The Gifts of Christmas

18 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by Lori @ Tasteful Blessings in Sweets

Tags

chocolate dipped pretzels, christmas gifts, food gifts, hope, Jesus, Joy, love, peace, pecan brittle, peppermint bark, pumpkin bread

Everyone loves a gift of food! If you don’t know what else to give someone – give them a foodie gift. People appreciate the thoughtfulness, time, and love put into homemade goodies.

It’s not too late to make some simple and delicious food gifts for your friends and family! I’ve come up with some easy recipes you can make quickly. These are some of my favorites to eat and to make. They are also fun to do with kids!

Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods are always a favorite!

Pecan Brittle is good for some one who doesn’t like something too sweet!

Mini Pumpkin Bread is so moist!

Peppermint Bark with crushed candy canes is the flavor of the season!

There are many special gifts we receive this time of year. But none are as special or important as the gifts of Jesus. I recently did a worship service for the residents of a local nursing home and shared a simple message with them, and I would like to share it with you too!

What IS Christmas?

Seems like an obvious question. In our society there are 2 types of Christmas – there is the Christmas with Santa and the Christmas with Jesus, and we celebrate both.

In both celebrations there are gifts and there is an element of Believing. In both, it is a time of anticipation and celebration – a time with your family and friends, fun activities, singing, and gatherings with food and gifts. Joyful and exciting.

Santa brings gifts and you have to “Believe” so when you wake up on Christmas morning you will find gifts under the tree. As children, we eventually learn that Santa isn’t real, and doesn’t bring the gifts. It was disappointing – remember when you found out that Santa was really Mom and Dad?? Ugh what a let down.

That is not the case with Jesus – He is Real! And He does bring gifts – gifts that are everlasting! His gifts will continue and He will not let you down!

Jesus brings the gift of:

Joy – that feeling of happiness and elation

Hope – just knowing there is so much more than this temporary life on earth – there is blessed eternity

Peace – the feeling of calmness and serenity; security

Love – the gift of kindness and compassion, hugs and kisses, understanding and a smile, and so much more!

These gifts don’t break, they don’t get old, or too small or worn out, they don’t get put away or thrown away. The gifts of Jesus are eternal!

Dear Friends, receive the gifts of Jesus this year and BELIEVE in Him! You don’t have to go anywhere or do anything special to receive them. Just open your hearts to Him. His gifts will be with us and will remain with us forever.

What is Christmas? Christmas is Jesus – son of God, a miracle sent from Heaven

Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

Melt 6 ozs of almond bark or candy melts in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Heat for another 30 seconds. Stir and microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir until completely melted. Dip pretzel rods into melted candy and coat with your favorite toppings such as sprinkles, nuts, crushed candy canes, etc. Place on tray until set.

Pecan Brittle

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups pecan halves or cashews

1 tsp butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

In a greased 2 qt bowl cook sugar, corn syrup, and salt on High 2-3 minutes until boiling. Cook 4 minutes. Stir in nuts, butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Cook 2 minutes. Immediately, stir in baking soda until light and foamy. Quickly, pour onto a greased cookie sheet; spread. Cool and break into pieces. Makes 1 pound.

Mini Pumpkin Breads

3 cups flour

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp baking power

1-16oz can pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup chopped nuts

2/3 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour four 6x3x2 inch baking pans

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, salt , cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and baking powder. Add pumpkin, oil, eggs, nuts, and raisins. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture is smooth. Pour into prepared pans.

3. Bake for about 45 minutes (I started checking at 35 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

4. Wrap in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil, and store overnight for better slicing, if desired.

* I didn’t add any nuts or raisins to my recipe. Also, this can be made into 2 regular 9x5x3 size loaves. Increase flour to 3 1/2 cups and sugar to 2 cups and the baking time to 60 minutes.

Peppermint Bark (courtesy of Pampered Chef)

3 candy canes, crushed

10oz of chocolate almond bark or chocolate candy melts

10oz of vanilla almond bark or vanilla candy melts

1 tsp peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Crush candy canes in a large resealable bag. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Melt chocolate bark for 1/1/2 minutes. Stir until melted. Microwave more if necessary. Add peppermint extract. Stir well until mixed.

3. Melt vanilla bark for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir until melted. Microwave more if necessary.

4. Drop alternating scoops of chocolate and vanilla in rows onto a sheet pan about 11×7 size. Make sure the scoops are connected to each other in the pan. Using a knife, pull through across the chocolate and vanilla to create a swirl/marble effect. Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes.

4. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or until bark is set. Lift parchment and bark from pan. Break into pieces.

Enjoy!!!

Christmas Blessings to all!!!

~Lori

Cookie Baking Time!

08 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by Lori @ Tasteful Blessings in Sweets

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

angel, baking, blessings, christmas, cookies, Jesus, Joy, sand tarts

This weekend was the 2nd Annual Cookie Baking Event at my house! My niece and I made several different kinds of cookies together. It is always such a delightful time, as we prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ!

We made our families cookie recipes – ones that have been passed down through the generations – made by our mothers and grandmothers. We made the buttery, thin and crisp, rolled-out Sand Tarts, the soft cake-like Sugar Cookies, rich and sweet Pecan Balls, and the typical but all-time favorite, soft and chewy Chocolate Chip cookies.

Family is a blessing, and it is such a joy to share the tradition of making cookies together at Christmas time. But it is more than just baking cookies, it is a time of bonding, reminiscing about the past, looking forward to the future, sharing the love of our Lord, and discussing the importance our faith has in our lives. There is as much talking going on as there is baking! Just ask our husbands!

Soft Sugar Cookies

Sand Tarts – our grandma’s recipe

Pecan Balls – lots of butter and finely chopped pecans, first step, baked in the oven…

then rolled in confectioner’s sugar, twice

The joy of this event, led me to the verse below from the book of Luke 2:10.

“But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people”

This is what an angel said to the shepherds in the field on the night of Jesus’ birth. The good news is JESUS – who brings joy to ALL people!

I hope in this season of such busyness, sometimes stressfulness, and maybe illness or even sadness, you can find the great JOY of our Lord in moments throughout your day. Whether it is when you are shopping, at holiday events, family and friend gatherings, or baking cookies together! Think of Jesus and believe in Him! The greatest gift we can receive is in the mystery and wonder of the Holy Child sent from our Father in Heaven. He brings us joy, and He is the reason for celebrating Christmas!

The Angel

Happy Cookie Baking!

Blessings,

~Lori

Grandma’s Sand Tarts

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 egg white

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar until creamy; add eggs. Beat for 2 minutes. Add vanilla. Mix in salt and flour until a dough forms and all ingredients are incorporated. Form dough into a ball and chill for several hours. Remove dough from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough until VERY thin. Cut out with your favorite cookie cutters. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with colored sugar, or cinnamon sugar, and/or finely chopped peanuts. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Makes 8-10 dozen

Other recipes available upon request. Just let me know!

Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup

02 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Lori @ Tasteful Blessings in Dinners

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

advent, creamy, grateful, noodle soup, soup, Thanksgiving, thyme, turkey

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends and enjoyed a delicious meal together!

Now that it is has passed, if you were the lucky one to cook the big bird – what do you do with the turkey leftovers??

At our house, after we’ve eaten the next day meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy, and made a few turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce, I usually make soup! There is still a lot of turkey left on the carcass – you would be surprised! Don’t throw it away! There are about 2-3 more additional meals you can create with what is left. Grab your biggest pot and I will show you how.

Toss the remaining picked-apart bird into a big pot and fill with water – enough to just about cover the whole carcass. Bring it to a boil and cook on a simmer for about 2 hours. You can add an onion (with the skin, this gives is color), a few carrots, and some celery pieces plus the leaves, a bay leaf, salt and pepper. I brined my turkey this year with salt and seasonings so I didn’t have to add anything additional to the water. There was already so much flavor in the bones. See the rich color of the broth below?

After a few hours of simmering, I turned it off and let it cool. Then I removed all the bones onto a platter and strained the remaining broth into another big pot. This made about 8 quarts of broth. I cooled the broth in the refrigerator, and separated the turkey meat from all the bones. I ended up with an entire plate piled high of turkey meat – mostly dark but some white too! This was A LOT! You could make ANY recipe that called for cooked chicken and substitute it with the cooked turkey – such as turkey enchiladas, turkey pot pies, turkey stir fry, turkey and dumplings, turkey and stuffing casserole, etc,!!

When I make my soup, I sauté the onions, celery, and carrots and ground thyme in butter and olive oil until they are soft. Because this is a creamy soup, I added a few tablespoons of flour to help thicken it. I add the broth and bring it to a boil. When it is boiling, I add the noodles until they are cooked – about 8 minutes. Then add the turkey and the cream. This recipe is the ultimate in comfort soup! The savory thyme mixed with the richness of the cream is heavenly. As my son describes it, “it is diabolical!” I made a batch of creamy chicken noodle soup a few weeks prior and it was such a hit that I couldn’t make the traditional turkey noodle soup without making it the “creamy” version. As the days are consistently getting colder, this soup will surely warm you to the bones!

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with grateful hearts” Colossians 3:16

As we move from this season of thanksgiving into the Advent season, I’m trying to remember to always be grateful for all that the Lord has blessed me with. It is so easy to oversee many of the blessings in our lives, and even easier to see what we don’t have! I am so grateful for what and WHO God has provided in my life! But I need to be mindful and make myself aware each day. So, I’m going to write down 3 things everyday until Christmas day of what or who I am grateful for. Will you join me?

As St. Paul told the Colossians, we should fill our lives with the Word of our Lord and all his wisdom! And sing psalms and songs to Him with grateful hearts!

May all the richness of His Word and the richness of this creamy turkey noodle soup fill you up and make you grateful!

Blessings,

~Lori

Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp ground thyme

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp. flour

4 qts of turkey stock (if you didn’t make your own stock, you can use 4-32oz of store bought turkey or chicken broth, I promise, I won’t be upset with you!)

1/2 bag of 12oz egg noodles

2 cups of cooked and chopped/shredded turkey meat

1/2 pint of heavy cream

Directions:

Saute onions, carrots, and celery in the butter and olive oil until soft. Add thyme, salt, pepper and the flour. Mix ingredients around, it should resemble a paste. Slowly add and whisk the turkey broth to incorporate with the flour paste, and bring to a boil. It should thicken up a little bit. When the broth is boiling, add the noodles and boil for about 8-10 minutes. Turn the heat down so it is no longer boiling. Add the cooked turkey and cream. Mix together. Serve with a salad and warm bread!