Jesus is the reason for the season

Christmas is a magical time of year.  The lights and the decorations, the parties and the presents...its something that we all count down towards.  I start looking up holiday cards before Halloween, and go get a tree the second Thanksgiving is over.

But as a Christian, there is an entirely other magical element to this season.  This is when everything changed over two thousand years ago.  Christmas season marks the beginning of what would become eternal salvation for us.  The virgin Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit and she gave birth to the son of God, Jesus.  33 years later, Jesus Christ would be crucified, buried, and then rise again to ascend into heaven.  His whole purpose of being born was to die for us.  And while it was just his physical body - his spirit lives on - what an incredibly difficult decision for God to make.  That God loved the world SO much he was willing to give up his only son.  An unbelievable sacrifice.  He was born, to die, and as a result, my past sins are forgiven, my future sins will be forgiven, and I will get to spend an eternity in Heaven.  

But who I've really been thinking of a lot this season is Mary.  I guess its that whole new mom thing - identifying and sympathizing more with other mothers.  What a horribly traumatic experience.  To be pregnant out of wedlock, dealing with initial scorn and skepticism from others, including her betrothed, and later having to witness his death.  She's a good woman, engaged to a good man, and one day and angel shows up and tells her that she will conceive, by the Holy Spirit.  And yep, she gets to keep her virginity.  And not only that miracle, but her son will be King of a neverending kingdom.

At this point, I'd be pinching myself, and trying to figure out who spiked my soup last night.  Its all just a lot to take in.  Keeping virginity?  Visiting angels?  Mother to the Son of God?  ohhhhkay!

You know what Mary said?  "I am the Lord's servant.  May your word to me be fulfilled."  That's faith.  I envy her the ability to completely trust in what was to come.  No skepticism, no doubt, no confusion.  Pure faith in the Lord.  And then, its time for Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethleham for a census.  When I was pregnant, most days I couldn't be bothered to go down one flight of stairs to the kitchen - I'd send Tyler to fetch whatever it was I needed.  And there isn't a lot of detail in the Bible on their journey, but I can't imagine it was easy.  I also can't imagine that Mary complained.

They arrive, and there are no rooms in the inns.  Not even the pregnant card could get her a bed.  So they settle down for the night in a stable, when Mary goes into labor.  I'm assuming, alone with Joseph.  And let me tell you - labor is no joke.  And there was no such thing as epidurals back then.  So she's going through the pain of childbirth, but you better believe she's not yelling to God "You did this to me!!"  Somehow, I picture her calm, praying, peaceful.  

And then, all I can picture is the love.  Holding your child for the first time is an incredible experience.  You're holding this tiny creature that is your heart, in your hands, and the bond is instant and deep.  But for her - its all of that, everything we fellow mothers get to experience, but even further, because her son was the son of God.  The swelling of emotions, the crashing of everything around you - fear, hope, love, terror, sensitivity, anxiety, curiosity, love love love...

We often hear it said that Jesus is the reason for the season.  We know that Christmas is Jesus' birthday (well, or close to it, anyway).  But don't forget the big picture.  Enjoy the holidays, but pull your family in close this time of year, and think of that heavenly family, two thousand years ago.

Merry Christmas.

 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, 
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Muchas Leches Cake with Sugared Almonds

For Thanksgiving, my sister made an apple pie and my mother in law brought a pumpkin pie, so I wanted to do something a little less "pie" and a little more fun as a third dessert.  I picked a Muchas Leches Cake with Sugared Almonds.


I got the recipe from Annie's Eats, and I adore all of her recipes.  But, I would have made one big change - I would have cut the cake in thirds, blasted it with holes, and covered it in the soaking liquid overnight.  Merely doing holes and brushing on the liquid was not enough, since I was expecting a traditional Tres Leches cake that was...muchas-y leches-y.  Ha.  It ended up being more like a dense pound cake with an amazing whipped frosting and the most delicious sugared almonds on top.

Annie's Recipe can be found here, and I've also pasted it below:

Muchas Leches Cake with Sugared Almonds

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 cups (8 oz.) blanched almonds
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
7 large eggs, separated
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking powder

For the soaking liquid:
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp. dulce de leche
¼ cup cream of coconut
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup evaporated milk
1½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the sugared almonds:
2 large egg whites
2 cups slivered almonds
½ cup sugar

For the frosting:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
Splash of vanilla extract

Fresh berries, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line the bottom of a 9 x 13″ baking pan with parchment paper, and butter and flour the edges of the pan.  Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor with ¼ cup of sugar and the cinnamon.  Process until finely ground.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Transfer the beaten egg whites to a different bowl and set aside.  Wipe out the mixer bowl.  In the now-empty mixer bowl, combine the egg yolks and the remaining ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Fold in the flour and the baking powder with a spatula.  Fold in the ground almond mixture.  Mix in a third of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter.  Fold in the remainder of the egg whites until evenly incorporated and no streaks remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth with a spatula.  Bake approximately 26 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

To make the soaking liquid, combine the whipping cream, dulce de leche, cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla in a bowl or liquid measuring cup.  Whisk together until smooth.

To make the sugared almonds, place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and whip on high speed until frothy.  Stir in the almonds and sugar until evenly incorporated.  Spread the mixture in a thin, even layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.  Bake at 325˚ F until golden brown and crisp, approximately 20 minutes (let cool a minute or two before touching).  Allow to cool and then break apart into small chunks.

To make the frosting, place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.  Mix in the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.  Blend in the vanilla.

Using a serrated knife, cut the cooled cake into thirds width-wise so that you have three pieces of cake about 4 1/3 x 9 inches each.  Place one of the segments of cake on a rectangular serving platter and brush with a third of the soaking liquid.  (You may want to poke the cake with the tines of a fork to help it absorb the liquid.)  Frost with a layer of the whipped cream.  Top with another layer of cake, brush with half of the remaining soaking liquid, and frost again with whipped cream.  Top with the final layer of cake and brush with the remaining liquid.  Frost the top and sides of the cake with the whipped cream.  Press the sugared almonds into the top and sides of the cake to cover evenly.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Before serving, dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar and top with fresh berries, if desired.

Photo scrapbooking

This time of year is always crazy!  The house is finally (mostly) decorated, Christmas cards are (mostly) done, and holiday shopping is (mostly) purchased and wrapped.  I've also been squeezing in some extra time to play with my My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking tool!

I've been working on a photo album for Guinevere's birth. Want a sneak peek?

 I'm keeping the layouts clean and white for me, but then am going to go back in and add some of their really neat frames, borders and monograms for books for grandparents :)

I love how easy this is, with the dozens and dozens of layouts, to make the most of our memories.  I plan to use this to go back and make books of all of my pictures, to keep a permanent record.  And its so easy!

Also, I'm working on a DVD video version as well.  I wish there were more hours in the day to keep playing with it!

Want to win a FREE copy?  I'm giving one away!!  Visit this post to enter...all you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment about your favorite kit!  You can also earn extra entries by "Like"ing them on Facebook and Tweeting!  

Not into scrapbooking yourself?  Enter anyway for a mom, sister or friend - a perfect Christmas gift!

You have til midnight tonight!

Friendship Feast

Tyler and I have this tradition that we call Friendship Feast.  It all started six years ago when we were gearing up for the holiday season.  We HATE this time of year.  We always had so many family members to visit, and try to please, and spent all of our time smoothing over hurt feelings because we were leaving early or arriving late, and spending even more time in the car driving between houses, and we just never had any fun.  So the Saturday before Thanksgiving, we had two couples over for dinner at our tiny apartment.  And we had an amazing time.

Friendship Feast kept growing and evolving as we included more and more friends.  In 2009, we got up to 20 people, and it was so much fun.  Then in 2010 I was pregnant, and the idea of cleaning my house, and cooking for 20+ people was so completely overwhelming, I called it off.  So this year, I was incredibly excited to gather our nearest and dearest together again.

We invited over 30 people (!), and managed a pretty stellar turnout of 24.  My house doesn't have the best layout for large groups, so I get pretty creative.  Like putting all of our living room furniture in the office, and completely rearranging the living room and dining room.  I managed to comfortably fit four tables to seat everyone, and I think we could have even fit a few more!

While I traditionally like to prepare all food myself, this year, I opened it up to a potluck.  I just don't get much done with a baby these days :)  It ended up working out perfectly, and we got to try out some really yummy dishes!!

I made the meats - brown sugar and barbeque chicken breats, pot roast, and two marinated pork tenderloins, and then made mini apple pies.  I couldn't resist baking something :)

Like usual, I was far too busy spending time with friends to get any pictures after the guests arrived, but I had a wonderful time, and I hope they all did too.  It is so important to take time out of our busy schedules this time of year, and appreciate those that support us!  We are blessed to have incredible friends, and I know this is a tradition that will only get bigger and more wonderful :)