Spiced Holiday Cider Type Beverage Reduced Carb

There are two options that are really tasty. To spice the drinks  I used a mulling spices in a tea bag I found at Trader Joes. You use one tea bag per 8 ounces of beverage.

Option 1:

1 part sucralose  sweetened tea, 1 part 50%/Light   Cranberry Juice (Great Value Brand, it's sweetened with sucralose and other juices), and one mulling spice bag per 8 ounces liquid. Steep 5 mins.


Option 2:

One part unsweetened tea, one part 50%/Light Cranberry Juice and two parts prepared  Crystal Light Peach Mango Green tea, and one mulling spice bag per 8 ounces liquid. Steep 5 mins.


Note: I find the Crystal Light Peach Mango Green tea to be very sweet, hence I use unsweet tea. You may prefer it sweeter than I do, if so, use sweet tea.

If you can't find the mulling spices tea bags, you can use your own spice mixture and strain it. The bags I found at TJ's had cinnamon, clovers, ginger, orange peel and lemon peel. It looked like a powder in the bag.

There are commercially prepared mulling spice powdered mixtures but they are all sweetened with either sugar or other sweeteners. The amount needed to spice the beverage makes it too sweet for my taste, hence I prefer my mulling spices to have no kind of sweetener in them.

Holiday Roll Up

You will need: Cream cheese, Ranch salad dressing (not the dry stuff in a packet, the bottled kind), grated Colby Jack cheese, bacon bits, a dash of tobacco,  and flour tortillas.

Or you can use this to fill small bell peppers or celery if you want to limit carbs.

Alternatively you could make it into a cheese spread for  crackers or as a dip for celery. If it's too thick thin it with a bit of milk or preferably cream. Don't add more ranch, it may make it too salty.

I like it best rolled up in a tortilla and sliced.

Method: to softened cream cheese add enough Ranch salad dressing to flavor the cream cheese and soften it, making it easy to spread. You don't want it runny so don't add too much. To this, add the grated cheese and bacon bits. That's it.

Spread this onto the tortilla, and roll it up, Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for a couple of hours or longer, if you plan on slicing it. Alternatively, if you wish to eat it right away, skip the chilling  and slicing process.

For vegetarians you might try replacing the bacon with imitation bacon.

 For pescatarians try some  chopped shrimp, adding a bit of liquid smoke for a bit of smokiness

Not a fan of bacon? Ham might be a good sub for the bacon.  And chicken, might work too; again I'd add a bit of liquid smoke with the chicken.

When ready to serve, if slicing, place on a festive platter or tray.

I found that the Ranch salad dressing added plenty of salt and flavor, so taste before you add salt or other seasonings.

The beauty of this recipe, if you can even call it that, is that it's easy to make with stuff you probably have on hand.

Enjoy.

Note: you might make it into a cheese ball but if you do I suggest using the dry ranch seasoning so it will form a nice ball. It may be too loose with the prepared Ranch salad dressing.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Luke 2


And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.


(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)


And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.


And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)


To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.


And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.


And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.


And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.


And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.


1And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.


For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.


And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.


And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,


Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.


And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.


And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.


And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.


And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.


But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.


And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

Merry Christmas

Today is the day we celebrate the birth of Christ.  If you don't believe in Christ than you have nothing to celebrate this day.

And groups like the ACLU who expect Christmas to be celebrated without any religious context--well, they are idiots.  To them I say 'bah humbug'.  They won't rest until every trace of Christ is eradicated. 

But to those who do rejoice in the birth of Messiah I say a hearty "Merry Christmas".

Wishbook

 image from Welcome to Wishbook

For a stroll down memory lane click on over to Welcome to Wishbook

At the site you'll find vintage Christmas catalogs you can peruse to your heart's delight.

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 Back in the day kids couldn't wait to get their hands on the Christmas Wishbook.  Ours were from Montgomery Ward, Sears, and Spiegel.

I used to wish for a magic Wishbook--one that allowed me to grab the image and have the item come off the page right into my real life.Instant gratification. Bliss.

The idea of having to fill out an order, mail it and then wait for it to be processed and sent by return mail was agony.  But agony turned to ecstasy when your order finally arrived.

Today we have the electronic catalog. To me it's no better than the old paper catalog. Yes, it saves a little time and allows me to shop the world....but it's not a whole lot different than what we had way back when.

Christmas in the City

As a child Christmas trips to visit grandpa and his wife--my step grandma who was a fun person--were exciting  for me. They had pet parakeets that they treated like their babies. And an old retired gentleman friend of theirs always gave me--a chocoholic at a young age--white chocolate. I was fascinated with it. How could it be white I'd think?

But the best part of the visit in my memory was our trip to downtown Fort Wayne for shopping in the city. The cold crisp air, the swoosh of the bus doors opening to allow passengers to exit, the ladies with their Christmas corsages--the plastic ones which I'd love to find at a vintage shop or yard sale--the hustle and bustle in the air, the decorations, and best of all the music that floated on the air, supplied by the various stores speaker systems.

My favorite was Silver Bells. To this day it never fails to transport me back into that time, that era, those good memories. 

KISSES

Don't you just love this commercial? I do.

Weight Loss Update:

I lost the pound I gained at Thanksgiving, plus one more! Total loss to date: 27.

Slinky

The toy I never wanted.  The toy I never understood.

I received one of these in a gift exchange.  I'd seen them on television and they puzzled me.

What did you do with them?  How did you play with them?

There were no stairs in our home, and after you'd juggled them a bit--which took all of ten seconds--what was left?

I knew how to play with my doctor's kit, my dolls, my dishes, my chalkboard, my toy cash register and all my stuffed animals.

My play was elaborate.  Our living room was the waiting room to see the doctor--which was me.  The examining room for my patients was my parents bedroom.  I loved giving my patients shots and telling them it wouldn't hurt.

When my patients finished they could go to my restaurant in the kitchen, where I took their food orders on a real guest check pad.  I cooked the food, served it on my real china toy dishes, and when they finished they paid me with play money which I placed in my cash register.

And while they did all of this their kids were at school, located in my bedroom--complete with child size table and chairs, chalk board, red pencil, foil stars and my own old school papers which I graded while the 'kid's--my stuffed animals and dolls--did their seat work.

As I taught with my Lee press on nails I stood by the chalkboard at the front of the class.

So--how would a slinky fit into this elaborate play scheme?

I never figured it out and that is one of the few gifts--along with play dough, and marbles and kites in the spring--that I didn't welcome or really appreciate.

I could never get a kite to fly, marbles were pretty but the game made no sense--though jacks did--and play dough--it didn't spark any creativity in me.  If anything it limited it.  One can of play dough, one color like yellow.  What can you create with a lump of yellow play dough?

Give me a Mr. Potato Head.  At least he came with a variety of elements and I could create several persona's.

Shoot give me a new fancy dress with a 'can can' slip and a pair of black patent leather shoes plus a pair of ruffled lace top socks.  At least I could wear those and feel like a little princess.

But a slinky?  No thanks.

Vintage Flinstones

Do you need some Christmas spirit?

This old Flintstones commercial always puts me in the Christmas spirit.  I find nothing beats nostalgia and good memories to arouse some festive feelings.

Final Day of 2009

The last day of this year dawns. Outside it's gray and cold. Inside there is cheer and warmth.

Looking back over the year, it's been one of change mostly. But there were many many blessings, for which I am thankful to my God, who is beneficent--a loving God, who is wise and kind and who promises, to direct my paths if I will trust in Him.

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding; in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV

Where will my paths lead in 2010? I have no certainty, though I have some generalized idea. But where ever they lead I can go, knowing that I am being directed...knowing that the trials and tribulations of life are not 'for nothing'.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1.

We may look at life and commiserate as King Solomon did here:

I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

³I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

⁴I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

⁵I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:

⁶I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

⁷I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:

⁸I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

⁹So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

¹⁰And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

¹¹Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

¹²And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.

The King, who was exceedingly wealthy and had everything and had experienced everything found it all lacking. His summation--there is nothing new under the sun, there is nothing left..it is all vanity, all empty.

How sad. Perhaps you feel that way at times as well. Many are often depressed at Christmas or following Christmas, owing in part, I think, to the 'largeness' of the holiday. It is, after all, 'the most wonderful time of the year'. But I think we come away feeling empty because, just as with Solomon, the 'stuff' of Christmas is for the most part vain. When we fail to celebrate the real reason for the season it is highly likely we will feel a letdown at some point.

Solomon finally concluded this:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Let us learn from the wise King Solomon.

Fear God. This does not mean 'be afraid of God'. The definition for fear as used here is this: extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power. In other words, revere God. He is supreme. He is power. Hold him in awe. Look to him, trust him.

Keep his commandments. This means do what he says to do, follow his direction, don't lean to your own understanding, your own thinking, but seek his.

There are many paths. One path leads to life, all others to destruction.

If you look to God and follow his direction you can rest assured, you will be walking the path that leads to life.

May this be a year of great blessing. With Tiny Tim I say "God (would you please) bless us everyone."

A Holiday E-Card for You

To view my holiday e-card wish click here.

A Cup of Christmas Tea

If you haven't read the poem "A Cup of Christmas Tea" by Tom Hegg you can do so here. It is a real gem, especially this time of year.

Over the years I've tried making different Christmas teas--none of them were stellar--but I've settled for the ready made blend "Constant Comment". When you pour the water over the tea bag, the fragrant scent of oranges wafts up, along with a hint of clove and cinnamon--just the right amount--and it smells just like Christmas in a cup.

Constant Comment has been around for as long as I can remember. I was introduced to it back in the 1970's. Twenty individually foil wrapped quality tea bags for $2 is a real deal as well. If you've never tried it you might what to give it a go. Combine with a cookie or two and serve it up in a festive holiday mug or tea cup and you've got yourself a special moment.