A friend of mine shared that her family keeps Christmas cards out all year round. Each day they pick one family's greetings out of the basket to remind them to pray. This is a tradition we have followed suit in. If we get a Christmas card from you this season, we will be praying for you during 2013.
I keep two baskets on a shelf. One with cards to pray for. The other with cards that have already been covered in prayer. Each night, after story time, one of our girls picks a card. Each person in our family lifts that family to God in prayer. It has become a rich ritual of embracing relationships and prayer.
Do you have a specific tradition for bedtime prayers?
Day 5 Advent Cookie:
Oreo Bon Bons
1 (1 lb) package oreo cookies
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16 oz) package melting chocolate (I used almond bark)
Place oreos in the food processor and pulse until it's a fine, crumbly powder. A food processor works best, but can also be done in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin.
Add cream cheese and process until completely combined. Dough will be thick and sticky.
Put dough mixture in the refrigerator until well chilled.
Line a baking pan with aluminum foil or wax paper. Roll the dough into small balls and place on the lined baking pan. Place the balls in the freezer until firm.
Melt the chocolate according to directions on package. (I use a double boiler.) Dip the balls into the chocolate to cover. Sprinkle the chocolate covered balls with sprinkles and place them back on the lined pan.
Put the balls back in the refrigerator until chocolate is set. Serve and enjoy!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Letting go of the Cookie Exchange
One of the traditions I had established over the past few
years was the cookie exchange. I'd open my home for friends to gather together
and swap recipes. The bonus was that each of us walked away with a variety of treats for the season. I enjoy
finding a reason to host a party... especially when there is an opportunity to
use the platform for God.
With the exchange of cookies and quality time together, we
focused in on the real meaning for the season. It is always fun to send the
women off with a thought to take with them throughout the holiday as well as an
ornament. My hope is that when my friends decorate their home for Christmas each year,
they are reminded of Jesus, their importance to Him, and His purpose for coming
to earth.
While I LOVE hosting this event, it's NOT happening this
year. Something has to give so Christmas doesn't feel quite as hectic. This was
what I intentionally let go of this year. I miss it but know it was the right
decision.
What can you let go of to reduce the crazy busy of the
season?
Advent Cookie, Day 4 - Check out the recipe for Nutter Butter Santa Cookies at
Taste of Home.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Red Raspberry Twirls
While Spring-like weather in December has confused my responsibilities, I did manage to get a cookie baked for the third day of our Advent reading.
Red Raspberry Twirls
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless red raspberry jam
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup toasted almonds, ground*
In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scarping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour by hand. Cover; chill 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
Meanwhile, for filling, in a saucepan combine jam and cornstarch. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir in almonds. Cover and set aside to cool.
Divide dough in half. On waxed paper, use a floured rolling pin to roll each portion into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Spread with filling. From short side, roll up each, jelly-roll style, removing waxed paper as you roll. Moisten edges and pinch to seal. Wrap in waxed paper or clear plastic wrap. Chill for 4 to 24 hours.
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Grease foil; set aside. Using a thin-bladed knife, cut dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake in a 375* oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.
*To toast almonds, spread the nuts in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a 350* oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown, watching carefully and stirring once or twice to brown evenly.
(Makes 60 cookies)
Red Raspberry Twirls
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless red raspberry jam
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup toasted almonds, ground*
In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scarping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour by hand. Cover; chill 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
Meanwhile, for filling, in a saucepan combine jam and cornstarch. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir in almonds. Cover and set aside to cool.
Divide dough in half. On waxed paper, use a floured rolling pin to roll each portion into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Spread with filling. From short side, roll up each, jelly-roll style, removing waxed paper as you roll. Moisten edges and pinch to seal. Wrap in waxed paper or clear plastic wrap. Chill for 4 to 24 hours.
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Grease foil; set aside. Using a thin-bladed knife, cut dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake in a 375* oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.
*To toast almonds, spread the nuts in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a 350* oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown, watching carefully and stirring once or twice to brown evenly.
(Makes 60 cookies)
Sunday, December 2, 2012
The Object of my Baking
It's day two of the official Christmas countdown in our home. A high of 64 today confuses my emotions a bit as I fight back tears at every mentioned tradition of old. The day is busy and I long to sit and rest but the excitement of my girls wins out and I settle into my kitchen for much of my day.
Today we made what I call Aunt Becky's Christmas Cookies. Growing up, I looked forward to the celebration with my maternal side of the family. Every year, my Aunt Becky would bring her sour cream cut-out cookies; brightly frosted and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It was a highlight of the season for me. I could dream about the colorful frosted treats even today.
For a good handful of years or more now, I have been baking a spread of Christmas cookies. Needing some color for the tray, it seemed logical to ask my aunt for her coveted recipe. Only one batch of cookies needs to be baked due to the fact that it makes around 60 cookies. I think the girls enjoy helping make these the most due to the fact that they can help cut-out the shapes to frost and decorate prior to enjoying the treat on their tongues.
The dough is a little delicate and sticky so they don't get to help roll it out. With the girls lined up at the counter, chosen cookie cutter in hand, my aggravation with the rolling pin in hand grew. I expressed my frustration agreeing with my daughter's clarification that the dough (and not my children) was the object of annoyance.
Eventually, the dough was rolled out and trees, stars, stockings and candy canes took shape. While I had forgotten to preheat the oven, it appeared things were going smoothly. I put the first pans of cookies in the oven setting the timer for the lesser 10 minute timeframe than the 12 potentially needed. With 2 minutes remaining on the timer, my nose alerted my senses. Opening the oven, I was immediately irritated to find burnt cookies.
Apparently, ovens don't work exactly as they should when they approach 17 years of operation. The next batches all cooked in less than 7 minutes each and I managed to salvage this Advent experience.
This seems more and more to be a year of learning to let go. While today did not play out quite to my satisfaction, it was a good Christmas memory for my girls. They each enjoyed decorating cookies, licking frosting and eating sprinkles. My Christmas tray may not be to perfection but my love for my girls was the object of my baking; not the approval of others. It's about time I learn that.
Aunt Becky's Christmas Cookies
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening (butter preferred)
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour
Frosting
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 Tb milk (add up to 5 Tbs to desired consistency)
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. butter (preferred)
Mix ingredients together. Spray and flour pan well. Roll out dough in pan with plenty of flour to prevent breaking cut-outs. Cut out cookies. Roll out to 1/4" or less. Preheat oven to 400*. Cook 10-12 minutes. Cool completely. Frost and decorate. Freeze cookies after cooling for best results.
Today we made what I call Aunt Becky's Christmas Cookies. Growing up, I looked forward to the celebration with my maternal side of the family. Every year, my Aunt Becky would bring her sour cream cut-out cookies; brightly frosted and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It was a highlight of the season for me. I could dream about the colorful frosted treats even today.
For a good handful of years or more now, I have been baking a spread of Christmas cookies. Needing some color for the tray, it seemed logical to ask my aunt for her coveted recipe. Only one batch of cookies needs to be baked due to the fact that it makes around 60 cookies. I think the girls enjoy helping make these the most due to the fact that they can help cut-out the shapes to frost and decorate prior to enjoying the treat on their tongues.
The dough is a little delicate and sticky so they don't get to help roll it out. With the girls lined up at the counter, chosen cookie cutter in hand, my aggravation with the rolling pin in hand grew. I expressed my frustration agreeing with my daughter's clarification that the dough (and not my children) was the object of annoyance.
Eventually, the dough was rolled out and trees, stars, stockings and candy canes took shape. While I had forgotten to preheat the oven, it appeared things were going smoothly. I put the first pans of cookies in the oven setting the timer for the lesser 10 minute timeframe than the 12 potentially needed. With 2 minutes remaining on the timer, my nose alerted my senses. Opening the oven, I was immediately irritated to find burnt cookies.
Apparently, ovens don't work exactly as they should when they approach 17 years of operation. The next batches all cooked in less than 7 minutes each and I managed to salvage this Advent experience.
This seems more and more to be a year of learning to let go. While today did not play out quite to my satisfaction, it was a good Christmas memory for my girls. They each enjoyed decorating cookies, licking frosting and eating sprinkles. My Christmas tray may not be to perfection but my love for my girls was the object of my baking; not the approval of others. It's about time I learn that.
Aunt Becky's Christmas Cookies
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening (butter preferred)
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour
Frosting
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 Tb milk (add up to 5 Tbs to desired consistency)
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. butter (preferred)
Mix ingredients together. Spray and flour pan well. Roll out dough in pan with plenty of flour to prevent breaking cut-outs. Cut out cookies. Roll out to 1/4" or less. Preheat oven to 400*. Cook 10-12 minutes. Cool completely. Frost and decorate. Freeze cookies after cooling for best results.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Advent Begins
"We need to make Christmas cookies!" My four-year-old has been making this demand for well over a week now. It is now tradition to tie our holiday baking in with the reading of our Advent book. Every night, starting December 1st, we begin the countdown to Christmas with one variety of cookie for the season accompanied by the story of Jesus Christ's birth.
Our Advent Book is done beautifully by John and Kathy Stockman over at Celebrations and Traditions. If you do not have an Advent tradition, we highly recommend this one! Our girls love to take turns reading as well as opening the unique door for each day. This is our bedtime story through Christmas and it is one thing I confidently embrace as tradition for our family.
As for the first day of our Advent Christmas Cookies,I was finding myself more Grinch-like than usual this season and didn't have many ingredients on hand for our standard go to treats. After thumbing through my recipes, I decided to try the Pampered Chef All-Occasion Cookies from their Celebrate cookbook with a Christmas twist. My girls and my husband tell me they were a tasty treat.
Here's the recipe:
All-Occasion Cookies
1 package (18.25 oz) devil's food cake mix
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound (4 sticks) butter or margarine, divided (do not use vegetable oil spread)
Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
6 to 8 drops green food coloring
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional - I did NOT use)
Preheat oven to 350*F. In small bowl, microwave 2 sticks of butter on High 1 minute or until melted. Slice remaining butter into 1/2 inch pieces, add to melted butter, tossing to coat. Allow butter to stand 3-5 minutes or until softened.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine cake mix and flour; blend well using whisk, breaking up any large lumps. Whisk butter until smooth and free of lumps. If necessary, microwave butter an additional 10-20 seconds or until creamy and pourable. Do not melt completely.
Pour butter all at once into dry ingredients, scraping the butter from bowl. Mix until dry ingredients are incorporated and dough is smooth. (If dough is too stiff to stir, knead by hand until smooth.)
Use cookie press to form Christmas tree shaped cookies.
Bake cookies 15-17 minutes. Cool 3 minutes on before moving to cooling rack. Cool completely.
Spread filling between two cookies to complete the sandwich appearance.
 |
| My happy Andelise with some Christmas tree sandwich cookies |
As for the first day of our Advent Christmas Cookies,I was finding myself more Grinch-like than usual this season and didn't have many ingredients on hand for our standard go to treats. After thumbing through my recipes, I decided to try the Pampered Chef All-Occasion Cookies from their Celebrate cookbook with a Christmas twist. My girls and my husband tell me they were a tasty treat.
Here's the recipe:
All-Occasion Cookies
1 package (18.25 oz) devil's food cake mix
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound (4 sticks) butter or margarine, divided (do not use vegetable oil spread)
Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
6 to 8 drops green food coloring
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional - I did NOT use)
Preheat oven to 350*F. In small bowl, microwave 2 sticks of butter on High 1 minute or until melted. Slice remaining butter into 1/2 inch pieces, add to melted butter, tossing to coat. Allow butter to stand 3-5 minutes or until softened.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine cake mix and flour; blend well using whisk, breaking up any large lumps. Whisk butter until smooth and free of lumps. If necessary, microwave butter an additional 10-20 seconds or until creamy and pourable. Do not melt completely.
Pour butter all at once into dry ingredients, scraping the butter from bowl. Mix until dry ingredients are incorporated and dough is smooth. (If dough is too stiff to stir, knead by hand until smooth.)
Use cookie press to form Christmas tree shaped cookies.
Bake cookies 15-17 minutes. Cool 3 minutes on before moving to cooling rack. Cool completely.
Spread filling between two cookies to complete the sandwich appearance.
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