Lemon Cake

Today, I made lemon cake represented differently when baked in a 15x10 jelly roll baking pan. This is actually the way I prefer it. I think it is most moist, and perfect for snacking and sharing.

It has me thinking about presentation and representation.
I’m also thinking about a question asked of the congregation at church today. The question was; “Is your Christmas Christ centered?”
This question caused me a bit of reflection over the past few weeks when I was asked by someone for some help. I provided a listening ear, gave some unsolicited advice, but was slow to jump in with both feet to really help out. I felt bad about my selfishness for days. Several days after that, I was asked to help out with something even less convenient. I didn’t want that lingering feeling of regret, so without hesitation, I agreed and did my best to assist. Its amazing how much better I felt.
As I think about Christ- I think about the selfless life he led. If He were to return tomorrow, what would He find me doing? I’m grateful for my re-focus of what I want this season to represent in my home, and in my heart.
May you all enjoy this Christmas season, and everything it represents!

Sugar Cookies

Last night, I sat with Y as he pounded out the last of his homework problems. I told him about the texting chat B and I had that day about BBQ sauce :) I asked him "Are you excited for B to come home next week?"
"Oh yeah." was the response.
I'm excited too. I have been blessed that these two boys have always been friends- never enemies. There is a deep connection between the two, with a lot of mutual respect.
One of my favorite pictures is of my boys making Christmas sugar cookies together. They, the countertop and the floor are covered in flour. B seems to be instructing Y on the how-tos, but in reality, they were discussing Batman and Robin, and coming up with their own great adventures. Y was only two. He adored his big brother and only ever agreed with him. "Yea. . . Yea. . .Yea!" was the usual verbiage from Y when the two got together. Whatever B thought was a good idea, Y thought was a better one.
To be perfectly honest, my favorite sugar cookie used to be a store purchased Lofthouse frosted cookie. I spent 2008 experimenting with sugar cookie recipes trying to duplicate the soft mild flavored cookie.
I took some from one recipe, and a little from another, until the ideas and flavors blended nicely into this:

Sugar Cookies

1 cup soft butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
5 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

Cream together butter and sugar. Stir in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients together and add ½ at a time. Mix well. Refrigerate dough for 3 hours. Roll out 3/16 inches thick and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes depending on size and thickness. Cool. Frost.
Today I used canned lemon frosting and came in with a lemon glaze (2 cups powdered sugar mixed with 3 tablespoons lemon juice) drizzled over the top.

I doubt B and Y hit the kitchen next week to make sugar cookies- perhaps Reese’s Brownies instead. For sure, there will be lots of basketball playing and maybe even some football (with and without game system controllers). I look forward to Y’s lifelong playmate and friend returning from school for a few fun filled weeks.

Cinnamon Rolls

My mom has a recipe called "Overnight Cinnamon Rolls". The dough is made, and shaped one day, then the rolls are refrigerated in their ready for the oven pan, and in the morning can be removed from the refrigerator and baked after rising. This was our traditional Christmas breakfast. As soon as we'd get up, Mom would take the cinnamon rolls out of the fridge and let them rise while we opened presents. We could then enjoy hot cinnamon rolls with our Christmas orange that was always stuffed into the toe of each stocking.
One Christmas, we "accidentally" woke up at 2:30 am, perhaps transfiguring the big hand and the little hand on the clock. We enjoyed the treasures and tokens of our stocking and unwrapped all of the gifts under the tree before our parents realized what time it was. All of us kids stayed down in the family room under the glow of the tree lights and "napped" with what were our newly unwrapped Christmas sleeping bags.
I've experimented with Mom's recipe, and then- disposed of it. The concept works with any recipe I've tried. It does take awhile for the refrigerated rolls to even reach room temperature, and then they rise for 30+ minutes, depending on the warmth and humidity in your kitchen. However, if you have time, and don't want to spend the few extra minutes of preparing your recipe in the morning, it may be a nice one to try. I just get up ten minutes earlier and make them the day I want them. Nothing beats them fresh- out of the oven.

Cinnamon Rolls

Begin by making Jane's Rolls as outlined here, with one change. I use 1/3+ cup of sugar in the yeast mixture.
After the first rising cycle, roll dough into a 20x14 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 3T soft butter and a mixture of:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar mixed with
3 Tablespoons cinnamon.
Roll dough up tightly the long way. Cut into 12 equal rolls. Place on a greased jelly roll pan.
(If you are trying the refrigerated method, put them in the refrigerator now.)
Let rise until double.
Bake at 335 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Cool somewhat.
Frost, glaze, or dust with powdered sugar.

These rolls are simple. However, I'm sure your family, friends and neighbors think you should practice and share a time or two before Christmas.

Mom's Holiday Pumpkin Bread--Mom's Way

In church today, they announced that there were empty boxes in the foyer so those who were interested could participate in the Salvation Army Food Drive. I know that many receiving those boxes also receive in a sense a bit of hope- for better times. My thoughts wandered a bit to the Christmas of 1986. And in honor of such I made Mom’s Holiday Pumpkin Bread – the way Mom makes it..

I grew up in a somewhat large family of six children. Each Christmas our family would carol to friends and neighbors and upon leaving with our parting tune of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” my little brother would give a loaf of Mom’s Holiday Pumpkin Bead to our friends. Many of the friends and neighbors we caroled to considered our visit one of the highlights of their season. Money was always tight in our home, but one Christmas in particular things were especially tough. My parents called the children together to discuss the caroling plans and to let us know that there just wasn’t enough money for both ingredients for the holiday pumpkin bread for caroling and for our traditional Christmas meal of ham, rolls, Jell-O, and pies. My parents let us know the decision was up to us to choose between making the bread and having our Christmas feast. My parents left the room to allow for free discussion amongst us children. It wasn’t but a moment until my older sister announced our unanimous decision to our parents. We wanted the bread!
We caroled on several nights in the weeks preceding Christmas. With our last batch of holiday bread, our final night of caroling was Christmas Eve. It was cold and we were tired, but as a teenager, when I saw a tear fall down the face of a lady we caroled to, I knew it was all worth the effort. Our family returned home that evening to find our front porch lined with numerous stuffed grocery bags filled with Christmas ham and trimmings and much, much, more. Those people, who had gone out of their way to our home, tended to our immediate needs, but also left a testimony to children, teen-agers and a couple of struggling parents of a sense of love, compassion, hope and a desire to serve.