Just a quick update on the “fudge” post. I mistakenly typed one stick of butter instead of two for the chocolate fudge. Please forgive me if you have made it already and please, please try it again the right way. It is sooo worth it:)
It has now been updated and typed in the right way.
Thank you:)
Here’s a beautiful candy to make for Christmas!
Bekah and Bethany made this at my birthday party last week.
You will need three ingredients ~ marshmallows, chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candy.
Here is Bethany dipping the marshmallow into the chocolate. Bekah put the chips into a bowl and placed it in a saucepan over water to melt them. You could also use your microwave for this ~ we are just trying to not use ours as much.
Then they sprinkled crushed candy canes (they crushed them with a hammer) over the top of the warm chocolate. Are you drooling yet:)
And here’s Bethany showing you the final step!
If the marshmallows look large to you it is because my daughter made her own! Yes, you can make your own marshmallows if you so desire. I will be buying a bag of them to do this recipe but I’m telling you ~ you have not lived till you’ve eaten a homemade marshmallow! There is NO comparison:)
Here’s my talented daughter with her eyes closed. She won’t like this picture but she needs the credit for this absolutely awesome candy!
Here’s my new “find”. Not the Santa - the breadbox behind it!
My hubby was floored when I brought it in. He could not believe I was so tickled over this rusty old box. It has a little shelf inside of it and a big area for bread. You can see flowers thru the rust and I just love it! The older the better.
These things make me feel connected with my grandparents. That may sound silly but looking at these old things bring me comfort. The older I get the less I like the new and the more I like the old.
I also love finding things in places you don’t expect. Trent and I were riding on country roads in the hills of Tennessee when we came upon a little store that had “treasures” pouring out the door. I could have stayed longer but I wouldn’t torture him like that cause shopping is not on his list of favorite things to do.
Now on to the Santa and his reindeer.
This was a decoration that was in our home every Christmas as I was growing up. Mother tried to throw it away one time and I retrieved it from the trash. It is worn out, the paint is peeling, it is extremely fragile and it is very old so I love it.
That’s the way I feel somedays. I’m worn out, my paint is peeling (my makeup is shot), I will cry at the drop of a hat (very fragile) and I feel old beyond my years but I am so very thankful that I am loved by my man, by my children (some days), by my sweet mother and most especially by my Lord Jesus. What a wonder that is!
Talk to ya later:)
Here’s one of the rolls of cookie dough I made ahead and put in the freezer. This is a lot like a sand tart but it’s a pleasant surprize with the chocolate chips inside instead of pecans.
MINI-CHIP SNOWBALL COOKIES
3 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
3 cups flour
2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate mini morsels
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
powdered sugar
Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour; stir in morsels and pecans.
Shape level tablespoonfuls of dough into 1″ balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned.
Remove from oven. Sift powdered sugar over hot cookies on baking sheet. Let stand for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar if desired. Store in airtight containers. Makes 5 dozen.
This is the second “dipping”. This makes them whiter.
And here they are looking pretty:)
I also froze them after I made them because there were so many. I pulled them out this weekend and the boys loved them.
Enjoy these holidays!
This year I purchased several GladWare containers to freeze cookies in. They are clear so I can see what is in each one and they have worked very well so far. This is one without a top on it ~ the top was also clear but blue.
Here’s a Christmas craft that I’ve been working on.
Very inexpensive and easy ~ my kind of craft:)
Here’s the supplies you will need.
Clear ornaments (I got mine from Hobby Lobby). Sometimes they run them on sale for half price.
“Pine” garland that I’ve cut up.
Red beaded garland ~ also cut in sections.
Ribbon of your choice ~ I like red cause I like mine to have lots of color.
Begin by putting one section of garland into the ornament. I use three pieces of the pine in each one.
Put in the strand of beads only as far as you can get it in.
The next two strands of pine will help you push the beads farther into the ornament. If the beads fall to the bottom just shake the ornament and they will move into the greenery.
Now just replace the top of the ornament and run a ribbon thru it long enough to hang on a tree branch and tie it at the top.
I also bought paint pens and painted “Merry Christmas ~ 2010″ on each one.
If you do this ~ take your time ~ enjoy it ~ and think of the people you will give them to ~ this makes it more fun.
Two Saturdays ago I decided Luke and I would take a little trip to town. We put on all our “elf” attire, grabbed all the Christmas cards and headed out.
After mailing our cards, we went to Walmart where they had a Salvation Army Angel Tree set up. I wanted Luke to understand a little more about the giving part of Christmas. He’s got the “getting” part down pat but I wanted him to truly think about someone less fortunate.
I let him pick out an “angel” and he picked a boy his own age. Then we went shopping! We got him some things to wear and some things to play with and some candy. He really got into the swing of this and I was very proud of him.
We ran into some folks from church and they took these next shots for us.
Here we are at the checkout.
Luke was waiting on the lady to bag so he could put the bags into our cart. He liked doing this.
Now we’re bagged up and ready to go.
I told him we were loading the sleigh here so he leaned over for me to get a picture of him with all our purchases.
You can see the boxes he picked out for us to put some things in and there is a bright red pillow with a blanket that we thought “our boy” would enjoy.
We waited awhile when we got home. I didn’t want him rushing thru this and it being a chore. So he played the rest of the morning and that afternoon we went to work. He wrote out all the name tags and then he put one on each gift. We made this a big deal because we couldn’t stack our gifts with bows on them so we used very special name tags. They were all different shapes (santas, reindeer, etc.) and Luke had to run a string thru each one and tape them on just right.
We also taped pencils on some of the bags and put candy canes inside lots of the gifts. He really, really wanted one of those candy canes but since this was about giving and not getting he did not ask:)
We talked a lot about how this child would be getting only what we gave and how he, Luke, would be getting so much more. We then bagged it all up in a huge bag and he and his daddy dropped it back at Walmart on their way to church the next morning.
I pray this will be something that makes an impression on him in years to come. I want him to be thoughtful and that’s not always something that comes natural to children (even adults:). We are just naturally selfish I think. That seems to be what I fight in myself daily ~ wanting to do things my way, in my time.
If we can begin to instill in them ways to be considerate, kind, loving and unselfish we are teaching them the ways of Jesus. They will understand in concrete ways what the bible is talking about and they will also begin to understand how blessed they are and how they can be a blessing to others.
This is the season they become more selfish instead of less. They get gifts everywhere they go and sometimes are even unthankful or rude because of it. I told my children when they were little….”I don’t care if somebody gives you a biscuit, you thank them and act like it’s the best biscuit you have ever recieved!”.
I hear it being called “entitlement” now. They think they are entitled to EVERYthing. I call it selfish and I want them to learn the world does NOT revolve around them. That they need to give and love and by doing that they will be blessed beyond measure with a life pleasing to God and one they will be much more content in.
Hope your holidays are merry and meaningful.
Talk to ya later:)
Here’s the two kinds of fudge my mother always made except I do the chocolate a little different than she did. They are both easy and DE -licious! They are absolutely, positively NOT low fat!
MICROWAVE CHOCOLATE FUDGE
This tastes just like Mother’s boiled fudge she used to make on top of the stove. It’s quick, easy and people do not know the difference.
2 sticks butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup cocoa
2 boxes confectioners sugar (I use a 32 oz. bag)
2 t. vanilla
1 cup nuts (optional)
Melt butter. Add cocoa, milk and sugar. Stir well. Microwave 3 1/2 minutes. Stir. Microwave 3 1/2 minutes again. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour into buttered 9 x 13 pan. I line my pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
You need a good microwave bowl that will take the heat. I never use plastic because this gets so hot. When you take it out after the last heating watch out to not touch the fudge. It will be extremely hot.
Here it is in the foil lined pan.
Just lift it up by the foil and place it on your counter. It’s much easier to cut this way. Make sure it cools first though.
YUMMY!
Now for the peanut butter ~ this is my hubby’s favorite.
PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE
1/2 cup butter
1 box brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
1 lb. confectioners sugar - sift
In medium saucepan, melt butter; stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil; boil and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Mix in confectioners sugar; beat till smooth. Spread onto buttered platter. Chill till firm. Cut into squares. VERY RICH! I line a 9 x 13 pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. I don’t even chill it because it firms up very fast.
I took an extra picture of my pot so you could see how deep it is. This is a perfect size to boil and stir this fudge in .
Here it is in the pan.
Just lift it out by picking up the foil.
Use a sharp knife so it will make a clean, smooth cut and your pieces will look pretty.
I cut down one side; then turn and cut down the other.
Here it is!
Both of these candies freeze beautifully. Just wrap them tightly in foil or in a sealed container.
This is a family favorite that my Mother made every year at Christmastime. My brother brought it back from college one year when he went to stay with a friend and they served them in their home. You can make them ahead and freeze them and they are delicious. This takes time but it’s worth it to us:)
BIEROCK
Use your favorite bread dough recipe. Roll dough until thin and cut into squares or cut in circles. If you use circles you can fold them over and seal or put one circle on top of the other and seal by pressing a fork around the eges. Fill with the following filling.
1 pound hamburger
1 pound sausage
5-6 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup chopped onion
1 t. salt
Mix meat and and brown in 1 T. fat. Add onion, cabbage, salt and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool to lukewarm; fill dough and seal. Brush with butter and let rise for about an hour. Bake about 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven or till golden brown.
Here’s the bread recipe I use.
HOMEMADE BREAD
In large bowl combine: 3 pkg. yeast/1 cup milk (any kind)/3 cups lukewarm water
Add: 5 T. sugar (can omit)
1/4 cup honey
2 T. salt
6 T. melted shortening or butter
Stir in 4 cups plain flour. Then add keep adding flour up to 4 more cups till you have a soft not sticky dough. Knead just till smooth and rubbery. Place in greased bowl. Let rise one hour. Punch down and begin to roll out as stated above for bierocks.
Good luck!
Mother always made an apple salad to compliment this but you could add whatever your family would like.
Rolling out the dough.
I began by cutting squares then switched to cutting circles.
Putting the meat mixture on the dough.
Sealing the dough. Bekah told me next time to use a fork dipped in water and it would seal better. Sometimes they open up during cooking if they are not sealed well enough. These are not pretty. They were my first ones that I cut. The circled ones look much better.
Here’s the circles ~ can’t see them too well but can you see my crown? It was my birthday and the Daisies brought me a crown. Daisy Debbie took these blog shots for me. She is my biggest fan ~ bless her heart!
Here they are on my stone ready to go into the oven.
And once again ~ here is the finished product. I have put them into freezer bags and have them in our freezer. Next week I will wrap them in foil and send them to work with my hubby. I like to send a meal one time during the holiday. I will fix a large pan of these along with some kind of sweet and maybe a pot of soup. He can place them in their oven on warm and they will be just right by lunchtime.
Happy Holidays!
I LOVE Christmas Parades!
When I was 16, I would go “borrow” children and take them to the parade! I loved going, I love the festivness of it. I love the music and the floats. And of course, I love Santa at the end and watching the children get so excited.
This year, we took Luke with us. He loved it! We sat in a perfect place. We usually end up in the area where the bands are taking a break so we don’t get to hear as much music as we heard this year! Every band played in front of us! It was great!
I put some hot chocolate in a thermos and hid it and some Christmas cookies in a bag in the front seat floor. About half way thru the parade I poured the cocoa in those styrofoam travel cups (Luke loves me to put his cocoa in these at home) and handed that out to the menfolk along with the cookies. Other than the lukewarm cocoa, it was a fun treat! (I must get a better thermos.)
(You can get the travel cups in the paper cup/paper plate aisle ~ they are made by Dixie.)
Here’s one of our Christmas traditions ~ the Nativity. Yes, we are missing pieces but there is a very good reason for that.
When we first began this we would start on the first Sunday in Advent. There are four Sundays in Advent and lots of churches light candles and have certain scriptures read to lead you up to the Sunday before Christmas. It’s very meaningful and puts your thoughts on the true reason we celebrate.
In our home, I had a devotion book and we would read some throughout the week and always on Sunday we would make it a big deal. I would gather the children around the nativity and we would read some scripture and have a prayer and they would add something each week. I would sometimes have little gifts for them at that time.
The past few years Luke has really enjoyed this part of Christmas. We don’t always have him on Sundays so we have begun to do it on Wednesday nights because we get him each week on Wednesdays. I read part of our devotion and he reads the scripture and prayer.
The first week he put in just the donkey and the cow and he set the sheep and shepherd out “in the field”. This past week he moved them a little closer and we added Mary and Joseph walking toward the stable. This week, he will move Mary and Joseph even closer, the angel will be out in the field with the shepherd and we will place the kings far away. By Christmas Eve we will have everybody in place, Mary and Joseph will be in the stable with an angel close by. The shepherd will be closer to the stable with his sheep. The wise men and camels will be “on their way” but not close. Then on Christmas day we place the baby Jesus inside. This not exactly biblically accurate but it gives Luke a sense of what Christmas truly is about; it gives him anticipation of the coming of Jesus.
The year it really hit me that I’d started a “tradition” in our home was the year I heard my five year old tell my two year old what we did and why! That was 24 years ago!
(I did not think of this on my own. I had a friend that suggested it all those years ago and I’m so glad she did!)
“The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14