What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you know that your children and grandchildren will be coming for a holiday visit?  Food!  At least that’s what I think of right off the bat.  (Playing the Beatle’s Rock Band comes in a close second.)

If you’re a working grandma like me, you may be pinched for time to get all of the grocery shopping and cooking done before they arrive.  But, here’s a novel idea.  When doing your menu planning, be sure to include things that are very easy to make — and then have your grandchildren help you make them.  (Got that Spence, Natalie, and Simon?)  You’ll have bonding moments together and end up with something delightful to eat.

A Cream Cheese Pie is one of those simple to make and decadently rich to eat items but is fun to make with your grandchildren.  Here’s the recipe.

Cream Cheese Pie

1 eight ounce package of cream cheese
1 (fifteen ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Real Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 nine-inch graham cracker crust pastry shell

toppings such as cherry, raspberry, blueberry, apple pie filling, or chocolate and caramel ice cream topping

In a glass bowl, soften cream cheese in a microwave for 30 seconds. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk.  Slowly add lemon juice.  Add vanilla.  Pour in pie shell and chill.

When ready to serve, drizzle the chocolate and caramel ice cream topping over top.  Or, add a dollop of pie filling on individual servings.

Bon appétit!

Christmas is all about food, right?  Good stuff you make to eat when your family comes to visit.  Treats to take to neighbors on a paper plate covered with Seran Wrap and topped with a holiday bow.  Rich, thigh-thickening, ooey-gooey goodies at the office party.

I’ve got a yummy recipe for you to try.  It’s easy peasy to make so it won’t stress you out.  (Well, maybe if you eat all of it all by yourself, you might get a wee bit stressed out when you think of the possible weight gain.)  And, your family will adore them (if you leave them some and if they like chocolate and peanut butter).

This would also be a great recipe to make with your grandchildren.  They will feel like a successful chef when they make this treat.  Making this could become a great Christmas tradition for grandma and grandchildren.

Peanut Butter Cup Bars

1/2 cup butter (can use margarine)
1 3/4 cup powdered confectioner’s sugar
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter (can use margarine)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line an 8×8 inch pan with foil for easy removal.

Melt 1/2 cup butter of low heat.  Remove from heat and stir in powdered confectioner’s sugar.  Add peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs, stirring until creamy.  Spread mixture into pan, patting down evenly.

Using the same pot (makes for easy cleanup!), melt butter using low heat.  Add chocolate chips and stir until they are soft (almost melted).  Be careful because you can cook them too much and the chocolate will go hard and you won’t be able to spread it on top.  (In that case, you’d just have to eat the chocolate yourself to hide the evidence that you screwed up.)

Remove from heat and stir until chocolate is smooth and shiny.  Spread over peanut butter layer.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Cut into bars.

Store peanut butter cup bars in refrigerator.

Happy baking — and eating!

Are you one of those oh-so-organized people who have already sent out their Christmas cards?  Don’t look now, but I don’t have my hand raised.

That’s because I try to write a clever, witty letter to slip into the card.  This year, my creative muse isn’t being very witty or very clever.  My muse is an ol’ desiccated heap.  I think it’s gone south for the winter.

Do you send Christmas cards to individual grandchildren?  (Mine are such small whippersnappers that I don’t.  Yet.)

Grandchildren will enjoy a personal Christmas card from their grandma.  To just them.  Not them and their brothers, and sisters, and parents.  Just them.  However, if you have very many grandchildren, the cost for buying and sending individual Christmas cards can really add up fast.

Here’s a different twist to the idea of sending those through-the-mail cards.  You might want to send electronic Christmas cards.  It’s fun to send and receive them.  And, sending an e-Christmas card is a great way to connect to those grandchildren who live far away.  So cheap, so easy.

Here are several sites of free cards to get you started.

• Care2 Make a Difference (The Christmas Blues card is a hoot!)
• ICQ Greetings (I like the Santa’s Deer II.)
• Jacquie Lawson (Absolutely gorgeous e-cards!)
• 123 Greetings (There aren’t a whole lot here and be prepared to have lots of pop up ads.)

So browse these e-cards and send some out to your grandchildren with a message of love and hugs and kisses from you!

My ideas for today and tomorrow are a bit different from the ones that I usually post.  They are a little technical — after all, if I’m the DigiGram I’ve got to do SOMEthing technical!  Right?

But not to worry.  These ideas don’t require great skill.  A little click of your mouse here a little copy and paste there is basically all that is needed.  You can do that.  Right?

When I saw this YouTube video I was delighted.  I guess I still have childlike awe for Christmas lights.  (Or maybe it’s more an awe at the skill it takes to synchronize lights to music.)  I know that Disneyland or Las Vegas have spectacular light shows.  But those are ‘professional.’   This is a private home.  (Maybe they hired some fabulous sound engineer to do the work for them . . . )

So here’s my idea:  Wouldn’t it be fun to do a 12 Days of Christmas or a count down to Christmas by sending your grandchildren a link a day to YouTube videos of Christmas music synchronized to the lights around a home?  I think this this would be another great way for grandma to connect to those grandchildren who live far away.

I know that this idea comes rather late in the scheme of count downs.  (That’s me: a day late and a dollar short.)  You could still send them links anyway.  Or, maybe you could collect links that you like and then be all ready for next year.  (Just don’t forget about them when the time rolls around.)

This is of a home that is not too far away from where I live.  It’s in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

(This is the season of awe and wonderment.  I wonder how long it took to get this all set up . . . and I wonder how the neighbors feel about all that loud music and flashing lights . .  and I wonder how big the light bill is . . .)

You might also want to share:

• Christmas Lights Gone Wild (I LOVE the music to this! It is Wizards in Winter by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.)
• Believe (This is long — nine minutes — but nice.)
• Carol of the Bells
• Coca Cola Holidays Are Coming (Fun!)

So, add a little ‘techno’ to your holidays.  Enjoy!