A Holiday favorite whether in song or story, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It's also a story/song with a good lesson, Different doesn't mean bad.
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
You know Dasher, and Dancer, and
Prancer, and Vixen,
Comet, and Cupid, and
Donder and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose
and if you ever saw it
you would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
play in any reindeer games.
Then one foggy Christmas eve
Santa came to say:
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then all the reindeer loved him
as they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,
you'll go down in history!
I wondered and wondered what kind of "cooking" could I have the kids do with this song and Voila! I found my answer on Pinterest! I love Pinterest! I actually found quite a few cute recipes but I decided on just two of them. The first recipe is very simple and needs only 4 ingredients ~ Reindeer Paws and Noses are just too cute! The second recipe for Reindeer Corn Cookie Bark is just too pretty and too tasty to leave out! I hope you enjoy making both and don't miss the Rudolph cartoon at the end of the blog! Happy Holidays!
Reindeer Paws and Noses
Ingredients
Mini Twist Pretzels
Rolos Candies
Chocolate Candy Coated Peanut Candies
Pecans
Instructions
Preheat the oven to warm.
On a cookie sheet, place a single later of mini twist pretzels.
Unwrap the Rolos and place one on top of each pretzel.
Place into the oven until the Rolo is just melted (3-5minutes depending on the temperature of the oven)
Remove from oven and immediately place a pecan for paws or a
chocolate candy coated peanut candy onto the melted Rolo and gently
press. Allow to set.
14 whole Oreos, broken up. I used the holiday ones with the red filling but regular will work fine
1 1/2 C pretzels, broken into pieces. I used the small stick pretzels
1 lb. white chocolate, almond bark or melts found in the bulk food section
1 C reindeer corn
red and green colored sprinkles
Instructions
Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper
Spread broken cookes, pretzels and about 3/4 C of the candy corn onto the waxed paper
Place white chocolate in a container and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes
Stir and then microwave for another 30 seconds until melted and smooth
White chocolate melts faster and burns easier than chocolate
Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, spreading with spatula if needed to coat evenly
Sprinkle remaining candy corn and colored sprinkles over the chocolate while it is still wet
Do not let it harden
Place cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm
Remove and gently break bark into small pieces
Store in air tight container
This cartoon version of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" was originally released in 1948 by Max
Fleischer Studios. (Notice: This motion picture is in the Public Domain
and is not subject to Copyright.)
T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
This version of A Visit from St. Nicholas By Clement C. Moore With Pictures by
Jessie Willcox Smith was published in 1912 by Houghton Mifflin Company and can be found online at the gutenberg project
Okay, raise your hand if you've always wondered, "What the heck is a Sugar Plum?" Oh please, as if I'm the only one! Well for all of you who will admit that you wondered, according to an article written in The Atlantic by Samira Kawash, a professor emerita at Rutgers University (she also blogs on candy history and opinion at CandyProfessor.com.)
" The truth of the matter is that the sugar plum is not a plum at all, nor
does it contain any plum-like substance. The sugar plums of Christmas
fantasy are in fact sugar, and any resemblance to plums is entirely
superficial."
Well, Pooh!! But not to worry, apparently these days a sugar plum is basically considered to be a no bake treat made with dried fruit, honey, nuts and other yumminess and then rolled in sugar. Whoohoo! So, here's a lovely recipe I found online at the cupcake project. These are also the prettiest sugar plums ever!
plum purple disco dust (I got mine from Layer Cake Shop - this is optional)
Instructions
Mix
all ingredients except the sugar and disco dust together in a large
bowl. Optionally, place the whole mixture in the food processor and
process for a few seconds - this will help everything to stick together,
especially if you aren't the best at finely chopping. (I'm raising my
hand high on this one.)
Form the mixture into teaspoon-sized balls.
Roll the balls in powdered sugar and then roll in disco dust.
Note:
If you let the balls sit overnight, the powdered sugar will absorb
into the balls and will be less visible.
I'm sure that after reading this wonderful poem, all you are craving a steaming cup of hot chocolate! Me, too! So here are two three fabulous recipes with variations. The first is making hot chocolate the good old fashioned way and the second recipe is for those of us with a little less patience! And the third is a wonderful spin on making hot chocolate. Hot chocolate truffles that you can drop in a cup of hot milk and Voila, Hot Chocolate! Enjoy!
Hot Chocolate ~ recipe and picture from The Pioneer Woman
To make the basic hot chocolate, combine milk with
half-and-half in a small saucepan.
Warm over medium-low heat, then stir
in chocolate chips.
Stir until melted (though there will still be lovely
particles of chocolate throughout.)
If it’s too chocolatey for you,
splash in a little more milk.
If it’s not quite sweet enough for you,
add 1 teaspoon sugar.
Serve in mugs with whipped cream.
VARIATIONS Orange Hot Chocolate: Add 4 slices of orange rind as you warm the
milk mixture. Add a splash of orange syrup if you have it, but it isn’t
necessary. Raspberry Hot Chocolate: Add 3 tablespoons raspberry syrup to the hot chocolate. Drop a couple of raspberries into each cup. Mint Hot Chocolate: Drop 1 to 2 miniature peppermint patties into each mug before adding hot chocolate. Stir to melt. Mexican Hot Chocolate: Substitute 2 discs of Abuelita chocolate for
the chocolate chips. Simmer cinnamon sticks in the saucepan with the hot
chocolate. Add 1 cinnamon stick to each mug before serving.
Garnish any and all variations with whipped cream or chocolate shavings.
DIY Instant Hot Cocoa Mix ~ Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Serves:
5 1/2 cups dry mix
Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Hot water
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and
incorporate evenly.
In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water.
Fill your mug half full with the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine.
Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry.
cocoa powder, crushed candy canes, mini chocolate chips for rolling
Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a pot and melt together on low heat until smooth. Stir constantly.
2. Let cool in the fridge until stiff enough to scoop.
3. Make small scoops, about 2 Tablespoons each. And place them in the freezer for and hour.
4. Remove scoops, roll into balls.
5. Roll in
your choice of decoration. Crushed candy cane, cocoa, cinnamon, mini
marshmallows. (If you try the mini marshmallows, you really have to push
the marshmallows into the chocolate balls.)
6. Wrap each ball in suran wrap and keep chilled until ready to use.
7. When ready, drop chocolate balls into 1 ½ cups of hot milk and stir!
On Christmas eve, a long time ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year... Christmas day, the day on which the little Christ child came to bless the house. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner on the ceiling. They had fled to the farthest corner of the attic.
The Christmas tree was beautifully decorated. The poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the little Christ child's visit. Then the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could wait until everyone went to bed and then get a closer look.
When the house was dark and silent, the spiders crept out of their hiding place. When they neared the Christmas tree, they were delighted with the beauty of it. The spiders crept all over the tree, up and down, over the branches and twigs and saw every one of the pretty things.
The spiders loved the Christmas tree. All night long they danced in the branches, leaving them covered with spider webs. In the morning, when the little Christ child came to bless the house, he was dismayed! He loved the little spiders for they were God's creatures, but he knew the mother, who had worked so hard to make everything perfect, would not be pleased when she saw what the spiders had done.
With love in his heart and a smile on his lips, the little Christ child reached out and gently touched the spider webs. The spider webs started to sparkle and shine! They had all turned into sparkling, shimmering silver and gold.
According to legend, ever since this happened, people have hung tinsel on their Christmas trees. It has also become a custom to include a spider among the decorations on the Christmas tree.
A version of this story can be found in Shirley Climo's picture book "A Cobweb Christmas".
Super Simple Spider Cookies
Ingredients: • 2 chocolate wafer cookies (another wafer like cookie would also work ...you can also just use a sandwich cookie but it doesn't work quite as well) • white icing (another color would work it depends on the look you want) • shoestring licorice Redhots or other small candies for eyes
Directions: 1. Place one wafer upside down on a plate; cover with icing.
2. Place either 4 long stripes of shoestring licorice or 8 short, (for legs)
Directions: 1. Mix peanut butter, sugar and crumbs together and form a ball. 2. Divide the ball into 2 parts to form 2 balls, 1 slightly smaller than the other. 3. Roll balls in coconut and place smaller ball on top of larger one. 4. The smaller ball with be the head and the larger 1, the abdomen. 5. Add 8 licorice legs 6. Use raisins for eyes (8 eyes would be accurate but creepy)
Once upon a time, the sixth son of King Hung Vuong the Fifth named An-Tiem disobeyed the King's order and was exiled to a deserted island.
The Prince had to build his own shelter, dig a well for water, and fish and hunt animals for food. One day, he found a green fruit as big and round as a ball. He split the fruit into halves and found the inside of the fruit red. He dared not eat it because he was afraid it was poisonous.
Days passed and the dry and sunny season came. It was so hot that all the plants were dry and the well had no water left. One day An-Tiem was so tired and thirsty that he tasted the fruit He found out that it tasted delicious and quenched his thirst. He tried to grow the plant around his house then. Soon the whole island was covered with the green fruit.
An-Tiem carved the island's name and his own on some of the fruit and threw them into the sea. Later, seamen found the strange fruit with An-Tiem's name floating in the sea.
Soon, words about the fruit reached the continent and many merchants tried to find the way the island. This then turned the deserted island into a busy island. The island was now crowded. Many boats came and went. An-Tiem helped anyone who wanted settle on the island. Soon, news about that reach the King.
King Hung Vuong was very proud of having a son who was brave and strong enough to overcome difficulties without anyone's help. An-Tiem was immediately summoned back to the court. He brought his fruit with him to offer the King, his father. The King gave him his crown and An-Tiem became King Hung Vuong VI.
Since then the fruit which was called "dua hau" and has become the symbol of luck; people often offer it to relatives and friends as a New Year present.
Summers almost over so rush out and get those watermelon!! Watermelon Dippers
Ingredients 8 ounces sour cream 4 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Watermelon stix or small wedges
Instructions Blend together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a small serving bowl. Use as a dip for the watermelon.
Preparation: Place watermelon in a large bowl; cover and freeze. Place half of frozen watermelon, half of powdered sugar, and half of concentrate in a blender, and process until smooth. Do the same procedure with the other half of the ingredients. Serve while cold.
Emperor Hung-Vuong had many sons. Some pursued literary careers. Others excelled in martial arts. The youngest prince named Tiet-Lieu, however, loved neither. Instead, he and his wife and their children chose the countryside where they farmed the land.
One day, toward the end of the year, the emperor met with all his sons. He told them whoever brought him the most special and unusual food would be made the new emperor. Almost immediately, the princes left for their homes and started looking for the most delicious food to offer the emperor. Some went hunting in the forests and brought home birds and animals which they prepared into the most palatable dishes. Some others sailed out to the open sea, trying to catch fish, lobsters and other much loved sea food. Neither the rough sea nor the violent weather could stop them from looking for the best gifts to please the emperor.
In his search, Tiet-Lieu went back to the countryside. He saw that the rice in his paddy fields was ripe and ready to be harvested, Walking by a glutinous rice field, he picked some golden grains on a long stalk. He brought them close to his nose and he could smell a delicate aroma.
His entire family then set out to harvest the rice, Tiet-Lieu himself ground the glutinous rice grains into fine flour. His wife mixed it with water into a soft paste. His children helped by building a fire and wrapping the cakes with leaves. In no time, they finished, and in front of them lay two kinds of cakes: one was round and the other was square in shape.
The round cake was made with glutinous rice dough and was called "banh day" by Tiet-Lieu. He named the square shaped cake "banh chung" which he made with rice, green beans wrapped in leaves. Everybody was extremely happy with the new kind of cakes.
On the first day of Spring, the princes took the gifts of their labor and love to the emperor. One carried a delicious dish of steamed fish and mushrooms. Another brought with him a roasted peacock and some lobsters. All the food was beautifully cooked.
When it was Tiet-Lieu's turn to present his gifts, he carried the "banh chung" and his wife carried the "banh day" to the emperor. Seeing Tiet-Lieu's simple offerings, other princes sneered at them. But after tasting all the food brought to court by his sons, the emperor decided that the first prize should be awarded to Tiet-Lieu.
The emperor then said that his youngest son's gifts were not only the purest, but also the most meaningful because Tiet-Lieu had used nothing except rice which was the basic foodstuff of the people to make them. The emperor gave up the throne and make Tiet-Lieu the new emperor. All the other princes bowed to show respect and congratulated the new emperor.
Rice cake (or Banh Chung) and Banh Day are two types of delicacies which are very popular with the Vietnamese people. Banh Day is served regularly at festivals and ceremonies. It is a rounded, convex cake of glutinous or nep rice, which resembles white dough, soft and sticky. Its cupola-shaped top is said to resemble the shape of the heavenly vault. Banh Chung is served particularly at Vietnamese New Year's festival, which occurs during the first three days of the first month of the lunar calendar. It is a square cake, wrapped in banana leaves and tied with lacings of flexible bamboo slivers. It is a very rich food for the interior contains a filling of bean paste to which may be added small bits of pork meat, both fat and lean. This filling, which is amply seasoned, is pressed between layers of glutinous rice. Its square shape is considered a symbol of the thankfulness of the Vietnamese people for the great abundance of the Earth, which has supplied them with nutritious food throughout the four seasons of the year.
I've provided 2 Bahn Chung Recipes and one really wonderful Youtube vid.
Both recipes take HOURS to prepare. If using this recipe with children it would probably be best to make one recipe ahead of time to show the children the finished product.
The vid shows a woman preparing the leaves and making the rice cakes.
Very interesting vid, showing the use of leaves to make a box for the rice cake.
Banh Chung (Vietnamese New Year's cake)
Preparation time: 45 to 55 minutes (plus overnight soaking) Cooking time: 4 3/4 hours (plus 1 hour to cool)
Ingredients 2 cups sticky rice 1/4 cup dried mung beans, hulled 6 ounces boneless pork shoulder or roast, cut into 1/4-inch slices 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup water Plastic wrap Aluminum foil String
How to make vietnamese New Year's cake (banh chung) Place rice in one bowl and mung beans in another. Cover each with water and soak overnight. (*) In a large bowl, combine pork, onions, fish sauce, and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes. While pork mixture is marinating, drain rice and beans thoroughly. Add salt to rice and stir well.
In a skillet or wok, heat oil over medium heat. Add pork mixture and stir-fry until meat is cooked through but still tender, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine mung beans and about 1 cup water. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, or until soft. Remove from heat, drain, and mash beans with a potato masher or fork.
On a countertop, spread out a piece of plastic wrap about 17 inches square. On top of this, place a sheet of aluminum foil of the same size. Place almost half of the sticky rice in the middle of the foil and shape rice into a square layer. Top rice with a layer of beans, using half of them. Place pork slices on top of beans. Add remaining beans and top off with most of the remaining rice.
Wrap cake by bringing together two edges of foil and plastic wrap. Fold edges over twice and flatten against the side of the packet . Tuck remaining rice into the two open ends of the packet, covering up beans and meat. Fold the open ends as if you were wrapping a gift.
Place packet, folded side down, on another large sheet of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Tie securely with a long piece of heavy string or twine, lengthwise and crosswise. The packet should be square or rectangular.
Place packet in a large stockpot full of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 4 hours, adding water if necessary. Remove from heat and cool for 1 hour.
To serve, slice wrapped packet into 4 slices. Unwrap, arrange on a plate, and serve. Serves 4
(*) When traditional banh chung is prepared in Vietnam, the rice absorbs a slight green color from the banana leaves in which the cakes are wrapped. If youlike a little color in your dish, simply add a drop of green food coloring to the rice and water before leaving to soak. recipe found at ethnicrecipes.us
Banh Chung (Vietnamese Rice Cake) Recipe #110166 | 7 hours | 1 hour prep | Vietnamese Lunar New Year(Tet) will never be complete without this cake. It's very heavy, very filling. It takes a LONG time to cook. You read right that it takes 6 hours. And overnight soaking of rice and beans! SERVES 8 (change servings and units)
Ingredients 200 g glutinous rice, soaked overnight 100-150 g mung beans, soaked overnight 100 g pork, cut into chunks,seasoned with salt and pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions 1) You will also need: Strings and 6 phrynium leaves or aluminum foil can be used as substitute. 2) Steam or boil mung bean with half a tsp of salt until soft, may take up to 45 minutes depending on how large your steamer is. 3) Smash bean thoroughly. 4) Place 2 leaves in one direction, slightly overlapping, then 2 perpendicular, also overlapping, and the last layer like the first. 5) If use aluminum foil, place them crossing each other. 6) Place half of the rice on the leaves, topped with half of the mung beans. 7) Lay the pork on top of the beans, and then add the last of the beans followed by last of the rice. 8) Fold the leaves/foils over the cake very tightly into a square, use string to secure the cake. 9) Place in a large pot, cover with water and boil for about 6 hours. 10) Add water every hour if necessary. 11) After 6 hours or so, remove the cake, submerge it into cold water for a few minutes. 12) The cake lasts up to 10 days on a cool dry place. 13) The easiest way to cut up the cake is to open it and use the string to cut it up into 8 portions. 14) Best served with pickled onions.
A Christmas tale from Italian Folklore retold by La
La Befana was an old woman who lived in a small village in Italy. She was known throughout the village for her wonderful baking and the cleanliness of her kitchen. She was often seen sweeping the area in front of her home. And many had heard her say that she was so busy baking and cleaning that she rarely had time to do anything else.
One winter day, while La Befana was sweeping in front of her home, three travelers stopped to ask her for a drink of water. They told La Befana that they were astrologers (they were often called the three wise men) who were following a star to the birth place of the Christ child. She kindly gave them water and then invited them to dinner.
After dinner the astrologers prepared to continue their journey and asked her if she would like to come with them to see the Christ child. La Befana shook her head saying that she could not possibly take the time needed for such a journey. She was secretly itching to get back to her cleaning and cooking. She stood at her door and watched them leave.
La Befana went back to her sweeping. But hours later she began to feel that she had made a mistake. Maybe she should have gone with the 3 astrologers to see the Christ child. La Befana decided to follow them.
She quickly grabbed a basket and filled it with baked goods of all kinds. She then put on her shawl and with her basket and broom hurried off into the night practically running to catch up with the wise men.
La Befana traveled through the night but never caught up with the wise men. It is said that she ran and ran until she and her broom were lifted up into the air!
Ever since that night, La Befana is believed to fly through the night or run over the roofs in Italy on Epiphany eve. She stops at the home of every child, leaving them treats in their stockings if they are good and a lump of coal if they are bad.
She hopes that one of the children she visits will be the christ child.
The name Befana is said to be a mispronunciation of the Italian word epifania which stands for epiphany. La Befana still visits the children of Italy on the eve of January 6, Epiphany. She fills their stockings with candy or a lump of coal. It is also believed that she sweeps the floor before she leaves. Many households leave her a small glass of wine and a small plate of goodies.
Biscotti - twice-baked (biscottare means to bake twice) biscuits Biscotti are a traditional italian sweet that La Befana might have baked.
The following is a very simple biscotti recipe that "cheats" just a little.
Ingredients: 1 box dry cake mix (your choice of flavor) 1 cup all purpose flour 2 large eggs 1 stick melted butter 2 teaspoons vanilla (or your preferred flavor)
Optional: ¾ cup chopped nuts, dried fruit or chocolate pieces
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Pour your cake mix and flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the eggs, butter and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in nuts or chocolate if desired.
This dough will be very stiff but will not stick to the bowl when properly mixed. The consistency will be like children’s play dough.
Divide dough into two halves. Roll each half into a log, and place on a lined 11” x 15” x 1” baking pan. Gently press the top of the cookie log into a rectangle, about 3 inches wide. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove cookie pan from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Do not turn the oven off.
Remove cookies from baking pan and cut into 1 inch piece logs. You will be cutting this on the width.
Place cookies on their cut side on the lined baking pan. Place pan back into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove cookies to cooling rack to cool completely. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.
Biscotti are delicious dipped in hot chocolate or coffee. Bon Appetit!!
Pssssssst!! Here are a few biscotti variations:
yellow cake mix - chopped red and green dried cherries - almond extract.
butter pecan cake mix - sliced pecans - maple extract.
Mr. and Mrs. House Sparrow hopped round the garden looking for crumbs.
But alas! Nobody threw any crumbs for the sparrows that day:
At last Mr. Sparrow said:
"All the people must be away on holiday."
"Then why don't we go away on holiday?" chirped Mrs. Sparrow.
Mr. Sparrow cocked his head on one side.
"Yes, we will have a holiday. We will go into the country to visit our cousins, the Hedge Sparrows."
"Hurrah!" chirped all the little sparrows.
They flew over the houses and the chimneys, and soon they came to the fields, which were full of golden corn. There were lots of brown sparrows pecking the grain.
"These are our country cousins," said Mr. Sparrow.
"How do you do!" chirped the Hedge Sparrows. "We are very pleased to see you."
They all had such a happy time in the fields. There was plenty to eat, because the corn was ripe. Indeed, the little sparrows ate so much that they felt fast asleep among the corn.
Too soon it was time to go home. So they said "Goodbye" to their country cousins, and away they flew, over the fields and hedges, back to the houses and chimneys. But they did not forget the kindness of their country cousins. When winter came Mrs Sparrow said:
"We will invite our country cousins to spend Christmas with us. There will not be much to eat in their part of the world now."
So the Hedge Sparrows came to spend Christmas among the houses and chimneys.
And they all had a jolly time. There was plenty to eat, because in winter everyone puts out crumbs and titbits for the birds.
So in winter, when you throw out crumbs for the birds, do not forget to throw a little extra for the country cousins too.
Super Simple "Crumb" Cake
Ingredients: 1 yellow cake mix 4 large eggs 1 cup sour cream 1 cup water 5 Tbsp. butter, softened to room temperature . For the Crumb Topping: 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup very soft butter (soften for 2 hours at room temperature)
Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.
Combine cake mix, eggs, sour cream, water and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes.
While cake is baking, make the crumb topping: Combine flour, sugar and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture becomes crumbly.
Sprinkle crumb topping over half-baked cake. Return to oven to bake another 20-23 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
You know Dasher, and Dancer, and
