Spiced Tea Mix

I start my day with coffee - and lots of it. I'm not sure whether the raging headache I had early this week was a side effect of a pesky 24-hour stomach virus or caffeine withdrawal, since coffee didn't have its usual appeal. Maybe it was a bit of both.

But, on these cold afternoons and evenings, I switch to other hot drinks. Among my favorites is Spiced Tea. It's a concoction I've been drinking since I was a child.

My Mom used to concoct the mix each winter. When I'd get home from school, I'd go to the Lazy Susan and spin it until the glass jar of mix was revealed. A little hot water and a little mix: Pure perfection on a cold winter day.

The recipe is from an old Byers United Methodist Church Cookbook, where the names attached to the recipes provide a flashback to the ladies who sat in the church pews each week. My cookbook is literally held together with a rubber band. Through the years, I've multiplied the recipe so I would use a whole jar of Tang and lemon-flavored tea.

My mom used to share the mix as gifts for teachers and other special people during the holidays. This year, I included some in my grab bag gift for the Moore family Christmas for a touch of nostalgia. I also poured some in a decorative tin and sent it to my Christmas in the Country pal. Sometimes, decorated jars have a place on the goody sale table at our annual church bazaar.

Cinnamon and cloves are the fragrances of wintertime. It's the perfect beverage to drink while burrowing under a fleece blanket reading a book and trying to forget there's snow on the ground and a north wind blowing. Enjoy!

Spiced Tea

From the Byers United Methodist Church Cookbook

1 jar Tang (19.7 oz.)
1 jar lemon-flavored instant tea (4.4 oz.)
5 1/4 cups sugar (or equivalent amount of sugar substitute)
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves

Mix all together in large bowl. Store in covered jars. Use 3 heaping teaspoons full per mug of hot water (or more or less to taste).

Note:  The ounces in Tang and tea change throughout the years, but it's not like baking a cake. This mix isn't an exact science. 

Sweet Treats

We've all been there: You see a cute idea in a magazine or on Facebook or Pinterest and think, "How hard can that be?" And then your version needs a caption to explain what you were attempting.

But, this time, I think the County Line versions turned out pretty cute, though not as perfect as the air-brushed magazine photos.

I needed to make about 3 dozen sugar cookies for a project at school, so I kept my eyes open for something cute, but simple enough that I could replicate it - without a disclaimer. These round cookies decorated to look like Christmas tree ornaments fit the bill.

 

But I had to do a little revision. Most of the professionally decorated cookies use a hard, smooth glaze. It's pretty and all, but I like my cookies with buttercream icing, tinged with a little almond extract for extra flavor. I'll sacrifice a little smoothness for a tastier product.

I used an unwrapped Reece's Peanut Butter Cup mini for the ornament hanger. (They come in a bag and you can find them in the candy section of your grocery or discount store.) You can also use a wrapped or unwrapped Rolo candy. 

For some, I used the regular-sized holiday M & Ms, but the mini ones were probably cuter, though a little more time consuming to place each one.

Grab some elementary-aged kids, and they could help make them, too. Preschool kids would likely not be able to arrange them in rows, but polka dot ornaments could be cute, too, don't you think?

For the other half of the cookies, I tried to make them look like snowflakes. Back when Jill was in 4-H and we were in charge of 4-H foods and nutrition meetings, we made something similar for one of our Christmas treat gatherings.

I don't know how much they look like snowflakes, but I think people will get the idea. They could also be used for "Frozen" parties (and I happen to know a little girl named Kinley who will be turning 3 soon and celebrating with a Frozen Princess party)! 

I do have a word to the wise, though. I combined white and silver glitter sugars and sprinkled them over the white frosting. Then, when I tried to pipe on the blue frosting to make the snowflake, it wanted to lift off the sugar. So much for trying to add any more intricate detail! This was as good as it got!

Next time, I'll pipe on the snowflakes first, then sprinkle with the glitter sugar. Just to reinforce the idea, I placed some snowflake sprinkles on the blue icing. 

To give as individual treats, carefully put them in plastic treat bags and tie with colored ribbon. I used Wilton shaped party bags, which made it easier to package. However, regular fold-over plastic sandwich bags would work, too.

To make the cookies from scratch, you can use this recipe for No-Roll Sugar Cookies. (For these decorated cookies, you can just roll them in regular sugar, rather than colored, if you'd prefer.)

But, to save time and effort, you could also slice and bake the sugar cookie dough you find in the refrigerator case at the grocery store or purchase plain sugar cookies from the grocery store bakery. 

For the frosting, check out this tried and true one from my kitchen. (And if you only have time for sugar cookie bars, there's a good recipe for those at that link, too!)

Merry Christmas from my kitchen to yours!

Peek Into the Manger

Great Bend First United Methodist Church

The light  makes the scene glow like sapphires, emeralds and rubies. The scene is perfection in that light: Each little piece of glass comes together perfectly to make a beautiful picture.

It would be easy to think that's what the Nativity is all about ... beauty, perfection, peace.  It's Advent. At our church, we pull out the perfectly-white porcelain Nativity scene and light the candles.

Nativity made by Dorothy Newell, Stafford UMC

In another church, the glow of stained glass catches the light of gold threads which run through the elaborate clothing garbing Mary, Joseph and the angel. 

Trinity UMC, Great Bend

In sanctuaries across the world, the winter light streams through stained glass windows, showing an idyllic, pristine scene. Mary glows. Joseph beams. Baby Jesus is bathed in the star's light. 

Holy Cross Catholic Church, Hutchinson, KS

But then I remember. Mary was likely 13 years old (or so). Maybe she wasn't so different from the girls in middle school choir, the ones I witness from the piano bench. Yes, the same ones who are nice as pie one day and then moody and withdrawn the next. (Who am I kidding? You don't have to be 13 to be like that.)

Mary was a young, unwed mother. She had just had her first baby - not in a well-appointed delivery room - but in a stable with animals all around. She laid Him in a manger filled with straw, not a crib with sheets that match a nursery theme. It wasn't all that pretty.

Jesus was born to a family that possessed little and worked hard to make ends meet.

How can we, in the midst of our culture's conspicuous consumption and demand for perfection, turn our focus on the Child who was born into poverty as a sign of hope and salvation for a broken world? While it may seem the world demands perfection, the Gospel message demands nothing from us. Rather, God invites us to gather around the manger just as we are: unfinished lists, burnt pies and all. No matter our imperfections, great or small, God invites us to peek into the manger and gaze at the real Christmas message: That Christ came for us all to be a beacon of hope for the hopeless and to bring peace.

Rev. Amy Slater, Stafford UMC newsletter, Christmas 2012

So, when the list seems overwhelming ... and the oven timer is ringing at the same time the dryer bell is sounding ... and there's too much to do in too little time: Remember it's not about perfection. It's about grace. And, like teenage Mary, listening for God's voice in our lives, then obeying.

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Gifts don't have to cost a lot of money to be meaningful. I enjoy giving gifts from the kitchen to family, friends, the mailman, the choir director ... the list goes on!

Snack mixes don't take much time to make, but they can be something that your gift recipient can use for unexpected guests or their own family gatherings. And, kind of like stained glass windows, the bits and pieces come together to make a delicious whole! Here are a few tried-and-true recipes that we enjoy at our house and I've given as gifts. Click on the links for the recipes and ENJOY!

Banana Cinnamon Snack Mix

Chocolate Coffee Toffee Snack Mix

Pumpkin Pie Crunch Mix

Immeasurable Snack Mix

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This is my December post from Lovely Branches Ministries. Click on this link to read my friend, Suzanne's, ideas for simplifying Christmas.

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I'm linked today to Michelle DeRusha's Hear It On Sunday, Use It On Monday. Check out what other bloggers of faith are saying today by clicking on the link.

Immeasurable

OK, I'm going to be one of those cooks today. Yes, I am that annoying cook who didn't measure. It's very unlike the very precise, perfectionist me. But I promise it will be OK.

At a discount store, I saw a snack mix that had rice squares and mini pretzels. Some of the pretzels were coated with white almond bark and some were left naked. Yes, naked.

It was packaged in snack-sized little bags, so I bought one. There really wasn't much to it. So I decided to make some for a few homemade gifts from the kitchen.

I purchased the micro-mini pretzels at Glenn's Bulk Foods. They are the perfect size for this mix. Of course, it seems everyone has rice squares in their arsenal at this time of year when party mix is prevalent. Likewise for the almond bark.

I simply melted a whole package of almond bark. (I use my microwave, taking care not to burn it. I usually melt it at 70 percent power for 1 minute at a time, stirring well after each microwave session.) Then I poured in a little more than half of the one-pound package of the mini pretzels and added rice cereal until I thought it was just about right. I wanted enough to give a nice coat to all the pretzels and cereal. This is not an exact science, people. After stirring well, I poured in a little more of the rice squares. Obviously, it's easier to add cereal than take it out.

I poured it out on waxed paper to set up. After it hardened, I broke it apart as much as I could without crunching cereal into bits and then stirred in the uncoated pretzels. Just for fun and color, I added an ingredient not present in the purchased mix - a bag of Pretzel M&Ms.

I packaged the mix in holiday bags and delivered the goods.

There are a couple of differences between the homemade snack mix and the purchased version:

• The packaged snack mix was less "clumpy" than mine. From watching shows on the Food Network, I suppose they had a machine that shook the excess almond bark off the dry goods and gave it an even coating. Since I don't have one of those handy-dandy machines, the clumps don't bother me.
• My version is less costly. I bought the tiny bag of snack mix for $1. A comparable amount of my homemade version would have cost just pennies to make - even with the addition of the pretzel M&Ms.

So, just in case you need it in written form, you'll need:
1 package of white almond bark
Micro-mini pretzels
Rice cereal squares
Pretzel M&MS

You could use colored candy discs for melting. For example, I'm thinking that using purple for part of the coating would be a good substitute for a Fiesta Bowl snack mix. I could keep part of it white, and use purple with some of the rest. Then, add in some purple, white and gray M &Ms, and you'll have a party.

You could also use different kinds of M & Ms or different cereals. Make it your own. The possibilities are immeasurable - kind of like this recipe.

For those of you who, like me, are usually very conscientious about measuring, try these snack mixes. They really do make speedy - yet tasty - gifts from the kitchen.

 Banana Cinnamon Snack Mix

 (This one is from my dietitian daughter, and it's better for you than my other versions.)

 Peanutty Snack Mix 

(There's also a recipe for Cinnamon Chex Mix at the same link.)

Chocolate Coffee Toffee Snack Mix

Lemon Buddies

for a refreshing, non-chocolate snack mix

Thank You Cookies

It's not just any cookie that packs enough punch to say, "Thank you!"

Thank you for taking time out of your day.
Thank you for all those evenings of training.
Thank you for dropping everything.
Thank you for turning on the sirens and coming quickly.
Thank you for being good neighbors.
Just thank you!

We delivered a cookie tray last night to the Alden firefighters who responded to our not-so-controlled controlled burn. We have one tray left to go. Sterling firefighters meet on Wednesday evenings, so that's on the agenda for tomorrow. (The Raymond and Quivira National Refuge cookie trays have long since been consumed.)

I made some of my tried and true, never-fail favorites for the thank you trays. But I also tried a new bar cookie recipe to include with the other selections.

Peanut Butter Cup Fluffernutter Blondies definitely were good enough to say "thank you." They were also a hit on my Easter cookie trays at home and church. If you like peanut butter, you'll like these moist, yummy cookies.

Peanut Butter Cup
Fluffernutter Blondies
from Cookies and Cups

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups coarse chopped peanut butter cups (10.5 oz bag)
3/4 cup marshmallow fluff
1 cup peanut butter chips (opt. for topping)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Cream butter and peanut butter together. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add in eggs and vanilla, and mix until incorporated. Stir in baking soda, salt and flour until just combined. Fold in chopped peanut butter cups.

Spread the batter in prepared pan. Drop marshmallow fluff randomly on top of the batter and swirl in with a knife. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick placed 1 inch from side comes out clean. Don’t overbake. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. Cut into squares when cooled.

If desired, melt peanut butter chips and pipe the cut squares with zigzags of the melted candy. It's just a way to add an extra-special touch.

Note: I used one, 8-ounce bag of the new mini peanut butter cups (a little less than the recipe called for, but it seemed plenty to me.) It was super easy. No unwrapping. No chopping. Just dump them in.

I also made Macaroons. These are easy as can be, but they always look impressive.

And I made a variety of other flavors by using my Back to Basics cookie dough and choosing different add-ins.

My mixer can handle a tripled recipe of the basic dough. So, I made a triple batch two times so I could have a big variety on the cookie trays without a lot of extra work.

This time, I used:

• White chocolate chips & chopped macadamia nuts
• Cocoa & Almond Joy bits
• M & Ms
• Chocolate chips and peanut butter chips
• Hershey's Cookies and Cream drops, along with more white chocolate chips
• Oatmeal Raisin
• Heath Butter Brickle chips & oatmeal

Enjoy! I just hope nobody has to make this many cookies to say THANKS to firefighters!

I am linked today to Two Maids A Baking and Crazy for Crust and Mandy's Recipe Box Totally Tasty Tuesdays.