Recipes, Recollections & Reminiscings from Marge By Marge Petts I am anticipating a great holiday season this year. Beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with the new year, our entire family will be together. When our eldest son made a major uprooting of his family in June, we didnt know what to expect, or if they would stay. The hope was that they would feel like this was “home”. It is now six months later, and we couldn’t have wished for a better outcome to their relocation. They sold or donated most of their possessions so they could more easily make the long-distance move from Colorado to Wisconsin with three adults and two children. A U-Haul trailer carried just their basic belongings. We as a family made it a priority to make them feel the closeness and the importance there was in having them here and near to us. The holidays will be different this year but still a celebration of the Birth of Christ, as we are reminded of the miracle of birth with the arrival of a new granddaughter. This year we will also be reminded that the Lord gives and takes away, after the tragic loss of our daughter’s fiancé. In preparation of the upcoming holiday season, and Winter, we have stacked logs in our garage so we can enjoy a crackling fire on cold days and at family gatherings. Our son from Colorado was not able to pack any holiday decorations. We will choose a large ceramic tree from our collection for his family. We have given each of our other three children a tree also. I will sort through the many decorations and ornaments we have, to give them treasures to adorn their home with the sights and sounds of Christmas.
Hot Cocoa Mix This would be a great mix to give in decorative glass jars for gifts. Include instructions with the jar, tied on with a ribbon or string. A cup or two cups of this mix would make 3 or 6 cups of cocoa. 7 cups powdered milk 1-1/2 cups sugar 1-1/2 cups cocoa ¼ teaspoon salt 6 ounce container of non-dairy coffee creamer Mix all ingredients well,
22
| HOLIDAY 2020
with a spoon. Store in covered container. To make hot cocoa by the cup, use 1/3 cup of mix for each cup of boiling water.
A menu will be created for our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Each family will volunteer to contribute one or more items for our meals. We will pick names to exchange gifts at Christmas. As always, Stan and I will make our annual walk around the block on Christmas Eve, to gaze at the stars, and just to feel closer to that first Christmas Eve a long time ago. This will bring us peace in these uncertain times. We would all like to be able to stay away from the extreme commercialism as each holiday approaches. The following words of a seven- year old, might be a good reminder of just how important it is to remove ourselves from the holiday hustle and bustle. Our son, Mark, took Asher with him to a home improvement store recently to purchase materials to complete his work bench in the basement of their home. They walked in the door and the first thing Asher said was, “This is nonsense”. “All the Christmas trees, and Halloween isn’t here yet, and Christmas is three months away!”. I then asked him, “How does Asher know these things”? He replied, “that’s the way of Asher”. We will celebrate this season, not based on circumstances, but on hope. I chose the following four recipes because I thought they would make great gifts in decorative tins or glass jars. The wreath would be a good project to make for your own home or as a gift. See Meals with Marge weekly in the Tri-County News.
Brought to you by these sponsors…
Professional Patient F Gentle All Breed Grooming Over 40 Years Experience
893-DOGS Joy Hirth 429 E. Mill St., Plymouth
Full Service Salon 435 E. Mill Street
PLYMOUTH
920-627-4247 OPEN: Mon.-Thurs. 9am-7pm Fri. 9am-4pm • Sat. By appt. Only Call or book your appointments online at: www.klipsntips.com
