STEINBACH, MAN. THE CARILLON n C9
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2024 Carillon FAMILY Ideas for last minute gifts, decorations
Bethlehem peace moves hymn writer by DORIS PENNER T he well-known Christ- mas carol O Little Town of Bethlehem , written by Phillips Brooks brings to mind a vivid picture of that first Christmas Eve. It portrays the stillness of the night, and the obscurity of the town and its people who had no idea of the earth-shattering event that was soon to unfold and change the course of history. As is true of many of our much-loved carols, the Beth- lehem hymn was written more than a hundred years ago and draws on several traditions. Brooks was an Anglican bish- op and preached well-crafted sermons in the churches of Massachusetts. Sometime after 1865 he vis- ited the Holy Land; the peace he found there moved him deeply after the horrors and bloodshed of the civil war in the American states. Upon re- turning home, he wrote lyrics about the silence of the night when Jesus Christ was born, broken by the wondrous choir of angels singing the good news that a Saviour had been born. Like his English counter- parts, Brooks was devoted to congregational singing and was always on the lookout for uplifting church music. The melody for O Little Town of Bethlehem came to him on Christmas Eve in 1868 and the next morning during the Christmas Day service, the children of his choir sang it for the first time. Many carols speak about the “darkness” of the world with its turmoil and strife, lone- liness and fear. The coming of light would be great news indeed! The hymns go on to say Jesus came in the midst of darkness to bring the light of peace, hope, love and joy. The world today is still dark, rife with unrest, poverty and hatred, and ironically, the si- lence in the Holy Land has been shattered by the guns of war. But the Saviour came and still reigns to bless with peace the hearts of those who let Him in. It is time for us to listen to the Christmas angels proclaiming the great glad tidings and respond with the prayer with which Brooks ends the Bethlehem hymn, “O holy Child of Bethlehem, de- scend to us we pray …O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.”
beats something homemade and quick to make—nut mixtures or can- dy are especially welcome. The fol- lowing scrumptious bark fits the bill. Chocolate peppermint bark Melt 6 squares (or ounces) white baking chocolate in the microwave and set aside. In a separate bowl, re- peat with 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips . Stir 3 tablespoons crushed pep- permint sticks into each bowl. Drop white chocolate and semisweet chocolate in alternating spoonfuls on baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Cut through chocolates with a spatula to swirl, spreading to 1/4- inch thickness. Sprinkle with more crushed peppermint if desired. Chill until firm. Break into pieces. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 1 pound. • Candles are a warm touch to homes at Christmas time. Inex- pensive plain pillar candles can be dressed up in a myriad of ways to make them look as if purchased in an upscale shop. Here are a few sug- gestions: To dress up a tall pillar candle, stand 3-inch cinnamon sticks next to each other around the candle. Fix in place with a rubber band overlaid with a wired ribbon or raffia bow.
The cinnamon sticks create charm and give off a spicy aroma. Cut out designs from Christmas wrapping paper or old cards and fix to sides of the candle with thinned tacky glue or a decoupage medium. If you like glue on beads or bits of jewellery and outline the cutouts with craft paint. Use old Christmas cards • Need a few more unique deco- rations ? If you are like me, you still have Christmas cards you received last year and maybe the year before that! These are perfect for making all kinds of interesting and attractive decorations to hang on the tree or in windows or above doors. Victorian fans: Select cards you want to use (the highly colourful ones make more of a statement) and cut along the fold line. Fold each card front in “accordion pleats.” Staple the pleats of the bottom end togeth- er to form a fan. Let creativity kick in at this point—glue on lace, small silk flowers or other trims and add rib- bons where desired. These beautiful Victorian fans could also be featured at your holiday dinner: place one fan on each plate for decoration and as a small favour for guests to take home.
Or add twine and hang on your Christmas tree. • Many common items one has around the house can be used to make lovely ornaments to hang on the tree or in a window, or string into a garland. For example, mason jar rings (minus the lids) can be made into attractive wreaths: cover with pipe cleaners, fabric, wool or what have you and embellish with tiny stars or bells or bits of jewellery. Dried citrus slices are fragrant and beautiful: place thinly sliced orang- es, limes and/or lemons on a baking sheet and place in oven set at 175F. Flip over every hour or so until slices are no longer sticky (3 to 4 hours). In- sert twine to hang or string to make a garland. • Don’t forget the older folks in your life this Christmas. Pay them a visit and sing a few carols or play a card or board game. Bring a thought- ful gift—perhaps a food item you know they might enjoy such as a car- ton of tea, crackers and cheese, soup mixes, packets of jello and a few slices of Christmas fruit cake. Other gifts might be subscriptions to mag- azines, or a gift certificate for service such as window washing, rug clean- ing or an all-expense paid day trip.
by DORIS PENNER T he countdown to Christmas Day is on! It’s strange but true that while we know exactly when the holiday arrives every year, we are still caught short. Following are last minute ideas for gifts, dec- orations and generally making the season festive. And it doesn’t mean any more mall-trolling—simply a bit of time and creativity. • Forgot to buy enough wrapping paper? There are loads of ways to present a gift without ever buying the regular gaudy rolls stashed in bins in most shops. Think of paper in your home you want to get rid of— out-of-date maps, for example, or stacks of newspaper. Spray-paint or leave as is, tie with pretty ribbon and voila!—creative wrap. If you have a roll of plain brown wrap, the possi- bilities are endless for dressing it up with stencils and paint. Try spong- es, vegetable cuttings or old tooth- brushes as stencils to make beautiful designs. What about old tea towels or lace curtains? Wash well, iron and cut out appropriate sized pieces, then dress up in vintage style. • For last minute gifts , nothing
Festive dinner draws family together
1 celery stalk, finely diced 1 cup fresh strawberries (halved if large) 3 green onions, chopped Dressing (see below) Melt sugar in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown (do not stir). Add pecans and butter, and stir until butter is melted and pecans are coat- ed. Remove from heat and spread pecans on baking sheet to cool. In a salad bowl, combine salad greens, oranges, celery, strawberries and on- ions (reserve some fruit for garnish). Just before serving drizzle with dress- ing. Sprinkle with reserved fruit and sugared pecans. Makes 10 servings. Vinaigrette: whisk together ¼ cup vegetable oil, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon minced parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt and dash hot pepper sauce . Refrigerate until ready to use. This cake roll is very appropriate on the festive table. Decorate with choco- late curls, cherries and mint leaves for a log look. Chocolate mint log 3 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar, divided 2 tablespoons water ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 cup cake flour ¼ teaspoon cocoa 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt Filling and frosting (see below) Chocolate curls, mint leaves, cher- ries Beat egg yolks until slightly thick- ened in a large bowl. Gradually beat in 3/4 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon-coloured. Beat in water and vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and gradu- ally add to yolk mixture. Mix well. In a glass bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar gradually, beating well af- ter each addition. Beat until stiff and fold into batter. Spread batter into a 15 by 10-inch cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Bake at 375F for 12 minutes or until cake springs back when touched. Cool 5 minutes, then invert onto a kitchen towel dusted with icing sugar. Peel off waxed pa- per and roll up cake in towel start- ing with short end. Cool, then unroll gently and spread with filling. Roll up
1 cup finely chopped celery 4½ cups sliced mushrooms ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon each: thyme and sage ½ teaspoon each: oregano and pep- per 1 egg ¼ cup chicken stock Fry sausage meat until crumbled and lightly cooked. Drain and add to bread cubes in a large bowl. In the same skillet melt butter and sauté onions and celery for 5 minutes, then add mushrooms and cook until vege- tables are tender. Stir in parsley, salt, thyme, sage, oregano and pepper and cook a minute to blend flavours. Transfer to bowl. Beat egg lightly and add chicken stock. Add to stuffing mix and toss all together. Adjust sea- soning if necessary. Pack loosely into the turkey. Note this makes enough stuffing for a 12 to 14-pound turkey. Extra stuffing may be baked in a cas- serole dish for one hour. This side dish is very attractive with red, white and green colours. Christmas vegetable wreath 1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed ¾ pound Brussels sprouts (about
18) 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon prepared mustard ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup milk ½ cup grated Colby cheese ¼ cup julienne strips of red pepper Cook whole cauliflower and Brus- sels sprouts separately in lightly salt- ed water until tender. Meanwhile, make cheese sauce: melt butter over medium heat and stir in flour, mus- tard and salt. Gradually stir in milk and bring to boil. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. To serve place cauliflow- er in centre of a serving platter and arrange Brussels sprouts around it. Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower and garnish with red pepper strips. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Featuring fruit and nuts, this is a beautiful Christmas salad. Substitute fruits of your choice. Nut and fruit tossed salad
by DORIS PENNER T he family Christmas dinner is perhaps the most significant meal of the festive season. It pulls together the people one loves most and involves traditional foods that are part of family history. While the “must-haves” are served—every- one has been looking forward to Aunt Lily’s broccoli salad or Don’s mince- meat pie—there is usually room for a few new dishes. Following is a menu which may give you some direction in planning your dinner this year. Mashed potatoes with gravy Christmas vegetable wreath* Corn medley Spinach egg salad Fruit and nut tossed salad* Cranberry walnut tart* Savoury sausage stuffing with mushrooms 1 pound bulk sausage meat 8 cups dried bread cubes ¼ cup butter 2 cups finely chopped onions Christmas dinner menu Pumpkin soup Roast turkey with sausage bread stuffing*
1/3 cup sugar 1 cup pecans
2 tablespoons butter 8 cups salad greens 1 15-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
again and place seam-side down on a serving platter. Frost and decorate with chocolate curls, mint leaves and cherries as desired. Makes 10 to 12 servings. Filling: Beat 1 ½ cups whipping cream, 3 tablespoons icing sugar. 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract and 3 drops green food colouring until stiff. Fold in 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips . Frosting: cream ¼ cup softened butter, 2 cups icing sugar, 3 table- spoons cocoa, 3 tablespoons milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla and ½ teaspoon peppermint extract. Note: if you want a chocolate des- sert without mint, simply omit the peppermint extract in the filling and frosting.
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