Deborah Vogts's Blog, page 144

Stollen ~ Christmas Loaf

 
Here is a traditional German recipe for Stollen, including the surprise marzipan treat in the center. I hope you'll enjoy it!


1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped candied fruit
2 teaspoons rum flavoring
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup warm water
2 packages yeast
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6-7 cups flour
10 oz. marzipan


In medium bowl, combine raisins, candied fruit, rum extract and orange juice. Let soak for 1 hour. Add almonds and toss with 2 tablespoons flour.  


In glass measuring cup combine warm water and yeast. Let stand 3-5 minutes. Melt butter and add milk. Heat until warm (110 degrees). In large bowl, stir together yeast and milk mixture, sugar, eggs, salt, lemon rind, almond extract and nutmeg. Stir in 5 cups flour.


Turn dough onto lightly floured board and knead 5-8 minutes, adding remaining flour as needed to make dough smooth and elastic. Knead in reserved fruit mixture, 1/3 cup at a time. Shape into a ball and place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour.


Punch dough down on floured surface and divide in half. Roll each into 8X14 oval. Roll the marzipan into a rope and place in the center of the dough. Fold the dough over to cover it; pinch the seams together to seal. Place the loaf, seam side down, on a lightly greased 15X10 baking sheet. Brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Let loaves rise for 30-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Transfer to wire racks and cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or brush with lemon glaze (while still warm):


1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla


Makes 2 loaves.

O Christmas Tree

 
This month, I've shared with you a few of our family Christmas traditions, including my ongoing collection of angel ornaments for our Christmas tree. My favorite tradition, however, is when we celebrate Christmas Eve with a candlelight service at our church, which closes with the hymn Silent Night.
After the service, we traipse back to our warm, comfy home for a shared dinner with my parents. The candles are lit, some music is turned on, and the table is set with my favorite crystal and china dishes.
This year, I'm planning to bake a ham, served with company potatoes, green beans, and homemade yeast rolls. I haven't yet figured out what to make for our dessert, but it'll probably involve some form of chocolate. Then we'll gather in the living room where we'll open a present or two, leaving the rest for Christmas morning.
Oh the joys of Christmas. Spending cherished time with loved ones and celebrating the gift of our Savior's birth. May each of you be blessed this Christmas.

Christmas Tea Party

One Christmas tradition I've created for my girls is to hold a special tea party during their holiday break--sometimes inviting ten or more people to join us. This year, we decided to take our tea party on the road. We traveled to my grandma's house and held it there.
As always, we made a few goodies to enjoy with our tea. Russian Tea Cakes, Snowballs, Peppermint Meringues, Cheeseball and Crackers, Bacon-wrapped Lil Smokies, and Tortilla Pinwheels. And for our tea-- Apricot Brandy (loose leaf). Yum.
For our entertainment, we played a few games of Christmas Bingo, and then my daughters sang a few songs with their guitars. Good food, good company, and good entertainment. An enjoyable afternoon.  
I hope each of you will make time this week before Christmas to share with family or friends. Create memories and enjoy the moments.   

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Here's a favorite Cheesecake recipe I like to make at home. I made this recently for a writer's retreat, and the ladies there made me promise to share it on my blog. So here goes:

Crust:
2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1/3 cup butter, melted

Cheesecake:
3- 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In medium mixing bowl, combine vanilla wafer crumbs, coconut, sugar, baking cocoa. Add melted butter and mix well. Press onto the bottom and partially up the side of a 10-inch springform pan. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar, and then add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Fold in miniature chocolate chips. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes until center is nearly set. Turn off oven and allow cake to cool for an hour. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Let cool completely and then refrigerate overnight. 16 servings.

Book Drawing ~ Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas

[image error] Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas  by Ace Collins


You know these songs by heart. They're the 'greatest hits' of Christmas. But do you know the fascinating, inspirational stories behind them---who wrote them and how they came to be? 


In his latest book, Ace Collins reveals the stories behind the greatest hits of Christmas---all the songs you have enjoyed for generations. For example, as the story goes, jazz great Mel Torme wrote 'The Christmas Song' after visiting a friend in California, who, longing to escape California's heat for the cold winters of his New England, doodled these now-famous phrases on his spiral pad: 'Chestnuts roasting ... Jack Frost nipping ... Yuletide carols ...' Torme saw those words and one of the most famous Christmas songs of all time, first recorded by Nat King Cole, was born. 


Within these pages, you'll discover the origins of such famous Christmas songs as 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,' 'Winter Wonderland,' 'White Christmas,' 'Little Drummer Boy,' 'Feliz Navidad,' 'O Holy Night,' and two dozen others. Although not yet as famous as the Christmas songs of which he writes (he's working on that), Collins's many books have sold tens of thousands of copies and have become treasured family classics, read and enjoyed by young and old alike. His new book is a treasure-trove of the kind of magic that makes Christmas the beloved holiday it is. This is Ace Collins at his storytelling best ... which means it's sure to become a 'greatest hit' with your family, too. Purchase gift copies from Amazon here. 


Enter your chance to win this book by leaving a comment below. A winner will be drawn on Sunday, December 19. 
*Void where prohibited. Open only to US residents. Odds of winning depend on number of entrants. 

Gingerbread Houses

Having three daughters, I've been blessed to share many wonderful traditions during the Christmas season—tea parties, music recitals, building gingerbread houses, and so much more. When I find myself tempted to give up one of these traditions, my daughters are usually there to keep me in line. That's what my youngest did this year when I mentioned not building a gingerbread house. At her downcast face, I buckled.
We went to the Dollar Store and bought an armful of candies in all shapes and sizes. Skittles, peppermint sticks, colored marshmallow trees, nutcracker soldiers . . . you get the idea. Visions of a grand gingerbread castle filled my mind . . .

Image:thoughtdistillery.com/2004/12/13/74

Then we went home, and I baked the gingerbread, realizing that a small cottage would do.

Here's the house we ended up with. 


And here are a few gingerbread houses from our past . . .
 
2007

2006
Blessings to you as family traditions are fulfilled in your household this Christmastime.

Barbecued Meatballs

This is a delicious recipe we make for church potlucks or holiday parties. I hope you enjoy it!

4 pounds ground hamburger
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups quick oatmeal
2 eggs
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:
2 cups ketchup
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tablespoons liquid smoke

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, mix ingredients together with wooden spoon or hands. Shape into walnut-sized balls. Place in greased oblong pan. Cover with sauce. Bake covered for one hour.

A Prairie Christmas Collection

Experience Christmas on the historical American Great Plains as retold by nine different multi-published authors, including Tracie Peterson and Deborah Raney. Follow pioneers, immigrants, and orphans through their adventures, heartaches, challenges, victories, and romances. You are sure to find more than one favorite among the nine holiday romances in this unique collection to warm your heart and inspire your faith.

This week you're in a for a real treat as I will be giving away a signed copy (by Deborah Raney) of this lovely Christmas compilation of Prairie Christmas stories. Order gift copies from Amazon.

To enter, please leave a comment below of a favorite Christmas memory. A winner will be drawn on Sunday, December 12th, in time for Christmas delivery! *Void where prohibited. Open only to US residents. Odds of winning depend on number of entrants.

Favorite Christmas Memory

When I was ten or eleven years old, I remember looking out the window at bedtime as it had started to snow. Now mind you, it wasn't one of those icy, frigid snowstorms Kansas is well-known for, but rather a gentle snowfall with flakes as big as silver dollars. Dressed in my pajamas, robe, and rubber boots, I snuck out the door of our old farmhouse onto the porch and gazed up at the beautiful site. Unable to stay put for long, I took off on a stroll beneath the tall, eastern cedars that lined the side of our home. I remember the colorful lights from our Christmas tree blinking through the living room window, the crunch of my boots in the snow, and being filled with absolute wonder and peace as these huge snowflakes fell silently onto my face and into my outstretched hands.  In that moment, I recall thinking that this must have been what it was like when Jesus was born and how blessed I was to share in such a moment. ~ How blessed we are this Christmas season to rejoice in our Savior's birth.
Just a reminder, if you are interested in signed copies from the Seasons of the Tallgrass or books from many of today's top Christian fiction authors, Tuesday, December 7, is the last day of the Christmas Book Signing Bash. 

Hearty Venison Stew

My husband and daughters enjoy hunting deer and elk in the fall. This is a great venison recipe.

2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 pounds venison stew meat
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 cups water
7 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup water

Heat oil in large stew pot. Brown meat. Add onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and spices. Simmer covered 2 hours or until meat is tener. Add potatoes and carrots. Continue to cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Mix flour and water; stir into stew. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove bay leaf. Makes 8-10 servings. Very tasty.