Keeping Christ in Christmas-Our Jesus Tree

 I love Christmas. All of Christmas, the hustle and bustle, Santa Claus, snowflakes, but most of all I love Christmas because of Jesus. This year our family  wanted to decorate with more spiritual meaning but we found very little, not even any ornaments, when we went shopping for decorations. So we decided to come up with our own.  Mr. G, who is handy as all get out, used some boards he had on hand to build me a manger,  and the girls and I made paper ornaments proclaiming some of  the many names/titles  of Jesus. (We found the template online.) We added the angel ornaments we already had and proclaimed this our Jesus tree. Every time I look at it I have a good feeling and remember the true reason for Christmas.

Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge

Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge 

2 ¼ cups sugar

½ tall can evaporated milk (1/2 cup and a splash more)

1 stick (or ½ cup) butter or cooking margarine

1 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream/fluff

12 oz. package chocolate chips (2 cups)

1  3 oz. dark chocolate candy bar (80% cocoa)

½ cup chopped pecans or your favorite nut

In a heavy saucepan, bring first three ingredients to boil and boil on medium high for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and fluff and stir well until melted.

Add pecans.

Pour into buttered or sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Cool. Cut into squares. Store in airtight container.

 

Aunt Bill's Brown Candy - the original

Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy, the original

This original candy from my home state of Oklahoma is a rich, caramel-like fudge that makes a large amount-6 pounds. Recipe can be halved if desired. Aunt Bill’s takes quite a while to make, has some complicated instructions, and is expensive but worth the once yearly effort. This is my family’s favorite Christmas candy.

6 cups white granulated sugar – divided

2 cups whole milk (or cream)

1/4 pound or ½ cup butter or margarine

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 pounds coarsely chopped pecans (This is a lot of pecans—about 8 cups!)

1. In a heavy pan over low heat, begin heating 3 cups sugar.  (I use a cast iron skillet and wooden spoon.)  Stir constantly to prevent scorching. This will take about 30 minutes and will scorch if rushed.  When melted, it should be a light brown, caramel color.
2. As soon as you have the first sugar heating:
3. In a separate deep heavy pan, pour the remaining sugar and the milk. Cook over low heat. (Both mixtures will be cooking at the same time.)
4. When the first sugar is melted, begin pouring it slowly into the pan of sugar and milk. (The secret to mixing these ingredients together is to pour the golden sugar in a very thin, constant stream, no thicker than a knitting needle.) Stir constantly, remembering to stir the bottom too. This is easier if you make it a two-person task!
5. Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture forms a firm ball when dropped into cold water. (250 degrees on the candy thermometer.)  Remove from heat. Add baking soda. Stir vigorously as it foams up.  Add butter and stir.
6. Set pan aside to cool for 20 minutes.  Add vanilla. Beat until mixture is thick and heavy and begins to loss its gloss.  Mix in pecans. Turn onto buttered, sided cookie sheetor 9 x 13 pans and let cool. Cut into one inch squares, store in airtight containers.

Blogger is being uncooperative and won't let me post a picture. Perhaps, later!

PEANUT BRITTLE, anyone?

Peanut Brittle

Tips:    Make on a dry day. Humidity above 40%  kills Peanut Brittle.

            Use a candy thermometer for best results.
            Have all ingredients measured, pan buttered and ready before you start.

2 cups sugar

1 cup white syrup

1/3 cup water

Dash salt

Stir all this in a big, heavy pot over high heat until it gets to boiling good. Lower heat to medium high and cook to hard ball stage. 260 degrees (Mixture forms a hard ball when dropped in cold water.)

Add:

2 cups peanuts

4 T. butter

Continue cooking over medium heat cook until hard crack or 300 degrees. The syrup turns a rich caramel brown and the peanuts begin to separate from their skins. Don’t scorch but be sure to cook long enough. Lift spoon from pot, let a small amount of syrup fall in a thin stream. If “spider webs” begin to spin from the spoon, it’s ready. Remove from heat.

Add:

3 t. soda mixed with 1-2 t. of vanilla

Mixture will foam up. Stir well and pour onto buttered cookie sheets. (2 regular or one large.) Spread thinly. Cool and then crack into pieces. Store in airtight containers or zip bags.

BLOG TOUR AND BIG GIVEAWAY!

November 11, 2015 I will joining a blog tour with a big giveaway.

Join me as I share my Christmas tradition of Candy Day and for a chance to win lots of goodies from these authors:

http://melissawatercolor.blogspot.com/2015/11/blog-tour-naughty-or-nice-with-linda.html

Participating authors/titles include:

·        Christmas in Mustang Creek by Linda Lael Miller (HQN)
·        When Secrets Strike by Marta Perry (HQN)
·        Act Like It by Lucy Parker (Carina)
·        Evergreen Springs by RaeAnne Thayne (HQN)
·        A Cold Creek Christmas Story by RaeAnne Thayne (HQN)

And me!

Harlequin will be giving away, among other things:

2 print copies of each: EVERGREEN SPRINGS by RaeAnne Thayne,
CHRISTMAS IN MUSTANG CREEK by Linda Lael Miller,
A COLD CREEK CHRISTMAS STORY by RaeAnne Thayne,
WHEN SECRETS STRIKE by Marta Perry and
THE CHRISTMAS FAMILY by Linda Goodnight

What is Love?

 

 I've been hearing a lot about love lately. We throw that word around a lot. Think about it. I love my husband. I love my  friends. I love chocolate ice cream. But I don't love my friends the way I love my  husband, nor do I love him the way I love ice cream. What then, is love?

Eskimos have more than fifty words for snow.  But we English speakers only have one word for love. The Greeks, however, had the right idea because they have at least four words for love. I'm no Greek scholar but it's pretty easy to check these out.

• Phileo - means brotherly or friendship love.  William Penn knew this when he named Philadelphia the "city of brotherly love."  Basically phileo means a warm,  platonic affection toward another person. 

• Storge - family affection. The love we have for our kids and close relatives. 

• Eros -  Sexual love. We get our word erotic from this. Eros was the Greek mythical god of passionate love, sexual love. 

• Agape -  The highest form of love. Perfect love. The God kind of love.  It's a committed, sacrificial love that overlooks faults, that loves no matter what and is freely given. It is the love that never ends, that isn't moved by circumstances, that won't quit when the going gets tough. Agape doesn't divorce or talk ugly or harbor ill feelings. It is the kind of love Jesus has for mankind. Agape took Him to the cross and raised Him from the dead that even those who misuse love for their own gratification can find salvation in Him if they seek it.

                                                                1 John 4:8

BLOG TOUR DATES, The Memory House

 THE MEMORY HOUSE releases Tuesday, March 31. Please join me the celebration.

Click on a link to join the conversation. I'll be giving away some books along the way so join me on the journey! 

March 30 - Article at Publishing Crawl.

March 31st - Seekerville - article on editing and a chance to win a book!

April 1st - Novel Escapes - Interview

April 3rd - Book Reviews and More by Kathy -Recipe  and feature
April 3rd - THE READING FRENZY - Interview

April 4th - Wicked Little Pixie -Review and recipe

April  5th - Be Nice or Leave - review

April 6th - Night Owl Reviews  - Excerpt and recipe card
April 7th - Craftie Ladies of Romance 

April 10th - www.sharonsrock.com - spotlight and book giveaway!

April 13 - http://margaretdaley.com/margarets-blog/ - interview and more chances to win The Memory House

"Fans of historical fiction and contemporary romance will be riveted and deeply moved by this rich and compelling novel."

"A beautiful second chance story."

"The imagery this story inspires is stunning."

" Fans of Dorothea Benton Frank, Luanne Rice, and Anne Rivers Siddons will enjoy “The Memory House”

Miss Julia's Peach Tea

In honor of the release of THE MEMORY HOUSE, I'm sharing the recipe for the delicious peach tea my heroine, Julia, makes for guests in her bed and breakfast inn, The Peach Orchard Inn. 

My  daughter and I can't get enough of it. It's refreshing, fruity, and sweet.

Miss Julia's Peach Tea

Makes about 1 quart

2  one qt. size teabags
2 cups water
Boil bags in water.
Pour boiled tea into a quart jar or pitcher and add 1/2 cup sugar. Stir.
Puree 2  fresh peaches for about a half cup of puree. Strain.
Juice of one lemon
Ice for glasses

Mix all together. Fill quart container the rest of the way with water.  . 
Garnish if desired with mint, toothpick of berries, a strawberry slice, peach slice floating around it in. (That's what I have in mine but the peaches this time of year were white!)

   The Memory House

The Memory House goes on sale March 31! Read an excerpt.

New York Times bestselling author Linda Goodnight welcomes you to Honey Ridge, Tennessee, and a house that's rich with secrets and brimming with sweet possibilities...

Easy Peasy Pie!

Love pie? Don't love to bake? I'm feelin' ya. So try this on today, NATIONAL PIE DAY!

Ice Box Pie

 

1 can Eagle Brand milk

6 TBSP. lemon juice

1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple

1 cup chopped pecans

1 big carton of Cool Whip

Optionally, add 1/2 cup flaked coconut.

Mix together first four ingredients. Fold in Cool Whip.  Put into a graham cracker crust or baked, cooled pie crust. Chill.