wee bit of wednesday with ellie

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE CANDY CANE BARS

Questions/things to share:

1. What is your favorite seasonal drink? It used to be egg nog, but now hot apple cidar.

2. What is your all time favorite Christmas movie? Just Friends. This movie always gives me a laugh!

3. Give us the rundown of your family celebrations {Christmas eve/Christmas day.}

It depends on the weather. One year, right before a snow storm hit, we had a twenty minute gift opening on Christmas Even afternoon then had Christmas dinner on Sunday. Its a small gathering compared to other peoples. My brother comes over and now my cousin and his fiancee live close by too. Usually, its pretty mundane. Although, if my grandpa was around we'd be drinking lots of intoxicating things.

4. Share an old and a new family tradition.

 

OLD: Mom would do the ADVENT with us when we were little. Counting down Christmas. We'd have a special day for cookie making. Another for making gingerbread houses. She used to let us make a mess and we loved it. We'd also go to Christmas eve church services too. And we would go on drives to see the Christmas lights.

NEW: Lar's put the Christmas tree together since my brother wasn't around to do it. Well, I helped. We put up the tree. And he got to see all the silly ornaments we've made over the years. And my Mom's cat ornaments. He talked about family. I'm glad he had his grandparents to spend Christmas with. I really think they made the holidays special for him. Hopefully, it'll be a good Christmas for him. I'm happy we got to spend some time in Tuscan together. Sometimes, I wonder how our Christmas would be without my parents around. Honestly, I think I would feel a lot different around him if it were just the two of us, and we weren't living with my parents.

5. What tops your tree? {Star, Angel, Bow- etc.}

 

Angel.

6. Do you prefer colored, white or LED lights?

 

Any lights would do.

7. Share a tasty holiday recipe.

 

Directions

Mix: Sift 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon each baking soda and salt, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon each ground cloves and allspice into a bowl. In another bowl, mix 6 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon melted shortening, 2/3 cup light brown sugar and 3/4 cup molasses; beat in 1 egg with a mixer. Beat in the flour mixture in two additions. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and pat to 1/2 inch thick. Chill 2 hours.

Cut: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll out each piece of dough to 1/4 inch thick, dusting with flour, if needed. Cut into 3-to-5-inch gingerbread men and arrange 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Brush off excess flour and chill 15 minutes.

Bake: Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool, then decorate with Royal Icing.

Royal Icing: Sift 2 tablespoons meringue powder (found in the baking aisle or at crafts stores) and 1 pound confectioners' sugar into a large bowl. Beat in 6 tablespoons water with a mixer until glossy with soft peaks. Tint with food coloring, if desired.

To Draw: Transfer the icing to a resealable plastic bag; snip the tip of one corner. For dots, hold the bag at a 90 degree angle. For outlines, hold it at a 45 degree angle. Pipe onto the cooled cookies.

To Fill: Draw an outline with the icing, then thin the icing with milk or water until it's the consistency of glue and spread inside the outline with a paintbrush.

 

 

 

Last but not least-

8. What does Christmas mean to you?

 

Giving back is always a gift that will keep giving. If you can't do that, be kind to others, and listen. You'll find the joys of Christmas..and the warmth of a happy home with family.