It’s official: the holiday chaos is in full swing. Between bonfires, field trips, parties, family get-togethers, ballets (because even if you’ve seen it nine times, you just can’t skip The Nutcracker Suite, right?), Christmas shopping, and decorating, life can feel like a non-stop whirlwind these days.

With all the holiday parties comes … the food. Mmmmm, the FOOD!

The best parties have delicious food.

Unfortunately, the one thing you don’t get more of during the holiday season is time. We’re reminded of a quote by Theodor Geisel—a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, one of our favorite children’s authors:

“How did it get so late so soon?
It’s night before it’s afternoon.
December is here before it’s June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon?”

Kind of sums it up, right?

To help you navigate the demands of the holiday season, today we want to share a few of our favorite go-to treats, contributed by members of the A Reason For Homeschool blog team. We hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we do. Merry Christmas, everyone!

From Bridgitt: Classic Banana Pudding

Whether you’re cooking for the picky eaters at the kids table, or scrambling because your child informed you they need to bring treats to a party (on the DAY OF, inevitably), it’s nice to have a few fantastic recipes you can whip together at the spur of the moment. Enter this simple, classic Banana Pudding.

This recipe originally came from my mother-in-law, Mary. The only change I’ve made to her traditional recipe is this: when making the pudding, she cuts the milk down by 1/2 of the amount called for, while I follow the directions. Her version yields a thicker consistency but less dessert. It works either way.

You will need:

• Two boxes of vanilla pudding, along with the milk required to make them
• A box of vanilla wafers, those little round crunchy cookies
• A large tub of Cool Whip
• 6 bananas
• Large casserole dish 9×13 or larger

Directions:

1. First mix up your pudding according to the package directions. Then fold in half of your tub of Cool Whip.

2. Line the dish that will hold the pudding with vanilla wafers, side by side, cookies touching.

3. Next, slice up your bananas into 1/4″ – 3/8″ slices. Make a layer directly on top of the cookies with the bananas, also touching the other bananas around it.

4. Cover that with half of your Cool Whip/pudding mixture.

5. Repeat those three layers again: cookies, bananas, pudding.

6. Top with remaining half of Cool Whip tub.

That’s all there is to it. You can store it in the refrigerator for several days (if it lasts that long). It disappears rather quickly, around here. It can be eaten right away; however, a couple of hours in the refrigerator is best. I think it’s even better a day after it’s made and the cookies have had time to soften up.

From Laura: Congo Squares

A dear friend brought us these treats with the meal she delivered when we brought our first-born home from the hospital. I don’t know if this yummy dessert sweetened my milk when I nursed Kyle, but these would later become his all-time favorite dessert. Even when coming home from college, Congo Squares would be on his “Please Make This!” list for Mom. They are great alone (with a cold glass of milk, of course) or topped with a scoop of ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. 

They mix up quickly and only take 25 minutes to bake, so easily qualify as Dessert-In-a-Hurry!

Congo Squares

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2/3 cup butter or margarine
• 2 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl, and set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan; remove from heat and stir in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour mixture, chocolate chips, and nuts to the butter mixture. Combine well. 

Spread batter in a greased 12″ x 8″ x 2″ baking pan. 

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. (Do not overbake!) 

Enjoy!

From Beth: Cherry-Coconut Bars

This cookie, which appeared in the vintage (circa 1963) Cooky Book from Betty Crocker, is one of two or three treats that regularly made an appearance in my mother’s kitchen. To this day, it’s one of my favorites. I love the delicious flavor combination of cherry, coconut, and crispy shortbread-like crust, and the bright pop of color from the maraschino cherries.

The original recipe calls for butter or margarine, but I’d never recommend anything except real butter. I’ve adjusted the amount of nuts, coconut, and cherries, to reflect my our preferences. I decrease the original 25-minute baking time in the first step—it just doesn’t need that long in the oven, and can sometimes over-bake.

These cookies come together easily, giving you plenty of time to finish up other preparations (or catch a quick shower!) if you’re expecting guests.

Mix 1 c. flour, butter and confectioners’ sugar—it may be easiest to do this with your hands (not to mention, a great job for one of your young helpers!)—until it’s smooth. Spread evenly in an ungreased 8″x8″ pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

While the crust is baking, beat the eggs then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Set aside until you remove the crust from the oven, pour the liquid mixture over the hot crust and spread evenly, return pan to oven, and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars.

Visit our Recipes section to discover even more special treats
for your loved ones and guests!