Some Resources for our Advent Celebrations Past and Present

We pull from lots of different places every year to use some traditional stuff and some new stuff for our children.  Over the years we have changed our "programming" to fit the ages of our children.  We have used many children's books and children's Bibles but this year we have older children and we are doing a more mature style for them.

We read a scripture reading or two, a devotional reading from one of our books above and we sing a hymn or two.  This year we added the Christ in the Carols book to read about the hymns before we sing them.  The children always look forward to that time.  I dare say they were drawn in when they were small by the eggnog/cocoa and dessert we often share but they have grown to love the reading and time together, too.  They participate fully in the reading and lighting of candles and always have since the time they could read.

Advent started last Sunday but if you are reading an Advent devotional then most of them start today... December 1st.

Here is our list with titles and authors for each resource above and a few extra not shown.

Books Shown Above

Advent and Christmas:  Wisdom from G. K. Chesterton

The Dawning of Indestructible Joy:  Daily Readings for Advent by John Piper (On my NOOK)

The Christ of Christmas by Calvin Miller

The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren (this was a gift from last year)

Christ in the Carols:  Thirty-One Devotionals for Christmas and Advent

 by Christopher and Melodie Lane

Christ in Christmas:  A Family Advent Celebration from Focus on the Family

Great Christmas Ideas by Alice Chapin

More from my NOOK

Christmas Footprints by Todd Stiles

Finding Christmas:  Stories of Startling Joy and Perfect Peace 

by James Calvin Schaap

Devotions for Christmas:  A Celebration to Bring You Joy and Peace 

from Zondervan Publishing

Christmas Playlist:  Four Songs that Bring You to the Heart of Christmas

 by Alistair Begg

Children's Books We Have Used

The First Christmas Tree:  A Legend from Long Ago by Helen Haidle

The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado

This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar and Gary Blythe

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

Night is Coming by W. Nikola-Lisa

Who is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate

Three books in a series by Arnold Ytreeide

Bartholomew's Passage

Jotham's Journey

Tabitha's Travels

My Son, My Savior:  The Awesome Wonder of Jesus' Birth by Calvin Miller

Santa's Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki

The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs

How do you celebrate Advent?

Do you have a favorite resource?

Please feel free to share with us in the comments.  

I always love learning about new resources!

Advent Begins Tomorrow...

Some great resources I found to share...

A blog post full of resources and a free 28 day handout you can sign up to receive.  It is a great resource!

A more detailed description of the meaning behind all of the elements of the Advent Wreath.

A free resource - digital download entitled Good News of Great Joy

Scripture Writing for December Link

A December Bible Reading Plan

The Road to Christmas Study

Christmas Grasshopper Pie...

 One for the family that I made with the overflow from the one for the customer (that is why it is not as pretty... making it stretch)  LOL

and the one for the customer. 

This is basically a mint Oreo cookie crust (made from scratch), chocolate pudding (or chocolate pastry cream and whipping cream filling) and then the whipped cream topping.  There are so many variations on this but I make one without the creme de menthe for families with little kids.  The one with creme de menthe is quite yummy, though.  This pie is great for Christmas or St. Patrick's Day or any time of the year.  It is minty and chocolate.  YUM!

Slowing down a little...

Things have been a bit crazy lately... some business and more with the family.  We have been in the concert season of late.  We have been flitting from one concert and event to another with all the kiddos seasonal endeavors.  

I thought I would pop in and share a little of what I have been up to...

Thanksgiving was full of pie making and baking and there are orders for some other items for pies coming up.  I have been doing some menu planning and then there is the philanthropic side of my life.

I am sure you know... if you have been around long... that my children commission me on a regular basis, to bake for a variety of events.  I don't charge them money. LOL  So, in the past two weeks I have made cookies, a Tres Leches Cake, Sticky Gingerbread Cake, Amish breads and muffins and today I made fudge.  

I used the standard fudge recipe on the back of the marshmallow cream jar.  Nothing fancy but yummy!

All chocolate fudge with little sprinkled candies on top

The kids are taking them to teachers for class "fun" tomorrow.   

This evening I got to make my first London Broil.

It was a standard piece of Top Round that I marinaded in a balsamic vinegar and olive oil blend with garlic and pepper.  Once it was ready (two days in the fridge for us) I turned on the broiler and cooked on each side for about 5-7 minutes and served.  London Broil is served medium rare.  IT WAS AMAZING!!!  I will be doing this again.  We made it a low carb meal with veggies and a big salad made with Romaine lettuce, mandarin oranges, pecans and red onion.  I made a balsamic vinaigrette to go with.  YUM!

I am working on a plan for blogging lots more in the new year.  I am also revamping business stuff a little to focus less on catering and more on baking and personal chef endeavors.  I just love those more so that is going to be the focus.  I am still waiting to order a PC training program.... kinda pricey but I will come up with the money when I need to.

Stay tuned for quick recipes, cookbook recommendations, lots of foodie pics and menu plan ideas to bring your family to the table.  New plan coming soon...

Aunt Dorothy's Squash Dressing...

This is what we had today with our roast... I tweaked it a tiny bit by adding bell pepper and celery, too.  Here is the finished recipe with tweaks.

1 pan of basic cornbread (no sugar kind - we don't do sugar in our cornbread here)  - about 3 to 4 cups crumbled

1 stick of butter

about 1 cup of Trinity (2 parts onion to one part bell pepper and one part celery)

3 cups cooked zucchini squash (chopped small)

1 1/2 cups cream of chicken soup

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the Trinity ingredients in butter and then combine all the ingredients in a casserole dish.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees

Christmas Eve...

We are having a church gathering tonight and this is my contribution. I made the Sticky Gingerbread recipe from the Nigella Christmas Cookbook. It is FANTASTIC!!! Here are my results with it....

















This is the US measurements version...

Sticky Gingerbread
Adapted from Nigella Christmas

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons of butter
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup molasses
2/3 cup packed soft dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs, beaten to mix
2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a roasting pan or ovenproof dish (approx. 12 x 8 x 2-inches) with aluminum foil or parchment paper (if using foil, grease it too).

In a saucepan, melt the butter over a lowish heat along with the sugar, syrup, molasses, fresh and ground gingers, cinnamon and cloves.

Take off the heat, and add the milk, eggs and dissolved baking soda in its water.

Measure the flour into a bowl and pour in the liquid ingredients, beating until well mixed. It will be a very liquid batter, so don’t worry. This is part of what makes it sticky later.

Pour it into the prepared pan and bake for 45–60 minutes until risen and firm on top. Try not to overcook, as it is nicer a little stickier, and anyway will carry on cooking as it cools.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the gingerbread cool in the pan before cutting into 20 squares, or however you wish to slice it.

Optional: Combine 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and one tablespoon of water. Then spread over the top of the cold slab of gingerbread. You can also add a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

This is SO YUM!!!  It is the second recipe I made from her book.  The first one was the Christmas Granola...




Also a TOTAL winner!!!

Ingredients:
8oz/225g rolled oats (not instant)
2oz/60g sunflower seeds
2oz/60g white sesame seeds
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup runny honey
¼ cup light brown sugar
2oz/60g whole natural almonds (did not use)
2oz/60g blanched almonds (I substituted pecans because that is what I had)
½ tsp Maldon salt or pinch of table salt
1 tbsp sunflower, rapeseed or grapeseed oil (I used canola oil here)
5oz/150g (2-2 ½ cups) dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 330°F/170°C.

2. Line a large shallow baking sheet (with rim) with aluminum foil

3. Mix everything except the cranberries in a large bowl. Easiest to use two spatulas to blend the sticky mixture.

4. Place the mixture on the prepared pan and spread evenly. Turn with a spatula half-way through the baking process. As Nigella says “the object is to get the granola evenly golden without toasting too much”.

5. Let it cool completely (remove the foil from the hot baking sheet) before tossing with cranberries.

Store in an airtight container.

Sweet Treats...

I have been baking a little more and making a few more things for fun now that I am out of school until the middle of January. We have had biscuits, muffins, some home cooked dinners as a family more and today we made a bit of candy. Today we made some peanut butter chocolate truffles and almond bark candy. I was going to try to make some Turkish Delight but I have no rose water and no rose petals to make it with. I will check with my MIL and see if she has some that made it through the recent freeze. I am putting together a cake for tomorrow night's Christmas Eve service at church, too. It has been busy with sewing and wrapping and keeping kids busy since school has been out. Here is a sampling...






















TRUFFLES!!!

Teacher gifts...

We worked on cookies and candies for the kids teachers yesterday. We made a cranberry pistachio biscotti, a Mexican wedding cookie and sugar cookies along with some little candies using a Wilton candy making kit. My daughter helped with the process. Here are a few pictures and a recipe for you.

Here is the biscotti. Both this cookie and the Mexican Wedding cookie recipe are from Mary Engelbreit's Cookies Cookbook: The Queen's Best Recipes. It is a great little book! :)

This was our first try at candy making and they turned out great! :)

Mexican Wedding Cookies

1 cup pecans or walnuts (about 4 ounces) chopped fine
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus additional sifted confectioners' sugar for coating at the end
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let the nuts cool, then finely chop. (I use a food processor for this)
3. In a medium bowl, toss the flour with the nuts and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture.
5. Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 16 minutes, or until lightly colored. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then roll while warm in confectioners' sugar. Place the cookies on wire racks to cool completely, then generously roll the cookies again in confectioners' sugar.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Kid Friendly...

While I love making a homemade gingerbread house sometimes there is some relief in knowing you can pick one up and put it together in a matter of an hour or so with the kids in a pinch. My kids love this little Wilton Gingerbread House kit and they can pretty much do the whole thing by themselves while I just snap pictures. They did one this morning....

Everything is pre-baked and the candy and frosting mix is included. I tend to think they do not give you enough Royal Icing mix and I often have to make a little more.

We add our own touch with making the roof using Frosted Shredded Wheat cereal. Sometimes we buy extra candy, too but this year we just used the above.

Royal Icing is the glue and here is my daughter putting the roof on.

Adding the candy

My husband came in and added a little "tree" to it. LOL Somehow asparagus just does not fit here! ;)

Boy Scout Snacking...

We recently had our Popcorn fund raiser. I love the Kettle Corn microwaveable popcorn that I get through them. Nearly every kernel pops with their product and I love that, too. So, tonight, after a very long day of working and driving and just being with people we are settling in to watch an old Spaghetti Western called DJango and we are enjoying some Kettle Corn Popcorn and hot tea with it. Now, that is crunchy and culinary and just plain YUM!!!



Thought I would also share a fun link for you if you are looking for some Christmas baking recipes for goodies and snacks. Northpole.com has been a staple in our holiday baking search for recipe every year. There are classic candy recipes and lots of new things to try, too.

Check out Mrs. Santa's Kitchen Cookbook

Sugar Cookies...

This is a standard recipe from my reliable Betty Crocker Cookbook (1987) that I got when I got married from Dan's cousin... Etamarie... I use it quite often.

Here is the recipe I am doing today with our Tiger Cubs for our Christmas party.

Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup margarine or butter softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
Granulated sugar for topping (I also buy colored sugar sprinkles or use other sprinkles for this)

Mix powdered sugar, margarine or butter, vanilla, almond extract and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients which have been sifted together before adding except for the granulated sugar (remember it is for the top right before baking). Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours before using.

Makes a bit of a crumbly dough but then I work it into a ball and flatten to refrigerate.


Heat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough into halves. Roll each half 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth covered board. I often do not have a cloth so I just use parchment paper. Cut into desired shapes with 2 to 2 1/2 inch cookie cutters; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake until edges are light brown, 7 to 8 minutes or so. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

We rolled it out, cut the shapes and then decorated...

Got a picture of the finished cookies and the boys but without permissions I won't put it here...

I will try to get a picture tomorrow night of just the cookies before we serve them. This was SO MUCH fun!!!

Christmas Around the World...

I love to research other cultures. It fascinates me to see how many of our foods around the world in so many different cultures are so similar. I try to do recipes from around the world especially at Christmas time to show my children how others celebrate the season. One of my most favorite books I have found for this is one of Darina Allen's cookery books.

I am finished with school as of this coming Thursday night so I hope to share some of what we are doing in the kitchen for the week or so before Christmas. Food makes learning so much more fun at my house. I hope you will join me and cook and bake up some fun for your kiddos in the kitchen this season. :)

Foodie Projects for December...

Things we want to do this month in our Holiday Kitchen...


Make divinity - this was something my great grandmother and great aunt did and I will share this with you when we get there

Yule Log
Gingerbread House


Christmas Cookies from Around the World

Kitchen Gifts for Friends and Family


and a few new things we have not tried before... :) Stay tuned!

Child friendly Christmas Eve Celebration...

It is just the six of us tonight. We range in age from 42 to 3 so we had to make stuff everyone could have. I got a little inspiration from my friend Cheri and a few things from around the house. We got out a tablecloth that I made about 10 years ago and a table runner a friend gave us. I dragged out the gold charger plates, a few snacks and some fancier Christmas dishes that don't get much use and we celebrate...



What are we celebrating? Jesus Birthday... of course! :) We are watching the Nativity Story and eating our treats and drinking cocoa and just being together to celebrate our Lord! We celebrate Advent in our home... that is what the candles are for.


May you have a blessed Christmas with your family and friends and may you use the good dishes and eat the fun food and just be families but most of all, remember why we do this... a man named Jesus came to live among the human race and to live His life sinlessly and then to die for the human race. Do you know Him? I pray on Christmas that you think about that great love... and know that there is more. There is more than Santa and more than presents and more than food and more than playing and football games and parades...

there is Eternal Life in a little baby that came for us... for you.

His name is Jesus!

Have the Merriest of Days this Christmas Season!!!

Much Love,

~Leann

December Daring Baker's Challenge... Yule Love It!!!

The Daring Bakers can be found here... there are lots of links to lots of bakers and you can see all the monthly challenge results by visiting the sites there as well as coming here. :) On with the challenge!!!

Well, at least my family loved it!!! LOL

Ok, so that was bad! LOL I have been out of commission for two months due to pending surgery but I had the surgery and have been in the kitchen today taxing myself a bit but it was for a very good cause. We have our annual Christmas party at church tomorrow night and I decided this little cake would fit the bill for my contribution.



Here is what I did...

I made the Genoise Cake

Plain Genoise:

3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
¾ cup of sugar
½ cup cake flour - spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off (also known as cake & pastry flour)
¼ cup cornstarch

one 10 x 15 inch jelly-roll pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper and then buttered again

1.Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

2.Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water is simmering.

3.Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm, about 100 degrees if you have a thermometer (or test with your finger - it should be warm to the touch).

4.Attach the bowl to the mixer and, with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled (touch the outside of the bowl to tell) and tripled in volume. The egg foam will be thick and will form a slowly dissolving ribbon falling back onto the bowl of whipped eggs when the whisk is lifted.

5.While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour and cornstarch.

6.Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.

7.Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

8.Bake the genoise for about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the cake doesn’t overbake and become too dry or it will not roll properly.


9.While the cake is baking, begin making the buttercream.

10.Once the cake is done (a tester will come out clean and if you press the cake lightly it will spring back), remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack.



Coffee Buttercream:

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
24 tablespoons (3 sticks or 1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons rum or brandy

1.Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2.Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Dissolve the instant coffee in the liquor and beat into the buttercream.



Filling and frosting the log:

1.Run a sharp knife around the edges of the genoise to loosen it from the pan.

2.Turn the genoise layer over (unmolding it from the sheet pan onto a flat surface) and peel away the paper.


3.Carefully invert your genoise onto a fresh piece of parchment paper.

4.Spread with half the coffee buttercream (or whatever filling you’re using).



5.Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake into a tight cylinder.



6.Transfer back to the baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours.

Shamelessly showing you the inside of my NEW refrigeratore!!! :)

7.Unwrap the cake. Trim the ends on the diagonal, starting the cuts about 2 inches away from each end.



8.Position the larger cut piece on each log about 2/3 across the top.

9.Cover the log with the reserved buttercream, making sure to curve around the protruding stump.



10.Streak the buttercream with a fork or decorating comb to resemble bark.



11.Transfer the log to a platter and decorate with your mushrooms and whatever other decorations you’ve chosen.

Meringue Mushrooms:

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup (3-1/2 ounces/105 g.) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (1-1/3 ounces/40 g.) icing sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

1.Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Have ready a pastry bag fitted with a small (no. 6) plain tip. In a bowl, using a mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until very foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar while beating. Increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Continue until the whites hold stiff, shiny peaks. Sift the icing sugar over the whites and, using a rubber spatula, fold in until well blended.



2.Scoop the mixture into the bag. On one baking sheet, pipe 48 stems, each ½ inch (12 mm.) wide at the base and tapering off to a point at the top, ¾ inch (2 cm.) tall, and spaced about ½ inch (12 mm.) apart. On the other sheet, pipe 48 mounds for the tops, each about 1-1/4 inches (3 cm.) wide and ¾ inch (2 cm.) high, also spaced ½ inch (12 mm.) apart. With a damp fingertip, gently smooth any pointy tips. Dust with cocoa. Reserve the remaining meringue.

3.Bake until dry and firm enough to lift off the paper, 50-55 minutes. Set the pans on the counter and turn the mounds flat side up. With the tip of a knife, carefully make a small hole in the flat side of each mound. Pipe small dabs of the remaining meringue into the holes and insert the stems tip first. Return to the oven until completely dry, about 15 minutes longer. Let cool completely on the sheets.



4.Garnish your Yule Log with the mushrooms.