There are plenty of blogs out there for serious cooks and equally serious eaters, but what about the enthusiasts that find themselves somewhere between fois gras and food truck falafel?

That’s exactly where Spatulala comes in, serving up healthy, family-friendly recipes for the kitchen counter chef – my term for “regular,” non-professional cooks with an appreciation for good food their kids will actually eat – that don’t take a lot of time to make, regardless of how many kids are hanging on to your leg sloth style.

No one likes having to cook two separate meals because the kids won’t eat what the adults are eating and the adults are tired of eating macaroni and cheese with chicken tenders.

Seriously. There isn’t enough wine in the world to make that stuff look good after a while.

Wait…

Everything cooked, baked and otherwise eaten at our house is based on the Chilean, Northern Italian, Irish and European fusion meals my mother and two grandmothers made me as a child, along with the British foods my husband craves, and the American favorites my kids love.

As my son likes to say, “tuck in!”

There are so many ways we add Disney magic to our daily lives, that I didn’t even realize how many of our holiday traditions include a sprinkling of pixie dust. Sparkly handfuls.

It all starts with our Christmas tree. Disney-themed ornaments dot almost every branch – with new ones taking front and center alongside the kids’ school-made creations – making up a collection that Jeff has been curating for 18 years. We add a new ornament every year… though I may or may not have excitedly picked up six new ones while in Liberty Square a few months ago. Shhh.

A Mickey and Minnie wreath greets guests who come to our front door, and festive snowglobes join our usual mix of mouse-eared tsotchkes. Holiday cookie baking starts at the beginning of the month, with everything from Qui Gon Ginger Snaps to Wookiee Cookies and the more traditional sugar cookies – shaped like Yoda and R2D2 – making their way to our neighbors houses on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas morning, we pile onto the couch as a family to watch the Disney Parks Christmas Parade. The kids spend most of the two-hour special shouting out their favorite characters, while we get out the makings for some sweet Graham Cracker “Gingerbread” Houses. Made Disney style of course.

What you’ll need:

- individual milk cartons (half and half cartons works just as well) for each child

- paper plates

- graham crackers (chocolate, cinnamon or plain are all equally yummy choices)

- frosting in white, red or green

- sprinkles

- holiday candies (gumdrops, peppermints and boxed gingerbread cookies are way festive)

What to do:

1. Thoroughly rinse and dry your milk cartons.

2. Spread a thin layer of frosting along the bottom of the milk carton and press it onto your paper plate. Older kiddos shouldn’t have a problem with it sliding, but parents with littler crafters might consider gluing the milk carton to the plate.

3. Break several sheets of graham crackers along the perforated lines to make squares. Spread with frosting on one side, and press onto all sides of the milk carton. Repeat until covered, breaking up any additional graham crackers into pieces to patch remaining areas. Making a door? Reserve one graham square – halved – and add to the front of the house with a thin layer of frosting on the bottom and back edge.

Psst.. Don’t worry about jagged shapes and uneven surfaces – those make for a super unique gingerbread house!

4. Frost the roof of the house along with any other areas you want to add sprinkles. Working with a spoon – or a shaker top – add sprinkles.

Now, decorate!

5. Starlight mints make great windows, doors and rooftop accents. Gumdrops can make for a colorful fence and stack easily with toothpicks for chimneys. Just add a dollop of frosting to the bottom of each piece of candy and press gently into place. Licorice rope, chocolate kisses, cinnamon drops, crushed peppermints – basically any candy you can think of can add all kinds of interesting details to your house.

Watch a quick how-to:

I thank Disney Parks and Mom TV for sponsoring this post, and for reminding me how much joy all things mouse-eared add to our holiday magic. There are so many ways that families incorporate Disney into their holiday traditions, whether it’s spending time at the parks or flinging pixie dust at home. In the end, it’s about making memories as a family. There’s no better present than that.

The spookiest night of the year is almost here!

And, while there’s nothing quite like ransacking the neighborhood for treats, sitting down as a family to put together some seriously wicked Haunted Graham Cracker Houses is pretty sweet, too.

What you’ll need:

- individual milk cartons (half and half cartons works just as well) for each child

- paper plates

- graham crackers (chocolate, cinnamon or plain are all equally yummy choices)

- frosting in orange or chocolate

- sprinkles

- marshmallows

- pre-made fondant decorations

- food-safe gel pens

What to do:

1. Thoroughly rinse and dry your milk cartons.

2. Spread a thin layer of frosting along the bottom of the milk carton and press it onto your paper plate. Older kiddos shouldn’t have a problem with it sliding, but parents with littler crafters might consider gluing the milk carton to the plate.

3. Break several sheets of graham crackers along the perforated lines to make squares. Spread with frosting on one side, and press onto all sides of the milk carton. Repeat until covered, breaking up any additional graham crackers into pieces to patch remaining areas. Making a door? Reserve one graham square – halved – and add to the front of the house with a thin layer of frosting on the bottom and back edge.

Psst.. Don’t worry about jagged shapes and uneven surfaces – those make for an even more spooky haunted house!

4. Frost the roof of the house along with any other areas you want to add sprinkles. Working with a spoon – it’s easier than the shaker top – add sprinkles.

Now, decorate!

5. Using a food-safe gel pen, add eyes and mouths to your marshmallows to create ghosts. Once they’re dry, add a dollop of frosting to the bottom or back (depending on placement) and stick to your house.

6. Add a dollop of frosting to pre-made fondant details – we used Frankensteins found at our local Target store – and place around the outside of the house. Licorice rope, gumdrops, candy corn, chocolate kisses, sugar pumpkins – basically any candy you can think of can add all kinds of interesting details – gravestones, monsters, aliens, webs – to your house.