Christmas
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Jeweled Fruitcake
This yummy fruitcake is packed with colorful dried fruits and rich Brazil nuts.
Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 2 hours 0 min
Makes: 32 servings
Total Time: 2 hours 0 min
Makes: 32 servings
2 cups dried apricot halves (11 ounces)
2 cups pitted whole dates (12 ounces)
1 1/2 cups Brazil nuts (8 ounces)
1 cup red and green candied pineapple, chopped (7 ounces)
1 cup red and green whole maraschino cherry, drained (12 ounces)
3/4 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
Light corn syrup, if desired
2 cups pitted whole dates (12 ounces)
1 1/2 cups Brazil nuts (8 ounces)
1 cup red and green candied pineapple, chopped (7 ounces)
1 cup red and green whole maraschino cherry, drained (12 ounces)
3/4 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
Light corn syrup, if desired
Heat oven to 300F. Line loaf pan, 9x5x3 or 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, with aluminum foil; grease foil. Mix all the ingredients except corn syurp. Spread in pan.
Bake about 1 hour 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If necessary, cover with aluminum foil for last 30 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning.
Remove fruitcake from pan (with foil) to wire rack. For a glossy top, immediately brush with corn syrup. Cool completely before cutting, about 24 hours. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator no longer than 2 months.
Source: Betty Crocker
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Things to do with kids for Christmas, Sing Christmas Songs.
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Jolly Snowman Cookies
Makes 3 dozen
Cut and paste! Shoestring licorice turns into a magical snowman's top hat on these sugar cookies. Gather even your littlest helpers because there are tasks even toddlers can do.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
1 pouch Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 egg
1 tub Betty Crocker® Whipped vanilla ready-to-spread frosting
Black shoestring licorice
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup red cinnamon candies
RECIPE METHOD
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Stir cookie mix, melted margarine and egg in medium bowl until soft dough forms. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten drops of dough until 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches across.
Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Frost and decorate one cookie at a time.. Spread frosting on 1 cookie. Add licorice across top third of cookie for hat, 3 raisins for eyes and nose and 5 candies for mouth. Repeat with remaining cookies.
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Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella
Bring a torch, Jeannette, Isabella
Bring a torch, come swiftly and run
Christ is born, tell the folk of the village,
Jesus is sleeping in His cradle
Ah, ah, beautiful is the Mother;
Ah, ah, beautiful is her Son.
Hasten now, good folk of the village
Hasten now, the Christ-Child to see
You will find him asleep in the manger
Quietly come and whisper softly
Hush, hush, peacefully now He slumbers
Hush, hush, peacefully now He sleeps.
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Organizing Checklist, If you are preparing Thanksgiving dinner, make a menu list of all foods you plan to serve. If you are not preparing the meal this year, call the host today and ask what you can bring to the meal, whether food or other items such as extra folding chairs, serving ware, etc.
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Jolly Chenille Snowman
2. Knead the orange clay until it is smooth and pliable. Make a cone shaped from the clay about 1-1/2-inch long and 3/4-inch wide at the base. Twist the nose slightly, swirling the clay to resemble a carrot. Insert one end of the 1/4-inch diameter dowel about 1/2-inch into the base of the nose. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to bake the nose.
3. Trace the shoe pattern twice onto the 2 x 4 x 6-inch piece of pine. Cut out the wood shapes with a scrollsaw. Drill a 3/4-inch deep hole at the center top of each shoe. Sand the shoes and apply wood sealer. Sand again with fine-grit sandpaper.
4. Apply two coats of navy blue paint to the shoes. Use fine-grit sandpaper to remove paint from the edges of the shoes.
5. Cut two 6-inch lengths of 18-gauge black wire. Thread the ends of each wire through a 3/4-inch diameter black button. Wrap each wire end around a pencil to form a coil. Hot-glue a button to the center front of each shoe.
6. From the chenille fabric, cut a 22 x 16-inch rectangle for the body/head and a 8 x 18-inch strip for the arms. From the navy-and-green plaid fleece, cut a 3-1/4 x 30-inch strip for the scarf and a 7-1/2 x 15-inch rectangle for the hat. Fringe the short edges of the scarf by making 1-inch long cuts 1/4-inch apart. Fringe one long edge of the hat by making 2-inch long cuts 1/2-inch apart. From the burgundy felt, use the mitten pattern to cut four mittens. From the burgundy knit fabric, cut two 3 x 2-1/2-inch rectangles for the socks.
7. Glue the small Styrofoam ball to the large Styrofoam ball with foam glue. Cut a piece of quilt batting wide and long enough to completely cover the assembled balls. Wrap the batting around the balls, overlapping the batting at the center back and hot-gluing in place. Tuck the batting around the bottom of the large ball and hot-glue in place. Tie strong string tightly around the neck of the snowman to define the neck. Pinch the batting together at the top of the small ball. Tightly wrap string around the batting and knot. Trim the excess batting about 1/2 inch above the string.
8. Hot-glue one end of a 3/8-inch dowel into the predrilled hole in each shoe. Push the opposite end of the dowels into the bottom of the large ball about 2 inches apart. Insert the dowels into the ball until the distance between the shoes and the body is about 2-1/2-inches. Remove the legs for now.
9. Cover the batting with the 22 x 16-inch chenille rectangle in the same way you covered the balls with batting. Make holes in the chenille to correspond with the pre-made holes at the bottom of the body., Insert the top of the leg dowels into the holes at the bottom of the body; hot-glue in place. For the socks, wrap a rectangle of burgundy knit fabric around each leg, overlapping the fabric edges at the back and hot-gluing the overlap.
10. From the wire hanger, cut a 21 inch length. To form the hands, fold back each end of the wire, forming a narrow 1-1/2-inch long oval hand. Wrap batting around the wire between the hands to measure about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the 8 x 18-inch strip of chenille around the batting-covered wire, overlapping the long edges and hot-gluing the over-lapped edges. With the chenille covering about 1/2 inches of each hand, wrap string tightly around the chenille and batting at the wrist and knot. Buttonhole-stitch the mittens together in pairs with tan pearl cotton, leaving the straight edge open. Slip the mittens over the wire hands, covering the raw edges of the chenille fabric. Hot-glue the mittens in place.
11. Bend the arms into a large C-shape. To attach the arms, wrap 18-gauge wire or strong string around the center of the arms and then around the neck of the snowman.
12. Cut three 6-inch lengths of 18-gauge wire. Referring to the wire and button assembly for the shoes, make three additional wired buttons.
13. To attach the nose, make a hole in the fabric at the center of the face. Insert the dowel through the hole and into the Styrofoam ball; hot-glue in place. Hot-glue the buttons to the face for the eyes.
14. For the mouth, cut an 11-inch length of 18-gauge wire. Shape the center of the wire into a 1-1/4-inch-wide smile, and coil the wire at the top corners of the smile. Trim the wire ends 1-1/4-inches beyond the coils, and bend the ends at a 90-degree angle away from the smile. Position the smile on the face and push the ends into the Styrofoam ball; then secure with hot-glue.
15. Fold the hat rectangle in half, overlapping the 7-1/2-inch edges; hot-glue the overlap. For the cuff, fold up 1-1/2-inch on the edge opposite the fringe; tack in place with hot glue. Tie string around the top of the hat just below the fringe. Hot-glue the hat to the snowman's head and tie the scarf around his neck. Tuck a miniature birdhouse in his arm.
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Things to do at Christmas time, Clean your closets. Find all the things that are hiding in the back of the closet. Clear out and make room for coats and other winter gear. Put away the summer stuff in a safe place elsewhere. Now your ready for guests and winter time fun on the run.
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Jolly Snowman
Words and Music By: Carolyn F. Freeman
Adapted By: Terry Kluytmans
Copyright © 2001 KIDiddles.com
Billie C.
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