The Cookie Everyone Loves

It matters little what else I bake at Christmas, as long as we have these cookies.  Each year I ask my family, if they could only pick a couple of favorites, what would they be?  Sugar cookies and poppy seed bread always top the list.  Now there are other things we enjoy too.  Like chocolate chip peanut butter cup cookies, lemon, molasses, and spritz.  Kenzie and I like fudge with nuts.  I'm usually tempted by a new recipe or two.  Last year, the Cranberry Bliss Bars were a big hit and now I want to add them to the list.  This can become a problem, adding new recipes, while still trying to hold onto the tried and true favorites.  

Each year I say I won't bake as much as I did the last year, and then I do.  It's a hard habit to break.   

I hope I will get to every yummy thing on the list, but if not, I have sugar cookies in the freezer waiting for Christmas Eve.  This family favorite came from an old Betty Crocker cookbook, and the recipe is so good, I've never felt the need to search for another one.  

Once the dough is mixed, it needs to be refrigerated for a couple of hours. Forming the dough into a disc and covering with plastic wrap, makes it easier to roll out later.  I usually mix it up in the evening and then make the cookies the next day.   

I let the dough soften for about fifteen minutes before rolling.  Unpacking the cookie cutters and reminiscing about where they came from is part of the fun.  I have some that belonged to my grandmother, as well as a few brand new ones I picked up on vacation this year.  

Roll, cut and repeat.

I bake them for five to six minutes, watching really closely not to let them brown.  If you see brown edges, you've let them go too far.  They'll continue to set up as they cool.   After a couple of minutes, move them to a wire rack.  I do all the baking before I start decorating.  If I'm going to freeze them for later use, I do it now, before the glazing process.

To make a glaze, I sift confectioners sugar and mix it with water to a consistency for dipping.  I don't want it to be so thin it runs off, nor so thick it sits stubbornly on top.  It has to be just right...

  I dip the top of the cookie in the glaze,

and scrape the excess off on the side of the bowl.

You have to work fast to get the sprinkles on before the glaze begins to harden.  This is the messy part and of course the part that kids like the best.  In our family, we have those who like the flat sprinkles, some who like the colored sugar, and others who want them naked, with no frosting or sprinkles at all!  

 Once the frosting is dry, they're ready to plate and enjoy.  Or, give  away to lucky people!

Christmas Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. almond extract

2 1/2 cups unbleached plain flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. cream of tartar

Mix powdered sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and almond extract.  Mix in 

flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and

refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Let

dough soften a little and roll out onto floured surface.  Cut into shapes.

Bake 5- 8 minutes.

Our Favorite Christmas Books

"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is

not a good children's story in the slightest."

C. S. Lewis 

Ever since my children were very small, I purchased a new Christmas book each year.  This has been one of my favorite holiday traditions.  There were years when I was younger and had more energy, when I wrapped all our books, so we could open one each night in December.  But more often than not, I just stacked them all in a big basket to be picked up by a reader whenever the mood would strike.  Over the past thirty years, I've built a nice library of beautiful books.  Unpacking the "book box" early in December is a delight that I look forward to every year.  Each book carries so many memories with it.  At times, I would encourage the kids to write some thoughts in the back of the book after they read a story.  Those words are family history and mean more to me than I ever imagined they would.  This is one tip that I would share with young families.  I wish we had done more of it.

This story was one of our favorites, and we read it each year before going to pick out our tree, sometimes carrying it along with us in the car to be read on the way to the farm.  A  number of years ago, I was involved with a Girls Camp at church and our theme was "May the Forest Be With You".  We had all kinds of fun "tree" related activities.  One evening we divided the girls into groups and had them rotate to different readers, who shared one of their favorite stories about trees.  I chose this book.  

Unfortunately, when I got home and began unloading all the camp stuff, I couldn't find the book anywhere.  I think an entire box was lost somewhere along the way, because our walkie talkies were never found either.  The walkie talkies were not a big loss for me, they could be replaced.  But the book, with years of journaling in the back, that's what made me the saddest.  I waited to see if it would surface, but after a few years, I gave up the search and bought another copy.  But, it's not the same without those childish scribbles.  

 And speaking of scribbles, our copy of The Night Before Christmas has a few.

Carl's Christmas tells a sweet story with no words.

This beautiful book, purchased in 1997, tells the story of a sad woodcarver whose heart is softened by a questioning child,  who spends time with him and watches him carve the holy family.  By Christmas Day his grief is lighter and he feels joy for the first time in years.   The illustrations are lovely.

This little book has been read aloud on many a family home evening prior to Christmas.  The little shepherd boy is the son of one of the shepherds who heard the angel choir and saw the newborn Christ.  On the 33rd anniversary of this event, he has an encounter with a man who changes his life.

Based on the true story of the Christmas Eve cease fire that took place in 1914, this book demonstrates the spirit of Christ beautifully, when for a brief time, the enemies stopped fighting one another and behaved as friends.  The book includes a CD, with the story being narrated by the author, as well as a beautiful version of Silent Night.  This is one of my more recent purchases and I love it. 

This has become one of my very favorites.  I cannot make it to the end without crying.  It's such a touching story about a young boys Christmas gift to his father.  Be sure and have the tissue close at hand. 

The Polar Express is the number one family favorite.   The cassette tape is a give away as to how long we've been reading and listening to this story. Every Christmas Eve the gift set comes out, and at the end we ring the bell to see if we are still among those who truly believe.  This tradition lives on, even with my adult kids.  Last year, Dillon and Jantzen read it to us, one reading, the other turning the pages.  Melts my heart just thinking about it.  

This is my book for 2014.  I didn't really know what a treasure it was when I ordered it.  I've been singing this Christmas carol for years without really understanding the back story.  The book includes a DVD with narration by the lovely Jane Seymour ( oh, that red dress!).  And that's not all.  There's dancing, live orchestra, handbells and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.   Oh man, this is a gem.

There are more, but I'll stop here.  I guess you can see how precious this collection is to me.  I would definitely run for this storage box in the event of a fire!  And, I haven't even touched on my favorite adult Christmas stories.  Maybe next year.   So, do you favorite Christmas books?  

Christmas Granola

I have a wonderful recipe to share today.  I call this my Christmas Granola because, well, it tastes like Christmas.  Cranberries, pistachios, molasses, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves... see what I mean?  Making granola is so easy and much less expensive than buying it in a store.  Have you priced those fancy granolas lately (or any dry cereal for that matter)?  Good grief!  Make your own and pocket that extra money for something else, like really good chocolate, for instance.  If you double the recipe, you'll have plenty for yourself and some to give away.  This makes great gifts.

The first thing you need to do is melt the coconut oil and let it cool while you mix the dry ingredients.  In a large bowl, mix old fashioned oatmeal, shredded coconut, slivered almonds, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.  When the oil is cool, pour it over the dry ingredients and mix well.  In a small bowl, mix maple syrup (the real thing), molasses and vanilla.  Add this to the oatmeal mixture and stir, until everything is well coated.

Spread the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet.  A doubled recipe will make two sheets.  I always make double, because it's no big deal to make twice as much, and it seems like a good time investment.  All you need are a few more ingredients and a bigger bowl.  Parchment paper or a silpat silicone sheet keeps it from sticking to the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees, stirring every ten minutes.  I use a spatula and flip the granola on the outside into the center and move the mixture from the center to the edges.  The edges will brown more quickly.  It will probably take about 30 minutes to turn golden brown.  Watch it closely though, so it doesn't burn.  So sad when that happens.  It will become nice and crunchy as it cools.   I put it all back into a big bowl when it's cool and add the cranberries and pistachios.   The original recipe calls for white chocolate chips, and that would probably be good if you were eating it trail mix style.  I omitted the chips because I like my granola with milk and yogurt.

Now, isn't that pretty granola?

Christmas Granola

4 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups shredded coconut

1 cup slivered almonds

2 t. ginger

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. cloves

2/3 cups coconut oil, melted and cooled

6 T. maple syrup

3 T. molasses

1 t. vanilla

1 cup lightly salted, roasted pistachios

1 cup dried cranberries

Mix together dry ingredients.  Pour coconut oil over and stir.

Combine maple syrup, molasses and vanilla.  Pour over oats.

Stir to evenly coat.  Spread on rimmed baking sheet, lined with 

parchment paper or silpat.   Stir and flip granola every 10

minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on sheets and then 

add pistachios and cranberries.

Better Than Take Out

Ready for a tasty Chinese style dinner, without having to call for take out?  This is it.  I stumbled upon this recipe a few years ago and it has become one of our favorites.  It comes together quickly, especially if you have some rice tucked in the freezer.   We like brown rice, but the longer cooking time can sometimes be a problem, if you're in a hurry to get dinner on the table.   I've found that it freezes beautifully, so whenever I cook rice, I always make extra to put in the freezer.  A side dish of steamed broccoli is a must for me.  I love how it pairs with the sweetness of the chicken.

Start with boneless chicken breast.  I use one whole breast and pound it to equal thickness.  This serves two generously, but you would want to use more chicken for a larger family.  Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.

Drop the chicken pieces into a bowl with corn starch.

Carefully toss the chicken until the pieces are completely covered.

Heat a skillet with olive oil and add the chicken pieces to the pan.

Cook until chicken is lightly browned on all sides.

While the chicken is browning, mix up a simple sauce of pineapple juice, honey, soy sauce and fresh ginger.

I peel my ginger root with a vegetable peeler,

and grate it with my microplane zester.  This is one of the best kitchen tools I own.  It's perfect for zesting fruit, grating nutmeg, hard cheeses and for ginger.  I LOVE my microplane zester.

I use less ginger than the recipe calls for, because ginger can be intense.  Don't be tempted to leave it out though, as it is an essential part of the recipe.  I guess you could use powdered ginger, in a pinch,  but it will be better if you use fresh.  Leftover ginger can be peeled and stored in the freezer for the next time you need it.  

Cut up a couple of green onions and have some sesame seeds handy.

Once the chicken is browned, pour the sauce into the pan.  The corn starch will cause the sauce to become nice and thick.  Within a couple of minutes it will be ready.  Add the green onions and sesame seeds.  The recipe calls for toasting your sesame seeds, but I omit this step and it's still delicious.  

Enjoy.  It really is better than take out.

Sesame Chicken

2 lb. boneless chicken breast

2 T. cornstarch

1 T. olive oil

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup honey 

3 T. soy sauce

1 T. grated fresh ginger

2 green onions, chopped

cooked rice

Cut chicken into pieces.  Combine chicken and cornstarch.  Toss

to coat.  Heat oil in skillet.  Cook chicken until browned and cooked 

through.  Reduce heat and stir in pineapple juice and next 3 ingredients.

Bring to boil and cook until thickened.  Remove from heat and sprinkle

green onion and sesame seeds.  Serve over rice.

* If using more chicken, double the ingredients for the sauce.  You want enough
to generously cover the chicken and a little extra for spooning over the rice.

Tucking Away Hope.. and Waiting

Each fall I buy bulbs to plant, envisioning lots of daffodils and tulips abloom the next spring, and then October and November come and go, while my bags of bulbs sit untouched.  I attribute my procrastination to the fact that I'm worn out from summer gardening.  It really doesn't take very long to plant bulbs.  I know this, and once I finally have them in the ground, I wonder why I have put off the task.

Well, this year I've followed my same pattern and it's the first week of December.  My bulbs were still sitting in the garage.  We've had a couple of beautiful, sunny, warm days and feeling a little rested from my garden chores, I actually had the desire to get outside and work in the dirt. There are some real advantages to living in the south.  I feel fairly certain that I would never have flowers in the spring if I lived further north.   I had good company as I worked.

It occurred to me while I was tucking those bulbs in the ground that maybe it's ok that I procrastinated after all, because this is the perfect Advent activity. Preparing, nurturing and waiting expectantly with hope are the steps for planting fall bulbs.  A lovely and intentional Advent involves the same things.   I've been preparing for this season by unpacking the Advent wreath with it's candles of purple, pink and white.  I've pulled my favorite reading material from the bookshelves.  I've clicked over to my Advent file on iTunes and have been listening to sacred music.  I've labored over the squares on my calendar, trying to decide which activities will help me "stay in the Christmas story".  Lots of preparing.

Each year I pray that Christmas will be different for me and those I love.  I pull ever so gently back from the frantic pace that seems to be the norm and try to move more intentionally through this wonderful season.  How can I nurture the feelings of good will to everyone that I feel right now?  Who needs a visit?  Who would benefit from an unexpected gift?  Who needs a phone call or card?  Who needs a hug or a plate of cookies, or both?  Who needs to be reminded that God loves them?  I have to remember as I seek to serve others, that taking care of myself is important too.  A walk through the woods, sitting quietly with a cup of cocoa, writing notes to friends, knitting by the fire, baking festive foods. These are the things that nurture my spirit and slow me down.

This first week of Advent has been full of beautiful and happy moments.  I delivered Advent calendars to some children I love, watching their eyes light up as I explained the process of reading a scripture each day and doing an activity to think about Jesus.  I've filled our house with the smell of spices, while baking tons of molasses cookies for sharing ( I exaggerate only slightly.), I spent a morning worshipping in the temple and some time visiting friends who were ill. I attended a concert where I heard Bach's Christmas oratorio performed, complete with harpsichord!  I listened to a book (thumbs up for Audible) about Saint Nicholas, planned some surprise gifting in his honor, and I planted fall bulbs.

The only decoration that I have pulled out so far, is my Advent wreath.  I've enjoyed looking at it every day and pondering.  Next week, I will add to this, perhaps unpacking fewer items than I have in Christmas' past.  Each year, it seems I need to do a little less.  Slowing down, enjoying the process and not just the end results, and pacing myself, are what I love most about observing Advent.  Baking, decorating, gift giving and celebrating doesn't have to be done in a hurried and rushed way, trying to quickly move to the next thing on the "to do" list.  I'm slowly learning this.  Real progress for this type A, sometimes overzealous girl.

Hopeful and expectant waiting, this is Advent.  A celebration that isn't just for remembering the Savior's birth, but also for celebrating his presence in my life now, while also looking forward to His glorious return.  This kind of waiting isn't passive.  It's actively engaging in the best that this season has to offer, while gently declining those things that pull me away from the true meaning of Christmas.

It's amazing the things you think about while on your knees, digging in the dirt, tucking away hope.

"Jesus stands at the door knocking.  In total reality, he comes in the form of the beggar,

of the dissolute human child in ragged clothes, asking for help.  He confronts you in

every person that you meet.  As long as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as

your neighbor, as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, makes

demands on you. That is the great seriousness and great blessedness of the Advent

message.  Christ is standing at the door; he lives in the form of a human being

among us.  Do you want to close the door or open it?"

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Molasses Sugar Cookies

Last Christmas, a friend of mine gave me some molasses cookies.  Soft and chewy, full of spices, oh my gosh, they were so delicious!  Competing against all the cookie recipes out there, I know they don't sound all that exciting.  In fact, an old fashioned molasses cookie is kind of humble, made from ordinary ingredients that you probably have in your cabinet.  Don't let this deceive you.  I'm going to share the recipe with you today, because trust me, you want to make these cookies!  They taste and smell like Christmas.  

I've included a picture of the recipe card Janet gave me, because I love it.  It's old fashioned, like the cookie.  With all the technology available to us, few people write recipes on cards anymore.  Most recipes are sent to me by email, Facebook or text messages.  I miss all those cute recipe cards, written  by hand.  Just like letters received in the mail, I think we're losing a piece of history, when we type

everything out on the computer.

Now for that recipe.  The first thing you need to do is measure out the shortening and melt it in a small saucepan.  I know that's a lot of shortening, but this is what makes the cookie soft.  Just do it and don't think too much about it.  Let the melted shortening cool.

Put the shortening in a mixing bowl and add the molasses.

To this, add eggs and sugar.  Mix well.

Next, add spices, salt , baking soda

and flour.

It will come together as a soft dough.  Put the bowl in the refrigerator and go do something else.

After an hour and a half, or so, you're ready to make the cookies.  I use a scoop to measure out the dough, because I like my cookies to all be about the same size.  Don't judge. I'm just weird that way.  Then I roll them into little balls.

Each ball gets rolled around in sugar.

I take a little glass and gently smash the tops.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  I lean towards the lesser time, because I want them chewy!!!

Molasses Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cup shortening

2/3 cup molasses

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 - 1 t. ground cloves

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla extract

1 t. salt

1 T. and 1 t. baking soda

4 cups unbleached plain flour

extra sugar for rolling

Melt the shortening over low heat, then cool.  Add molasses, sugar

and eggs.  Beat well.  Mix in the cloves, cinnamon, salt, baking soda

and vanilla.  Mix in the flour.  Chill for an hour and a half.  Dough

will not be really firm.  Roll the dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll balls

in sugar.  Gently press the tops of the balls.  Bake at 350 degrees for

8 - 10 minutes.  Let cool for a couple of minutes before removing from

baking pan.