STEPHANIE’S CHIC ON THE CHEAP
TO THE SEASON!

 A MIRACLE

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.  She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully.  Three times, even the total had to be exactly perfect.  No chance here for mistakes.

Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store with the big red Indian sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy this morning.  Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise.  Nothing.  She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster.  No good.  Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter.  That did it!

“And what do you want?” the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice.  I’m talking to my brother from Chicago who I haven’t seen in ages,” he said without waiting for a reply to his question.

“Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,” Tess answered  back in the same annoyed tone.  “He’s really sick … And I want to buy a miracle.”

“I beg your pardon?”  said the pharmacist.

“His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now.  So how much does a miracle cost?”

“We don’t sell miracles here, little girl.  I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the pharmacist said, softening a little.

“Listen, I have the money to pay for it.  If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest.  Just tell me how much it costs.”

The pharmacist’s brother was a well dressed man.  He stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?”

“I don’t know,” Tess replied with her eyes welling up.  “I just know that he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation.  But my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”

“How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago.

“One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered barely audibly.

“And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.”

“What a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents — the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.”

He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said, “Take me to where you live.  I want to see your brother and meet your parents.  Let’s see if I have the miracle you are looking for.”

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery.  The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.

“That surgery,” her Mom whispered, “was a real miracle.  I wonder how much it would have cost.”

Tess smiled.  She knew exactly how much a miracle cost … one dollar and eleven cents … plus the faith of a little child.

~ Courtesy and with permission poeticexpressions.co.uk
Thanks Mike and the Team!

CHRISTMAS GIFTS
OF GOOD TASTE

MOLASSES-CLOVE COOKIES

Hard, chewy and not too sweet, and loaded with flavor; these molasses-clove cookies come from Milton native, Suzanne Lombardi, one of the 3 founders of Dancing Deer Baking Company.  * click –  Dancing Deer Baking Company *

HERE’S HOW WE DO IT:
makes about 3 dozen cookies

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 TBSP ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup dark molasses
• 1 egg
• Raw sugar for sprinkling

NOW:

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
3. In a bowl, whisk dry ingredients:  flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves to blend
4. In a large bowl with paddle attachment (if you have one – or get out your hand held mixer) and beat the sugar, oil and molasses for 3 minutes on high speed.
5. While the mixer is running, add the egg and beat 1 minute more.
6. Turn the mixer to its lowest setting and blend in the flour and spices additions.
7. Little by little add flour to the wet mixture, letting each one mix thoroughly before adding more.
8. After all is mixed well and happy with one another – let set for a few minutes.
9. Spoon the cookies into walnut-size balls on the baking sheet, setting them 2″ apart.  Sprinkle with the raw sugar.
10. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the tops are cracked.
11. Remove from oven and slide the cookies on a wire rack.  Cool completely.
12. Store in an airtight container.
13. For gifting – gather 5-8 cookies and stack them in festive treat bags (think Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Joanne’s) and tie with a cool, pretty bow and a Holiday tag — HoHoHO!

HOMEMADE IRISH CREAM LIQUEUR

This homemade Irish cream liqueur is superior.

HERE’S HOW WE MAKE 4 WONDERFUL CUPS AT A TIME:

• 1 3/4 cups Irish Whiskey (super important that the whiskey is an authentic Irish blend – think Jameson or Bushmills)
• 1 – 14 oz can Eagle Brand condensed milk
• 1 cup real whipping cream (refrigerated section at the grocery store)
• 4 eggs
• 2 TBSP Chocolate syrup
• 2 tsp instant coffee (think Kava or Nescafe)
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Pour all ingredients in a blender and whir until smooth.  Transfer Irish Creme goodness via a funnel into recycled wine bottles and seal with recycled wine cork.

KEEP REFRIGERATED until time to gift.

REPEAT recipe … the more the merrier!

Wrap the wine bottle necks with festive ribbon, tiny jingle bells,  or whatever your creative imagination finds!   TA-DAH!