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.

More goodies!

Today I made Oatmeal Everything Bars, Peanut Butter Cereal Bars and No Bake Peanut Squares- three new recipes for me. And they all turned out! Maria and William went to Grandma and Grandpa's house to make Sugar Cookies, which turned out beautifully, and to spend the day with them. In the evening, after James went to bed, Ken and I went over to Steve and Jane's house for a very nice Christmas gathering. Nathan and Sonja spent the night, and Maria and Sonja made Gingerbread Cookies that look great. Tomorrow is my last big baking push. Ideally I hope to make Fudge, Cheesecake Cookies, and at least one more batch of Chocolate Crackles.

Peanut Butter Cereal Bars (thanks Bucherts!)
1.5 cups sugar
1.5 cups corn syrup
1.5 cups peanut butter
9 cups frosted flakes

In large pot, bring to a boil sugar and corn syrup. Turn off burner and add peanut butter. Stir until melted. Add frosted flakes and stir quickly to coat. Pour into buttered 9x13 pan. Cut into squares after a few minutes.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Squares (Thanks to someone from CBS...forgot who!)
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs, about 12 squares (I used a food processor)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips

In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and graham cracker crumbs. In pan, melt butter and peanut butter over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir into crumb mixture. Press in ungreased 8-inch square pan. I doubled the recipe and used a 9x13 pan. In another pan or microwave, melt chocolate chips over low heat. Spread over crumb mixture. Refrigerate about 30 minute or until firm. Then, cut into small squares.

Pomegranates and Figs

Today we all went to UC Berkeley to see Pomegranates and Figs: A Jewish Feast of Music. The music was amazing and it was so much fun to watch James enjoy it too, when he wasn't nursing. Then on to IKEA for lunch (can you say four orders of Swedish Meatballs!) and some shopping. We then headed home, but first dropped Maria off at the Bramblet's, who took her to the mall where she performed with her choir. Ken picked her up later while I stayed home and baked. One more batch of Oreo Truffles were finished and I experimented with a new recipe, English Toffee Cookies. Well, they taste great, but they didn't come out of the pan nicely. About half of them crumbled and broke. So I have one container of cookie pieces and crumbs, and another container with decent looking but good tasting cookies. Better that than nice looking and awful tasting!

I am liking the ability to list the books I have read. I never have kept track before, and it is fun being able to look over them. I like reading a variety of genres and typically have a number of books going at the same time. Currently I am reading Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card (one of my absolute favorite authors) and Lost on Planet China or How I Learned to Love Live Squid by J. Maarten Troost, which I am heartily enjoying. It is a hard book to read next to someone without wanting to read snippits outloud every other page. There are a lot of interesting observations, typically quite humerous. I have read most of his other books and definitely enjoy his writing style and observations he makes about other cultures.

We are taking the next two weeks off from school. We use Sonlight for history and literature and are doing Core Alt 7, which is World History, Apologia for Physical Science (although the book is currently hiding somewhere in our house....need to track that down), ALEKS for math, and life in general to learn.

English Toffee Cookies
from Sunset All-Time Favorite Recipes, copyright 1993

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg yolk and beat until blended. Stir in cinnamon and flour. Press dough smoothly and evenly over bottom of greased 10x15 rimmed baking pan (I think my pan was a tad bit bigger, which made it too thin in places.) In a small bowl, lightly beat egg white, then brush over dough. Sprinkle with pecans, pressing them lightly into dough. Bake in a 275 degree over for about 1 hour. While cookie is still hot, cut it into about 1.5 inch squares. Let cool in pan (maybe until slightly warm...this might help too).

Playgroup Picture

Today was a nice, relaxing day. I am really enjoying baking this year. I baked the Chrabeli cookies this morning and this evening I made Saltine Toffee Cookies. I am looking forward to sharing these with friends on Christmas Eve. So, baking is going good...but not sure about getting Christmas cards out this year. Maybe they will turn into New Years Cards. Or maybe an internet card. Or maybe nothing at all. As much as I like doing cards, I am feeling a bit of pressure now that I didn't get them out significantly earlier in the month. Then, it isn't as much fun to do them.

This afternoon was playgroup for James. All the kids in the playgroup are boys except for one girl, who wasn't able to attend this meeting. It will be fun watching them grow up together. They are already doing so much more than when we first started meeting. There were at least three crawlers this week, and more to be coming!

From left to right: Ryan, Stephen, Phoenix, Connor, James, Dylan and Trevor

Saltine Toffee Cookies

4-5 ounces saltine crackers
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers, salt side down, in a single layer. In a saucepan combine the sugar and butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let sit 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts. Cool completely and break into pieces.

Christmas Cookies

I had a great day today. I went out to lunch with my hubby, made two different kinds of cookies, went to a holiday gathering, and finished the book "Breaking Dawn," one of the books in the Twilight series.

I also just sent out an invite to join us at our house on Christmas Eve for an Open House...so now I am motivated to make even more cookies! Today I made Oreo Truffles (not really a cookie, but yummy) and I did the first stage of Chrabeli, a Swiss anise cookie that I grew up eating a Christmas time. Those will go in the oven tomorrow morning after sitting out all night. Who knows what will cookies will be baked next!

I made a super simple dinner tonight Barbecue Chicken Casserole since I had all the ingredients in the house. Quick, easy, and the whole family loves it. What more could I ask for! Plus, I am trying to cook the things that are in the refrigerator because I know we will be needing room to store cookies and treats.

Chrabeli
9 eggs, room temperature
1,000 grams powdered sugar
pinch of salt
3 Tablespoons anise seed, lightly toasted in skillet
1,000 grams flour

Beat eggs, then beat in powdered sugar until frothy. Add salt and anise seed. Add flour in slowly. Dough will be very dry. Take a fistful of dough and roll into about 3/4 inch tubes. Cut into about 2-3 inch sections. Cut three diagonal slits into one side of each piece. Bend the cookies to open the slits, flaring out the cuts. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Let sit overnight. Cook at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Have oven door slightly ajar. Stick something metal like a garlic press in the opening.

Bookclub

Just got home from a great evening with one of my bookclubs. We discussed The Shack and it seemed that of the people that read it, most liked it. There was a lot of good topics to discuss in and through this book. There are a variety of beliefs and backgrounds of people in the group and I thought it was neat to hear other people's perspective.

I finished The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein yesterday and while I am not overly fond of memoirs, this one was very well written and a fascinating story of a Jewish boy growing up in England during World War I, and how one side of the street was Jewish and the other side of the street was Christian.

I made an Antipasto Salad to share at bookclub. This is getting to be one of my signature dishes to bring to potlucks: yummy, easy to transport, good for groups. I originally got the recipe from AllRecipes.com, but have modified it.

On a totally different note, may I suggest a great website: http://www.thebricktestament.com/index.html. We have two of his books, and they are a riot. The Bible, illustrated with Lego figures. Enough said.

Antipasto Salad

2 small bags or 1 large bag of lettuce with carrots
8 ounces hard salami, julienned (you can also substitute or add pepperoni)
1.5-2 bags shredded Italian Blend cheese (or mozzarella/provolone/etc.)
2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 can pitted ripe olives , drained, halved
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Place lettuce on a large serving platter. Put salami, cheese, tomato and olives on top. In a blender, combine remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Drizzle over salad.

Expectations

Expectations. This is where I find I have the most trouble. My expectations do not always match up with reality and that is where I fall down. My attitude, my thoughts, my words, my actions, most of the time, they all go into the gutter. I need to stop myself from going down that path but I don't always know how.

On to another subject. I just finished reading the book "The Shack" for bookgroup tomorrow and I am very curious to hear what other people think. I am always wary of books that people say are must reads and seem to be the popular book of the day. I was pleasantly surprised with this book- a relatively easy read but one that had a lot of different thoughts to ponder. It is a decidedly Christian book with a unique way of presenting not only the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), but also of pointing out a different perspective than the world's point of view. Living out life according to God's priorities can seem topsy turvy compared to the world's priorities.

And, in the world of cooking, we started making Christmas cookies today. We made a double batch of Chocolate Crackle Cookies. Maria, William and I made the dough, and then Maria and William actually formed and baked the cookies. Yum!

Chocolate Crackles
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup salad oil
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 cup flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup or so of powdered sugar

Melt chocolate. Beat with sugar and oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add vanilla. Combine flour, backing powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture. Chill dough. Make small balls of dough, about 1 inch diameter. Roll spheres in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on rack.

Small Group

Tonight was our small group's Christmas Potluck, hosted at Dora and Gilbert's house. Great food and conversations. I miss going to small group. This is one area that James' has impacted our lives...he goes to sleep 6:30/7ish, so I stay home with him instead of going to small group. But I sure miss going. That is where church occurs, more so than what happens on a Sunday. Life on life, learning, praying, sharing our lives with one another....this is the body, this is church.

I made a soup for the potluck, and it was a hit. I adapted it from one of the recipes from http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/, a blog I am really enjoying and has brought the crockpot back into use again at our house.

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 pound chicken breast – frozen works
2 cups dried black beans
3 cans or 1 large container chicken broth
1 can corn, drained, or frozen corn
1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz), medium
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (to stir in at the end)
shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)

Soak the black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans. Put beans in the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element. Cover and cook on high for 9 hours.
Remove chicken and fork shred on a plate. I left the lid off while I was doing this so that it would thicken up a bit. While chicken is out, scoop out 4-5 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot. Add shredded chicken back. Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream/plain yogurt before serving. Garnish with shredded cheese, avocado slices or cilantro. This is yummy with cornbread.

Pumpkin Muffins

Last night I finished What is the What. This is an incredible story of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan and there were many things in the book that made me stop and think.

Today was playgroup for James.....it sure is fun to meet with other mom's and watch all of our little ones change and grow. I then baked 5 dozen Pumpkin Muffins for a Mom's Night Out treat exchange which I just got back from.

Pumpkin Muffins
2 cups flour (I use whole wheat flour typically)
2 cups brown sugar (I don’t pack it down)
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
2 cups pumpkin (I use 1 large can)
1 cup milk
4 eggs
2/3 cup shortening
2 more cups of flour

Grease muffin cups or place in paper liners. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and cloves. If you don’t have all the spices, do without. Or, use pumpkin pie spice instead. Add pumpkin, milk, eggs and shortening. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended. Beat on medium to high speed for two minutes. Add the remaining two cups of flour; beat until blended. Fill muffin cups ½- ¾ of the way. I use an ice-cream scoop to make it easier. Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes about 36 muffins.