Melinda Curtis - A Heartwarming Christmas Craft & Cookbook

Contributors:

Melinda Curtis

Anna J Stewart

Anna Adams

Carol Ross

Cheryl Harper

Amy Vastine

Tara Randel

Cari Lynn Webb

Leigh Riker

Liz Flaherty

Patricia Bradley

Rula Sinara

Copyright 2015 by:

Melinda Curtis

Anna J Stewart

Anna Adams

Carol Ross

Cheryl Harper

Amy Vastine

Tara Randel

Cari Lynn Webb

Leigh Riker

Liz Flaherty

Patricia Bradley

Rula Sinara

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by anymeans without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting briefquotes used in reviews.

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151015.034556

Author of THE COMEBACK CHRISTMAS

Melinda Curtis

Ingredients:

cup butter

cup packed dark brown sugar

cup molasses

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

teaspoon salt

teaspoon ground cinnamon

teaspoon nutmeg

teaspoon allspice

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter.
2. In a large bowl mix melted butter with brown sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Mix molasses, egg and water into large bowl of melted butter and brown sugar.
4. In a separate bowl mix together flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
5. Once mixed together add the spices into the larger bowl.
6. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees once dough is refrigerated for the 30 minutes.
8. Roll each portion of dough into desired size.
9. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until edges are firm.

Ingredients:

1 cups heavy cream

1 cups milk

cup sugar

teaspoon salt

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

3 drops peppermint oil

For garnish:

Whipped cream and chocolate shavings

Instructions:

1. In a pan over medium-low heat, mix heavy cream, milk, sugar and salt. Stir frequently.
2. Once the cream begins to steam add bittersweet chocolate. Stir until melted.
3. Add peppermint oil. Stir.
4. Pour hot chocolate into mugs.
5. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Ingredients:

Ingredients per tree:

2 miniature Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

1 Regular Reeses Peanut Butter Cup

1 Hershey Kiss

A bottle of Hershey's syrup

Instructions:

1. Unwrap all 4 candies
2. Place 1 miniature Reeses Peanut Butter Cup on the bottom
3. Pour a drop of Hersheys syrup onto the top of the Regular Reeses Peanut Butter Cup
4. Flip Regular Reeses Peanut Butter Cup so the bottom is facing up and the front with the Hersheys syrup is facing bottom, place on the miniature Reeses Peanut Butter Cup and hold for 5-10 seconds.
5. Pour a drop of Hersheys syrup onto the bottom of the other miniature Reeses Peanut Butter Cup.
6. Place the miniature Reeses Peanut Butter Cup on top of the Regular Reeses Peanut Butter Cup and hold for 5-10 seconds.
7. Pour a drop of Hersheys syrup onto the bottom of the Hershey Kiss.
8. Place the Hershey Kiss on top of the miniature Reeses Peanut Butter Cup and hold for 5-10 seconds.
9. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
10. To make it look like a real tree you can decorate it with melted chocolate of a different color.

Materials:

2 pairs of all white tube sock

1 bag of pinto beans

2 ribbon at least

1 bag of poly-fil

6 buttons colors of your choice (we did black)

1 orange paper

1 box of jewel rhinestones colors of your choice (we chose black)

3 sealing lids to jars

1 bottle of glue

Scissors

Pencil or Sharpie

Optional: cork and dowel.

Instructions:

1. Turn the sock inside out.
2. Place the lid in the sock, make it go all the way to the bottom.
3. Put pinto beans into the sock, enough to make it stand up.
4. Next stuff the sock with poly-fil, to the top of the sock where the heel part meets the ankle part. It doesnt matter the width of the stuffing so decide how thick you want your snowman!
5. After the snowman is stuffed take out the ribbon, measure the ribbon off so they fit around the snowman with room to tie. Be sure to make each ribbon you are using the same size, unless you plan to mismatch the length.
6. Tie the ribbon about from the top. Where the ribbon is tied will separate the head from the body and act as a scarf.
7. Take two buttons and glue them under the ribbon spacing is up to you.
8. Now its time to put a face to the snowman, with something to write with, make a Pacman on the orange paper. This will be the nose, the size is up to you.
9. Once you have a Pacman drawn cut it out.
10. From the two openings of the mouth, curl the Pacman so it creates a pyramid.
11. Glue it onto the upper side of the scarf where ever youd like the nose to be.
12. Next take the rhinestones and make a face that youd like.
13. Once you are satisfied with the layout of your face glue each rhinestone into place.
14. Finally fold the ankle sock over to give your snowman a hat.
15. Bonus! You can add whatever else you want to your snowmen, I went out and bought some corks and dowel for a pipe. Here are my three snowmen!

Theodore Lincoln could not screw up.

If he did, hed let down the ten previous generations whod run the family apple farm and the three generations expecting a Lincoln family Christmas with all the bells and whistles.

Everyone dead or alive expected Ted to make the right decisions.

But there was a glut of apples on the market driving the price down. Last years crop income had barely covered the taxes, much less retirement income for his parents or Uncle Ben. His younger sister Abigail was on a crash course to have another child with that loser Frank Farasi, who barely acknowledged three year-old Lizzie. And Lizzie? She expected Christmas to be magical. Big tree. Sparkly lights. And presents. Credit card bending presents.

Ted shouldnt be standing in front of the Wright grist mill thinking about taking out a home equity loan to expand the farm.

Well if it isnt Teddy Lincoln.

Not her.

Not her.

Not her. Not her. Not her.

Chloe Wright was the only one who called him Teddy. Shed had a crush on him since she was in the third grade and he in the fourth. Back then she was a non-stop talker. Nerd to the nth degree. Overbite. Brillo copper curls. Belly fat. Dress her in green tights and a pointed red cap and she could have been a stand in for a garden gnome.

Shed followed him around like a puppy. Through braces and bras and middle school. The other boys in Christmas Town made fun of her. And of him. Ted had wanted her to be struck by lightning. Dropped into a manhole. Teleported into another dimension.

And then on the first day Chloe entered high school a day Ted had been dreading he turned at the sound of her laughter and realized she wasnt a roly-poly puppy with an overbite. She was tall and curvy and word-stealing pretty. Her smile was worth every penny her adopted parents had paid. And her hairShed finally grown it out and straightened it. Every guy in high school bent over backward for her attention. Every guy but Ted.