christmas time is here

As Christmas approaches I hope you all have had time to celebrate the wonderful gifts that God has given to all of us. We have all been blessed with the gift of Jesus and it is encouraging this time of the year to remember that no matter what changes await us in the new year He will always be there guiding us and showing us His will for our lives. I hope that you are all able to spend time with your family enjoying the simple joys of being together during the holiday season and our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who are unable to be with their families this year. I am blessed to have my husband home this year and to be living in our own home and expecting our first child. This year has been laced with trials (especially related to jobs and income) but through it all God has brought us closer as a couple and this Christmas really reminds me of all He has done for us this year. So, take a few minutes to reflect on all the awesome things that have happened to you this year and enjoy your Christmas with family and never forget that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas!

Swedish tea ring

I got bored today and I started searching Christmas recipes. This is always a dangerous thing to do because you will end up making things that you do not need( but hey, it IS the holiday season). Anyway, I had a good excuse to be browsing the Christmas breads because we accidentally bought a big bag of flour when we already had an unopened one in our cabinet. After browsing awhile I found this recipe for something called a "Swedish Tea Ring". It looks complicated when you see a completed picture of it, but the recipe sounded fairly easy and it was! Let me tell you right now that these things are amazing. They have been out of the oven less than an hour and I have eaten two of them. Instead of simply linking the recipe I used I am writing it down here because I made several changes to both the ingredients and the measurements.

Almond-Orange Swedish Tea Ring with Orange Glaze

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 small clementine oranges, juiced and zested
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup halved or slivered Almonds
  
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water and let stand until creamy, about 15 minutes. Zest and juice the oranges; set juice aside for later use.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk, butter, salt, sugar, eggs, orange zest and 2 cups of the flour. Stir until smooth and well combined. Mix in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has come together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume; about 1 hour.
3. Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a rectangle approximately 12x24 inches. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, 1/4 cup white sugar. 1/4 cup brown sugar and Almonds; spread this mixture evenly across the dough. Roll the dough into a long roll and press the seam closed. With the seam turned downward, seal the two ends together to make a ring. Use a little water to help you seal the ends.
4. Place the ring on a cookie pan you have sprayed with non stick spray. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, make cuts every inch or so along the ring, cutting only three quarters of the way through. Twist each piece slightly so that the rolls fan out from the center of the ring. Cover the roll with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Bake the tea ring at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Remove the ring from the oven, place on a rack to cool.
6. Place the orange juice in a small bowl along with the vanilla. Add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Continue adding powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is fairly thick but still pourable. Drizzle the orange-sugar topping over the ring.(if you add too much powdered sugar or want it more sour add a teaspoon or two extra of orange juice)

Here is a picture of the final product(tastes so much better than it looks ) so you can see how to cut and twist the roll. The hardest part to me was getting the roll from the counter onto the pan and then off of the pan and onto a big platter.My ring broke when i put it on the platter which is why there is no picture of a whole ring. I used a whisk to drizzle the glaze over the ring while it was still hot then let it set up and cool before covering it with plastic wrap. I can't wait to wake up in the morning and stick one of these rolls in the microwave for a few seconds....MMMMMM.

A free christmas

I am always on the look out for free things to do that are equally geared towards adults and children. Being a young adult with no children (well, one on the way in a few weeks) it has always been hard to find free things to do around the holidays that are not geared towards children only. But, the candlelight tour at Duke homestead is something that everyone can enjoy and is not really geared towards young children. The event is free, but get there early if you don't want to be waiting around in the museum for more than thirty minutes. You will be taken on a guided tour down a path lit only by candles and the tour guide holding a lantern. Once you reach the old tobacco barn you will be treated to the scene of an old barn dance and fiddle music straight out of the 1800's. After the dancing they guide you to the old homestead house where there is caroling, hot cider, and a man reading "the night before christmas". Every hearth in the house is lit with a warming fire which is nice before you head back out into the cold to enjoy some sugar cookies by the bon fire. You can stay around the bon fire as long as you want, but after you finish your hot cider and cookies you will be ready to walk back down the candle lit path to your nice warm car :) I would recommend this to anyone looking for a nice quiet holiday event. The candle light tour will put you in the Christmas spirit and who doesn't enjoy singing a christmas carol or two and sitting by a bon fire? Also, check out other historic sites in your area, many of them offer special holiday tours or events!
http://www.nchistoricsites.org/duke/duke.htm