NativiTea at Colonial Hills UMC

This afternoon was the Second Annual Nativitea at Colonial Hills UMC here in San Antonio. We learned about this fun event while attending worship at the church last Sunday.

Accepting the invitation to attend, we also took advantage of the opportunity to share some of the creations Belinda's mother has been making.  There were a dozen or more vendors on hand and it was a lot of fun taking part in both the tea and the selling of the crafts.

Happy Hanukkah!

 

Today marks the beginning of Hanukkah (or Chanukka), the eight-day Jewish festival of lights.  Enjoy this tasty notion from the good folk at the Food Network.

 

Coconut-cranberry Macaroons:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 cups (about 8 ounces) finely shredded unsweetened coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Whisk the sugar, egg whites, cranberry, orange zest, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Toss the coconut with the egg mixture until completely coated.

Moisten your finger tips with water. Form about 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter into pointed mounds or pyramids on the prepared pans, spacing them about 1-inch apart.

Bake until the edges are golden brown and the entire macaroon is nicely toasted and dry, 16 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve.

Store macaroons in a tightly sealed container for up to a week.

It's Friday!

If it's Friday, it must be time for a cute picture of Wesley!  He got the morning started just right, don't you think?

Feast Day of Saint Nicholas

Bishop Nicholas of Myra

In honor of the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas (270 - December 6, 343), here is something to celebrate with: 

Haselnussmakronen (German Hazelnut Macaroons)
When St. Nicholas comes there is always a large tray of assorted cookies ready for him and any other visitors who might call during Advent

¾ cup (6 oz) sugar
1 cup (7½ oz) ground hazelnuts (filberts) or almonds
1½ tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg whites
pinch of salt

Whisk egg whites until stiff. Add the sugar and continue whisking until the mixture stands in stiff peaks. Add the remaining ingredients and fold in gently. Drop teaspoonfuls of mixture onto a greased baking sheet at least 1-inch apart. Allow to stand. Bake in oven at 300° for ½ hour. Carefully transfer to a cooling tray and store in an airtight container. They will keep for several weeks.

Read more a Nicholas Center

U.S. DoD Military Casualty Update: 29 November - 5 December, 2012

 

+ Lance Cpl. Anthony J. Denier (USMC), 26, of Mechanicville, N.Y., died Dec. 2, while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. 

                                                       

+Sgt. 1st Class. Darren M. Linde, 41, of Sidney, Mont., and Spc. Tyler J. Orgaard, 20, of Bismarck, N.D.  They died Dec. 3, in Lashkar Gah City, Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.  They were assigned to the 818th Engineer Company, 164th Engineer Battalion, Williston, N.D.     

+ Sgt. John R. Jones (Army), of Louisville, Ky., will be buried Dec. 6, in Arlington National Cemetery.  On June 4, 1971, Jones was part of a U.S. team working with indigenous commandos to defend a radio-relay base, known as Hickory Hill, in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam.  When enemy forces attacked the site, Jones and another serviceman took up a defensive position in a nearby bunker.  The following morning, Jones was reportedly killed by enemy fire and the other soldier was captured and held as a POW until 1973.

From 1993 to 2010, joint U.S.-Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted several investigations, surveyed the site and interviewed multiple witnesses, including those involved in the battle.  During that time, analysts from JPAC and DPMO evaluated wartime records and eyewitness accounts to determine possible excavation sites.  In 2011, another joint U.S.-S.R.V team located human remains in a bunker suspected to be the last known location of Jones. 

Charles' afternoon!

Charles joined the residents and supervisor from the Clinical Pastoral Education group this afternoon for an end-of-unit lunch.  The group met at Maggiano's, on San Antonio's west side, for a working lunch. Wow, great food and a productive time, too bad it has to end so soon!  It was the last gathering of the group as one of the four residents is leaving at the end of this week to take a chaplain job in Kerrville.

When the lunch was over, Charles was more than happy to take advantage of the time and fantastic weather to get in nine holes of golf at Cedar Creek Golf Course.  With twilight begining to make a challenging course even harder, Charles decided to call it a day and make plans to play here again, very soon!

National Cookie Day

December 4th is National Cookie Day. This is a good day to begin your Christmas baking to give as gifts and serve at your holiday celebrations, but more importantly, bake your cookies for Santa!
 
What kind of cookies will you leave for Santa?
Visit this link for some terrific ideas for the holidays!