Progress on Advent Knitting

I love this time of year; especially when I can relax and knit on my advent pieces.  There is something peaceful about these knitting projects.

Once I figured out the way of Mosaic knitting,

I'm on a roll!  It's fast and easy to knit.

This could be a male scarf with the colors I chose.

I know it's comes across as brown against this white

but trust me...

It's really a burgundy color--I wish I had used different

colors, but it is what it is

and I live with it.  This pattern is designed by Mosaic Advent Scarf 2016

by Tricia Weatherston 

The other Advent scarf is coming along nicely--

I enjoy knitting lace and this one will 

make a nice warm scarf for someone special

I wish--why do I always second guess my choices?--

I'd used lace weight yarn instead I

chose ..................

Fingering weight yarn--it does make a difference!

Fingering vs lace

Pan de Jamon--Traditional Venezuelan Bread

After Thanksgiving we had lots of leftover ham!  I'm not a big fan of ham!  Ham sandwiches were made!  I baked a ham quiche!  There was ham for breakfast!  And there was still plenty of

ham leftover!  Gee whiz, was it multiplying in the refrigerator?

Then it hit me--there was a jar of green olives in refrigerator too and I remembered this delicious bread

that was made when we lived in Venezuela--Pan de Jamon!

I had to find that recipe and make that bread.

Here is the recipe I came up with:

Pan de jamón is a traditional Venezuelan Christmas bread, but you can enjoy it any time of the year. A sweet, soft dough is rolled up around savory ham, sweet raisins and pimento-stuffed olives. The result is like a gift from heaven.

1 loaf, enough for 4 to 6 people

INGREDIENTS

• Warm milk -- 3/4 cup
• Butter -- 4 tablespoons
• Sugar -- 2 tablespoons
• Salt -- 1 teaspoon
• Active dry yeast -- 1 (1/4-ounce) package
• Lukewarm (110°F) water -- 1/4 cup
• All purpose flour -- 3 1/2 cups
• Egg, beaten -- 1
• Butter, melted -- 2 tablespoons
• Ham, thinly sliced -- 1/2 pound
• Raisins -- 1/2 cup
• Pimento-stuffed olives -- 1/2 cup
• Egg yolks -- 2

METHOD

1. Add the milk, 4 tablespoons butter, sugar and salt to a saucepan and heat, stirring until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
2. Mix the warm water and yeast together in a small bowl and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
3. Add 3 cups of the flour to large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeast mixture, warm milk and beaten egg. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients and bring the dough together.
4. Remove the dough to a floured work surface and knead, adding extra flour as needed, until the dough is no longer sticking to your hands and is silky and elastic. Remove the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm corner until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and punch it down with your fists to deflate it. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 12 inches wide and 15 inches long.
6. Brush the top surface of the dough with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Spread the the ham, raisins and olives evenly over the dough, leaving a margin of about 1 inch around the edges. Starting from the bottom, roll the dough up into a loaf. Pinch the seam and fold under the ends to seal.
7. Place the loaf seam-side down on a baking sheet and cover it lightly with a clean towel. Set aside to rise for another 30 to 45 minutes.
8. Beat the egg yolks with a tablespoon of water. Brush the top of the loaf all over with the egg yolk wash. Place the bread in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown on top and has a hollow sound when you tap on it. Remove and cool before serving.

Guess what?  There is still ham leftover!!

Fruitcake--Yes Or No?

The oldest reference that can be found regarding a fruitcake dates back to Roman times.  The recipe included pomegranate seeds.  Pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into barley mash.  Honey, spices, and preserved fruits were added during the Middle Ages.  Crusaders and hunters were reported to have carried this type of cake to sustain themselves over long periods of time away from home.

 1400s – The British began their love affair with fruitcake when dried fruits from the Mediterranean first arrived.

 1700s – In Europe, a ceremonial type of fruitcake was baked at the end of the nut harvest and saved and eaten the next year to celebrate the beginning of the next harvest, hoping it will bring them another successful harvest.  After the harvest, nuts were mixed and made into a fruitcake that was saved until the following year.  At that time, previous year’s fruitcakes were consumed in the hope that its symbolism would bring the blessing of another successful harvest

In the early 18th century, fruitcake (called plum cakes) was outlawed entirely throughout Continental Europe.  These cakes were considered as “sinfully rich.”  By the end of the 18th century there were laws restricting the use of plum cake.

Between 1837 and 1901, fruitcake was extremely popular.  A Victorian “Tea” would not have been complete without the addition of the fruitcake to the sweet and savory spread.  Queen Victoria is said to have waited a year to eat a fruitcake she received for her birthday because she felt it showed restraint, moderation and good taste.

It was the custom in England for unmarried wedding guests to put a slice of the cake, traditionally a dark fruitcake, under their pillow at night so they will dream of the person they will marry.

 
Do you have a fruitcake on your Christmas table?

Why Poinsettias?

The Aztecs used the plant to produce red dye and as an antipyretic medication.^[10] In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the plant is called Cuetlaxochitl, meaning "flower that grows in residues."^[10] Today it is known in Mexico and Guatemala as Flor de Noche Buena, meaning Christmas Eve Flower.^[10] In Spain it is known as Flor de Pascua or Pascua, meaning Easter flower.^[10] In Chile and Peru, the plant became known as Crown of the Andes.^[10] In Turkey, it is called Atatürk's flower because Atatürk, the founder of the Republic, liked this flower and made a significant contribution to its cultivation in Turkey.^{[citation needed]}

The plant's association with Christmas began in 16th-century Mexico, where legend tells of a girl, commonly called Pepita or Maria, who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus' birthday and was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar.^[11] Crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias.^[12] From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations.^[13] The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus.^[14]

What About That Kiss?

The history of mistletoe, which can be traced back to the ancient Greeks, is long, strange, and full of contradictions. Certain varieties are poisonous, for starters, and ingesting their toxic white berries has been known to cause a host of stomach problems (some poison control centers send out "holiday safety" fliers every year). Yet Hippocrates used other types of mistletoe to treat menstrual pains, and through the centuries it's been enlisted to fight leprosy, infertility, epilepsy, and even cancer. Then there's the plant's semi-parasitic nature. Mistletoe, a relative of sandalwood, attaches itself onto other trees to steal its host's water and nutrients. Unlike sandalwood, however, mistletoe seeds are dispersed by berry-eating birds, which allows the plant to grow on branches high above the shade, freeloading on other trees' sunlight. Mistletoe has been called a symbol of virility. According to Smithsonian Magazine, its seeds are coated in a semen-like substance that allows them to stick to tree branches once dispersed by birds — allowing a new mistletoe plant to dig into the host tree and begin to take shape.

Why, then, do we kiss each other under bunches of the devious, toxic plant every Christmas?

The common explanation says that early Christians integrated mistletoe into their celebrations as the religion spread across third-century Europe. The rationale predates the early Christians and goes back to the Norse god Baldur — second son of Odin, god of truth and light — who was so beloved by the other gods that they sought to protect him from all the dangers of the world. His mother, the goddess Frigg, "took an oath from fire and water, iron and all metals, stones and earth, from trees, sicknesses and poisons, and from all four-footed beasts, birds and creeping things, that they would not hurt Baldur." And thus the beautiful god was deemed invincible. What does this have to do with mistletoe? Bear with us...

At a large gathering soon after, stones, arrows, and flame were all flung at Baldur to test his might. Nothing worked, and he walked away unscathed. Jealous of Baldur's new powers, the mischievous Loki set out to find the one thing on Earth that might be able to hurt him. He found that the goddess Frigg forgot to ask mistletoe — tiny and forgotten — not to harm her beloved son. In the end, a dart fashioned from the little plant was used to murder Baldur in front of all the other gods who loved him so dearly.

Frigg, of course, was devastated. Steve Whysall at the Vancouver Sun explains that the tears of Baldur's mother became the berries of the plant, and it was decreed that "mistletoe would never again be used as a weapon and that she would place a kiss on anyone who passed under it."

And thus we hang mistletoe underneath our doorways come the holidays — so that we never overlook it again.  In my youth, we could buy mistletoe plants on the street corner during holiday season.  Also, friends who lived near woods would shoot down mistletoe from the trees--it was a way to practice their aim.

More fun facts about mistletoe:

Birds can eat mistletoe berries, but they're highly toxic to humans.

• Approximately 20 species of mistletoe can be found on the endangered species list.
• Celtic Druids believed that mistletoe contained the spirit of the tree in which it grew; this was the only part of the tree that stayed green all winter.

Candy Canes?

According to folklore, in 1670, in Cologne, Germany, the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral, wishing to remedy the noise caused by children in his church during the Living Crèche tradition of Christmas Eve, asked a local candy maker for some sweet sticks for them.^[3][4][5][6] In order to justify the practice of giving candy to children during worship services, he asked the candy maker to add a crook to the top of each stick, which would help children remember the shepherds who visited the infant Jesus.^[3][4][5] In addition, he used the white colour of the converted sticks to teach children about the Christian belief in the sinless life of Jesus.^[3][4][5]From Germany, candy canes spread to other parts of Europe, where they were handed out during plays reenacting the Nativity.^[4][6] As such, according to this legend, the candy cane became associated with Christmastide.^[1]

A recipe for straight peppermint candy sticks, white with coloured stripes, was published in 1844.^[7] The candy cane has been mentioned in literature since 1866.^[8]It was first mentioned in association with Christmas in 1874,^[9] and only as recently as 1882 was hung on Christmas trees.^[10]

Things you didn't know about candy canes

Wreaths On Your Door?

  

The Christmas wreath is another tradition that has been around for a long time and was initially created from fresh evergreens. Since evergreens are green year-round, they were the obvious choice during the winter months. The word 'wreath' is derived from an English word meaning to twist, such as in a circle. 

In ancient Rome, people used decorative wreaths as a sign of victory and celebration. the custom of hanging a wreath on the front door of your home probably came from this practice. At Christmas, the wreath is symbolic of Christian immortality. ... Red symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed at his crucifixion.

In Christianity, the Christmas wreath was used to symbolize Christ. The circular shape, with no beginning or end, represents eternity or life never ending. The wreaths were typically decorated with four candles, three on the exterior and one in the middle. The middle candle was lit on Christmas Eve to symbolize the arrival of the Light of the World - Jesus Christ. A tradition began in the early 19th century to lay evergreens shaped into wreaths or crosses on graves to honor the dead. Family members would bring them home to use as part of their Christmas decorations during the holiday season.

At Christmastime, it only makes sense to combine two of the most symbolic icons together, giving wreaths as gifts. 

Why Hang Stockings?

Hanging stockings over the chimney is an integral part of Christmas, and these oversized stockings are reserved for smaller gifts like candy and action figures. But why do we hang stockings anyway, and how did the tradition start?

One of the stories, it turns out, involves Nicholas passing by the homes of maidens too poor to afford a dowry -- money that a bride gives to her groom for their wedding. The bishop would throw gold coins down the chimneys of these maidens, where they would fall into stockings, which were hung over the fire to dry.

Stockings have been an essential part of the Christmas tradition for centuries (except, briefly, in the mid-1800s, when the New York Times wrote that Christmas trees almost completely supplanted them as the tradition of choice).

In my day, we didn't have a special stocking to hang--we used one of my father's old socks!

and in the morning, we would find fruit, nuts and sometimes a quarter in the toe.  

What will you find in your stocking this year?  

How Did This Tradition Begin?

Here we have St. Nicholas, a Bishop who lived in the fourth century in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it.  Because of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint. Nicholas was exiled from Myra and later put in prison during the persecution by the Emperor Diocletian. No one is really knows when he died, but it was on 6th December in either 345 or 352. In 1087, his bones were stolen from Turkey by some Italian merchant sailors. The bones are now kept in the Church named after him in the Italian port of Bari. On St. Nicholas feast day (6th December), the sailors of Bari still carry his statue from the Cathedral out to sea, so that he can bless the waters and give them safe voyages throughout the year.

So, How did St. Nicholas become Santa Claus??

In the 16th Century in northern Europe, after the reformation, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas became unpopular.

But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the UK, particularly in England, he became 'Father Christmas' or 'Old Man Christmas', an old character from plays during the middle ages in the UK and parts of northern Europe. In France, he was then known as 'Père Nöel' in Germany, the 'Christ Kind'. In the early USA his name was 'Kris Kringle'. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'!

Many countries, especially ones in Europe, celebrate St. Nicholas' Day on 6th December. In Holland and some other European Countries, children leave clogs or shoes out on the 5th December (St. Nicholas Eve) to be filled with presents. They also believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaas's horse, they will be left some sweets.

St. Nicholas became popular again in the Victorian era when writers, poets and artists rediscovered the old stories.

Third Times A Charm....

  As the baking has been put aside, I'm working on my advent scarves.

Yes, so the saying goes "Third Times a Charm!".

I'm hoping for a cure to this problem!  The Advent Calendar was available on November 27 

from Tricia Weatherston.  It is a Mosaic pattern--when was the last time I EVER did 

Mosaic ?  Or have I EVER knit Mosaic?  

Anyway, I'm trying my hand at this and you can see what I got right out of the gate!

 A Mess!

I cast on--did dark color first--well, that's not going to work if the chart uses

black and white squares to distinguish yarns as the first square is white--

I will be so confused.

Rip it out and begin again--thought I counted right!  How can someone not

count enough stitches--after all, it was only 47 stitches to begin with--

oh and the edge stitches--begin again.

And now, third time..............right number of stitches, light thread first and then

black.

I'm humming along ---I think!

Each day there are a few rows to knit--it only takes me about 30 minutes--getting into the rhythm 

of knitting and being reverent as I prepare for the Christmas season.

Shhhh---Here's The Famous Eggnog Recipe

Finally!  I'm getting to the eggnog!

Please keep it a secret--don't tell him you got it from me!

 Here's hubby's famous eggnog recipe.  He makes it by the gallon and in our house, it doesn't last long!  I guarantee if you like eggnog, this is the recipe for you!  He got the recipe from an old edition of Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, dated hell's bells, I don't know as the front cover is completed shot!  Anyway, he took this recipe and tweaked it some.  Of course, he doesn't tell me what that extra tweak is--but, I think it's LOVE!

So, here goes--hubby's famous eggnog recipe:

1/2 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 Cups milk (whole milk please--none of that non fat stuff--after all you're making eggnog!)

2 egg whites

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla, but he adds more

Beat 1/3 cup sugar into egg yolks.  Add salt, stir in milk.  Cook over medium heat, stir constantly till mixture coats the spoon!  Oh, yes, give that spoon a good coat!

Cool this mixture.

Beat egg whites till foamy; gradually add 3 Tablespoons sugar, beating to soft peaks.

Add vanilla.  Fold the egg whites into the custard mixture.

Chill.

When ready to serve, sprinkle with ground nutmeg--we like to use a grater and fresh

nutmeg--enjoy with your plate of cookies.

For him, it takes several hours to make--to me, it's a messy kitchen to clean up!

But, who cares--everyone loves his eggnog! and that's what it's all about!

Spritz Cookies--Oh Yeah!

With this recipe you need one of those cookie press thingies--I've handed mine off to 

blonded daughter and she makes these cookies now.

Assembly the following:

1 Cup butter--yummy butter!

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons of vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups flour

1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine all ingredients except flour in bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add flour; beat at low speed until well mixed. Prepare dough as directed by variations below, if desired. (If dough is too soft, cover and refrigerate, 30-45 minutes.)
3. Place dough into cookie press fitted with template. Form desired shapes, 1 inch apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

No Bake Cookies?!

When I asked hubby which was his favorite cookie, he thought for a while and then said,

"those drop chocolate cookies you made".  I said 'those sugary cookies?' and he nodded!

I asked the son the same question and his answer--"those chocolate no bake cookies!"

I can't believe!  All these years, I've been working away on fancy cookies and they

like these no bake ones--gee whiz!  Well, he does have a point though--

no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies are delicious and easy to make.

Sometimes, I'll add some peanut butter.  The kids could hardly wait for the cookies to firm up and sometimes were wiping the cookies off the paper with a spoon!  And everyone wants to lick the pan!

Here goes--the recipe

No Bake Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies

Cook time:  5 mins

Total time:  5 mins

Makes: 2 Dozen

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulate sugar
• 8 tbsp. (or 1 stick) butter or soft trans-fat free margarine
• ½ cup milk
• ⅓ cup baking cocoa
• 3 cups oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

Supplies Needed:

• Measuring Cups
• Large Saucepan
• Rubber Spatula
• Tablespoon
• Stainless Steel Bowl (to mix hot chocolate mixture with oats)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, margarine, milk, and cocoa.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
3. (Total of about 5 minutes stove time)
4. Remove bowl / pan from heat. Stir in the oats.
5. Use a tablespoon to drop batter onto waxed paper or foil.
6. Let stand until firm. Allow about 30 minutes to form and cool.
7. Store tightly covered.