Zondervan - Cooking up holiday fun with faithgirlz: 30 recipes from food, faith, and fun

Of all the blessings God provides a home, a loving family, a warm bed one of the most important blessings is food. Without all the nutrients you get from a crisp salad, a juicy burger, or a giant bowl of cereal, your body couldnt function. The Bible says that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. You wouldnt go into a church and knock over the pulpit, get scuff marks all over the pews, and spill a drink on the carpet, right? God wants you to honor your body in the same way you honor his holy places, and that means getting up and moving instead of lying on the couch in front of the television... and filling your stomach with good food instead of junk. When God created the world, he filled it with delicious foods to eat.

Why eat the same old mac n cheese from a box when there are so many delicious (and nutritious!) new tastes to explore? Good food will keep your body working and growing the way it should. But food isnt just about putting fuel into your body. Food is also about the time it takes to prepare it and the experience of being in the kitchen with your friends and family. Food is about working to create the meal you will enjoy together. Food is about the memories you make with one another. As you explore all the new foods and flavors in this book, dont think of the recipes as foods to make on the run. These are foods to enjoy making and eating with people you love.

There are entres and salads for family dinners, ice-cold smoothies for hot days sitting on the porch with your friends, and special desserts for the most important holidays. Grab a few of your Faithgirlz friends, throw on an apron, and start experimenting!

Before you start cooking, be sure to ask a parent for permission you dont want to use up all the flour if your mom was planning to make cookies later! Then wash your hands with soap and hot water, put on an apron to protect your clothes, and tie your hair back so it doesnt fall in the food. When youre ready to begin, take a minute to read all the way through the recipe first, so you know whats coming. You dont want to get to step three of the instructions and discover that youre out of an important ingredient! Next, gather all the equipment and ingredients youll need. Wash, chop, and shred any fruits or vegetables you can before you get started. Grease any baking sheets youre going to need. When youre in the middle of cooking a complicated recipe, youll be glad you dont have to worry about preparing the ingredients! When youre cooking on the stove, make sure you turn the pan handles to the side.

You wouldnt want to knock the pans over by mistake! If youre stirring a pan on the stove, keep a firm grip on the pans handle. And always use oven mitts when youre taking hot dishes out of the oven. Make sure youre always working on a clean surface. You dont want any germs from the kitchen counter spreading to your food! If youre working with raw meat, make sure to clean the cutting board, knife, your hands, and anything else the meat has touched before proceeding with the recipe. And once youre done cooking, its important to clean up. Wash all the pans, bowls, spoons, and knives youve used in hot, soapy water, and put all the ingredients back in the cupboard or refrigerator. If youre not confident chopping veggies with sharp knives or handling hot pans, ask your mom or dad to show you how to do this safely.

After trying out a few recipes, youll be a cooking pro!

Youll Need 1 cup creamy peanut butter 2 teaspoons butter, room temperature cup powdered sugar cup light brown sugar teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups pretzels, lightly crushed 2 cups chocolate chips Directions Beat peanut butter and butter together until smooth and creamy. Beat in powdered sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract until well mixed. Add more powdered sugar until filling can hold its shape. Fold in broken pretzel pieces. Pieces must be very small so balls can be shaped easily. Form peanut butter-pretzel mixture into balls.

Place balls on sheet pan covered in wax paper and refrigerate until ready to dip in chocolate. Melt chocolate chips in microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and melt an additional 30 seconds if needed. It may be necessary to reheat if the chocolate gets hard. Using a fork, dip each ball in chocolate. Return dipped peanut butter balls to sheet pan and refrigerate until chocolate sets.

Youll Need 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar cup brown sugar teaspoon ground cinnamon Dash of nutmeg Directions Pour cold whipping cream into cold mixing bowl.

Add vanilla and sugar. Beat with electric mixer on high until soft peaks form. Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg onto whipped cream and mix in slowly. Serve as dip for strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, as well as pear, apple, and banana slices.