Christmas in the Kitchen: some of my favorite holiday dishes! | Mennonite Cooking VLOG

[@luciaskitchen95]

I like your kitchen how it is now, it’s updated but also has old style. I’m sick of seeing everyone on KZbin with their huge modern white kitchens, it’s nice to see people just working with what they have .

[@QuiteQuietASMR]

Yesss! We are all just working with what we have!

[@Sammiejammie521]

Seriously I’m not really sure why people like the white kitchens so much.

[@jacquelinepetersen9061]

Megan, you're so sweet and caring with your children and family and friends. I love watching your videos. You really get so much done in a day with 4 young children and have such a good attitude. Thanks for sharing with us all !!!

[@Cheri94]

Having some anxiety today, your video came at the perfect time, and absolutely loved the dinner time pray, you’re blessed to have a praying husband!

[@JandKG]

Praying for you, Cheri. I know all too well what that feels like. Know you're not alone, and this too shall pass❤

[@Cheri94]

@@JandKGthank you so much for your kind message, means more than you know❤️

[@Catherine-ti5by]

Praying for you Cheri! Anxiety is rough. Give yourself some grace❤

[@carolyncampbell6149]

I’m praying for you Cheri, you’re among friends here. 🙏

[@parentalert9350]

I think if it’s your forever home- it’s worth having custom cabinetry made. We did ours fourteen years ago now and I still walk in every morning and smile. I designed and project managed it which really saved us so much. I’m sure with Josh’s experience he’ll be able to bring it in within budget😊

[@lorenemiller6725]

Your kitchen looks beautiful! It's ok if you decide to get a new one, but don't compare your house with the Jones's, but think of those with much much less! That's what has helped us be happier with a less than perfect farmhouse that's over 100 years old. We have remodeled one section at a time over the years, doing most of the work ourselves. Blessings!

[@momoflittleladies]

Your mom is amazing for doing such large sunday lunches/dinners. We just do snacks until 4:30 and then its frozen pizza 🙃 Its my sabbath day from cooking!! hehe

[@jackiemaccaskill2111]

Yay!!! Happy Thursday My mom passed away 3 years ago… some of her favourite most loved cookbooks were her Mennonite cookbooks. My parents are from Manitoba- here in Canada. ❤️ xo Thanks for sharing and inspiring me.

[@juliannajones6016]

Helpful tip for pomegranates ❤️: open them up while they are submerged in a bowl of water. It keeps the red juice from squirting or staining counters.

[@ssing2490]

Save the $$ and do stock cabinets. They have so many beautiful styles out now. We did stock when we remodeled 20 yrs ago and I still LOVE them. I pieced together each cabinet and even created a china cabinet (w/stock) into the design. It was worth the savings and we were able use the money we saved into nice flooring and a new table.

[@lorenemiller6725]

Agree!

[@idalitchfield2361]

Some of us would just be thankful for a beautiful kitchen like the one you already have.

[@barbettewelsh2358]

My mom did those jello molds and for some reason there was always lettuce on the plate- I think that was a quick garnish in the 70s!

[@paulinemetzger7584]

Love that idea ,I gonna do this salad for my Family on Christmas ,

[@kindnessmatters4068]

Yes 😅 the lettuce ❤

[@sarahhouk]

Those potatoes look so good! Please make more cooking videos. Love this one.

[@howletthome5910]

I love Christmas cooking and baking. It gets a bit hard with the summer heat, but I still try to enjoy it on the not so hot days. Australia

[@KarensTownsend9]

Definitely custom cabinets.. It would be dreamy to have such a large kitchen. It's where you spend most of your day with the family so why not.go for it! A kitchen is the heart of the home❤

[@rileyreed3632]

CONGRATULATIONS on 170,000 subscribers!!!😊

[@louannbegley4795]

I say go for the kitchen now. I’ve found since the kids are raised we don’t use the kitchen near as much. Why not make it easier for your self now. Only thing I would dread is the mess of remodeling. You are an inspiration.

[@alexadavidson6227]

Hi Megan! We recently moved and renovated our kitchen. We are going through a second renovation phase as we save up the cash to do so, but some things will definitely be adding are more storage and more countertop space. I would definitely advise that you add even more than you think that you’ll need. Also, definitely think about where you want your outlets placed and how many. Our electrician and my husband both tried to talk me out of the amount of outlets that I have now in the kitchen saying it was too many but I still feel like I don’t have enough! 🤣 When you think about having an instant pot, a crockpot, a rice cooker, and your daily things like a coffee pot and an Amazon Alexa plugged in all the same time during a party you actually need so many outlets! Definitely think about how you’re going to move throughout the space and try to avoid blocking walkways with things like ovens opening or fridges opening into the path. The thing I love most about our kitchen is actually our IKEA cabinets! We chose them because they were obviously a fraction of the cost versus handmade, but I ended up loving them because of all of the customized sizes and types of drawers that you can do; so I have some hidden drawers for things like a spice drawer thats more shallow.And I have really large deep drawers for things like my Dutch oven and blender. They’re all soft close, and have lights inside! When we were searching at Lowe’s and Home Depot they made it extremely complicated to choose these options for the type of cabinets that I wanted and they were so much more expensive! I have heard that IKEA can also do all wood cabinet bases and doors as an option if you would like to do that and those are still less expensive than another handmade or traditional company. Whew! Sorry so that was so long! 😂❤

[@sallyannc3176]

I recommend Ikea too - they're incredibly versatile and actually very good quality. Plus extremely good value for money!

[@janicebone6191]

Megan, you can also bake Camembert cheese...either in its Box,removing the lid before cooking,( about 45 mins) Or make a dish shape from kitchen foil, removing the plastic wrap,then bake as before..its yummy....dipped with bread sticks,or French bread,or pitta chips.....enjoy. God bless from Cornwall uk xxxxx

[@sallyannc3176]

@@janicebone6191 yes - in Europe we often bake a camembert. For a small one like that I'd say @30 minutes is enough. We score the top of it and insert garlic cloves and/or some fresh rosemary/thyme sprigs - even a drizzle of honey too. Yum!

[@Jane_575]

The secret to the BEST chicken salad is adding a heaping spoonful of sweet pickle relish. So so good

[@eidemiller1]

Thank you for sharing all these yummy recipes. I cannot wait to try them out.

[@evelynamos]

Also I would highly recommend going with some kind of stained cabinet rather than painted. Holds up way better

[@hilltophomestead1328]

Wonderful video Megan 🎄 Just watching as I make Christmas cards. Thank you so much!

[@TheMennomilist]

Wow. I never would have thought to put deli meat into roses. Nicely done. Enjoyed the whole video this Sunday afternoon. Thanks for taking the time to make it.

[@momoflittleladies]

We took down a wall when updating our kitchen and I am so glad we did!!! I think yours would look really nice with that wall down. I think you could add a lot of space by removing those tall wall pantry style cabinets and creating a smaller walk in pantry somewhere, or maybe just a large island for storage.

[@merlenemartin2368]

When bought our house 3 years ago, it has the high end box kitchen, we added more cupboards and counter space, we did custom for them, I would do custom anytime. I can definitely see the box cupboards aren't holding up as good. I don't even have little ones. My dream kitchen is an island with the sink in and the dishwasher, facing the dining area.

[@MeganFoxUnlocked]

Ok this is good to hear! I've been going back and forth.

[@agathaklassen1853]

We did a box kitchen cuz we live in a single wide house but our dream is to build a house one day and I would do a custom kitchen next time we did save a lot of money but I think a custom one would hold up a lot better

[@gretchenmctavish7823]

Love your videos. Mennonite grandmom here. Add some finely diced red onion to the chicken salad. Carry on, dear one!

[@NannyJ]

chicken salad with kettle chips ... YES. ALWAYS. also: did anyone else have a moment when the egg almost rolled off the counter? heh

[@MeganFoxUnlocked]

Haha! A little easter egg for you there. I gasp as I was editing!

[@Grace-km9bi]

We just added a new kitchen addition to our 1890's home. Planning on being here from here on out and we also considered that we wanted this kitchen to last and not have to redo in the future. We ended up getting custom cabinets and have no regrets. They did cost more, but box cabinets are so expensive for what they are. It just made more sense to get custom. Went with what we liked and a more simple look. We did the work ourselves, besides having a cabinet maker build the cabinets. The new kitchen is actually an add on to an outer wall. It is not that big (9x15 ft) and we were able to have an island and make the existing adjoining room into a dining room. The new kitchen is small but SO functional and I spend a large part of my day in there. Our old kitchen was large, but was not functional at all. If you do the work yourselves, would recommend doing it now, if possible, while you are young, physically able to do it and feel like doing it. Best of luck! I get so many great ideas from you and love your channel!

[@Gma2dando]

I live listening to Miller having a conversation. He is precious, so are the others. He’s at the really fun stage. You are very blessed and it appears you deserve it. Great mom.

[@jordanmagana81]

we bought my in-laws house and redid the kitchen when we moved including knocking down the wall between the kitchen and living room. I have almost zero regrets. we did cabinets and countertops at Lowes are had a great experience. I love the huge island and just being able to think through every cabinet to my needs vs just making a kitchen work. of course, its such a luxury to redo a "working" kitchen but us mamas are in there so much, it bring such joy to see my vision come to life. I also did all open shelving above, which is a bit trendy, but its so much more functional as a cook to see everything immediately when you cook and not digging through cabinets.

[@amandalee2283]

Megan!!…it’s always so peaceful watching ur videos! U bring peace, beauty, and inspiration to my world! Thank u and Merry Christmas!!

[@jeannet9592]

You have so much energy, and your kids are adorable.

[@ms_texas]

I enjoyed watching you make the jello. I have the same vintage jello mold. Mom made several kinds of jello salads. We loved them. They are really nice with a cup of coffee.

[@marcjodibeer2619]

If you haven’t, you must try tollhouse pie with icecream. Especially when it’s still warm.

[@amberleyvervalin]

your videos are my fav! ❤

[@MeganFoxUnlocked]

So glad you're here!

[@DMoot-p6b]

My daughters and I enjoy watching you cook, especially with the children helping. Your enthusiasm and joy as a Christian wife and momma truly shine through and a blessing to see in our world today!

[@TheMisselliej]

We did our kitchen a few years ago. We took out our family room/with fireplace and made one giant kitchen. It has an eat in area as well. Lots of storage room for our things. {ok, really my "toys"} lol Oh and when I say "we" I literally mean my husband and I did all the renovations. Our kitchen were stock items but when we installed the counter with drawers, we lifted them up higher than usual. Easier on the back!

[@mountpleasantacademy1293]

Make sure you install lots of drawers. You dont need as many shelved cabinets. Go with lots of drawers 😊

[@robinfisher8024]

Great video! The best advertisement for those kid safe knives was Miller grabbing it out of your hand by the blade and karate chopping the counter top. That gave me a chuckle!!

[@ChrisMcCormick-u3m]

Loved this 🎄☕️

[@kaymarie346]

I am excited to see your decision on the kitchen! I do think losing the dining room/play room would be a bummer

[@bethanyhutchinson6714]

My husband and in laws got me a new kitchenaid stand mixer for my birthday last year. They got me the commercial 7qt one with upgraded motor since we burnt through 2 sets of gears in our old Kitchenaid! (Lots of bread making was too much for it!) This one is a dream to use, it is so quiet, and I can make a triple batch of pizza dough in it for pizza nights!

[@vickisturgill4792]

I notice that Miller-is your little sidekick. He is I almost every video. He is so sweet

[@rebeccaorin328]

Wow ❤ that last one was just perfection!

[@shaundabrook94]

These are my favourite style of videos 😊 Megan you were made to be a KZbinr. It’s so refreshing watching your videos!!❤

[@aprilmapp3140]

Love the way you done the meat roses the look lovely. The board look amazing. Blessing to you and your family. You make my day good x

[@nancydineen6797]

Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Pie is so great. It is a very fast dessert to make (I use premade crust).

[@neliajohnson9023]

We built a custom home & moved in two years ago. I did a coffee bar in our dining area (we have an open floor plan). We enjoy it so much!! I made it look like floor to ceiling cabinets. The large doors, open & slide into the sides of the cabinet, not sure what the technical term is called. We have a small sink & the coffee maker in there. There are some great ideas on Pinterest.

[@ClaudiaGilmanMais]

Hi Megan~ Remodel prices are only going to increase, so do it now. We remodeled in 2014 through Lowe's and have Shenandoah custom cabinets that we love. We have a small galley kitchen but were able to fit an extra floor to ceiling cabinet in there. Then we had an accordion door with ventilated shelves that I couldn't stand. We told them we wanted that space turned into a floor to ceiling cabinet with pull out drawers on the lower half that soft closed. We have so much extra cabinet space now!! It was well worth the money. Fast forward to this summer when we had the 30 year old jacuzzi tub, tiny stall shower and double sink vanity that was for very short people (which we're not) ripped out. The contractor had everything taken down to the studs 😱, but in the end we have our dream bathroom complete with an 11 foot long his and hers shower. They built a bench for me that's tiled just like the rest of the shower tile. The cost was a shock because we didn't cut corners, but we knew if we waited the price would be much more next year. All the best with it!! Merry Christmas.

[@johnandkitty]

Keep an eye out for that jello mold at garage sales and thrift stores. I used to have it, and it has different tops, including a Christmas tree.

[@patkinser2430]

This southern grandma is trying to catch the fast talking Megan. Miss the closed captions. :) Love your videos. Merry Christmas

[@mrsj5890]

The gold coins made me smile. When we were kids we thought they were so cool, too! That charcuterie board was a gorgeous one! So festive! I think potatoes have been demonized in recent years. Yes, they are a starch, but a whole food with lots of vitamins, and they fill you up. Your tradition of feasts is so awesome!

[@MeganFoxUnlocked]

Yes, I my self often classified them as pointless or empty carbs. Maybe french fries . . .but.

[@janicecoulson5388]

Wow your kitchen is nearly bigger than my whole house. It suits me to have a small kitchen, I can't walk to well now and my family have grown up

[@laurale8299]

Im saving your jello salad for Christmas. My mother had a jello mold. She made a pistachio jello for Christmas.

[@juliejackman2649]

Wow that's so cool to have a Bible verse written on the hot honey label💕

[@LindaDerksen]

You are delightful, Megan! I really enjoy your videos. May the Lord bless you,Josh and your darling family.

[@ChasityVonderheide]

A new kitchen would be SO exciting!! And think about it, you spend SO much time there…and another reason, when your kids are grown and coming over with their families, you will so much appreciate a large more functional kitchen! I’d say go for it, especially while Josh is in a position to do a lot of the work. I would be so excited to watch the process. Think of it as a business up grade since you film so much in your kitchen….it’s a write off😄

[@irasemabiggs6434]

Hi Megan, I always love watching you cook. Your recipes are good. A while ago you made homeade rolls and you shape then like twisted ropes. They were amazing. I lost the recipe. Can you please help me and give me the recipe? Thank you so much. Blessings.❤

[@TanyaJP123]

I look forward to your videos! Thank you for being a bright spot in my day! 💓

[@carolyncampbell6149]

I always enjoy your videos Megan plus I’ve learned a whole new vocabulary! I’m Irish living in Scotland and it’s so interesting to hear what you call different things but really really interesting that some of “your” words are the same as the Irish! Love it!

[@sallyannc3176]

Really - what ones? I'm in Scotland and have spent a lot of Irish connections but I can't thik of anything she says that stands out to me like that. In fact the way she pronounces'scones' drives me a bit crazy, ha ha!

[@ruthlloyd1163]

We did stock -but good quality ones all wood -and they were awesome 😎

[@johnnymayo8534]

Random older viewer here that stumbled upon your channel. About your kitchen remodel....if you have the financial resources absolutely do it. Don't wait. You don't know what the future will hold, prices for all goods/services will only increase over time and the remodel will increase your home value. And as an added bonus, you get to enjoy it!

[@rebeccaholsapple2650]

Always enjoy your videos! Thanks for the cooking inspiration!

[@oubmrsooner1]

We remodeled our kitchen and knocked out a wall in the process. It’s worth every penny.

[@sallyannc3176]

To make your pink jelly easier, in the UK we just add a tin of evaporated milk rather than sour cream. I'd also hold off on adding more sugar - plenty already in there from the jelly and fruit!

[@jamesnbrenda8960]

Thank you for sharing!!♥️

[@peytonlbeyer]

Your adorable paint chip houses inspired me!! I ran and got some when I ran errands today. They are so fun and so cute!!

[@wendyzimmerman6002]

What a fun video Megan

[@paulinemetzger7584]

Great Video Megan ,will be trying the salad and the buffalo dip for Christmas !

[@kathylezcano8793]

I enjoy watching your videos always great content. I was sharing your recipes with us. Do you have a beautiful family God bless see you next week. Can’t wait.❤❤❤❤

[@tavia788]

Oh I love your kitchen tho so pretty😍thanks for sharing again🥰

[@SomewhereInTheMaidenverse]

You make cooking, baking, and preparing food look so easy. I struggle so much in this area. I have ADHD and get so overwhelmed!

[@thenoblesnido]

Loved this video! Also loved the way you subtly did a slid across the floor with your socks when you were walking to put your pie in the oven! I do that all the time! It’s one of those little, playful things that makes life more fun when you’re going through the day’s tasks!

[@suzanneyorkville]

I say get the kitchen renovated sooner than later. Also if you do get another kitchen aid, and it sounds like you want a decorative one, make sure it matches your new kitchen. I'm going to try that chicken salad.

[@MeganFoxUnlocked]

Yes! That's the idea!!

[@enkcal7843]

Years ago, a kitchen designer advised me to include pull out shelving in all under counter cabinetry. At that time, I thought it was a waste of money and didn't do it. Now in my mid 60's, I'm using my dishwasher as a "pantry."

[@elisabeth_manint]

Such a fun variety in this video! Those smoked chicken recipes sound delicious! I need to try them!

[@Dana-mb1hd]

YES MEGAN! I love your recipes! And I love your channel Happy Holidays girl!💖💖💖💖💖💖

[@MeganFoxUnlocked]

Yay! and Merry Christmas to you too!

[@Westdtx]

Hey Megan, if you decide not to do a complete remodel of the kitchen, just change out the countertops and backsplash. It will update the look of the kitchen.

[@Emmy9932]

I can't wait to try this chicken salad! Thanks for sharing it 😊 your recipes really helped get me more into cooking.

[@janicecoulson5388]

In the UK we used to mix jelly with condensed milk, or had it with blancmange, a milky set jelly

[@juliamiller6947]

That is a lot to go in a chicken salad but it looks pretty good… although it’s missing onion, hah. I don’t know if it’s a southern thing but it’s basically just mayo for the dressing down here and salt and pepper. My favorite is mayo, pepper, a little salt, sweet onion like vidalia minced really fine and cut up red grapes. That’s perfect chicken salad to me

[@mt1885]

hey girl- such yummy food!😁😉 great job Megan🤗👍 y'all have a blessed weekend❤

[@LindsayS_TX]

We re-did our kitchen at our first house and I’m SO thankful we did! We had the mentality that if we were going to spend the money, we wanted to enjoy it. Especially as a mom of 4 (same here!), what better place (besides the laundry room 🤪) to spend money?!

[@joyanne440]

Best coffee syrup evah....Autocrat! Made in Lincoln Rhode Island.

[@davidsandraramey742]

Loved your board and all your ideas

[@evelynamos]

Recommendation: do renovation in the spring/summer, when it is good temperatures to be outside a lot. It’s really hard to keep kids out of the construction space.

[@sallyannc3176]

I can certainly understand you wanting to redo the kitchen - you've done really well with what you've got - but while your kids are young I wouldn't do away with the playroom. I'd say more 'living' space is good at this stage in life, as oppose to more eating space

[@AbsoluteMdot]

Everything looked delicious! I love that you make mocktails

[@donnastratton8397]

We remodeled our (1979) kitchen in late 2020 with equity from our home. We did knock down the wall between kitchen and dining room. Took the kitchen down to the studs. But stayed with the same footprint for sink and appliances. We opted for the cabinets up to the ceiling. I didn't want the trouble of trying to keep the tops of cabinets clean. I use the upper shelves for storage. My tips would be, get under cabinet lighting. We did under every cabinet and I love it. Also we went with deep drawers instead of lower cabinets. I could never get way in the back of our old cabinets. Your older self will thank you. We are in our 60's and I have absolutely no regrets. I also went with the one basin sink, stainless steel, and I love it so much. Also I chose just the rounded sink, not the one with corners. Easier to keep clean. We refinanced our home and took out $25,000 for the remodel. Ending up spending about $2,000 over budget. So there's that.

[@MeganFoxUnlocked]

Thanks for this specific advice. I am definitel doing a lot of those things. What I can't get behind is the one bowl sinks. How do you guys do that? I mean it definitely looks better, but HOW!!!?

[@gailheyer9810]

I have a friend that makes chicken salad with white grapes pecans celery mayonnaise and chicken. So good! The grapes make it refreshing

[@MeganFoxUnlocked]

Yes I've had that already!

[@hnclym98]

We just got an Aldi in my town and I’m so excited to never have to shop at Walmart again 😂

[@bettyloar2238]

I would love your kitchen, mine is so small, made for one person ❤tfs

[@rebeccareimer9915]

I like to add grapes or apples to my chicken salad for thay crunch instead of the celery!

[@joannafoster3423]

Your button down sweater dress is so cute!

[@pohm677]

Hi Megan. Love your videos. I was thinking what to do w my dill I always thought to use dill when cooking fish. You add it to your chicken salad, brilliant! I made macaroni salad the other day should've add some dill!

[@bigrbig]

If you are going to remodel and this is going to be your forever home (20 + years)do what you really want! if you really really want something do it because if you don’t you’re going to live with regrets 😩 We women spend a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking cleaning, baking prepping, and when people come over, guess where everyone goes? To the kitchen! We always have so many people in the kitchen, either lending a hand,helping with food or just keeping me company while I’m finishing up before we sit down to eat. Kitchen is the most used room in the house. If you’re not planning on moving out of this house anytime soon, I say do as though you are going to be living here for the next 80 years. 🎉

[@veronicabush9844]

Another lovely video ❤❤

[@brianpace7866]

"On Sundays we go to church, eat hamburgers, and watch football." - Southerners 🍔🏈 Btw enjoy your Pennsylvania snow! ❄️

[@MeganFoxUnlocked]

Mostly wind. Not much snow here.

[@carrieann5714]

Potatoes are good for adults too!

[@iluv2sew278]

Now I’m going to have to try some of your recipes…they all look so yummy. I love a good chicken salad. Question…where did you get your glass measuring cups? Mine are the ones that have the measurements painted in red and it comes off in the dishwasher! Thanks!

[@kimberelyhigginbotham9577]

I wanted to ask. Do you use crocheted dishcloths? I crochet them for so many people who love them. I love making things you make that are used a lot in the house.

[@carreyn9808]

Try replacing the dill pickles and juice with sweet gherkins pickles that is what I use in my chicken salad and so good