Tis' The Season

  • By Daphne Ross
  • December 1, 2010
  • 268
                        
We all know tis’ the season of snacking, shopping, singing and shining up our stars. Let’s look at all of these holiday elements as they are listed. First, snacking; what follows closely after are dietary changes of greater restriction. Of course, we deny our nutritionist’s holiday advice and overindulge ourselves anyways. It’s only once a year, right? Snacking, or let’s just call it thirty plus days of grazing is so commonplace we think saying “no thank you” to a hostess’s platter of tasty bits and morsels would just be rude. And who wants to be rude at Christmas? Which now brings me to shopping; I have located Mr. and Mrs. Rude in line behind me at the store, in front of me at the store, in the dressing room next to me in the store, and of course in the parking lot before I even get into the store. How does common courtesy get so lost and so forgotten during Christmas? Isn’t this the time of year we overindulge? So why not be like a holiday treat and be so kind to one another, that we ourselves become sticky sweet. When you shake one’s hand, you pass on some sweet. When you grin at another, you smack on some sweet; and when you smile to anyone; to a stranger or to a friend, the holiday spirit sticks all season long and hopefully beyond. Singing, you hear it, don’t you? We have all heard the blaring of high volume Christmas music; it was playing way before Halloween chocolate went on clearance. Too much tune, way too soon can put Mr. & Mrs. Rude on high alert. You obviously hear the sound of music but do you hear the mellow hum in the air? It’s the mild music of the season. I hear a new mom changing her lullaby tune to a low volume Christmas carol. I hear the preschoolers walking about the store aisles singing Jingle Bells out of key, but their song is the most joyful. I hear the unison voices of worshippers singing from open hymnals in the pews. I hear the echo of carolers strolling about the hallways of nursing homes. Church bells in the towers or the hand bells of a choir; these are the concerts that please me the most. Shining up our stars; it really means putting our best face forward, dressing our selves with ornament. I don’t mean the jewelry you polished before the party. I don’t mean the fancy hat you placed on your head, the new silk tie, or your shiny shoes. The best ornament one can place on themselves is the smile upon your face. Please share it with Mr. & Mrs. Rude. Happy Holidays! Dipping is a common action during festive gatherings and holiday parties. Send your dip recipes for veggies, fruits, crackers, and chips to Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, OH, 44691. Email: thewritecook@sssnet.com Cherry Winks (Doris Hahn) 2 1/4 cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon soda 3/4 cup shortening 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup chopped dates 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons milk 1 cup pecans 1/3 cup maraschino cherries 2 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes Sift flour, baking powder, soda, and salt together. Cream sugar and shortening well; blend in eggs, milk, and vanilla; mix well. Then add pecans, dates, and cherries. Shape into balls using t1 tablespoon dough. Crush 2 1/2 cups corn flakes and roll each ball of dough in corn flakes. Place on greased cookie sheet, top with 1/4 maraschino cherry. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen. Christmas Cake Cookies (Letha Steiner) 2 pound dates 1/2 pound candied cherries 1/2 pound pineapple 1/2 pound shelled almonds 1/2 pound shelled Brazil nuts 2 1/2 cups flour, sifted 1 teaspoon soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs Cut dates, pineapple, and cherries in small pieces. Blanch almonds and chop coarsely, toast until golden brown. Chop Brazil nuts. Sift all dry ingredients together, work butter until soft and creamy. Add sugar gradually and then add eggs; fold in dry ingredients with fruit and nuts. Drop on ungreased cookie sheet; bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned. Make around Thanksgiving and seal tight until Christmas. Good Basic Holiday Cookies (Ruth Glick) 1 egg 1 cup margarine 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon soda 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 2 1/2 cups flour Mix soda, cream of tartar and flour together. In large mixing bowl, beat sugar, margarine, vanilla and egg. Add flour mixture gradually and continue hand mixing until completely mixed. Roll out, cut and bake at 350 degrees about 8 to 10 minutes, remove when light brown, or make two rolls, wrap in waxed paper and chill. Slice and bake, or use in cookie press. You can use part of this dough and keep the rest in the refrigerator for several days if well wrapped. Date Balls or Coconut Balls (Gwen Schmucker) 1/2 cup butter or margarine 3/4 cup sugar 1 beaten egg 1 tablespoon milk 2 cups rice krispies cereal 1/2 pound chopped dates 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt Melt butter, then add sugar, next add chopped dates. Bring to a good boil, while stirring. Now add beaten eggs mixed with milk. Cook 2 minutes, remove from heat, add vanilla and salt. When mixture is cooled, but not cold, add cereal and nuts if desired. Form into balls, roll in shredded coconut. Chill. These are unbaked cookies. Makes 2 dozen. Orange Balls (Anna Smucker) 1 pound vanilla wafers, crushed fine 1 stick soft butter or margarine 1 pound powdered sugar 1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate Flaked coconut Mix crushed vanilla wafers, margarine, powdered sugar and orange juice; roll into small balls. Makes about 100. Roll balls in flaked coconut. Store in covered container in refrigerator. Pineapple Crinkles (Lydia Heiks) 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 egg 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind 1/2 cup drained pineapple Sift dry ingredients together. Cream sugar, shortening and egg; beat well. Add lemon rind and pineapple; gradually add dry ingredients. Drop on greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Sugar Cookies (Esther Hartzler) 4 1/2 cups sifted flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon soda 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup shortening 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon almond or lemon flavoring 3 medium eggs Mix all ingredients together and roll out on floured board, cut into desired shapes and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Apple Spice Cookies (Sally Schreck) 1/2 cup margarine 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup milk 1 cup chopped apples 1 cup chopped nuts 2 cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cloves 1 teaspoon nutmeg Sift flour, soda, salt and spices together. Cream margarine and sugar; add egg and milk. Beat until smooth. Stir in dry ingredients and fold in apples and nuts. Blend well. Drop by teaspoon on greased sheet, bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Gingersnaps (Clara Brenneman) 3/4 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 1 egg 5 tablespoons molasses 2 teaspoons soda 2 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cloves Cream shortening; add sugar, egg and molasses. Sift dry ingredients together and add to first mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load