How Many Kings

This has been my favorite song this Christmas season, by the band Downhere. I've been listening to their Christmas cd in my car since sometime in October, and I haven't grown tired of it yet.

Tonight, Christmas Eve, I've been meditating on the Christmas story, and the words of this song keep playing through my head. I can't help but ask, what did I, or any of us do to deserve Jesus?

Wow.

I'm so very humbled.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Twists

Yesterday I baked some Christmas cookies using a recipe I haven't made in several years: Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Twists. Little chocolate pretzel shaped cookies, dipped in a chocolate glaze and sprinkled with crushed peppermint. It doesn't get much more Christmassy than this. They are a little time consuming, but worth the work. I can also tell you from experience that they're really good for breakfast.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Twists
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix butter, shortening, powdered sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in flour, cocoa, and salt. Knead a level Tbsp of dough with hands until right consistency for molding. Roll into pencil-like strips about 9" long. Twist into pretzel shape and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake until set about 8-9 minutes. Let stand 1-2 minutes before removing from cookie sheet; cool. Dip tops of cookies into chocolate glaze. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint.

Chocolate Glaze
Heat 2 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate and 2 Tbsp butter over low heat until melted. Remove from heat. Beat in 2 cups of powdered sugar and 3-4 Tbsp water until smooth and of desired consistency.

The Night Before Christmas

The Christmas Story

Love Has Come - Matt Maher

With one voice the Angels sing;
songs that make creation ring
Prophets hear and call us
to live in spirit and in truth

Father Yahweh, Elohim;
voice of thunder, spirit wind
Breathe on me your very life;
Grace will make the darkness bright

Word of God enthroned,
dwell in us forevermore;
Love has come to show the way
Hallelujah, peace be with us
Love has come to show the way

God of covenant divine,
lead us to the end of time
Beyond sorrow, beyond fear;
beyond pride and earthen tears

Word of God enthroned,
dwell in us forevermore;
Love has come to show the way
Hallelujah, peace be with us
Love has come to show the way

Keeper of the sacrifice,
manifest in Jesus Christ
Born to die and wake the dead
As we hunger, keep us fed

Now salvation has come
in the New Jerusalem
Dancers dance and singers roar;
proclaiming Jesus Christ is Lord

Word of God enthroned,
dwell in us forevermore;
Love has come to show the way
Hallelujah, peace be with us
Love has come to show the way

Word of God enthroned,
dwell in us forevermore;
Love has come to show the way
Hallelujah, peace be with us
Love has come to show the way

A Flavor Explosion!

My mom introduced me to this appetizer around this time last year, and it has fast become one of my favorites.

There are a lot of different ways to make this, google it and you'll see what I mean, but this recipe suits my tastes just fine. It's really easy to make - there's no cooking, only chopping involved. I've modified it a little from the original recipe my mom uses. Here's how it goes:

Cranberry-Jalapeno Relish
1 bag of cranberries
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
zest and juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 bunch of cilantro
1/2 cup sugar
cream cheese
crackers

Finely chop up the cranberries, jalapeno, and cilantro in a food processor. Stir in the lime zest, lime juice, and sugar. Chill for a couple of hours to let the flavors meld, then serve on crackers topped with cream cheese.

Mmmm. Super delicious and flavorful.

Notes: Instead of making up individual crackers for an appetizer tray, this can also be served by pouring the cranberry relish over the cream cheese with the crackers on the side. I've also made this with frozen cranberries, and it comes out just as well as with the fresh. You can also add more or less of any of the ingredients. I really cut back on the cilantro since a little of that flavor goes a long way with me. If you want it spicier or sweeter add more jalapenos or sugar.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bon Appetit

A week ago my sister was here for a visit. We had a fantastic time together. I'm still sad that she had to leave.

Because she lives two time zones away and daylight saving time ended the day she came and the fact that we are Weltons, we got up really early while she was here. Like between 3:30 and 4:00 in the morning early.

One of those early mornings, we watched the movie Julie and Julia. All that cooking got me in the mood to bake, so I headed into the kitchen and mixed up a batch of apple cheddar scones. They were quite yummy and made a nice breakfast for us that morning and the next couple of days. 

Give these a try, they would be perfect for a Thanksgiving morning breakfast. Now, in the words of Julia Child, "Bon Appetit."

Apple Cheddar Scones

 

3 cups flour

1/2 cup + 1 tsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

6 Tbsp cold butter, cut up

1 cup buttermilk

2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

4 oz grated, sharp cheddar cheese

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until it becomes coarse crumbs. With fork, stir in buttermilk, apple, and cheese just until mixture forms a dough. Knead 6-7 times. Pat into circle and cut into wedges. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with remaining tsp of sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown but not soft in center.

 

Notes: I used granny smith apples and Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar. It seemed like a perfect combination. They got better the longer they sat, so don't be worried by the fact that this recipe makes A LOT. Also, the scones were huge. If you want them smaller the dough could easily be made into two smaller circles to make smaller scones. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly.  

Deck the Halls

This video totally made my morning. Tenth Avenue North and their version of  Deck the Halls.

Snow day...and cookies!!!

It's a beautiful, snowy day. This is the view from my front window earlier this morning.

Luckily, I've been able to stay cozy and warm indoors, although I have plans for a little snow traipsing later this afternoon. Here is what I did with my morning.

What is that yummy-looking deliciousness? How about caramel-stuffed apple cider cookies. 

These are amazing. I'm so glad I baked them. Now if only I could stop eating them.

I found the recipe on a food blog called The Cooking Photographer. Click here for the recipe. If you like caramel apples, I guarantee you'll love these.

To Autumn...

I've been a little busy the past couple of weeks and have not spent nearly enough time outdoors enjoying the fall, so I made a point of finding time today to go walking by the river. It is beautiful out...the kind of day I wish we could have year round.

The cold and snow we had last week did a number on the colors, but brown can be pretty too. I was thinking of going all Keats on everyone and writing an ode to fall, but I think I will just let my pictures do the talking instead. Enjoy.

Java

I heard this song on the radio the other day and was reminded of this muppet sketch. I never get tired of watching it. It makes me laugh.

Six by Lloyd Alexander

Over the past couple of months I read the six books in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydian series.

The books are: The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, The High King, and The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydian.

The books were written in the 1960s and are loosely based on ancient Welsh legends. I chose to read them because The High King won the Newbery Award in 1969, and The Black Cauldron was named a Newbery Honor Book a few years before.

The books are best read as a set, although if the reader doesn't mind missing out on some background they can be read singly. This series is full of memorable characters who are, to name a few, kings, princesses, war lords, bards, enchanters, hags, fair folk, gardeners, pig-keepers, and a harry little creature named Gurgi. Each book centers around a battle of good vs. evil, and as the stories progress, the characters become stronger, braver, and more skilled because of their past experiences.

I usually don't read fantasy books and wasn't sure I would like these, but once I got used to the silly names and into the plot, I ended up finding them to be quite enjoyable and memorable.

After reading The Black Cauldron I watched Disney's version. The first two-thirds of the movie combine The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron and then I don't know where they got the ending. It's a fun movie in a creepy sort of way, but not at all for small children even though it's Disney and a cartoon.

Friends are friends forever...

Last weekend I headed up to Greeley for a concert featuring Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith who are traveling together on their 2 Friends Tour.

I have literally been a fan of Amy Grant for as long as I can remember. Her first albums came out around the time I was born. My mom had them on vinyl, and we listened often.

I didn't get into Michael W. Smith's music until a little later. I was nine or ten years old and my mom bought my sister and me one of his records. I had no idea at the time who Michael W. Smith was, but I remember thinking that I was pretty cool and grown up because I had a "rock and roll" album.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this concert. I haven't really kept up with either of their newer music, but I was hopeful that they would sing a few of their older songs. And they didn't disappoint on that. Almost the whole concert was a trip down memory lane.

Part of the concert they sang together and some was solo, although it seemed like Amy was on the stage more than Michael. Some of the highlights for me were Amy and Michael performing Angels Watching Over Me,  Emmanuel from the Christmas albums, Sing Your Praise to the Lord, and a group sing along with Thy Word.

Also, Amy's solo, just her and her guitar, of El Shaddai and Michael's performance of Rocketown made my night.

It was a really neat concert, even though they ended it by singing Friends, (seriously I wish that song would go away), and I'm glad I had the opportunity to go.

*These pictures aren't mine. We weren't allowed to take pictures during the concert, so I stole these from Amy's facebook page.

Caramelized Sugar Cookies

I'm sad to say that sugar cookies are probably my least favorite cookie. I'll eat them if I have to, but I don't usually go out of my way to find them.

However, today I found and tried a recipe for caramelized sugar cookies, and I must say that they are pretty tasty.

The recipe is a little time consuming, but very easy at the same time. Here is the recipe, adapted from Sunset Magazine's website.

Caramelized Sugar Cookies
1 cup sugar (divided)
3/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Melt 1/2 cup of sugar until light golden in color (about 6 minutes). Pour onto a buttered piece of foil set on a baking sheet. Let stand until hard (about 5 minutes). Break into chunks then smash into 1/8"-1/4" pieces.

Beat butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until well blended. Beat in 2 Tbsp water and vanilla until smooth. Mix flour and baking powder. Stir into butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in crushed caramel. Drop dough in 1 1/2 tsp portions on greased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes 55 cookies. (I only got 36).

Notes: 1. I crushed my caramel in a mini chopper and it worked fine. 2. The 2 Tbsp water seemed to make the dough a little loose, so I added an extra 1/4 cup of flour. I might try it next time without the water to see if it is absolutely necessary. 3. Greasing the cookie sheets well is crucial - that caramel really sticks! Parchment or a silpat would be even better. 4. Enjoy!

Welcome, Fall!

I came across this quotation today which perfectly represents my sentiments about fall.

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. 
~George Eliot

The Patron Saint of Butterflies

My aunt recommended this book to me, and I'm glad she did.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante is the story of Honey and Agnes: two girls raised on a religious commune called Mount Blessing and ruled by a man who calls himself Emmanuel. Agnes lives with her parents and younger brother Benny, while Honey, who was abandoned there by her mother, lives with a slow-witted man who is the groundskeeper and teaches her to love butterflies.

While from the outside life at commune may seem idyllic, behind closed doors, abuse at the hands of Emmanuel is rampant.

Through a series of events, Agnes and Benny's grandmother who happens to be visiting (although she is not really welcome) finally realizes what is going on and underhandedly removes Agnes, Benny and Honey from Mount Blessing.

Honey is more than happy to leave, but Agnes fights the plan with all she has. As a result, Agnes and Honey are forced to come to terms with many things, including their identities, beliefs, and friendship.

At times reading this book was frustrating. The people at the commune were so brainwashed at the hands of Emmanuel. I just wanted to shake them and them to "wake up!"

Luckily things are happier and mostly resolved by the end.

This is a really fascinating read. Check it out.

She is too fond of books...

Every year around this time, a library near my house has a used book sale that I absolutely love. I've been known to buy way too many books (is that possible?) at this sale, so when I headed over this morning, I only took 20 dollars with me.

I had lots of fun looking through the stacks of books. There was so much I wanted, but I had to be choosy. When I left I had 15 books and 3 dollars in my pocket - they gave me a deal at the checkout. Otherwise I wouldn't have had any money left.

Here is what I ended up with. From the top of the stack down.

- A nice paperback copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Now I can carry it around with me and get serious about memorizing Jabberwocky.

- Three Roald Dahl books to add to my Roald Dahl book collection: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, The Magic Finger, and The Enormous Crocodile.

- The Happy Hocky Family by Lane Smith. This is possibly the funniest children's book I have ever read. I hadn't thought of it for a long time, but now I own my own copy!

- An ugly on the outside, but pretty on the inside copy of A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.

- Susanna Clarke's massive novel Jonathan Strange  & Mr Norrell.

- The Host by Stepehnie Meyer. Lame, I know, but I've wanted to read it for awhile, and it was only a buck.

- One Thousand Poems for Children - I might find a few things to memorize from this one, too.

- Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie by Bill Neal - Obviously a cookbook. I plan on trying all the biscuit recipes ASAP.

- The Margaret Rudkin Pepperidge Farm Cookbook. This is an old one and will be fun to read, but I think I won't be making much from it. Just flipping through one section, I see recipes called: A Squid Dish for Days of Abstinence, Fish Pie, Veal Toots, Frog Legs, and Duck with Cabbage...anyone hungry yet?

- Another cookbook called Capital Classics put out by the Junior League of Washington. It is full of beautiful photography, but a lot the recipes seem kind of hoity toity. I guess that's the way they eat in Washington D.C.

- I found 2 music books. A piano/songbook with all the songs from Mary Poppins and a song cycle by Leonard Bernstein called I Hate Music! Fun.

- Lastly is a book called Christmas From the Heart of the Home by Susan Branch which is full of recipes and festive ideas for Christmas.

I think I did pretty well with my selections. Now I'm off to stick my nose in a book. Happy reading!

Late Have I Loved You

~ from St. Augustine's Confessions.

 

Late have I loved you,

O Beauty ever ancient,

ever new,

late have I loved you! 

 

You were within me,

but I was outside,

and it was there

that I searched for you. 

 

In my unloveliness

I plunged into the lovely things

which you created. 

You were with me,

but I was not with you. 

 

Created things kept me from you;

yet if they had not been in you

they would not have been at all. 

 

You called,

you shouted,

and you broke through my deafness. 

 

You flashed,

you shone,

and you dispelled my blindness. 

 

You breathed your fragrance on me;

I drew in breath

and now I pant for you. 

I have tasted you,

now I hunger and thirst for more. 

 

You touched me,

and I burned for your peace.

Chocolate Chip Bars

I've never been a huge fan of baking bar cookies, mostly because you get so many more if you drop them instead, and as you can see from the picture, I have a really hard time cutting them evenly.

However, I came across this recipe and wanted to give it a try. I was a bit intrigued by it since there is no baking soda or eggs or any other type of leavening.

It's a super easy and quick recipe to make, and I was happy with the results. So happy, in fact, that I had one for breakfast everyday last week. The texture of the bars ended up being like a sandie or shortbread. The recipe is definitely a keeper.

Chocolate Chip Bars

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt (this wasn't in the original recipe, but I thought it would be better with a little salt)

1-2 cups chocolate chips

Mix everything together. Press into a greased 12x8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool before cutting into squares. Makes approximately 24 bars.

Two by Lesley M. M. Blume

I recently read two young adult books by Lesley M. M.  Blume. The first was so enjoyable, that I promptly headed down to the library after finishing it to see what else I could find by her.

The first one I read is called Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters. It is the story of Cornelia Street Englehart, a lonely and misunderstood 11-year old, who lives in Greenwich Village. Her mother and father are divorced and are also both world-class concert pianists, which leaves Cornelia to be raised by a housekeeper, feeling left out and alone.

One day someone new moves Cornelia's building, and through a series of events, she meets and befriends the new tenants: an elderly woman named Virginia Sommerset, her servant/companion Patel, and a French bulldog called Mr. Kinyatta.

Virginia is a writer by trade and she regales Cornelia with stories from her past - describing the wild adventures she and her three sisters had together while traveling around the world to exotic places like Morocco and India when they were young.

Because of their friendship, Cornelia begins to come out of her shell, make friends, and become closer with her mother. A very sweet book.

The second book I read is called The Rising Star of Rusty Nail. This one takes place in the early 1950s in the small, sleepy town of Rusty Nail, Minnesota.

10-year old Franny Hansen is somewhat of a piano prodigy. Unfortunately, she has learned all she can from the town's only piano teacher, but her parents can't afford to send her out of town for lessons. Then, seemingly out of the blue, a Russian woman arrives in town, and Franny soon discovers that she knows a lot about music. In fact, she is the famed Russian pianist Madame Malenkov.

Franny is able to talk Madame Malenkov into giving her piano lessons in exchange for doing chores around the house, but this is met with opposition from the townspeople who see her [Madame Malenkov] as a "commie" and even start a club denouncing her around town.

Franny and Madame Malenkov hold their heads high, and eventually they are able to overcome the town's prejudices and rivalries and follow their individual dreams. This one is not quite as good as Cornelia, but enjoyable all the same. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Morning English Muffin Bread

I wanted to make bread this morning, and decided on English Muffin Bread. It's so easy and quick to make due to the fact that there is no kneading, and it only rises once. This recipe is similar to what you can get in the store, but better, especially toasted with a little butter and jam spread on it.

Morning English Muffin Bread

2 pkgs yeast

5 3/4 cups flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1/2 cup water

*cornmeal for sprinkling

Grease two bread pans well and sprinkle with cornmeal. Combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Heat the milk and water together until very warm (120-130 degrees). Add mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the remaining 2 3/4 cups flour to make a stiff batter. Spread the tops with corn meal. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool on a wire rack.

* I use flour instead of cornmeal because I don't really like cornmeal - I don't put any in the bottom of the pans, just on top to help spread out the dough. For a variation you can add 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup of raisins. Also, I always increase this recipe by half  to get larger loaves - it's better that way. 

Here's my breakfast: toasted English Muffin Bread with homemade cherry jam from my mom. Yum!  

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!!!

My birthday was last week. I won't mention how old I am because I'm trying not to think about it. Anyway, in between having mild panic attacks (I literally hyperventilated in a restaurant the night before the big day just from thinking about turning another year older - it was embarrassing and sad) and lying to anyone who would listen about my actual age, I was able to snag a few cool gifts.

One was a Cuisinart ice cream maker which I am thrilled to have. I couldn't wait to try out, so yesterday, I went to Wal-Mart and bought out the dairy section so I could make some ice cream.

I decided to start with a recipe from the recipe booklet that came with the machine and settled on one flavored with green tea.

Overall, I am pleased with the way it turned out, but I'm not sure I will make the same recipe again. It's a little too eggy for my taste, and the green tea flavor isn't very strong. Still, it is pretty yummy, although I think I can probably tweak it to make it better.

I've been reading about all the different kinds of things I can make with this machine, and I'm excited to try them all, especially since it has been too hot around here for baking lately.

Here's the recipe for the ice cream I made yesterday.

Green Tea Gelato
3 1/4 cups whole milk
8 green tea bags
1/4 cup powdered fat free milk
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat to a simmer. Pour half over the tea bags in a medium bowl and let steep for 30 minutes; strain, pressing all the liquid from the tea bags. Stir powdered milk into remaining milk and keep warm over low heat. Place egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer or whisk, beat until thick and pale yellow. While mixing, slowly add the hot milk and whisk until blended. Stir the egg mixture back into the saucepan and addd the tea-infused milk; increase heat to medium. Stir the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thickened like a custard sauce and registeres 180 degrees. Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir in cream, cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before continuing.

Turn the machine on; pour mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. The gelato will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer to an airtight contained and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Love this song!

Hills Alive 2011

Last weekend was the annual Hills Alive music festival in Rapid City, South Dakota. I went with Aunt Jacque and Uncle Bret last year, and it was so much fun I decided to go back this year.

It was really fun, but extremely HOT! Probably over 100 degrees both days, and only limited amounts of shade were available.

Here is Aunt Jacque, me, and mom before we melted.

I tried to take pictures of all the bands. Some of them didnt' turn out so great since we sat farther back to try to get some shade, but here is who we saw and heard.

The first day started out with Reilly, a band we saw last year. They are a fun, upbeat band from Philadelphia and are unique in that they have two violinists in the group.

Reilly

They were followed by a group called 33 Miles, who did their set acoustically. At first I didn't think I knew who they were, but realized I had heard a couple of their songs. We all really liked them.

33 Miles

They were followed by Chris August, who has a hit song on Christian radio right now about a starry night. We weren't very impressed with him, so we left to check into our hotel and to cool off for a little while.

Chris August

When we returned, it was time for The Afters. If you listen to Christian radio at all, you have heard their song about you light, light, light up the sky. I really liked them, and was pleased to find out that they knew more songs than the one I just mentioned.

 

The Afters

After The Afters was Hawk Nelson. I think I must be getting old, because they were pretty rocky and did some head banging which I did not find to be appealing at all. Hmmmm.

Hawk Nelson

Finally, the night ended with Kutless. They put on a fun, but worshipful show. I think all of us became fans.

Kutless

Sunday morning we were back at the park bright and early to claim a spot with some shade. It didn't work though, and we were in the sun till about 5 o'clock.

The music started with The Afters, again. They lead everyone in worship for about an hour. I liked them even more after that.

The Afters, day 2.

Then there was a group called School of Worship. We didn't pay a lot of attention to them, instead we went in search of lemonade and restrooms. They were followed by the group Abandon. I didn't think I knew them either, but I was familiar with two of their songs from the radio. 

Abandon



The next artist was Matt Maher. We were all really excited to see him, and Aunt Jacque and I went and stood down in front of the stage so we could bask in his coolness. He's great.

Matt Maher

Then we heard a really fun band called NEWWORLDSON. They were super entertaining and wow, could their drummer drum!

NEWWORLDSON

The last two bands of the night are both big names in Christian music. Matthew West was first. He was really fun, and I have a new favorite song by him: Strong Enough.  

Matthew West

The festival ended with Third Day. They were really fun to see live and have some neat songs right now. I've been listening to their album Move pretty much nonstop this past week.

Third Day

It took a day or two to recover from the heat, but it was well worth it. Yay for Christian music and the reason artists write and sing it.