You’re set for your family game night.  You’ve picked out your board game. You’ve set the date and time – as well as the ‘no-devices rule’. But do you know that the family that snacks together will stay longer together during said game night?

Alright, I made that up. But people do linger longer when there are great snacks!

Whether your family likes sweet or savory, chewy or crunchy, I’ve got some ideas to make everyone munch a bit happier.

Set up a popcorn bar.

Pop some plain popcorn and fill a large bowl (or even a brown paper bag) with it. Add a large scoop of some kind so people can grab the popcorn easily and fill their own smaller bowls or lunch-sized bags.  Here’s where it gets fun.  Add some small bowls of various items including seasoning such as:

• hot sauce
• curry powder
• sugar and salt (think kettle corn)
• small candies including skittles, chocolate chips, etc
• grated cheese
• garlic salt

Use your taste buds and create seasonings and add-ons to create a one-of-a-kind flavor. (I love ‘everything bagel’ seasoning! My girls like a s’mores combination: with small graham crackers, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips.)

Energy Bites

There are a ton of energy bite recipes out there. Most have peanut butter in them and I love them all. But for something different, try this Coconut Lime Energy Ball, with just four ingredients.

• 1 cup cashews
• 1 cup dates (if dry, soak them in warm water first until plump)
• ¾ cup coconut flakes, divided
• juice and zest from 1 lime (2 tablespoons juice & 1 tablespoon zest)

Put the cashews in a food processor and process until mostly broken down. Add the dates and process until they come together to form a dough. Add ½ cup of the coconut and the lime juice and zest and process until well mixed. Scoop out heaping teaspoons of dough and form into balls. (I like using a melon baller or small ice cream scoop for this.) Roll each ball in the remaining coconut. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Pizza mini muffins

Pizza without all the drippy cheese and sauce mess? Yes, please. Even though these are only two bites and make a lot, you’ll see they are gone fast! (And of course you can substitute any pizza toppings you prefer for the pepperoni. Just make sure the items you choose are diced finely!)

• 1 10 oz can refrigerated pizza dough
• 20–25 pepperoni slices (finely diced)
• 1 jar pizza sauce
• Shredded cheese for pizza
• Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. Roll out pizza dough and cut it into 24 even squares using a pizza cutter. Press each square into muffin cups. Cut pepperoni slices into small cubes using a knife and mix with small amount of pizza sauce in a bowl. You can add more sauce as desired. Add small amount of pepperoni and sauce mixture into each muffin cup. Top with shredded cheese.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until dough is a golden brown. Top with Italian seasoning and remove from pan to let cool.

Do you have a candy lover or two on your gift list? (I’m raising my hand; hint, hint.) It’s easy to make some tasty gifts to satisfy your friends and family members with a sweet tooth.

By making them yourself, you are not only saving money but also showing your love with a handmade gift. It’s great for teachers, postal carriers, and wonderful neighbors. Such a gift is ALWAYS appreciated, even when it disappears in a few days minutes.

Here are some of my favorites (if you’re wondering what I’d like).

Candy Flowers

This is perfect if you aren’t one to cook or make candy per se, but want a homemade touch.  It looks impressive but isn’t too difficult to pull together quickly.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 large flower vase
• Floral foam
• 1 package bamboo skewers
• Hot glue gun
• Wrapped candy (candy bars, wrapped hard candies, taffy – pretty much any size and shape of wrapped candy will work)

Here’s what you need to do:

Glue the wrapped candy to the blunt end of each skewer. You’ll be gluing the candy to the side of the skewer toward the end. Glue several small wrapped candies in a row. Then stick the pointed ends of the skewers into the floral foam to make a tasty arrangement. You can even be crafty and shape it as a Christmas tree.

Cherry Cordials

You had me at cherry!  (Well, that is my last name.)  This cherry cordial recipe has a lovely liquid center! You prefer a creamy center, leave out the invertase in the recipe below.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 20-ounce jar of maraschino cherries (no stem)
• 1/4 cup soft butter
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons liquid from the jar of cherries
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon liquid invertase (this is an enzyme that helps sugar to dissolve into a liquid – find it in the baking or candy-making section of your grocery or on Amazon)
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Here’s what you need to do:

Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid. Pat cherries dry with paper towels and allow cherries to sit on paper towels on a wire rack while you make the fondant.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter, corn syrup, 2 tablespoons cherry liquid, almond and vanilla extracts, and invertase. Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest setting until the mixture forms a fondant ball. It should be about the consistency of soft play-dough, but not as stiff as modeling clay and not too soft and sticky to handle. Add a bit more powdered sugar if necessary.

Mold a quarter-size amount of fondant around each cherry and place it on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. When all the cherries are covered, place them in the refrigerator for about half an hour while you melt about the chocolate in a double boiler. If possible, don’t let the chocolate get above 115 degrees F. This makes for a much smoother coating.

Using a fork, dip each fondant-covered cherry in the chocolate and coat it thoroughly. Place on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet and seal any holes in the chocolate coating by dabbing on more. Allow the cherries to harden and store at room temperature while the fondant liquefies. It should take about a week.

Hint: this needs some taste testing throughout the week.  (Oh darn!)

Classic Chocolate-Covered Toffee

This recipe is simple and just completely amazing.  (My husband would eat it all if he could.)

Here’s what you need:

• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)
• Optional: chopped nuts or coarse sea salt

Here’s what you need to do:

In a heavy saucepan, combine butter and sugar. Stir over medium heat until the butter is melted, and then bring the mixture to a boil. Stirring occasionally, simmer until it reaches 285 degrees F. It will be a rich, amber color.

Then pour the mixture onto a parchment paper-covered jelly roll pan and sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. After a few minutes, spread the softened chocolate with a rubber spatula.

If you choose, you can add some chopped nuts or even some coarse sea salt on top of the chocolate.

Refrigerate for an hour or so, then break into pieces and place in an airtight gift container.

I don’t know if it is the pandemic, living in California’s earthquakes and fires, or something else, but I’ve noticed I’ve become an unintentional prepper.

At first, prior to the pandemic, it was earthquake prep. I got my emergency supplies ready and started buying some MREs (basically freeze-dried meals) and some water.

When the fires started getting bad, I packed some more. I took one of those plastic mini dressers and packed extra clothes that I could easily grab. I invested in a fireproof document container. And more MREs and water. My husband, Matt, thought I had lost it entirely when I announced I had purchased us some masks to help us if we faced some bad smoke.

The joke is now on him since we had masks at the beginning of the pandemic when there was a shortage. But the pandemic also had me prepping as well. I bought 50 lbs each of flour, rice, and beans. Tons of meats were frozen (thank you extra freezer) and canned goods and pasta were piled up.  Our garage is loaded!

It wasn’t just the hoarding; my mindset had changed in other ways. I began saving the scraps from veggies and froze them. I looked at a piece of meat and thought about how I could extend its leftover use.

When it comes to leftovers, my mother-in-law had a system where it often meant reheating the same meal for another meal. A reheated meal three times a week wasn’t my husband’s ideal dining, and certainly not mine. With a little creativity, I learned I could stretch my meat for at least one different meal, and at times, two or three meals.

So enter Thanksgiving, where, even though we’re a small family, the meal is large: a big turkey, more sides than can fit on a plate, appetizers, and many desserts too!

Since I am not one who enjoys eating turkey sandwiches for a week, I came up with some yummy options that make leftovers joyous.

Elizabeth’s stacked thingy. My old friend (and great artist) Elizabeth Phillips made this for me one year after Thanksgiving with leftovers and since then I was hooked. Essentially it’s a layered open-faced sandwich of leftovers. I know I told you I am not a sandwich person, but when this baby is topped with delicious hollandaise sauce, it’s something spectacular. And I make it every year. All you have to do is start with toasted bread and stack on all the items you want: turkey, dressing, veggies, cranberry sauce, warm the sandwich a bit, then top with the hollandaise.  DA BOMB.  Don’t be scared off by hollandaise. You can make in the microwave easily:

• • Take a 1/2 cup butter and melt slightly (not completely… about 15 seconds). Mix 3 egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice together then whisk into the butter.  Let sit for about a minute, then microwave, stopping every 15 seconds to whisk.  Keep cooking at 15-second intervals and whisking until smooth and thick.

Turkey Broth. You cannot have enough bone broth. It is the base of so many additional meals you can make and really inexpensive.  Remember those veggie bits I’ve been freezing? Things like carrot tops, celery bits, onion ends, garlic – all make great additions to this.  Essentially take the turkey carcass and add to water with salt and veggies. Bring to a boil and simmer all day.  (Or if you are like me and have an instant pot, pressure cook 60 minutes.) Strain the broth and let cool. Freeze it for use later. I typically make soups with it, including pho and matzo ball soup, which are family favorites.