Trojan Times
December 2022 Edition
Holiday Hits!
Guess The Staff Member Based On Their Bitmoji Game! (Guess Who?)
Thank you to all teachers who made this possible by sending in your bitmoji!
What Is Your Favorite Christmas/Holiday Movie Poll
Christmas Trivia Blooket
Events in the Region in January
Schererville's Cookie Factory
Sugar?... Cooking?... COOKIES.... for KIDS?!?! YOU BET!!
This class is all about getting your youngster's hands in the kitchen and baking some yummy goodness! The joys of Baking shouldn't be limited to just Mom and Dad. Kids LOVE to bake too!
This class will involve baking many different types of cookies! Join us on Jan 19th from 5pm-6:30pm at the Schererville Community Center to bake some INCREDIBLE COOKIES!!
You can register today at: https://secure.rec1.com/IN/town-of-schererville-in/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTIxODAyMzY=
Winter Night Hike at Purdue Northwest
Come explore the trails and quiet woods to find out what animals are awake and braving the cold winter night. Dress for the weather and feel free to bring snowshoes if there is snow on the ground. Group will meet in the parking lot. Suitable for all ages.
Program is free. Non-members must pay arboretum admission fee of $10 per carload upon entry.
Registration is required! Due to unpredictable winter weather, please register so that we can contact you if the program has been canceled. There is no fee to register.
Register here: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5615574?_ga=2.1238713.942126803.1669737049-249252322.1669737049
New Years Eve Kids Party
Ring in 2023 with the City of Crown Point! Close out 2022 during the Kids New Year’s Eve Party takes place from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, at St. Matthias Hall, 101 W. Burrell Drive. Join us for a celebration with a DJ, magician, face painting, beverages, snacks and more!
This event is for children ages 12 and under. Registration is required. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Cost
$7 per person
Kids 2 and younger are free
No refunds
Registration must be complete by 4 p.m. CST Monday, Dec. 26.
Click here to purchase tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crown-point-kids-new-years-eve-party-tickets-457271710997
Music at the Museum
Westchester Township History Museum invites music lovers to attend Music at the Museum. The Flashbacks are back with music from the past 500 years. Marti Pizzini, Suzanne Keldsen, Jim Nelson, and Lynn Edgemon will play and sing classic tunes from Europe and the U.S., the kind of music folks have been singing in their homes for centuries.
Time: 2:00-3:00 pm.Admission is free.
Westchester Township History Museum700 W. Porter Ave.Chesterton, IN 46304
What Do You Want For Christmas
Edward Galicia-Ocanas was VERY specific (and expensive)! Edward said "I want a lot of money, three chihuahuas, a new house, a boat, a jeep, a cat, go on a very expensive vacation, scratch and sniff stickers, eight new pairs of shoes, a new roof for my old house, two 80 inch flatscreen TVs, very loud speakers, and streaming services for my TVs." Santa has some very high expectations from Edward this year!!
Jackson Campana said he would like a new pair of Jordans so he can match his friend Wyatt Teso. TWINNING!
Finn McCready said "I want new records, shoes, shoe cleaning supplies, and a new phone". We hope you get all that you want for Christmas, Finn!!
Twas The Night Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.
And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap.
When out on the roof there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave the lustre of midday to objects below,
when, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,
and he whistled and shouted and called them by name:
"Now Dasher! Now Dancer!
Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid!
On, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch!
To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky
so up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes--how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
Did You Know?... Behind the Scenes of the Grinch
January Sports Schedule
CMS Christmas Traditions
The Holidays….You spend them drinking hot chocolate, watching movies, and playing in the snow…or so CMS thought. Right here at Chesterton Middle School, we have some life and traditions that remind people to get into their snowsuits and bring out the hand warmers. 7th grader Kayla Reese says how every year her family watches Die Hard. What a fun movie! So is White Christmas according to Ace Stewart. Josie Hanner says instead of watching movies, she goes to her aunt’s house on Christmas Eve and opens presents. You can hear about what CMS thinks the best presents are in our podcast! *Scroll to find* Some of our students choose a different way to spend their holiday. Caleb Rosado says, “I make Rice.” A few words can say a lot, Caleb! We all hope he enjoys his rice. Other than our school’s students having fun traditions, our teachers like to have fun as well! 7th grade World Geography teacher Mr. Galloway states, “I love hanging out with my wife, kid, and dog. We eat lots of food and hang out by the fireplace. We also play some PS4 and watching a lot of Christmas movies…especially Christmas Vacation. With all the movies and food we will be eating, we sure hope no one gets bored this holiday season. And with that.. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!
Article written by: Finley McCready
Comics By Adam Tenbarge
Chesterton Tribune Article About the Trojan Times Very Own, Adam Tenbarge
Short Stories Written by CMS Students
Real Estate Agent
I have always hated the way my mother viewed Christmas. With good intentions, she had forced upon me the idea that the holiday season was a time for absolute selflessness. To go so far as starving on the street and giving your last coin to a whining child in gold earrings. As I lived my life, I started hearing more and more people preach the idea of altruism, especially in the later months of the year, as if the season made a difference. I couldn’t stand it. Christmas might be a time for giving, but I believe it should bar the absolute extreme acts of selflessness.
“Diana!” My mother called. “Come down here please.”
It was Christmas Eve, so I flew down the stairs with the utmost haste, preparing for something monumental. Maybe, just maybe, there would be a guest.
“I need you to help me set the table.”
Disappointed, I said, “Why? There’s no one coming anyway.”
“This is how I want things to be. What were you even doing up there?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing. So I suppose you can’t spare a moment of your time to help your poor mother set the table?”
“Pointless,” I mumbled, which in itself was pointless. She couldn’t hear me, and it wasn’t offensive. I don’t know why it made me feel better, but it did.
Mom gestured toward an already set spot. “This is how I want it to look. Set four spots.”
“Why four? Nobody else is coming… are they?”
“Do you always have to ask so many questions? Sorry you’re so unsatisfied with how we do Christmas, but I can’t change it.”
I paused. “I didn’t say I was unsatisfied. I just, I wish—”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
I felt my own face light up.
I got my hopes up, despite instinctively knowing it wasn’t who I wanted it to be.
“Diana, do not go get that door!”
In fact, it wasn’t anyone I recognized at all.
“Can I help you?” I said to the man who shivered on our doorstep. He must have been sixty, or older, and extremely disheveled. His ankles and knees weren’t covered by his floods, and his neck was scarcely covered by his torn scarf. His eyelashes were white with frost.
“Aren’t you a bed and breakfast?” He asked.
“…No.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry. I saw your place and it looked so big I thought it might’ve been an inn. I’m sorry. I was looking for a place to stay for the holiday and this house just looked so nice. I’ll go.”
“Okay.”
“No, not okay,” My mother said, appearing behind me. “What’s your name, sir?”
“Nicholas.”
“Well how in-season. Come on in.”
“Uh, just a minute,” I interjected, shutting the door. I hoped he would just walk away, but he stood, peering in at us.
“You’re going to let a complete stranger come into our home and stay the night?” I whispered. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Watch it,” she whispered back. “He is homeless, and clearly not very smart. He thought this place was an inn. He’s harmless. Besides, all you talk about is wishing we were spending Christmas with someone. Here is our guest.”
“I didn’t mean him!”
“Careful what you wish for. It’s the right thing to do, letting him in. You need to stop being so selfish!”
I sighed. I usually went a bit farther in arguments, but this seemed futile. There was no changing her mind, I thought. I deeply regret not doing more to try.
And so, with her mind made up, my mother opened the door and welcomed the stranger with open arms. He asked her name, to which she gave it to him, first and last. Not mine, thankfully, neither of them would look me in the eye.
I wondered, vaguely, if this was her filling the void. The black, empty void that my brother left in the house when he picked up and left. He was, I guess, intended to be some sort of father figure to me after he died, but couldn’t handle it. Not me, but the living here in general. Maybe my mother thought that she would like this man, and that he could stay for more than one night.
“So how long have you been in town?” Mom inquired.
“Oh, not long,” Nicholas responded. “I mean, I was born here, but I float around between towns. Whichever is best for me at the time.”
“How did you have enough money for a bed and breakfast stay?” I asked, slightly sarcastically. To no avail, for they both refused to look in my direction. Let alone acknowledge me. They continued this process as we made our way to the table. Three spots were magically set up, likely during the time that I was deciding to banish the stranger. My mother must not have had time to set the unnecessary fourth while she interfered.
I would like to clear something up. I don’t mean to be misleading. I sound rude and unconventional in the way I speak of my mother. Loss of respect, it seems, as she started to make brash decisions that weren’t always safe. It’s not true. I do love my mother and care about her and her opinion. I just sometimes cannot see how she paints her actions as rational. Seeing her do this as she invited that man into our home and sat him down in a usually untouched spot made me grow more and more irritated.
I sat silently with Nicholas alone at the table for a handful of minutes until my mother promptly announced that dinner was served. Ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, stuffing, the like. A strawberry and rhubarb pie reserved for later, which I watched him eye greedily, and half-expected him to dunk his hand in and scoop out the contents.
“For later,” I informed him, but of course, he was unresponsive. I wished he would acknowledge me. Anything he could say wouldn’t unsettle me more than the two of them acting like I was invisible.
“Merry Christmas everyone,” Mom beamed. “It’s so nice to have a guest with us this Christmas! Thank you for staying with us, Nicholas. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Christmas is your favorite holiday, or your parents?”
“You mean because of my name?” He asked, shoveling multiple portions of each dish onto his plate. “Well, nobody’s ever asked me that before. I guess appearing on Christmas has something to do with it! Most people just assume I’m just another Nick, but no. My parents were real Christmas fanatics!”
I didn’t like the way he said he appeared. Like out-of-thin-air appeared to us? Or born-on-Christmas? It made me suddenly disgusted with the food I was eating, so I stuck my hands under my thighs and stayed like that for a few moments. At least until it was unbearable to watch both of them eat, and I had to fiddle with my nails.
“Fascinating,” Mom said. “I have always adored Christmas. Not just the events, but the… oh, I don’t know, aura? around it. It’s a good time to be alive, wouldn’t you say?”
“Absolutely.”
“It just hasn’t been the same without her dad and brother.”
“Wow, mom, you really got to the goal there,” I said sarcastically, which my mom, once again, took as rhetorical, for she scarcely blinked in my direction. That man, however, heard me loud and clear.
“What’s your name?” He asked me. “I assume you’re the her in this situation?”
“That I am.”
“Your father and brother are gone. Dead or fleeting, I assume. How awful.”
I glared at him. Anything I said he would turn around on me, just like my mother’s words were now my problem as well.
“Maybe that’s why you take things so seriously, and out on your mother, for that matter. I assume this… pessimist attitude and attitude attitude started after they vanished?
She nodded, but his eyes didn’t waver from mine. I didn’t dare to look away either. He was challenging me, and although we were practically alone in the room, I couldn’t let myself lose. Much like this night, it would haunt me for years to come.
“I don’t take things seriously, I just like to keep myself safe. I hope you can understand my point of view and leave. It’s uncomfortable for me to have a stranger in my house, eating my food, the like. Can you understand?”
“Diana!” My mom explained. “Over here, now.” She motioned for us to disappear into the living room, probably for her to yell and defeat the purpose of the separate room.
But thankfully, of course, that man said, “That’s okay. I’m not offended. I got what I wanted, anyway.” He chuckled. “Now I know both of your names. Diana and Laura Matein. And you know mine, so now we’re even.”
“Now why does that matter?” I burst out. “Why do you need to know our names? Why is that significant other than to call us by it? And we are not even! You’re in my house, sitting next to me, and I had no choice. We are nowhere near even!”
“Enough, “Mom seethed. “This is not just your house. You don’t own it, I do. And I can do absolutely whatever I want with it and invite whoever I want into it. Through my door, to me. If I want to sit them next to you then you really just don’t have a choice. You are being extremely rude and although it is not out of character for you I am utterly sick of it, and so is Nicholas. You can make a change, or go to your room, and stay there for the rest of the night.”
Nicholas smirked. Very slightly, but it was there, and besides for being embarrassed I was now on the verge of throwing something at the wall. I gripped my glass just in case, but I felt my mother’s eyes on me, so I released.
There was no point to be here anymore; I couldn’t argue anymore. It was like they had teamed up and decided that I was their mortal enemy, her own daughter. She chose him over me, and they were watching. There was nothing I could say out loud, and so I left.
Although my mother decided that you weren’t dangerous I know you are. I don’t believe that you took this place as an inn and I don’t believe that you’re homeless. I don’t believe your name or your clothes or your unwavering politeness. I don’t know you are or what you want other than to make me crazy, but I wish you would just go. I’m too exhausted to fight with you, I just want it to be a regular Christmas with my whole family, not some stranger, I thought as I walked away. I made no noise, let alone did I utter a word out loud.
“I’m sorry that this isn’t a regular Christmas,” he said as I walked away. “It isn’t for me either. Usually I’m with people who aren’t strangers to me. This year is different, for both of us.”
I continued walking. I can’t understand how my mother didn’t see it and how I cared more about “stranger danger” than her. It was more than enough to send shivers down my spine and implore me to bolt up the stairs.
My night was over and it was only six o’clock.
Their night was just beginning, and I could scarcely hazard a guess of what might happen.
I heard footsteps up the stairs at around ten p.m., and another set at about ten forty-five. No one came into my room, but just to make sure, I didn’t shut my eyes the whole night. When the sun rose at seven, I had built up the audacity to crack my door an inch, and then finally enough for me to squeeze through. The hallway upstairs was wide and straight, and dark, of course, at this hour. This hour was the latest I had ever risen on Christmas Day, for I knew there was nothing to look forward to. Or maybe, nothing to see at all.
Even in the thick darkness, I could see enough to realize everything that was there the night before was absent. I didn’t dare to break into any of the rooms, but I did to quickly run downstairs and survey the lower level. The foyer was void of decor, and so was the sunroom connected to it. Nothing but wood floors, not even rugs. I ran through there and found the kitchen drained of everything that had been there last night, all except the appliances and light fixtures, which had the bulbs extracted from them. The dining room table had disappeared, and not a crumb surrounded the open area from the eve of today. My heart dropped into my stomach the way it does on roller coasters as I checked the living room, the bathroom, even the cellar that I usually avoid. Along with the fridge and cabinets, they were all empty. I neared tears now, confused and terrified and thinking of the Grinch, how all those children must’ve felt when they woke up to blank houses. Except mine made no sound as I walked through it. There wasn’t a creak in the wood as I sprinted back up the stairs or a whisper from my mother or anyone else.
I burst into her room and found it drained of our belongings as well. Any reminiscent that anyone had lived here had vanished under the blanket of night, something that couldn’t have been pulled off even if I had slept. I wept now, wishing my mother hadn’t brought herself into this situation. I prayed to see her again despite instinctively feeling that I wouldn’t. I trust my instincts, and low and behold I prove correct, but no one listens.
There was no nook or cranny left uninvestigated, except one. The guest room, formally my brother’s room, but now a place that could be a deciding factor. Was this a robbery, kidnapping, both, or something completely different? Open the door and find out.
I cracked the door like I had with my bedroom one, only this time I whipped the door back, anticipating every possibility. I felt myself dent the wall, but didn’t bother to look. I had that gut feeling that I wouldn’t reside here, my childhood home, much longer. For now, at this moment, I faced him as he stood. He had that same smirk he did at the late dining table, only now he stood at an open window, snow floating in and melting as it hit the floor.
“What did you do?” I pleaded. “ Where is everything, where’s my mom?”
I got the hint. He didn’t use his words, but I understood. It was enigmatic, and I’ll never know the where or why, but I got the message. He leaped out the window like he thought he would fly, finally losing his terrifying smile. I screamed, louder than I ever had, but he didn’t. I hesitated for just a moment, not long enough to stand and sit, but then I bolted to the window. I hesitated once more before looking down and seeing what was to be the most morbid thing I beheld. I stuck my head out the window, tilted my head, and opened my tightly-shut eyes. My mouth fell open. There was nothing but stark-white snow and a pink sunrise. My hands slipped and I almost tumbled down right after him. I ran once more downstairs and looked around the house, not having the courage to go outside, where he must be. If he didn’t pass from that fateful jump, he was on the loose and there was no telling what he’d do. I frantically searched for a phone before realizing that those were gone too. My only other option was to go to the neighbors house and seek help from them.
Just as I was about to head out the door, I heard a crackling sound, one after another. I turned and saw the fireplace in the living room was filled with a fresh flame on a plentiful stack of wood. I sighed. I haven't a clue how it got there, where it came from, or when it appeared. But it was there. Plain as day. Warily, I ran out the door, ignoring the persistent thought of what if it wasn’t?
One Year Later
December 24
My social worker phrased it as “emotional trauma,” which I think is a sugar coated way of saying juvenile insanity, but I’m too afraid to blatantly ask if that’s true. You see, I’m now an orphan, with no chances of being adopted. That’s what happens with teenagers in the foster care system. I’m alone, and I haven’t talked to anyone but an authority figure in a year.
The return date of that event took a toll on me, I guess, but I don’t remember it. All I can recall is sobbing on a couch somewhere and then waking up here. The doctors say I don’t remember because sometimes your subconscious blocks certain things out that it doesn’t want to remember.
They also say I hallucinated the man and the window, but have no idea where all my stuff went, so I don’t know what or who to believe.
Long story short, I’ll be staying here for a while.
We’re not allowed to have our phones and it is a privilege not an accommodation to visit the town.
“This isn’t a hotel!”
We can make calls during a scheduled hour, but I don’t have anyone to talk to. I essentially have no contact with the outside world, which I think is greatly lacking in common sense. You see, the people here don’t understand that the only way for me to be “treated” is to figure out what happened.
I’ve devoted myself to research and investigation into how what happened could have happened, along with situations like it. There were none that I found, yet, and it wasn’t going well. I had one more idea, and the date was fitting, but there wasn’t much I could do. I have to admit, I had obsessed over it all quite a bit, more than I would like to share. It was something that I know would fix everything. I could get out of here, see my brother, visit my old house, my old school, and such.
It all depended on how much of the place was monitored. Usually, there are way too many workers at night that I would never pull it off. Luckily, someone had a massive fit around nine p.m. today and most of everyone was preoccupied with that.
Merry Christmas to me.
When my hall was clear, I peered out of my room and surveyed the situation. After a careful assessment, I tiptoed down the hall and turned the corner to the rec room, where the two, ancient computers resided. I went into the room and shut the door behind me, locking it. I would be in ginormous trouble if I was caught, but I couldn’t care less. There’s nowhere else to go anyway. I turned on one of the computers and found a search engine, any worked, I found. I typed in my old address, bouncing my foot and picking at my chin.
468 S Westsun Dr.
I clicked on the first link that came up.
4,509 sqft, three bedroom, three and a half bath, tri-level, sunroom, fireplace, mid-century modern, built in 1907, quiet, sparsely populated street.
The website showed thirty plus pictures of the blank interior and the lavish, red brick exterior. I quickly shut out the memories that came back to me as I scrolled through them. It became too hard to bear, so I clicked out of them and continued reading the house’s description.
This house was adored by several previous owners, all which maintained the house up to this point. 468 S Westsun Drive sits on one acre of property and includes an in-ground swimming pool out back. There are two garages: one four-car connected to the house and a two-car separated from the house, but still next to it. The small but tripled staircases make it hard for children to get hurt and easy for senior citizens to navigate. There are few surrounding houses, making it a calm place to live, but still easy to socialize and bring to life. 468 S Westsun Drive is the perfect place to raise a family or to wind down in your later years.
The summary was perfunctory, so obviously written by someone who hadn’t lived in the house. I suppose that’s the norm, but to me it just felt wrong. I scrolled through the rest of the page, looking for something that said For Sale or Sold when I heard a harsh knock on the door.
“Diana, open up,” the doctor said. “Please don’t start trouble tonight.”
I kept scrolling without giving a response.
SALE! SALE! SALE!
I kept waiting for the words to present themselves.
“Please, we’ve all had a long night.”
Scroll, scroll, scroll…
It became hard to control the mouse and I fumbled to find the bottom of the screen.
“I’m going to count to three.”
I scrolled once more and reached the bottom, my eyes struggling to see on the blurry screen.
I focused on the letters and squinted a few times, finally making something out.
“One…”
468 S Westsun Drive was abandoned by its former owner in December of 2021…
“Two…”
It has been anonymously maintained and paid for for the last year…
“Three!”
468 S Westsun Drive is for sale for $1.2 million.
Christmas Jokes
How do you help someone who has lost their Christmas spirit?
Nurse them back to elf.
What do Santa's elves drive?
Minivans.
What is a Christmas tree' favorite candy?
Orna-mints!
What do you call a cat sitting on the beach on Christmas Eve?
Sandy Claws.
Why does everyone love Frosty the Snowman?
He's cool.
Why did the Christmas tree go to the barber?
It needed to be trimmed.
What do you call an elf wearing earmuffs?
Anything you want-he cant hear you!
What do you get when you cross a Christmas tree with an apple?
A pineapple!
Why don't aliens celebrate Christmas?
Because they don't want to give away their presence.
What do snowmen eat for breakfast?
Snowflakes.
What do you call Santa when he stops moving?
Santa Pause.
December Recipes
Spritz Cookies
These cookies are small and easy to make. They are really soft and melt in your mouth. To make them you will need-
1 cup of butter
½ cup sugar
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon of almond extract
Gingerbread Snowflakes
These are some very festive cookies and are even more delicious. To make them you will need-
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅔ cup white sugar
¼ cup molasses
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
For the icing-
1 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons water
Whisk 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, cocoa powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, cloves, black pepper, and cayenne together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed.
Cream together butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until pale yellow and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add molasses, vanilla, and egg. Whisk mixture until well blended. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir just until the flour disappears. Spread out a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and set dough on top. Wrap dough with plastic wrap while shaping it into a rectangle approximately 1-inch high by 4 to 5 inches wide. Refrigerate until dough is cold and firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat.
After the dough has chilled, slice across the block into 14 or 15 pieces about 3/8 inch thick. Each slice is then cut in half, and each half into 3 strips lengthwise.
Use 3 strips of the dough to form the 6-pointed star as shown and place onto the prepared baking sheet with space in between as they spread out.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes if you like the cookies to be chewy, or 15 minutes for crispy cookies. Remove from the oven and wait for 5 minutes before carefully transferring cookies to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Mix together the powdered sugar and water until a ribbon is formed. Transfer the icing into a piping bag with a small round tip. Pipe snowflake designs onto the cooled cookies.
Christmas Sugar Cookies
These are the basic ingredients you'll need to make this soft Christmas cookie recipe:
· Flour: These classic Christmas cookies start with all-purpose flour.
· Baking powder: Baking powder acts as a leavener, which means it makes the cookies rise.
· Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the overall flavor, but it won't make the cookies taste salty.
· Sugar and margarine: White sugar is beaten with margarine. You can use butter if you prefer.
· Eggs: Two eggs lend moisture and bind the dough together.
· Vanilla: Two teaspoons of vanilla extract is the perfect finishing touch.
How to Make Christmas Cookies
You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make these Christmas cookies:
1. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl.
2. Beat the margarine and sugar in another bowl, then beat in the eggs and vanilla.
3. Chill the dough in the fridge.
4. Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes.
5. Bake the cookies on prepared baking sheets until the edges are golden.
Snowman Oreo Balls
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
24 peanut butter sandwich cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups)
3 pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER'S White Chocolate, broken into pieces, melted
48 mini vanilla creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
2 Tbsp. decorating icing
Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended.
2
Shape into 48 (1-inch) balls; place in single layer in shallow pan. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in chocolate; place in shallow waxed paper-lined pan, allowing excess chocolate to pool at bottom of each ball. Decorate with remaining ingredients to resemble snowmen.
3
Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Keep refrigerated.
Christmas Ham
Ingredients
For 4 Person(s)
Ingredients
- 1 whole 6.36 kg. (14 lbs) Grace Smoked Ham Leg Ham
- 2 sheet(s) Aluminium Foil
- 4 cup(s) water
- 1 can(s) Grace Pineapple slices
- 1/4 cup(s) sugar
- 1 teaspoon(s) crushed ginger
- 24 whole clove(s)
- 1 bottle(s) Grace Sweet n Spicy Hot Pepper Sauce
- 12 whole cherries
Grace Smoked Ham Directions
Remove ham from the freezer and wrap in news paper. Thaw in the bottom of the refrigerator for 24-36 hours.
Remove casing from ham and pat dry using a clean kitchen towel. Place two overlapping sheets of aluminium foil on work surface and use to wrap ham. Use additional aluminium foil to cover ham completely, if necessary.
Fit a rack over the roasting pan, place ham on the rack, ensuring that the fat side of the ham faces upwards; then pour water into the roasting pan. The water should NOT touch the ham.
Bake ham in a pre-heated oven at 180°C (350°F), allowing 20 minutes per pound. Replenish water if necessary.
Remove ham from the oven and allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes. Ham is fully baked when the skin peels off easily.
Drain liquid from the can of pineapple slices and put it to boil with the sugar, ginger and about 8 cloves. Boil until the mixture becomes syrupy. Remove from flame and add the pineapple slices to the mixture, toss and set aside.
To decorate the ham: Peel off the skin. Use a sharp knife to make diagonal slits in the ham and then stud with remaining cloves. Pour Grace Sweet n' Spicy Hot Pepper Sauce over the surface of the ham and spread evenly using a pastry brush. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until a golden brown colour is achieved. Remove ham from the oven.
Arrange pineapple slices over the surface of the ham and secure each with toothpicks. Place a cherry in the center of each pineapple slice.
PREPARATION NOTE: (1) Thawing time will depend on the size of the ham. (2) The size of the roasting pan will dictate the amount of water used. (3) The size of the ham will determine the total baking time.
How to calculate baking time:
Example:
6.36 kg x 2.2046 = 14 lbs
14 lbs divided by 3 = 4.67 hours OR 14 lbs x 20 minutes per pound = 280 minutes divided by 60 minutes = 4.67 hours.
.67 hours x 60 = 40 minutes
Total Baking Time: 4 hours 40 minutes
Yield: Approx. 50 slices
Maple Butter Glazed Turkey
1
12–14-lb. turkey, neck and giblets removed
1
Tbsp. black peppercorns
⅔
cup Diamond Crystal or 6 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
2
Tbsp. garlic powder
2
Tbsp. light brown sugar
GLAZE AND ASSEMBLY
1
Tbsp. vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil
2
sprigs thyme
½
cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¼
cup pure maple syrup
2
Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
2
Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1
Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
A spice mill or mortar and pestle
Preparation
TURKEY
Step 1
Place one 12–14-lb. turkey, neck and giblets removed, breast side up, on a large cutting board and pat dry. Grip a wing and pull it outward so you can see where it attaches to the body. Using a sharp boning or chef’s knife, cut through the joint to separate the wing from the breast. If you hit bone, you’re in the wrong spot; pull the wing out farther to help you get into the place where the joint meets the socket. Remove wing; repeat on the other side.
Step 2
Cut through skin connecting 1 leg to carcass. Pull leg back until ball joint pops out of its socket; cut through the joint to separate leg. Repeat on the other side.
Step 3
Now for the breast: You can roast the breast as is with the backbone attached, or you can turn the breast over and trim the lower part of the backbone that was formerly adjacent to the legs by breaking it at the midpoint or, using a sturdy chef’s knife, by cutting between the vertebrae to divide it.
Step 4
Coarsely grind 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns in a spice mill or with a mortar and pestle; transfer to a medium bowl. Add ⅔ cup Diamond Crystal or 6 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 Tbsp. garlic powder, and 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar and mix dry brine together with your fingers.
Step 5
Place turkey pieces, skin side up, on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle dry brine liberally all over both sides of turkey, patting to adhere. You may not need all of it, but it’s good to start out with extra since some will end up on the baking sheet. It is important to have the turkey elevated on a rack so it absorbs the salt mixture evenly (rather than sitting in a pile of salt on the baking sheet). Let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour or chill up to 1 day.
GLAZE AND ASSEMBLY
Step 6
Remove wire rack with turkey from baking sheet; set aside. Rinse baking sheet to remove excess salt. Pour 1 cup water into baking sheet and return wire rack with turkey to baking sheet. Rub turkey all over with 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil and arrange skin side up.
Step 7
Cook 2 sprigs thyme, ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari, 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar or white wine vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until thick enough to coat a spoon, 8–10 minutes. Set glaze aside.
Step 8
Place a rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 425°. Roast turkey, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until skin is mostly golden brown, 20–30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300° and continue to roast turkey, brushing with reserved glaze every 20 minutes and adding more water by ½-cupfuls as needed to maintain some liquid in baking sheet, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 150°, and 170° when inserted into the thickest part of thighs, 50–70 minutes longer (total cooking time will be about 1½ hours). Skin should be deep golden brown and shiny. Transfer turkey to a cutting board and let rest 30–60 minutes before carving.
Potatoes Au Gratin
- 2 ½ pounds red potatoes
- ▢1 onion
- ▢3 tablespoons butter
- ▢3 tablespoons flour
- ▢1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ▢2 cups milk
- ▢1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ▢½ cup gruyere cheese shredded
- ▢salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Wash potatoes and slice into ⅛" thin slices. Slice onion as thin as possible.
Layer potatoes and onions in little stacks. Place stacks upright in a greased casserole 2.5qt to 3qt dish.
Melt butter & flour in a saucepan and cook 2-3 minutes. Add seasonings and milk. Whisk over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until melted.
Spoon cheese sauce over potatoes. Cover with foil (sprayed with cooking spray) and bake 60 minutes.
Remove foil and bake an additional 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are cooked. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
December Fashion
A fun patterned or colored beanie adds a pop of color and spice to a basic jacket.
Leather gloves in neutral colors can add a mischievous pop to your winter wardrobe.
Fuzzy socks can keep your feet warm while you work.
Written by: Ruby Dudek