April 11

Hello.  Long before Christmas, I did a goof and ended up renaming all my Christmas Holiday with the same name plus a number.  today I have finally reached the last of those mis-named recipes, and now I will have to go find more recipes. I love doing that.

 

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Gift of the Magi Bread (T&T)

 

makes 2 loaves

 

1/2 cup softened sweet butter (do not substitute)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 medium or 3 small)
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup coconut
1 cup semisweet mini-chocolate chips
2/3 cup sliced almonds, divided
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
(I love cherries and always add more)
1/2 cup chopped dates

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2  loaf pans, and set aside.

 

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract (I sometimes use coconut or pineapple extract for extra flavor).

 

Combine flour, baking soda and salt and add to the creamed butter mixture alternately with the bananas. Stir in mandarin oranges, coconut, mini-chocolate chips, 1/2 cup almonds,  cherries and dates; mix well to combine.

 

Pour into prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle with remaining almonds (I like more almonds on my bread).
Bake 50 to 55 minutes (45 minutes is what I bake it at; it will depend on your  oven) or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

 

Remove from oven and cool 10 to 15 minutes on a wire rack before removing  from pans. Cool completely.

 

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It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
With news of joy foretold,

"Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven's all gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
Love's banner all unfurled;
And still their heavenly music floats
Over all the weary world.

Above its sad and lowly plains
Old echoes plaintive ring,
And ever over its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the Angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;

And man at war with man hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O! hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the Angels sing.

O ye, beneath life's crushing load
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow;

Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing;
O rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing.

For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophets seen of old,
When with the ever-circling years
Shall come the time foretold,

When the new heaven and earth shall own
The Prince of Peace their King,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

 

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http://familycrafts.about.com/od/christmasprints/a/prchrstags.htm

 

Print out and make this free Christmas gift or scrapbook tag featuring Santa Claus.

In most instances, you can right click on the image below and choose to save it or print it! Print it onto a sheet of heavy paper, cut it out on the black lines, and then punch out the hole on top. Use it as a gift tag or as an embellishment for scrapbook pages or other projects.

(For best results, save the graphic to your computer and print it out using a graphics program. See this page for printing help.)

       

 

 

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Billie C.