Glazed Honey Cookies

Some of you may recognize this Christmas cookie. Our moms and grandmothers went to some work mixing up their large recipes of spiced and glazed cookies, but once they were done and stored away in a cool place, they kept for a long time. In fact, I find they taste better as they age and they do not take up freezer space. Although a recipe for honey cookies with a quick glaze method has been posted, I  though I'd share this one because it does not use baking ammonia and gives you the option of a boiled glaze. This recipe is cut in half already to make it more user friendly. It still makes 8 dozen.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups butter, room temp
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cups sour cream
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of ground star anise
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves or allspice

Glaze

• 2 cups sugar

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 egg whites

Method:

1. Beat butter, gradually adding sugar, then honey, eggs and sour cream, beating well after each addition.
2. Mix baking powder, soda and spices into some of the flour and add to wet ingredients
3. Continue adding flour 1 cup at a time (this can be done in a kitchen machine with a dough hook) until mixed thoroughly. Dough will be on the soft side, like a cookie batter.
4. Pat top smooth with spatula and refrigerate overnight or up to a few days.
5. Lightly grease and flour aluminum cookie sheets. Tilt cookie sheets and tap end to distribute the flour evenly.
6. Divide dough into quarters. Dust rolling mat or counter with flour. Taking one quarter portion at a time, using both hands, roll into a thick, 24 inch long roll, then cut into 1 inch slices and roll each slice into a ball.
7. Bake at 375F for about 12 minutes on upper rack of oven - no lower than center of oven. Check bottom of cookie for light browning before taking out of oven. You don't want to over bake them but you also don't want the top to sink.
8. Cool on wire racks.

Glazing

1. Line cookie sheets with wax paper.
2. In a medium sized glass bowl, beat egg whites until almost stiff. Set aside.
3. In a small pot, between low and medium heat, bring sugar and water to boil, stirring often. Once sugar has completely dissolved, liquid clears and is filled with tiny bubbles, set timer to 3 minutes and continue cooking stirring often.
4. With mixer on, slowly pour hot syrup into beaten egg whites and beat for about 3 minutes until thick and glossy when you lift the beater.
5. Now, be ready to work quickly without distractions, because the glaze can dry on you. Scoop some glaze up in your left hand fingers to coat bottom of cookie and hold it in place. Scoop some more with your right hand fingers and coat top, smoothing with index finger. Cover the entire cookie with a thin layer of glaze and slide onto wax paper, not touching other cookies.
6. Allow to dry on wax paper for several hours - may need to leave overnight if still tacky when you lift them.

Assessing glaze texture:  

I thought I'd show you the goal of what the glaze should look like. When it's cooked the right amount of time it goes on easy, and dries smoothly.

If glaze is cooked too little it will be easy to coat, but take a long time to dry into a hard icing. If you have undercooked the glaze, you will notice that it does not thicken as you beat it with the egg white.  You may save it by adding a Tbsp. of cornstarch and keep beating a few minutes more.

 

If glaze is cooked too long, it will dry quickly as you are glazing the cookies. It will end up being  grainy, making it impossible to achieve that smooth finish. It helps to moisten your hands. The taste will still be good, just not as easy to work with. It may me easier to start again, cooking a minute less

on your next try.
 

Hot Spiced Apple Cider

 Tonight we are off to Lepp Farms.

We have baked some of our favorite specialty cookies for Christmas.

Tonight each guest will go home with their own beautifully packaged tray.

We are so thankful that Lepp Farms donates all their proceeds
from our MGCC cooking classes to Matthew's House,
a respite facility for children with severe disabilities.

We will be serving Lepp Farm's hot apple cider made from their own apples.

It's the perfect drink to add to that cold wintery night,

just for the two of you, or for a  quiet night with friends and family 

that have gathered together during this festive season.
  You can all sit back and smell the aroma of spices fused together
as you quickly warm up this drink and serve your guests.

 Hot Spiced Apple Cider

• 12 cups water
• 4 tea bags
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups apple cider
• 4 cups orange juice
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Simmer water and tea bags together with spices for 30 minutes.
2. Add 4 cups apple cider.
3. Add 4 cups orange juice from frozen concentrate
4. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice
5. Heat it up to a quick boil.
6. Take out tea bags, cinnamon sticks and spice container.
7. Simmer slowly for another half hour. 
8. Cool and pour back into glass jugs and store in cool place.

Beet leaf and Swiss Chard Rolls

I like to change up the wrapping of cabbage rolls by using beet leaves or Swiss chard leaves. The beet leaves give you a much smaller roll, and both of them give your rolls a darker look. Both these leaves are also thinner and also give you a slightly different flavour than cabbage. 

Yields approximately 50 small rolls

• enough beet or Swiss chard leaves to make 50 rolls (using these leaves in place of cabbage will usually give you smaller rolls
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 large onion, finely grated
• 1 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp dry parsley
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Sauce (for serving 4 guests, using 16-20 rolls)

• 1 10 oz can tomato soup
• 1 cup tomato juice or V8 juice
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Method:

1. Wash and stem leaves. Cut away any large thick stem veins that run up the Swiss chard leaves. Beet leaves don't have the heavy vein and they are smaller and finer leaves.
2. Place leaves in a shallow pan and add hot tape water. If using both kinds of leaves make a separate pan for each kind.
3. Mix together all ingredients for meat filling.
4. On a clean counter lay out washed leaves right side down. Place a mound of meat filling onto the end of each left and then roll up. Some of the leaves will be big enough to tuck under the sides, don't worry if the meat is a bit exposed at each end of the roll. 
5. To bake immediately place rolls in a single layer in a pan, and continue with step #7.
6. If freezing at this point, line a large sheet pan with parchment and lay rolls on the sheet. Freeze until very firm and then transfer frozen rolls to freezer bags and place in freezer immediately. When ready to use count out as many as you need and place in a single layer in low casserole dish. Add sauce and bake covered from frozen. Begin with baking frozen rolls at 325º for one hour. Turn oven up to 350º bake 1/2 hour longer. Them remove cover and bake 15 more minutes.
7. (this is the step if baking immediately) Mix together sauce ingredients and pour over rolls. 
8. Bake covered at 350º for 1 hour. Remove cover and bake another 30 minutes.
9. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Peppers

As the holidays approach and we do more entertaining,

 here's a simple, colourful and delicious way to dress up green beans.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium sized onion sliced from stem to root

1 red pepper seeded and sliced

fresh or frozen green beans

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large frying pan.
2. Saute' sliced onions and peppers until tender and caramelized. Set aside.
3. Prepare green beans and cook until crisp tender. (I sometimes steam the beans ahead of time, shock them in ice water and then reheat them just before serving.)
4. Add green beans to vegetables in frying pan and toss over medium heat until hot.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. 

Bread for the Journey

It's the time of year that keeps most of us on our toes.....our minds begin to hastily make lists that seem hard to finish in just 25 days.  Sometimes we put expectations on us that are overwhelming.
Over the past couple of weeks I devoted time to discover some inspiring 'advent readings' from Max Lucado, Dietrich Bonhofer, and Mark D. Roberts.  It gives one a sense of calming before the Christmas surge truly begins.  So often  during this season,  it's easy to loose focus, because we get distracted by what the world values. Shopping malls have been promoting Christmas since after Halloween. Children are anxiously waiting to open their presents, while others are anxiously waiting for that first snowfall.  Some of us are anxiously waiting for a diagnoses from our doctors, while others are waiting for the birth of a child.  Some of us are dashing out for some quick last minute shopping only to wait in long line-ups, while others of us are waiting for relationships to be healed.  Some of us are waiting for our loved ones to know the Lord, while others are waiting to go to their eternal home. The media bombards us with Christmas advertisements and programs.  Everywhere we look the message of Christmas is adding challenges and pressures to our peace and joy rather than becoming focused and centered on Jesus.

Last week while visiting in Calgary, I enjoyed looking at the houses lit up with Christmas lights.  I enjoyed browsing through stores that were adding their Christmas garland, giving us the message that the next season was approaching fast.  At a quiet luncheon spot, down town, we sat sipping on hot apple cider, listening to the words of Silent Night being echoed into the bistro. It was in that moment, when I realized, how we need to make Jesus the center piece of our hearts during this advent season.
Let's not become distracted, letting all the other obligations that  are associated with Christmas, nibble away at the joy and peace in our hearts. Let's not put Jesus in a box in the attic of our heart and pull him out only when the time is right.

Advent means 'coming' or 'visit' which means we are focusing on the coming of the birth of Christ Jesus. Christians have been practicing Advent over the years.  Advent is a season of waiting, expecting and hoping.  There are many ways to celebrate Advent, but remember, how we celebrate does not matter.  It's not the songs we sing, it's not the color of candles, it's not your church traditions. Advent is a time of growing into a deeper, truer relationship with God.  It's sharing our yearning and hope with our community of faith.  Advent is getting our hearts ready to be renewed by the good news of Christmas.

Tonight we will gather together with our family and enjoy the lighting of the first Advent candle. A simple table is set, with a few traditional baked goods and together we will read a few scriptures and talk about the meaning of  'waiting' and one excited grandchild will light the first candle.

Jesus stands at your door, knocking and waiting.

"Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me." Revelations 3:20

"Christ is standing at the door; he lives in the form of a human being among us.  Do you want to close the door or open it? The Advent season is a season of waiting, but our whole life is an Advent season, that is, a season of waiting for the last Advent, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth." D. Bonhoeffer

My prayer is that you can make Jesus the centerpiece of your heart during this Advent season.

Ten Thousand Villages Gift Ideas and Fair Trade Brownies

We have been enjoying our visits to various Ten Thousand Village stores across Canada since our  new book Celebrations was published in April. (check the link for purchasing online)

Our most recent signing was in Calgary Alberta and we enjoyed seeing all the fair trade Christmas decorations throughout the store.  Besides many gift ideas, the store was loaded with gift wrapping ideas, Christmas cards,  garlands, ornaments and also...

food! I wanted to highlight an idea for you today.

You might want to consider ordering a gift bundle for someone and have it shipped.

Check this link for many options.

Today I am featuring some of their fair trade baking essentials in a recipe.

They had a  beautiful hand made basket with  tea towel and wooden spoon paired  with Organic Cane Sugar and Organic Cocoa Powder.  Attached to the basket was a recipe adapted from our website and so I thought I would share another version of that with you today.

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups Camino Organic Sugar
• 4 heaping tablespoons Camino Cocoa Powder
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Icing

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons Camino Cocoa Powder
• about 2 tablespoons boiling water (you may need a bit more to make a spreadable icing)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping

• 1 cup Camino Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts

1. Cream together butter, sugar and cocoa.
2. Add beaten eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add flour and fold in nuts.
3. Bake in a greased 9 X 13 pan for about 35 - 40 minutes. Expect the top to look slightly under-baked.  It will fall in the centre.  The brownies should be moist in the centre.
4. Beat together icing while the brownies are baking and smooth over brownies as soon as they come out of the oven.
5. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and chocolate chips and return to the oven about one minute or until the chocolate chips begin to melt.
6. Allow to cool and then refrigerate to help set the brownies for cutting.

Be sure to check here for free shipping and in store special sales from November 30 - December 1.

Potato Coconut Candy

This candy brings back many memories of years gone by. I was chatting with my friend last week and I know her Mom and mine made them every Christmas. I really enjoyed eating this candy together with peanuts..I would eat a few shelled peanuts and then I would take a bite of the candy. Candy was a special treat and so I tried to make it last as long as I could.
My Mom did not dip them in chocolate, just rolled them in coconut. I couldn't find her recipe so did the best of what I remembered and with the help of my friend I must say this candy tastes like I remembered. The extra dark chocolate coating helps balance the sweetness of the candy. I used potato flakes but I know my Mom did not have those around, she used regular mashed potatoes.

• 1/2 cup potato flakes
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 3 cups coconut, flaked
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 10 ounces semi sweet dark chocolate, chopped..(I used extra dark)

1. Mix potato flakes, milk, icing sugar, coconut, and vanilla until well combined.
2. Roll into balls approx 3/4" in diameter, it will be sticky so you have to press and roll the dough in your hands as you form the balls. Place on cookie sheet and refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour.
3. Melt chocolate. Dip rolled candy balls in the chocolate, using a fork to push the balls around in the chocolate to coat all around.
4. Place on a parchment lined pan and put in refrigerator to firm up.
5. Store in a tightly sealed container in a cool place.
6. Yields: 30