticed we've been talking about Farm Rich lately. That's because we really love their products! They're totally tasty and super easy to prepare, which is exactly what FunnySpoon is all about.

But enough blabbing from us - what do you think? Have a favorite recipe using Farm Rich you'd like to share? Tried a Farm Rich recipe and want to tell us how it went? Addicted to a particular Farm Rich product and want to admit it to the rest of us?

Simply cruise over to your fave FunnySpoon online destination - FunnySpoon.com, here at the FunnyScoop blog, Facebook, or Twitter - and share what you think about Farm Rich. From now until December 31, 2009, the first two people to buzz about Farm Rich each week will score a coupon for a FREE Farm Rich product. (Read the rules here.) So c'mon, get into the spirit of giving and share your kitchen wisdom!



The Meatball Cookbook Giveaway
We've got a few copies of "101 Things to do with Meatballs", by Stephanie Ashcraft, and we'd love to share them with our fans. So from now until December 31, 2009, everyone that opts in to receive our FunnyMail emails will be entered to win a free cookbook. (Read the rules here.)



We're spreading the joy, you're spreading the word!

Farm Rich is a brand we personally love and is also one of our sponsors. Thanks to brands like them, we can recommend tasty, high quality products while keeping the site alive. Want more info? Check out our advertisers page.

We Want Chili!

According to Google's Zeitgeist (a summary of what people searched on each year), the recipe most people were looking for this year was chili. You want it, you got it! Below are some of our favorite chili recipes on FunnySpoon.com:

Lazy Man's Chili

Lindsay's Spicy Vegetarian Chili

FunnySpoon's Turkey Chili

Poorman's Blackbean Chili

White Turkey Chili


Were you one of the people looking for a chili recipe? Did you find something good? Share your recipe with the rest of us!