Keeping Christ in Christmas and
Good Cooks in the Kitchen

Among Christians this year, there seems to be a unified effort to keep Christ in Christmas, believe it or not. While we have been busy singing “Silent Night,” we have allowed society to try taking from us one of the most sacred events that we celebrate each year. Without recognizing the birth of Christ, what is there to celebrate?

You see it everywhere – major retailers ordering their employees to refrain from offering a “Merry Christmas,” to another advertising “Family Trees,” but realizing quickly that the tactic wasn’t working very well. A national newscast reported last week that yet another major retailer admitted that the Christian community wasn’t taking too well to not having Christmas mentioned in its stores but, ironically, the corporation’s half-hearted response was to bring in a live Santa Claus to satisfy Christians.

I have an open-mind, as well as a deep love and respect for many people of different beliefs, but Christmas is about Christ, folks, plain and simple – the word C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S itself even says so. Having Christ in my heart and life has been my only hope, as I pray that it will be yours, as well. As my Sunday School teacher said this week, “Nobody wants to offend anyone, but trying to take Christ out of Christmas offends me.”

Let’s celebrate Christmas for what it is, and have fun cooking up some tasty treats for those you love as you celebrate this holy season together.

Red Velvet Cookies
Easy to make and is great to serve especially for holidays
– plain or with the cream cheese icing.

1 Box Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

Mix all ingredients together. This will make a cookie dough. Roll into balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten down slightly (depending on the thickness you desire). Bake at 375° until the tops crackle (about 8-10 minutes) or until desired doneness.

Cool and then frost with prepared icing if desired.

Brown Sugar Cookies

1 ¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ cup water
3 Tbs. honey
1 large egg
2 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans, almost grounded
2 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground allspice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Beat on high speed until well combined. In another bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients and stir. Add dry mixture to sugar mixture and blend until well combined. Drop cookies onto greased baking sheet by teaspoonfuls, 1 1/2" apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookie edges are lightly browned. Remove cookies from oven and let cool slightly. Place on cookie racks and let set for a few hours before eating. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Low Fat Peanut Butter Cookie

1 can (14 oz.) low fat sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup reduced fat peanut butter
¼ cup fat free egg substitute
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ¼ cup reduced fat biscuit mix
¼ cup sugar

Mix the milk, peanut butter, egg substitute and vanilla with a mixer on a low setting until smooth. Add the biscuit mix and blend well. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350. Drop the dough by teaspoonful 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet coated with nonstick spray. Sprinkle with sugar and bake the cookies until lightly browned about 6-8 minutes.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares

1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
1 ½ cup margarine, softened
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups graham cracker crumbs (approximately 40 squares)
1 cup chopped peanuts (optional)
1 (12-oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
¼ cup peanut butter

Line a 9x9x2 inch pan with aluminum foil. (Leave about 1 inch hanging over the opposite sides so you can lift the bars easily from the pan.)

In a large bowl, mix the powdered sugar, margarine, 1 cup peanut butter, and vanilla. Stir in the cracker crumbs and peanuts. (The mixture will be stiff.) Press mixture into the pan.

Over low heat stir together the chocolate chips and ¼ cup peanut butter until smooth. Spread over the mixture in the pan. Cover and refrigerate about an hour or until the chocolate is set. Remove from the pan and cut the bars into 36 squares. Refrigerate uncovered about 2 hours or until firm.

Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of my cookbook, Lovin’ Spoonful – Cooking with Family and Friends. There are just a few more copies left and will be available for Christmas only at the Mountain Times/Watauga Democrat offices in Boone, The Avery Journal-Times in Newland and at Trailway Laundry in Boone. My thanks to each of you who helped make this such a sweet success, but I have decided not to reorder any more.

Don’t forget your copy of “Lovin’ Spoonful . . . Cooking With Family and Friends,” a compilation of nearly 400 mouth-watering recipes by Sherrie Norris. It is available at all locations of High Country Media – Boone, Banner Elk, West Jefferson, and at The Avery Journal in Newland, all Boone Drugs, Black Bear Books, Trailway Laundry, Wilcox Emporium,( top level, booth 312-W,) and beginning June 15 at Mast Store locations.

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