Last of the Baking

This morning Pastor Larry was sick so was unable to preach. Instead, Pastor Rich filled in and spoke on Matthew 1:1-17. This is the genealogy of Jesus Christ and it was fascinating to hear a sermon unpacking this section. There are four women mentioned, when traditionally women would not be included in a genealogy. And none of the four women mentioned would be considered the paragon of holiness, at least not from outward appearances. One women was raped, another a prostitute, another a Moabite, and the fourth being Mary, a teenage pregnant girl. Another thing that really stood out to me was verse 16 "and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." This verse is a marked departure from the 14 above it where the man always was named as the son of son and so and then the father of so and so. Here, Joseph is named as the son of Jacob and the husband of Mary, not the father of Jesus.

I finished my Christmas baking, and amazingly enough, on the day I planned! Now, if everything else goes according to plan, this will be one low stress Christmas. I made fudge from a recipe that Ken's sister, Julie shared, another round of Chocolate Crackles and Cheesecake Cookies. The kids made their Gingerbread houses today and they turned out great. Some years they put more decorations, other years less.

I went back to my previous posts and added all the recipes or links to recipes for the Christmas baking I have done. I have had some requests for the recipes already, so thought I would go ahead and add them all in.

Fudge (thanks Julie)

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 square (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate
1 ½ cups chopped nuts, if desired
1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter square pan, 8x8x2 inches. I double recipe and used a 9x13 pan. Heat sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread in pan. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into 1-inch squares.

Cheesecake Cookies

from Sunset All-Time Favorite Recipes, copyright 1993

1 cup butter, room temperature

3 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2.5 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

Cheese Filling (recipe follows)

In large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, lemon peel, and lemon juice, stir until blended. Add flour and baking powder and stir until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. Roll small balls of dough into balls, then roll into crumbs to coat all sides. Place balls on lightly greased baking sheet; flatten each ball slightly and make and indentation in top of each cookie (don't press all the way through to baking sheet) and fill with about 1/2 teaspoon Cheese Filling. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes. Cool and store airtight.

Cheese Filling

In a small bowl, combine 3 oz room temperature cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon sour cream,and 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel. Beat until smooth.