Merry Christmas & A Mom Minute

Hey Mama—you did it. This Christmas episode is a gentle reminder that every part of the season you carried mattered, even the unseen moments and the things that didn’t get done. Dina encourages listeners to release the pressure of a “perfect” holiday and reflect on the memories God is quietly forming in their hearts.

The featured recipe—a cozy Christmas coffee with candied bacon—is an invitation to pause, rest, and take five minutes for yourself before rushing into what’s next.

As the new year approaches, this episode shifts the focus away from resolutions and toward renewal. God doesn’t need a calendar change to do something new, and His grace extends far beyond January 1st. Instead of striving to become someone new, Dina invites you to walk into the new year continuing what God is already doing—trusting Him for renewed strength, faith, and hope.

Let’s walk into the new year thinking about rest, perseverance, and choosing renewal over resolutions.

This week in the kitchen:

Featured Recipe: https://www.dishitgirl.com/food

• Christmas Coffee
• Candied Bacon

Christmas Coffee

Ingredients

• 1 cup of your favorite brewed coffee
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• ¼ tsp cloves

Instructions

1. In a glass liquid measuring cup add the whipping cream, maple syrup, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Whisk together until uniform. If you have a milk steamer you could use that as well.
2. Add the mixture to hot coffee, serve with cinnamon sprinkled on top if desired.

Candied Bacon

Ingredients:

• 12 slices of bacon, ¼ inch thick
• 1 Tbsp. Finely ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup of light brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you have a cookie cooling rack place that on top of the parchment paper and baking sheet as well.
3. In a bowl toss together the black pepper and brown sugar.
4. Put slices of bacon in the bowl and coat each piece with the brown sugar mixture. Then lay it flat on top of the parchment or cookie rack.
5. Place the tray in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. If it is not golden brown and fairly crispy, resist the temptation to turn up the oven temperature, and cook it for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Check it again. Keep in mind that when you remove the tray and transfer the bacon to a serving platter or individual plates, the bacon will "crisp" up a little more.

Dina’s Cookbook- https://www.amazon.com/At-Kitchen-Sink-Recipes-Cookbook/dp/0593728939

Prefer video? This episode is on YouTube!

DishItGirl is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org