814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 12, 1994
Create Holiday Memories To Last A Lifetime
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Fanning Staff
PRESCOTT (Lebanon Co.)
The main purpose of the Create a
Holiday Memory program is neith
er to leach the more than I,ooopar
ticipants who attend how to make
the most stunning holiday decora
tions nor to prepare the most elabo
rate food, although that seems to
be a fringe benefit.
Instead, the goal is to give parti
cipants ideas for doing things with
family and friends to create memo
ries that will last a lifetime.
“This is the place to look at
something, get an idea, and adapt it
to something else,” said a particip
ant at the annual holiday program
presented by Lebanon County
Penn State Cooperative Extension.
The same workshop presented
three days and two evenings last
week, was packed with ideas for
holiday gifts, food, and making
and preserving memories.
Workshop instructors encour
age the audience to adapt ideas to
use items they already have in their
home. Here are some ideas from
the sessions.
• Grocery bag ornaments
trace patterns, layer with thin piece
of batting, and stitch, trim with
pinking shears, embellish with
buttons and trims.
• Save small boxes in which
food or clothing is packaged. Care
fully separate to lay the box flat
Iron on fabric with Wonder-Under
and refold the box for use in gift
giving.
• Used neck ties can be trans
formed into a patchwork vest or as
a closet deordorizer. Stitch one end
of the tie, fill with cedar chips, and
hang in closet
• Strip quilt a jacket by stitching
fabric unto an old shirt or sweat
shirt
• Make a snowman by rolling up
quilt batting and tie with string to
make snowball appearance, tie a
scarf around neck, put on a straw
hat, and glue on buttons.
■ Apple candleholders can be
made by turning blossom side up,
core, and push candle and greenery
into the apple by using floral
sticks.
• Place brown paper on table.
Allow children to sponge paint it.
Or, pre-wrap some packages and
then sponge them.
Don’t know what to do with old ties? Try making a patch
work vest for yourself or a family member.
FLORENTINES
(Lace Cookies)
114 cups brown sugar
V* teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons plus 14 teaspoon
shortening
2 tablespoons comsyrup
14 cup cake flour
'A cup water
14 cup cake flour
1 cup ground toasted almonds
114 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream together sugar, salt, shor
tening, and comsyrup. (Do not
substitute butter or the cookies will
bum). Add 14 cup cake flour and
blend well. Add water in two
stages and cream thoroughly. Sift
the remaining 14 cup flour, blend
with the nuts and cinnamon and
fold in until smooth.
Mixture may be made ahead of
time. Do not refrigerate, mixture
will keep several weeks in tight
container. Bake right before serv
ing. Put mixture about the size of a
penny on lightly greased or paper
lined pans. Allow 2 inches
between cookies for spreading.
Bake at 380 degrees until
medium dark brown (7 to 10
minutes). Allow the cookies to
cool and sandwich them with jam,
fudge or chocolate. These cookies
are generally striped with a sweet
chocolate or may be partially
dipped in sweet chocolate. The
cookies may also be shaped into
hollow shapes by place around a
wooden spoon handle to form
while warm. Fill with fudge or
ganache. Makes 125 cookies.
Ganache;
10-ounces semi-sweet choco
late (melt in water bath)
'A cup plus 2 tablespoons cream
Combine melted chocolate and
cream. Fill hollow Florentines by
using a parchment paper triangle.
Fill it with melted chocolate, cut
slice off bottom, and decorate with
chocolate lines.
CHRISTMAS MEMORIES
Make an audio tape of your
children singing or playing an
instrument. “You do not need to be
trained to make a musical tradi
tion. Your child will never again
be three years old, but will enjoy
hearing the tape as they grow old
er,’’ said Bryce Donley, a musical
professor.
POMANDERS
6 to 8 assorted firm, thin
skinned apples, oranges, lemons,
and limes.
14 pound whole, large-headed
cloves with strong scent
14 cup ground cinnamon
14 cup ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons ground allspice
14 cup powdered orrisroot
Nut pick or slender knitting nee
dle for piercing fruit (optional)
Ribbon (optional)
Small paintbrush
Hold fruit firmly, without
squeezing. Insert die cloves at
VS to 1 / -inch intervals in rows or at
random over the surface; the fruit
will shrink as it dries, closing up
the spaces. If you have difficulty
inserting the cloves, you can pierce
the fruit first with the point of a nut
pick or knitting needle, but take
care to keep the holes small or the
cloves will fall out when the fruit
dries. If you intend to hange your
pomanders from ribbons, leave a
1-inch path around the fruit to pro
vide a channel to keep the ribbon in
place.
Blend the spices and orrisroot in
a small bowl. One at a time, roll
each piece of fruit in the mixture,
coating it generously to keep air
out (Any pomander you start
should be completed to this point
within 24 hours to eliminate the
possibility of mold forming).
Place the spice-coated fruit in a
large bowl, cover with the spice
mixture, and set in a warm dry
place to dry. Turn the fruit daily,
making sure the spices are evenly
distributed. Drying can take from
two weeks to a month, depending
on the size of the fruit The poman
ders will be hard when they are
completely dry.
TEA SANDWICHES
Spread bread 1 cutouts (made
with biscuit or cookie cutters) with
mayonnaise, sprinkle with celery
seed. Add sliced hard-boiled eggs
and paper-thin sliced cucumbers.
Garnish with paprika and sprigs of
parsley.
To a 6-ounce can tuna, add one
tablespoon each finely chopped
basil and mint. Add enough may
onnaise to bind together. Save on
bread squares (crusts removed and
cut into squares) that have been
dipped in melted butter and fried or
baked until crisp.
Displays by Susie lezzl and Chrlstenna Stamm show... js you.
your own home can be artfully arranged (or the holidays. Notice the pomanders using
apples, oranges, lemons, and limes.
EUROPEAN COOKIES
LINZER DOUGH
114 cups butter
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
6 ounces ground hazelnuts
14 cup yellow cake or bread
crumbs
314 cups cake flour
Pinch cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon plus 14 teaspoon
biking powder
Cream together butter and
sugar. Add hazelnuts and crumbs.
Sift together cake flour, cinnamon,
and baking powder and add to
creamed mixture. Chill dough, roll
out to 14 -inch thick and cut into
shapes. Two cut outs are needed
per cookie. One should be a round
cookie, the other should be the
same size but have a cutout hole in
the middle.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10
minutes until golden brown. Fill
bottom cookies with raspberry
jam. Dust tops with confectioners’
sugar and sandwich bottom to top
pie.
John Enterline arranged this seasonal tablesetting
demonstrating the “The Pleasures of Tea.” Notice a loaf of
bread is used to Insert bittersweet, wheat, and
jpes,
they appear If directions by Pastry Chef Brian Peffley are
used.
RED WARE POTTERY
LOOK ALIKE
For display only
Plant saucers or pots with no
holes
Gesso (liquidtex acrylic)
Red Oxide Acrylic Paint
Indigo Blue (Folk Art #9OB
Harvest Gold Folk Art #917
Clear Coat Extra Thick Folk Art
#786 Gloss Finish
Sand Paper
Sponge Brushes
Linner Brushes
Sponge (Miracle Sponge or
Compressed Sponges)
Sand rough edges. Wipe clean
with a damp cloth. Paint each piece
with one coat of Gesso and at least
two coats of the red Oxide. Be sure
to let each coat of paint dry com
pletely before applying another
coat.
Cut sponges in desired shapes.
Use the Indigo Blue and Harvest
Gold to create colorful designs.
Let paint dry completely.