Live Nativity and Chocolate Macaroons

by Anita Mae Draper

I've been trying to write this post for a couple weeks to avoid the last minute rush - but ha ha, time has got away from me. Mainly because I caught some kind of flu bug at the start of December and didn't start feeling better until I went in for antibiotics two weeks later. Blech. And then the rush was on. Am I the only one who feels that being sick is so ineffective?

I'm writing this on Dec 23rd so it will be Christmas Eve morning by the time you read this. Tonight, our church puts on our 2nd Live Nativity production at the local Candiac Auction Mart and among other things, I've been busy working on the script. Because the auction barn had a big cattle sale on Friday, yesterday after church was our first chance to get into the auction mart for setting up.

But I'd like to show you what's involved in a Live Nativity, so I'm showing some photos I took of the set up and rehearsal, all taken on Dec 22nd starting at 1 pm and going on until 5 pm when the set was ready with stable installed, starry night sky stretched cross the auction sale boards, and first rehearsal over. Here's our process of turning an auction mart into Bethlehem...

Installing the backdrop - COTH Live Nativity 2013

Bringing in the Stable - COTH Live Nativity 2013

Costuming the cast - COTH Live Nativity 2013

Covering the Sale Boards with the Night Sky - COTH Live Nativity 2013

Angels exploring their digs - COTH Live Nativity 2013

Rehearsing the music - COTH Live Nativity 2013

As you can see, it takes a lot of teamwork for our little country church to pull off a production of this scale, but with God's blessing, we hope to repeat- and better - last year's performance.

With all this going on, I haven't had time for much baking. It's a good thing my family's favorite treat is something quick that doesn't need much preparation. It's one of the first recipes I learned from my mom when I was 13 yrs old:

Uncooked Chocolate Macaroons

Mix these together in a large bowl and set aside:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 6 tbsp cocoa
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt

Put in a saucepan and bring to a boil:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter*
• 1/2 cup milk

Pour saucepan sugar mixture over rolled oat mixture in bowl and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper or parchment lined cookie sheets until they harden, although you must act quickly.
*If you use margarine instead of butter, you will have to keep in fridge or they'll be soft and sticky.

I'd show you a photo, but my family eat these so fast, by the time I reach for my camera, there are only bits of chocolate and coconut left on the tray.



It takes ingenuity and imagination to costume the cast of an amateur Biblical production. Do you recognize what some of the angels are wearing, or the wiseman that Karen and Dianne are dressing in the Costuming photo?


Anita Mae's News! - If you tried to order A Cup of Christmas Cheer and were told they were out of stock, you can try again if you wish because after a second print run, they're back in stock!

Wishing you a blessed Christmas season.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their 4 kids. She writes cowboy stories set in the Old West, and Edwardian stories set in the East.  Anita Mae  semi-finaled in the ACFW's 2011 Genesis contest, and finaled in the Daphne du Maurier, Fool for Love, Duel on the Delta and the Linda Howard Award of Excellence contests.  Anita Mae's short story, "Riding on a Christmas Wish" will appear in A Christmas Cup of Cheer, Guideposts Books, October 2013.  Anita Mae is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Agency. You can find Anita at   http://www.anitamaedraper.com/

Christmas Traditions Old and New

by Dina Sleiman

Ten years ago several factors came together and in a serendipitous moment created the phenomena in my family known simply as “Girls Weekend.” For one thing, my Grandmother Betty had passed away not long before, and my mom and her sisters realized that with their own growing families they would have to create some new traditions to maintain their own relationships and keep their mother's memory alive. Second, my cousin Rachel canceled her wedding. Third, my mother had recently moved to Virginia Beach, which meant the three sisters were more spread out from their origins near Pittsburgh than ever before.

So all the women in the family decided to descend on Virginia Beach during the first weekend of December for a fun “Girls Weekend” to help Rachel through the day that should have been her wedding. It was such a hit, that it became a yearly tradition.

Shang-hi Winner and "Looser" 2013

Here are some key factors in Girls Weekend:

1) Drive through a Christmas light display
2) Shopping and lunch in festively decorated Williamsburg
3) A Shang-hi (a.k.a. the craziest, most complicated card game ever created) tournament...in Christmas pajamas
4) Elaborate award ceremony for both winner and “looser”
5) "Looser" must dress in embarrassing Betty inspired attire and dance with an umbrella in the street (something Betty was known to do)
6) Attending the Storyland Christmas Ballet, always featuring at least one of Dina's children
7) Christmas gift exchange complete with the reading of “'Twas the Night Before Christmas”
8) Presentation of the yearly “Betty” award to the person who did the most Betty-like (a.k.a air heady and/or O.C.D.) thing during the year

Son Adam as Hansel in Storyland Christmas

But there's always room for new traditions too. Last year we tried a spa night at my sister's house, and while we waited for our turns, we made a Christmas craft. This year, the craft survived the tradition cut, but the facials did not. Instead, we watched the live Sound of Music with Carrie Underwood. This year was also different because my daughter Christi was away at college and my ten-year-old niece Ella officially took her place (she was an apprentice last year.)

End results of snowmen craft

Girls Weekend is one of the highlights of my year. Since I live in town, and my normal life continues, I don't always get to participate in everything. But nothing could stop me from making shang-hi or the gift exchange. And for the first ever this year, I won the Betty award!!! I was a real underdog. Everyone had said for years that I have the least Betty traits of the whole family, and that I'm more like my fraternal grandmother, Helen. But this year I protested based on the fact that often sing and occasionally even dance through grocery stores. It at least got my name in the hat, and I ended up winning.

This is the only time every year that I get to watch my normally serious mother carry on with her sisters and giggle until she cries. That alone makes it all worth while. Traditions come and go, but relationships and family last forever, which is really what Girls Weekend is all about.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Rachel got married a year later...to the same guy :) And here is another thing Grandma Betty was famous for, her awesome pizzelle Christmas cookies.

Grandma Betty's Pizzelle's

¼ cup melted butter
4 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
6 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons anise

Mix and cook in greased Pizzelle maker until golden brown. Allow to cool and turn crispy. Store dry in a tin or tin foil.

What are some of the silliest traditions your family has???

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dina Sleiman writes lyrical stories that dance with light. Most of the time you will find this Virginia Beach resident reading, biking, dancing, or hanging out with her husband and three children, preferably at the oceanfront. Check out her novels Dance from Deep Within, Dance of the Dandelion, and Love in Three-Quarter time. And please join her as she discovers the unforced rhythms of grace. For more info visit her at http://dinasleiman.com/

Penuche Season! Hooray!

By Niki Turner

I'm dedicating this post to my friend Vanoy Fields. For several years, I cleaned house for Mrs. Fields every other week. Her house, as it turns out, was usually almost spotless, which left a lot of time for chatting in between chores. 

Shortly after I met her, I discovered that her husband had been an Episcopal priest for many years, and so this 80+ year old Southern lady and I often talked about the role of the pastor's wife, and about raising children who don't always turn out the way you expect them to, and about music and art and God and whatever else struck her fancy. 

When she found out I liked to write, and I found out she was working on her memoir, we agreed to work together. She sent me her rough draft, and I did some basic editing, and helped her self-publish her life story for her progeny. It was one of the most rewarding projects I've ever undertaken. 

At Christmas one year, Mrs. Fields introduced me to penuche, a brown sugar fudge she made for her friends and family every year. At the time, I was in the midst of my 1200-calorie a day diet (that's long since over) and limited myself to a single nibble from the plate of penuche she sent home with me for my boys. That one nibble was all it took... I was hooked. (Warning: Penuche can be very, very addictive!)

I've never been a candy maker. My attempts at fudge are famous failures, responsible for the death of a number of pots and wooden spoons. But after Mrs. Fields moved away, I found myself craving penuche every Christmas, and had to try to make it on my own. To my glee, it worked, and has become a household favorite and annual event. My oldest son, when asked what he wants for Christmas, puts penuche on top of his list every year.

So... thank you, Mrs. Fields, for sharing this special treat. I think of you every time I make it and am blessed again by your friendship, kindness, and encouragement you offered this young pastor's wife and mother of teenagers. 

PENUCHE

(See the blue tape holding my white sugar
 container together? That's what happens
when you live with boys.)

Ingredients:

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup milk (or canned milk, or half & half)

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions: 

In a sturdy saucepan, blend the brown sugar, white sugar, and your choice of milk and put on the stove. If you happen to have a "vintage" stove like mine, you can take pictures and be embarrassed, too.

I use medium-high heat on my electric stove. It was different on my gas stove. The key is to stir and stir and stir until the sugar melts into the milk. 

When it starts to boil and bubble, you can add (if you have one) a candy thermometer. Your goal is "soft ball stage." Every time I make penuche, it takes longer than I expect to reach soft ball stage, so while you're waiting...

Take a 9x9 pan and butter it. (The pictured pan is 8x8, because I couldn't find the 9x9 one.) Interesting, you never realize how grubby your kitchen equipment is until you start taking pictures of it for the Internet.

Check your thermometer judiciously. If your sugary goo gets too hot, your penuche will be grainy. Notice I didn't say inedible... we've devoured many a dish of grainy penuche.

While you're waiting, you can stare out the window... amazing how window screens show up SO WELL in pictures. 

Or you can collaborate with your kitchen helpers, who tend to be wiggly and cause blurry photos...

If you don't have a candy thermometer, don't fret. Fill a glass halfway with cold water and every few minutes dribble a few drops of your sugar mixture into the glass. At "soft ball stage" the stuff will coagulate in the water and form, literally, a "soft ball" that can be squished and squashed on the way to your mouth. Test frequently!

Once the correct temperature is achieved, remove the pan from the heat and drop in your half-stick of butter. I know there's a lot of debate about salted vs. unsalted butter in the candy-making world, but I just can't make myself buy unsalted butter. Anyway, let the butter melt and the mixture cool, without touching it, for about 10 minutes. 

Once the butter has melted, add the vanilla. I never measure my vanilla. It's a terrible habit, I know. (Why does this picture make my fingers look fat?) 

Now for the hard part. Use your spatula or wooden spoon and beat the butter and vanilla into the sugar mix. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT make penuche on days when you do an upper body workout in the morning. 

It will get really glossy and pretty... that's not what you're looking for. The moment the mixture begins to lose its gloss and go dull, it's time to pour/spread it into the pan. If you wait too long past that crucial moment of dullness, the whole thing freezes up in the pot and has to be chipped out and eaten by people you aren't trying to impress. 

It kind of reminds me of that moment in a book, when the plot is all stirred up and shiny, and then the minute things begin to change, it's time for the climax. Wait too long and the book falls flat. Stop too soon and the plot never sets up. 

OK. Spread the mixture into your prepared dish and let it cool. You can "score" it into sections while it's still warm, if you like, but we prefer to chunk ours out at random. A word to the wise: Wash your pot, your spatula/spoon, and your candy thermometer immediately in very hot water. Otherwise, people will be picking bits and pieces of penuche off your cooking equipment for days. 

And there you have it! Maple-y, butterscotch-y, fudge-y goodness in a pan. Rich, decadent, fattening, and thoroughly delicious... like a perfect romance novel hero! Kidding. I'm kidding. 

Seriously, even if you've never successfully made any kind of candy, penuche is pretty foolproof. I recommend making a single batch at a time. It's yummiest when fresh.

And so, in honor of my friend Vanoy, and in celebration of our Savior's birth, enjoy!

Niki Turner is a writer, former pastor's wife, mother of four, and grandmother of two and a half. She has thus far been unsuccessful at coming up with catchy taglines for her writing, her purpose in life, or what she hopes to achieve in the future. Suggestions are welcome.

Naughty or Nice? Christmas Bacon Yummies

A Christmas Recipe from Susanne Dietze

Ok, they're not really called Yummies. But they should be. They are true bacon delight for the people in my house who like bacon. A lot.

We eat an odd meal Christmas Eve, a spread of appetizers that are ready and waiting for us when when friends stop in and before/after church services. Things like shrimp cocktail, vegetables, cheese and crackers, tea sandwiches, turkey meatballs. And, generally, the Yummies.

They are sooooo good.

They are also loaded with fat, salt, and whatever it is they put into those tube cans of crescent rolls. But it's Christmas! If you feel like splurging on a naughty/nice savory appetizer, consider giving this one a try.

Bacon Crescent Appetizers aka Yummies

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 c. chopped onion
1 T milk
2 8-oz cans crescent rolls

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, bacon, parmesan cheese, onion, and milk at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended.
• Open up those crescent roll cans. On a cookie sheet, separate crescent dough into eight rectangles. Spread each rectangle with 2 rounded T cream cheese mixture.
• Cut each rectangle in half diagonally; then repeat with opposite corners. Cut in half crosswise to make six triangles from each rectangle. (If geometry isn't your strong suit, don't sweat it. These turn out great no matter what.)
• Starting with point of each little triangle, roll the crescent into a mini crescent roll. This doesn't take much in the way of rolling, because they're small. Bacony cheesy goodness will be showing--it's ok!
• If you want, you can sprinkle poppy seeds or parsley on them.
• Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
• Serve hot.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

***

Historical Romance writer Susanne Dietze enjoys a bit of bacon now and then, and even candies it on Christmas morning. She still vividly remembers her affection for Grandma's white tree and the wrapping paper in the above photo, where Pink Santa Clauses frolicked over the green. You can find out more about Susie and her historical romances on her website.

Forgot the Plums in my Plum Pudding

Today I have my own little baking show!

It's time to drag out the old family recipe and present PLUM PUDDING aka Christmas Pudding.
If you're a Downton Abbey fan, you might have seen the Crawleys enjoying one during the Christmas special. It's been awhile, but I have also had the pleasure of seeing one set on fire. As I'm the only one in my family left who enjoys them, there hasn't been much call for flaming the brandy sauce.

I can't promise where this recipe came from but it's the one my grandmother made and perhaps she got that from her mother who was from Lancastershire, England.
Yes, steamed puddings are a staple from the UK, like shortbreads and Christmas crackers.

Wait. Notice a theme here? Plum Pudding doesn't look like a pudding, nor does it have plums in it. Shortbread is a cookie not a bread, and Christmas crackers aren't edible at all.

I'll give you the recipe in steps with photos. Cool, huh?

PLUM PUDDING!

4 slices of white or wheat bread torn into pieces

1 cup milk

SOAK BREAD IN MILK and set aside.

Forgot to mention the importance of watching British Costume Dramas.

In another bowl, STIR TOGETHER, (then put aside):

2 beaten eggs,

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup orange juice

¾ cup  Crisco  (originally “finely chopped suet”)

1 tsp vanilla

(I used an elec.mixer to incorporate the Crisco. It’s okay if it’s chunky)

It's okay. Chunks are okay.

In a big bowl: SIFT TOGETHER:

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon each: baking soda, cloves

TO DRY INGREDIENTS ADD:

2 cups raisins (regular and golden is nice)

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup glazed fruit (that fruitcake stuff)

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

(the recipe is forgiving so you change the amounts of fruits and nuts)

the flour, seasonings, soda, nuts and fruits

 STIR ALL ABOVE TOGETHER

Here's the three bowls prior to mixing.

Batter in the greased can. Ready to be steamed.

POUR into a well-greased METAL coffee can or 2 qt mold

Now comes the fun part. Cover the coffee can with aluminum foil and wrap it on well and tie around it with string. Place the coffee can inside a big pot on top of a small heat proof rack and add water to the pot until the water level is at least one third to halfway up the pot. Do not get water in the coffee can. If your coffee can wants to float, you have too much water! The idea is you are creating a little steam bath for your pudding-in-a-can.

The can is on a rack, and water is about halfway up the can.

Cover the entire big pot with a lid and turn on burner. You want the water to be very hot, turn it down after it starts to boil and you will let it cook for 3-3.5 hrs. Add water as needed if it evaporates.

IT will look like a very moist bread when cooked- solid but moist.

3.5 hrs of bubbling and steaming!

Cool 10 minutes and then try to remove from the can. Put a plate on top and flip. It should slide right out. (if you used a coffee can that curves in at the top—barrel shape—or has a big lip at the top, you are out of luck.)

The sauce is ready and the pudding is ready to come out of the can

Slice as you see fit. Best eaten warm or re-warmed with a nice amount of sauce soaked in.

NUTMEG OR BRANDY SAUCE

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 cups of water, ¼ cup of butter and 2 tablespoons of nutmeg. Warm it up to a boil or until it begins to thicken. It will continue to thicken as it cools and will be a nice clear brown sauce.

You can add brandy flavoring or brandy when it has cooled, if desired. NOTE: Don’t let the paper hats from your Christmas Crackers catch on fire. If you'd like to try a lemon sauce instead, don't add nutmeg and start with a few tablespoons of lemon juice.

Hogmanay

by C.J. Chase

If the title of this post gives you visions of bacon, it’s a safe assumption you don’t live in an area settled by Scottish immigrants. Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of the New Year, dating back to the Middle Ages or perhaps even earlier. In Scotland, Hogmanay is celebrated with parades, concerts, and fireworks.

Here, let me put you in the right frame of mind. You can pause to watch the pictures, or just listen to the 'pipes while you read the rest of the post.

To be honest, I've never been much for New Year's Eve celebrations. To me, December 31 has always been just another day on the calendar. And I don't need a calendar these days to tell me I'm getting older, just a mirror. Ahem. But when we moved to this area, we discovered a family-friendly way to spend the afternoon.

Our local Hogmanay in Portsmouth, Virginia, begins with a late-afternoon walk around the town. People wear tartan, bring their (Scottish breed) dogs, and follow the 'pipers in a parade to the waterfront. I snapped this picture of my younger son at the Scottish walk several years ago. Yes, it’s a real kilt, in Lamont tartan. My husband's maternal great-grandfather was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland.

At the waterfront, participants sing “Auld Lang Syne”—all the verses, not just the first verse and chorus. The tune is an old Scottish folk song. Scottish poet Robert Burns penned the now-famous lyrics in 1788. Like most of Burns’ work, he wrote this piece in Scots, which is why so many of the words look strange to English speakers. Here are the words to the first verse and chorus, for those who can’t remember them (or never learned them). This is sufficient for most American New Year’s Eve parties—unless you decide to try a Hogmanay. And hey, you have an entire year to memorize this before the next New Year’s Eve, so no excuses:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear*,

for auld lang syne,

we’ll take a cup o’kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

*Burns’ original Scottish is “my jo.” You might get strange looks if you get too authentic, so you’ll probably want to stick with the Americanized version of “my dear.” “Auld lang syne” means “old long since.” In other words, we’ll take a drink to remember old friendships and days gone by.

The Hogmanay walk concluded, people retire to local eateries for food and musical entertainment. We usually trek to the pub which hosts a “session.” In Celtic music parlance, a session is like a pick-up band. Musicians bring their instruments and just start playing together—with no prior rehearsals! Here are some of the musicians from the Hogmanay session a year ago. The fiddler on the right (in red) belongs to me.

At a session, musicians play Scottish and Irish tunes. One person will suggest a song. Those who know it jump in. Those who aren't familiar with that particular tune either sit out that song or improvise a harmony part. It sounds impossible to me, but my son, in true Celtic fiddler fashion, is scary good at it. If you'd like to attend a session in your area (with or without an instrument), check this site for locations around the world.

It's still early when the session ends, so it's time to partay! Well, maybe not for those of us with kids. We skip the more, er, effusive revelries and head home for a bit of oliebollen and Dutch New Year before shunting kids off to bed before the stroke of midnight. Dutch New Year? That's a subject for another post, of course.

But we can't end a New Year's post without a nod to perhaps the most famous cinematic version of "Auld Lang Syne" ever projected on a screen.

Do you have a New Year's Eve tradition? Or is December 31 just another day to you?

After leaving the corporate world to stay home with her children, C.J. Chase quickly learned she did not possess the housekeeping gene. She decided writing might provide the perfect excuse for letting the dust bunnies accumulate under the furniture. Her procrastination, er, hard work paid off in 2010 when she won the Golden Heart for Best Inspirational Manuscript and sold the novel to Love Inspired Historicals. Her next book, The Reluctant Earl, will be available  February 5, 2013. You can visit C.J.'s cyber-home (where the floors are always clean) at www.cjchasebooks.com