Peep!

Easter has caught me by surprise. I've been lulled into a dreamy laziness by the fact that chocolate chicks and bunnies have been out since the Valentine's candy was clearanced. We belong to a small congregation that doesn't follow many of the traditions of the liturgical calendar and there have been no seasonal hymns or palm branches to snap me into reality. So when my husband asked what I was cooking for dinner next weekend, it was a total shock! I need to get moving!

At our house Resurrection Day is a big deal. We have fancy clothes. We have lots of good food. We have presents. We have even begun the tradition of celebrating the Passover Seder (thankfully I've got a few more weeks on that one!). Yes, Jesus became man at Christmas (well, we celebrate it then), but on Easter He reconciled me to God. What could be more worthy of celebration?

One of my kids favorite Easter traditions is making Resurrection Rolls. We usually make them for dessert on Saturday night before Resurrection morning. That much sugar on Sunday morning before church would never do!

Resurrection Rolls

1 tube Refrigerated Crescent Rolls, separated into triangles
Large Marshmallows
Melted Butter
Cinnamon and Sugar Mixture

Roll 1 large marshmallow in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar. (This symbolizes Jesus' body being anointed for burial after the crucifixion.) Place the prepared marshmallow in the center of a crescent roll triangle. Bring up the dough all around the marshmallow. Squeeze dough to seal well. (This symbolizes the clean linen cloths wrapped around the body of Christ.) Place on a cookie sheet and bake according to the directions on the crescent roll tube, adding 3 or 4 minutes, until deeply golden. (You have now sealed the body inside the tomb.) As the rolls bake, have your children "guard the tomb" (oven) while reading them John 19:17-42. Allow the rolls to cool, then open them up. The marshmallow will be gone. Shout "Jesus is alive!" and read John 20:1-8.

Merry Christmas

Rejoice! For unto you has been born a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord!

Wishing you and yours love and joy,

Saralyn and family

Spiced Iced Tea

My husband and I used to love to go to this little restaurant in Severna Park called Garry's Grill. No matter what else we ordered, we always got their spiced iced tea. It reminded me of the Russian tea my mom would make for Christmas from Tang, powdered tea mix, and spices, but when I tried the Russian tea cold, it was gritty and left sludge at the bottom of the glass like Metamucil. Yuk!

After a few tries, I think I've found a recipe that duplicates the wonderful taste of yesteryear.

Spiced Iced Tea
(a slight variation on Brenda's recipe found here, which she originally found here--you know, credit to whom it is due!)

6 cups water
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick

3 black tea bags

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

In a saucepan, bring water, cinnamon, and cloves to a boil. Add tea bags, remove from heat, and steep 10 minutes. Cool slightly, then strain out spices. In another saucepan, bring sugar, orange juice, and lemon juice to a boil. Combine tea and juice mixtures. Chill and serve over ice.

My Re-Made Christmas

My Christmas decorations are a collection of things co-workers and clients have given my husband as Christmas gifts, those first few decorations I bought with little cash and less decorating know-how when we were newlyweds, and a strange assortment of hand-me-downs from my mother and mother-in-law. While I'd like to upgrade both my style and my decor, there is no remodeling mullah.


So this is what I've come up with:

Our table needed a centerpiece that was easy and festive and could stand up to three children. I took a tray I've had for years, put clear glass marbles in some of the tray's divots, and added a 25-cent ring of artificial berries and beads from the thrift store to one of my usual table candles. Fire and ice!

We live in a raised ranch and I needed a focal point that would draw visitors' eyes upstairs instead of into the basement when they come in the front door. I took my kids' old rocking horse (purchased 9 years ago by my mother at a garage sale) and painted it red with some spray paint we'd used on a trash-pick wagon. I distressed it with some sand paper around the edges and added some decorations I'd found at the dollar store.

While I'm not Martha Stewart, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. Who says you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear? Oink!

My Handmade Christmas

Last night I finished up the gifts for the folks at my husband's office. Don't the jars look festive? I usually make chocolate goodies but this year wanted something different. My mom made this jam for me when rhubarb was fresh. It was so tasty and beautifully colored that I thought it would make perfect Christmas gifts, so I chopped up some of my rhubarb and put it in the freezer. Besides, it was so easy!

Cherry Rhubarb Jam

4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb
1.5 cups sugar
1 (3oz) package cherry Jello
1 (21oz) can cherry pie filling

Combine sugar and rhubarb in a large saucepan and let it sit of 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Jello until dissolved. Add pie filling. Transfer to jars and cool. Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Makes 8 cups.

I put the jam into $1 jars I found at Big Lots and tied on tags I found at Razzle Dazzle Recipe's Artist's Cafe with a raffia ribbon. Voila!