Dear Ones,
At this Advent season I wish you all a Joyous Christmas and a Blessed New Year. This meditation which I have included is very much in tune with the birth and work of Jesus Christ and I have included it as a meditation which means much to me. I love you all.
I have been working my way through a book that my Pastor lent me last summer. I have been studying worship and the historical viewpoints of acceptable worship. We are taught in the book of Leviticus that God is our Creator and King and as such, HE must be worshipped according to HIS prescriptions. Therefore I have been reading a book entitled The Worship of the English Puritans by Horton Davies, Professor of Religious History, Princeton University, copyright 1948, reprinted, 1997.
Our congregation is celebrating the Lord’s Supper this coming Lord’s Day and I came across a theological viewpoint which I should have known, but has escaped me in my 57 years of living. I am not preaching, I only wish to celebrate a moment of joy in my life with my family.
In reformed congregations, the Lord’s Table is fenced, that is to say that participants are urged not to partake unworthily. This always stimulated my feelings of worthlessness, because I can think of 1001 reasons every moment of every day why I am not worthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Sins of omission, sins of commission, sins of pride, neglect, unlovingness.
Please share with me Davies’ summary of the Puritan view of the Lord’s Supper.
Pg. 216. “ Finally, the Lord’s Supper as celebrated by the Puritans was, in the words of Matthew Henry, ‘a communicating ordinance’. It was not a memorial, a tribute to a crucified leader. It was a feast at which the Risen Lord was Host and in which he delivered to his faithful people the benefits of his most sacred Passion. (Emphasis mine.) As to its outward form and order, it exhibited, to use John Owen’s definition, ‘the purity, simplicity and spirituality of evangelical worship’.” (Five Disputations p. 417).
Dear ones, what wondrous love is this. I always focused on my sins which are many when contemplating the Lord’s Supper and I neglected to notice that the host of the feast is the very one who lay His life down for my atonement—so that I may joyously partake of His love feast covered in His righteousness. There is no greater love than this that a man lay down his life for a friend. This is worship according to His prescriptions, that we may be forgiven.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas everyone! I trust you all had a great day! We had a nice Christmas. Mike had a four day weekend so we got to relax together as a family. It was fun seeing Nathan this time around, he is really getting into it. Ayla was mostly concerned with eating the wrapping paper. Next year should be interesting. We enjoyed ham for dinner and there was plenty of egg nog to go around. Still working on coming up with some sort of tradition, but I suppose that will come in time.
The kiddos got spoiled by lots of grandparents and extended family this year. We also went to a reindeer farm nearby on the day before Christmas Eve. Nathan really enjoyed that, but it was pretty cold out. They have a large herd of reindeer and some Rocky Mountain elk and two orphaned moose. It was actually pretty neat.
The kiddos got spoiled by lots of grandparents and extended family this year. We also went to a reindeer farm nearby on the day before Christmas Eve. Nathan really enjoyed that, but it was pretty cold out. They have a large herd of reindeer and some Rocky Mountain elk and two orphaned moose. It was actually pretty neat.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
War on Christmas???
Very insightful article on the real Christmas war by a Jewish man -- he writes: “We hear a lot about ‘the war on Christmas.’ But the true seasonal struggle is the war within Christmas, a single holiday shared by two deeply antagonistic religions.” ...
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Shortest day, longest night
Well, Emily, it's the turning point now -- today was the shortest day and tonight will be the longest night. But the days will start getting longer and the nights shorter after this. Given how short our days are, we were surprised to find out that we have about 2 hours more daylight than you. All the rest of you are rich! rich!
Every year I see some article or hear some commentator debunking "Christmas myths," like that Jesus was born on December 25. I don't know of anybody who ever really believed that, but it was thought appropriate to remember the coming of the Light of the World at the darkest time of the year, when days start getting longer. It was regarded as a metaphor for human history. Like in Christina Rossetti's poem --
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.
Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air,
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
Every year I see some article or hear some commentator debunking "Christmas myths," like that Jesus was born on December 25. I don't know of anybody who ever really believed that, but it was thought appropriate to remember the coming of the Light of the World at the darkest time of the year, when days start getting longer. It was regarded as a metaphor for human history. Like in Christina Rossetti's poem --
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.
Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air,
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Hi Family
Hi everyone. I have enjoyed reading all the posts on here, but I haven't felt motivated to post anything until now.
Work is going well. We have been a little slow for the past week or two, but im sure it will pick up again after new years. It seems typical of every year to slow down around Christmas/New years.
A couple weekends ago, I spent the better part of a day and a half installing a remote start into my car. Now all I have to do is hit a button on my key chain and my car starts up and gets all nice and toasty warm. I was a little hesitant to undertake a project like this, but I figured it would be a fun challenge. Surprisingly the hardest part about it was trying to program the receiver (inside the car) to communicate with the transmitter (on my key chain). In hindsight the programming actually wasn't hard, but the difficulty came from "Instruction Reading Error", which my Dad was able to help me iron out after several hours of frustration and head scratching.
In other news, I recently joined the local fire station here in Glenside. It has been interesting and exciting so far. Interesting, learning about the equipment and how its used. Exciting, Racing to the fire house trying to make it for the first deployed truck, and if you make it Racing under lights and siren to the scene of the alarm. PA requires the completion of a FF1 Course (about 180 hrs total!) in order to be allowed into a Burning building. So for now I will be making myself useful on the exterior. I registered for the first section of the FF1 class, and it begins in the middle of January.
I have been on a whole bunch of "False alarm" calls over the past 2 months, but I got to go on a real call last Friday. Here is a rundown of how it went.
Me, Matt, and Beth had just finished eating lunch. It was time to clean up, and my fire pager went off. The message on the pager said it was a car accident and possible car fire. I told Matt and Beth I had to go and I rushed out the door. I ran to my car and drove carefully to the station. Upon arriving at the fire house the Fire Engine was running and people where climbing in. I ran to my gear, got it half on and quickly stumbled over to the to the truck. I climbed in and when my door shut we were off! I could tell by the attitude in the truck that this was not the average false alarm I had experienced multiple times over the past two months. There where 4 of us in the back of the engine, all continuing to suit up in our gear. The Engine was FLYING down the road with one nearly constant HORRRRRRRN blast. The other 3 guys where putting on there air packs, fire gloves, turning the air tanks on and getting into the face masks. When they started putting the face masks on I knew that we where probably about to get into something that I did not really feel ready for. The Engine came to a jarring halt and we piled out. 50 feet ahead of us was a silver taxi van with 6 foot high flames coming out of the engine compartment. It was a FIRE! A man in a mask told me to feed him some slack. He grabbed a hose from a large spool at the passenger side roof near the middle of the truck, and immediately started walking towards the flames. I puled the hose down as fast as I possibly could and did not stop until the spool was fully unwound. There was a lot of steamy white smoke and about a minute later the fire was completely out. Once it appeared safe to approach the area I walked over. A guy named Bill told me to help the paramedics around the corner. I walked over and there was a woman on the ground in visible pain. They where fitting her with a neck brace and fixing to put her on a stretcher. I helped keep the stretcher still as they moved her from the ground. Then we strapped her down in 5 places to keep her from moving. Once she was in the ambulance most of the excitement was over. We swept up the road, waited for the tow trucks to pull the two cars away, put down some oil dry, and got back on the engine to head back to the station. It was neat to see some real action.
Well. That's all for now.
Merry Christmas To All!
Work is going well. We have been a little slow for the past week or two, but im sure it will pick up again after new years. It seems typical of every year to slow down around Christmas/New years.
A couple weekends ago, I spent the better part of a day and a half installing a remote start into my car. Now all I have to do is hit a button on my key chain and my car starts up and gets all nice and toasty warm. I was a little hesitant to undertake a project like this, but I figured it would be a fun challenge. Surprisingly the hardest part about it was trying to program the receiver (inside the car) to communicate with the transmitter (on my key chain). In hindsight the programming actually wasn't hard, but the difficulty came from "Instruction Reading Error", which my Dad was able to help me iron out after several hours of frustration and head scratching.
In other news, I recently joined the local fire station here in Glenside. It has been interesting and exciting so far. Interesting, learning about the equipment and how its used. Exciting, Racing to the fire house trying to make it for the first deployed truck, and if you make it Racing under lights and siren to the scene of the alarm. PA requires the completion of a FF1 Course (about 180 hrs total!) in order to be allowed into a Burning building. So for now I will be making myself useful on the exterior. I registered for the first section of the FF1 class, and it begins in the middle of January.
I have been on a whole bunch of "False alarm" calls over the past 2 months, but I got to go on a real call last Friday. Here is a rundown of how it went.
Me, Matt, and Beth had just finished eating lunch. It was time to clean up, and my fire pager went off. The message on the pager said it was a car accident and possible car fire. I told Matt and Beth I had to go and I rushed out the door. I ran to my car and drove carefully to the station. Upon arriving at the fire house the Fire Engine was running and people where climbing in. I ran to my gear, got it half on and quickly stumbled over to the to the truck. I climbed in and when my door shut we were off! I could tell by the attitude in the truck that this was not the average false alarm I had experienced multiple times over the past two months. There where 4 of us in the back of the engine, all continuing to suit up in our gear. The Engine was FLYING down the road with one nearly constant HORRRRRRRN blast. The other 3 guys where putting on there air packs, fire gloves, turning the air tanks on and getting into the face masks. When they started putting the face masks on I knew that we where probably about to get into something that I did not really feel ready for. The Engine came to a jarring halt and we piled out. 50 feet ahead of us was a silver taxi van with 6 foot high flames coming out of the engine compartment. It was a FIRE! A man in a mask told me to feed him some slack. He grabbed a hose from a large spool at the passenger side roof near the middle of the truck, and immediately started walking towards the flames. I puled the hose down as fast as I possibly could and did not stop until the spool was fully unwound. There was a lot of steamy white smoke and about a minute later the fire was completely out. Once it appeared safe to approach the area I walked over. A guy named Bill told me to help the paramedics around the corner. I walked over and there was a woman on the ground in visible pain. They where fitting her with a neck brace and fixing to put her on a stretcher. I helped keep the stretcher still as they moved her from the ground. Then we strapped her down in 5 places to keep her from moving. Once she was in the ambulance most of the excitement was over. We swept up the road, waited for the tow trucks to pull the two cars away, put down some oil dry, and got back on the engine to head back to the station. It was neat to see some real action.
Well. That's all for now.
Merry Christmas To All!
It's never too late? The Beginning of Christmas Traditions
Christmas at our house got off to a slow start. Every year I struggle with wanting to jump right in to the decorum of the holidays and not being able to find the time to do so. The tree is finally up and decorated. This is the first year Juliet (15 months) has noticed the tree and it is adorable. She points to it constantly and we bought candy canes for her to put on it. We even taught her the sign for tree so she can "talk" about it too. (Picture the tree in hula dancing.) But as a new family, it is a struggle to figure out what our traditions as a family will be. Once thing I did not grow up with, but that we are trying out, is celebrating Advent. I got a book on Amazon for this purpose (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1426712103/ref=oh_o04_s00_i00_details) and we have done all of three days so far! But it is something we hope to start in a timely manner next year, complete with ornaments designed by Matt. (He just finished his first semester back at school for Computer Graphics, so it is appropriate. Give him your congrats!) The things that didn't make it in to our traditions this year are Christmas music and hanging stockings. Maybe next year. I also ran across a blog post online (I read too many blogs. I am constantly starting sentences with, "On this blog I was reading....") I saw the idea of buying your children each three presents, in remembrance of the three presents brought to Jesus. I really liked that idea, as I am trying to find ways to focus our attention on Jesus' birth. This year I am particularly struck by the wonderful gift of Jesus coming to earth to pay for our sins. I try to imagine what it would be like on this world before Jesus came and died, to live under the previous laws. (Would that even apply to me, not being Jewish?) Praise God, is all I can say. And may my family, and our traditions, do the same.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Christmas in Glenside
Well, it really is beginning to look like Christmas around here. The tree is up and is absolutely loaded with ornaments. The nutcrackers are doing 24 hour sentry duty on the mantle. The little village is set up on the sideboard with the little skaters making endless circles, and not even getting dizzy. To be added to the mix this year will be a small N gage train set that will circle the village. Poppy feels that it is his grandfatherly duty to provide his little ones with the enjoyment of a Christmas train set. I wonder who will enjoy it the most! ; )
Uncle Tim, thoroughly enjoying his role, has already loaded the base of the tree with wrapped presents for his little niece and nephew. It is very exciting to have a new generation of little ones around to enjoy the season with.
Thinking fond thoughts of Larry and Holly as you get to spen a Christmas with all four of your kids and your grand kids. Enjoy and be blessed.
We hope to make a whirlwind trip to visit Gammer and Gaffer right after Christmas.
But, to all of you, have a blessed holiday, and don't forget the reason for the season. I love you all!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Unwrapping Christmas
Vickie used to get so excited about
Christmas. She couldn’t wait to give the gifts that she had
bought. And she couldn’t wait to receive the gifts that others
had bought her.
One year, when we
were kids, I bought her a small gift — I think it was earrings — do you remember, Vickie? — and I wrapped
the small box they came in. Then I got a bright idea. I put that box in a
slightly larger box, and I wrapped that. Then I put that box in a slightly
larger box, and I wrapped that. And so on and so forth until there were about
10 boxes altogether and it looked huge. I got a big kick out of watching her
shake that box and try to guess what was inside. By Christmas morning, I
thought she’d burst. She couldn’t wait to see what was inside, but she had to
unwrap box after box after box before she got to the real present.
Actually, that’s
a good illustration of what’s happened with the real Christmas — by “Christmas”
I don’t mean the commemoration that comes around every year, but rather the
original event that is allegedly being commemorated. It’s as if that original gift
has been boxed and wrapped and boxed and wrapped and boxed and wrapped, etc.,
etc., etc. Except instead of looking bigger and bigger, it has looked smaller
and smaller and smaller. Sometimes you can’t even see the original gift at all. And yet it’s the greatest gift of all, inexpressibly great! How can we
unwrap it?
Well, ask
yourself a question: if you were to identify the greediest Christmas curmudgeon
of all, who is the first character who comes to mind? Ebenezer Scrooge? Good
guess, but I’m thinking of someone even worse. He worse partly because Scrooge
is fictional and this character really existed. I’d suggest Zaccheus. You can
read about him in the Gospel According to Luke, chapter 19, verses 1–10.
If you want to
picture Zaccheus, I can’t think of any better illustration than Danny DeVito
playing the character Louis De Palma on the old TV show “Taxi.” He’s about 4' 9", and his character was so selfish, and so greedy, that every time
he came on the screen, you felt like you needed a bath. The real Zaccheus was a
lot like that, only worse. He was a tax collector, but he didn’t work for his
own country. His own country was occupied by the Roman
empire and he collaborated with the enemy by collecting taxes for
the Romans. And because he had the might and cruelty of the Roman
empire backing him up, he extorted money from his neighbours and
lived a loose life with other sinners.
But for some
reason, he was interested in Jesus. He wanted to see Jesus. But so did a lot of
other people. And because he was so short, and because his neighbours hated him
too much to help him, he couldn’t even get a glimpse. So he ran ahead and
climbed a tree. As soon as Jesus came to the tree, he stopped, called Zaccheus
by name, and invited himself to Zaccheus’ home. And as a result, Zaccheus’s
rebellion was broken and he repented and began to follow Jesus. Jesus explained
why he went after Zaccheus—vs. 10—“For the Son of Man came to
seek and to save the lost.” And that is the great essential gift of Christmas. (That’s why I’m calling Zaccheus a Christmas curmudgeon.) When you unwrap all the other layers and get down to what Christmas really
means, this is it—“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Merry Christmas from the Morrises!
I took some Christmas photos of Ben today. This is one of my favorites.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
So thats how it is done
Hi everyone I finally figured out how to post things. check out my website www.matthewtswann.com
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Christmas Cookies
Hi Everybody,
Emily asked me for some Christmas cookie recipes that I used to make and since I typed them all out, I decided to share them all with you. Sad to say, since I work I haven't baked in a long while, but it was fun looking at the old recipes and seeing how they were written out. Unfortunately when I copied and pasted the recipes, I lost all of my formatting. I should have remembered that from college. I used to become so frustrated when I had to re-type my assignments on blogs to keep my formatting. I hope that you can make some sense out or the recipes. Enjoy!
Christmas Cookie Recipes: I use unbleached flour in all recipes.
Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies (soft)
Recipe from Ruth Arbuckle to Pam Wilson
1c white sugar1c brown sugar1c milk1c butter (2 sticks)1 heaping tsp soda1 heaping tsp baking powder1 tsp salt2 eggs1 tsp vanillaflour to stiffen (about 5 heaping cups)
Mix then roll into balls and press with palm. Bake 275 between 10-15 minutes. Ice with vanilla frosting when cool.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe from Rheta Hubenthal to Pam (Peterson) Wilson
Sift together:2 1/2c flour2 tsp soda1 ½ tsp salt
Cream well:2c sugar1c butter or shorteningAdd 2 eggs and beat1/2c molasses1 1/2 tsp banilla2 c oatmeal1 ½ c. nuts1c chocolate chips1c raisins
Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, beat well Add molasses and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, then add oatmeal, nuts and chocolate chips. Bake in 375 oven for 10-12 minutes.
Gingerbread Men
Recipe from Rheta Hubenthal to Pam (Peterson) Wilson
3/4c melted butter1c molasses1/2c honey1c thick sour or buttermilk (to make sour milk add 1T lemon juice to 1c milk-PW)6 1/2c unbleached flour, sifted1/2 tsp salt2 tsp ginger4 tsp baking powder¾ tsp baking soda1 T lemon or orange extract
Mix melted butter, molasses and honey until smooth. Add milk, then flour sifted with salt, ginger, baking powder, and soda. Add extract. Mix to a smooth stiff dough. Roll out on lightly floured surface to 1/3 inch. Cut into shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Decorate with bits of preserved fruits, raising, honey icing. Fruits may be placed on cookie before baking. (note: I always decorated half with raisins and half with cinnamon red hots-PW)
Pineapple Cookies
Recipe from the 1972 Pennsylvania State Grange Cookbook, contributed by Virtue Carson, Fallowfield Grange No. 1382
1/2c brown sugar1/2c white sugar1 egg1/2c shortening (note; butter is a healthier substitute-PW)¼ tsp salt2c flour1 tsp baking powder1/4 tsp soda3/4c drained crushed pineapple
Mix in order given. Drop by spoonsful on cookie sheet and bake 15 min. at 400. Yield: 3 dozen.
Orange Cookies
Recipe adapted by Pam Wilson
1 12oz can orange juice concentrate½ c butter2 eggs2 tsp soda2 tsp baking powder4c flour1 tsp orange rind1 tsp orange extract (optional)2-3T water (as needed)
Mix well. Bake 350-375 for 10-12 minutes.
Orange Icing
Recipe from the 1972 Pennsylvania State Grange Cookbook, contributed by Della Jones, Jefferson Grange, No. 1373
1 box powdered sugar, 2T butter, rind of 1 orange and enough orange juice to make good spreading consistency.
Sugar Cookies (rolled)
Recipe from the 1972 Pennsylvania State Grange Cookbook, contributed by Mrs. Jacob Hibbs, Middletown Grange No. 684
1c shortening (part butter)1 1/2c sugar 2 eggs 3c sifted flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4c milk1 1/2 tsp vanilla.
Cream shortening, add sugar gradually and cream together. Beat eggs well and blend into creamed mixture. Add flavoring to milk. Stir in sifted dry ingredients alternately with liquid. Chill dough for easy handling. Roll very thin. Cut out. Sprinkle with sugar or brush with milk, then sugar. Bake at 400 for 5-9 minutes. Yield: 8 dozen.
Raisin or Pineapple Filled Cookies
Recipe from Ruth Wilson to Pam Wilson
3c sugar 1c shortening (butter) 1c milk 2 eggs 6 or 7c flour 2tsp. soda 4 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp vanilla
Cream shortening and sugar, add milk, beaten eggs and vanilla alternately with soda, baking powder and 5c flour. Use remaining flour to make dough just stiff enough to handle. (A softer dough makes better cookies.)
Raisin Filling:
1 box raising 1c sugar 2T cornstarch 1 pt. water
Cook until thickened, remove from fire and add 1 tsp. vanilla. Let cool.
Pineapple filling:
1 can crushed pineapple (1lb 4oz) 1/2c sugar 2T cornstarch
Bring pineapple to a boil and mix sugar and cornstarch and stir into pineapple. Let cool.
Roll out dough and cut with round cookie cutter (a glass can substitute-PW). Put a teaspoonful of the filling on cut cookie and place another cut cookie on top and press the edges firmly together. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.
Nut Horns
Recipe from Ruth Wilson to Pam Wilson. Plan to spend a half day making these delicious treats.
6 egg yolks 2 whole eggs 1lb. butter (1/2 lb oleo and ½ lb cream cheese) 1 c milk 2 pck dried yeast 1/2 tsp salt 3T sugar
Warm milk to soften yeast. Add sugar and salt. Cream butter, beat eggs and add to butter. Add milk mixture and flour to consistency of soft pie crust. Knead and Chill 4 hours.
Filling:
2lb ground walnuts 6 egg whites (large) beaten stiff
Add nuts and 3/4c sugar to egg whites.
Roll dough. Cut into rectangular shapes approximately 2” x 3” then cut in half into triangles. Fill the base of the triangle with a narrow line of filling then roll toward the point of the triangle. Bake at 300 for 25 minutes.
Pecan Tassies
Recipe from the 1972 Pennsylvania State Grange Cookbook, contributed by Mrs. Freeburn Love, Tuscarora Grange No. 774
¼ lb. butter 1-3 oz package cream cheese 1c flour 3/4c light brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp melted butter dash salt few drops vanilla 1c chopped pecans
Cream butter and cream cheese, blend in flour. Chill this while you make filling. Mix other ingredients together well. Grease tart pans. Kivide dough into 24 balls. Press a ball in each of the small muffin tins. Put the filling in and add 1/2 pecan on top of each tart. Bake at 350 until crust is brown and filling slightly firm.
Monkey Bread
Recipe from Mrs. Harold Van Bemmel to Mrs. Lavonne Ritenour to Pam (Peterson) Wilson
Cut 4 cans of Pillsbury biscuits into 4 pieces. Roll each piece in 1c sugar and 1T cinnamon. Place in buttered bundt pan. Mix and heat until boiling: 1/2c white sugar, 1/2c brown sugar and 3/4c butter. Pour this over and mix around biscuits. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and turn out.
This is a great treat for Christmas Morning.
Emily asked me for some Christmas cookie recipes that I used to make and since I typed them all out, I decided to share them all with you. Sad to say, since I work I haven't baked in a long while, but it was fun looking at the old recipes and seeing how they were written out. Unfortunately when I copied and pasted the recipes, I lost all of my formatting. I should have remembered that from college. I used to become so frustrated when I had to re-type my assignments on blogs to keep my formatting. I hope that you can make some sense out or the recipes. Enjoy!
Christmas Cookie Recipes: I use unbleached flour in all recipes.
Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies (soft)
Recipe from Ruth Arbuckle to Pam Wilson
1c white sugar1c brown sugar1c milk1c butter (2 sticks)1 heaping tsp soda1 heaping tsp baking powder1 tsp salt2 eggs1 tsp vanillaflour to stiffen (about 5 heaping cups)
Mix then roll into balls and press with palm. Bake 275 between 10-15 minutes. Ice with vanilla frosting when cool.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe from Rheta Hubenthal to Pam (Peterson) Wilson
Sift together:2 1/2c flour2 tsp soda1 ½ tsp salt
Cream well:2c sugar1c butter or shorteningAdd 2 eggs and beat1/2c molasses1 1/2 tsp banilla2 c oatmeal1 ½ c. nuts1c chocolate chips1c raisins
Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, beat well Add molasses and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, then add oatmeal, nuts and chocolate chips. Bake in 375 oven for 10-12 minutes.
Gingerbread Men
Recipe from Rheta Hubenthal to Pam (Peterson) Wilson
3/4c melted butter1c molasses1/2c honey1c thick sour or buttermilk (to make sour milk add 1T lemon juice to 1c milk-PW)6 1/2c unbleached flour, sifted1/2 tsp salt2 tsp ginger4 tsp baking powder¾ tsp baking soda1 T lemon or orange extract
Mix melted butter, molasses and honey until smooth. Add milk, then flour sifted with salt, ginger, baking powder, and soda. Add extract. Mix to a smooth stiff dough. Roll out on lightly floured surface to 1/3 inch. Cut into shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Decorate with bits of preserved fruits, raising, honey icing. Fruits may be placed on cookie before baking. (note: I always decorated half with raisins and half with cinnamon red hots-PW)
Pineapple Cookies
Recipe from the 1972 Pennsylvania State Grange Cookbook, contributed by Virtue Carson, Fallowfield Grange No. 1382
1/2c brown sugar1/2c white sugar1 egg1/2c shortening (note; butter is a healthier substitute-PW)¼ tsp salt2c flour1 tsp baking powder1/4 tsp soda3/4c drained crushed pineapple
Mix in order given. Drop by spoonsful on cookie sheet and bake 15 min. at 400. Yield: 3 dozen.
Orange Cookies
Recipe adapted by Pam Wilson
1 12oz can orange juice concentrate½ c butter2 eggs2 tsp soda2 tsp baking powder4c flour1 tsp orange rind1 tsp orange extract (optional)2-3T water (as needed)
Mix well. Bake 350-375 for 10-12 minutes.
Orange Icing
Recipe from the 1972 Pennsylvania State Grange Cookbook, contributed by Della Jones, Jefferson Grange, No. 1373
1 box powdered sugar, 2T butter, rind of 1 orange and enough orange juice to make good spreading consistency.
Sugar Cookies (rolled)
Recipe from the 1972 Pennsylvania State Grange Cookbook, contributed by Mrs. Jacob Hibbs, Middletown Grange No. 684
1c shortening (part butter)1 1/2c sugar 2 eggs 3c sifted flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4c milk1 1/2 tsp vanilla.
Cream shortening, add sugar gradually and cream together. Beat eggs well and blend into creamed mixture. Add flavoring to milk. Stir in sifted dry ingredients alternately with liquid. Chill dough for easy handling. Roll very thin. Cut out. Sprinkle with sugar or brush with milk, then sugar. Bake at 400 for 5-9 minutes. Yield: 8 dozen.
Raisin or Pineapple Filled Cookies
Recipe from Ruth Wilson to Pam Wilson
3c sugar 1c shortening (butter) 1c milk 2 eggs 6 or 7c flour 2tsp. soda 4 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp vanilla
Cream shortening and sugar, add milk, beaten eggs and vanilla alternately with soda, baking powder and 5c flour. Use remaining flour to make dough just stiff enough to handle. (A softer dough makes better cookies.)
Raisin Filling:
1 box raising 1c sugar 2T cornstarch 1 pt. water
Cook until thickened, remove from fire and add 1 tsp. vanilla. Let cool.
Pineapple filling:
1 can crushed pineapple (1lb 4oz) 1/2c sugar 2T cornstarch
Bring pineapple to a boil and mix sugar and cornstarch and stir into pineapple. Let cool.
Roll out dough and cut with round cookie cutter (a glass can substitute-PW). Put a teaspoonful of the filling on cut cookie and place another cut cookie on top and press the edges firmly together. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.
Nut Horns
Recipe from Ruth Wilson to Pam Wilson. Plan to spend a half day making these delicious treats.
6 egg yolks 2 whole eggs 1lb. butter (1/2 lb oleo and ½ lb cream cheese) 1 c milk 2 pck dried yeast 1/2 tsp salt 3T sugar
Warm milk to soften yeast. Add sugar and salt. Cream butter, beat eggs and add to butter. Add milk mixture and flour to consistency of soft pie crust. Knead and Chill 4 hours.
Filling:
2lb ground walnuts 6 egg whites (large) beaten stiff
Add nuts and 3/4c sugar to egg whites.
Roll dough. Cut into rectangular shapes approximately 2” x 3” then cut in half into triangles. Fill the base of the triangle with a narrow line of filling then roll toward the point of the triangle. Bake at 300 for 25 minutes.
Pecan Tassies
Recipe from the 1972 Pennsylvania State Grange Cookbook, contributed by Mrs. Freeburn Love, Tuscarora Grange No. 774
¼ lb. butter 1-3 oz package cream cheese 1c flour 3/4c light brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp melted butter dash salt few drops vanilla 1c chopped pecans
Cream butter and cream cheese, blend in flour. Chill this while you make filling. Mix other ingredients together well. Grease tart pans. Kivide dough into 24 balls. Press a ball in each of the small muffin tins. Put the filling in and add 1/2 pecan on top of each tart. Bake at 350 until crust is brown and filling slightly firm.
Monkey Bread
Recipe from Mrs. Harold Van Bemmel to Mrs. Lavonne Ritenour to Pam (Peterson) Wilson
Cut 4 cans of Pillsbury biscuits into 4 pieces. Roll each piece in 1c sugar and 1T cinnamon. Place in buttered bundt pan. Mix and heat until boiling: 1/2c white sugar, 1/2c brown sugar and 3/4c butter. Pour this over and mix around biscuits. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and turn out.
This is a great treat for Christmas Morning.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Here's what the wind storm did to our trampolines on Sunday. They were both to the left of where my shadow is and in front of the red building there. It is still blowing and blowing out there with snow drifting up against hedges and fence rows and leaving bare spots over most of the grass. And our barn has a whistle in the wind, sorry, no pictures available of the whistle.
Holly
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)