(Photo is from ICE at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando)
In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on biblical principles) in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments and a large orphanage. About 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government-run program were in the orphanage. They relate the following story in their own words:
It was nearing the holiday season, 1994, time for our orphans to hear, for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger.
Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word. Completing the story, we gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins I had brought with me. No colored paper was available in the city.
Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia, were used for the baby's blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt we had brought from the US.
The orphans were busy assembling their manger as I walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy's manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very seriously.
For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the happenings accurately--until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, "And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mama and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't, because I didn't have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift. So I asked Jesus, "If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?" And Jesus told me, "If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me." "So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him---for always."
As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him- FOR ALWAYS.
And they were doing so well with my "You play with yours and keep away from mine" rule.
The Fairy Bin!
I went to Wal-Mart and bought two clear plastic bins ($25 total) and then bought wall stickers at the Dollar Store ($5 total). When I got home, I had a blast creating a fairy scene on the outside and covers.
I plan to put all the new dresses in here and wrap it all up for Christmas. I made two. One for dress-up clothes and the other for blankets and pillows. They LOVE to dress-up and camp-out in the backyard.
Playing pretend is the glue that keeps them together. They play so nicely when it's just the two of them, dressed-up and camping out. It really is magical. Those are the times I sigh and smile at the two sisters enjoying each other's company. It balances-out those times they don't get along.
OK, so that's a really goofy title, but I couldn't get it out of my head once I thought of it. Forgive me.
It's that time of year, and with the holiday season comes potlucks, cookie swaps, and all kinds of bring-your-best-dish activities. Friends and neighbors stop by to visit, and if you're like me, you like having something festive on hand, even if it's just for munching while you're watching Rudolph on TV. I would like to propose to you the miracle of Chocolate Ganache.
Ganache is a super-simple thing to make, and it has oh-so-many uses. One batch can serve as a dish of luscious Amaretto Truffles, the frosting on a cake, the filling of a tart, or even a simmering pot of hot chocolate (not hot cocoa, hot chocolate). You could even stand in your kitchen and eat it from the bowl with a spoon (it's that wonderful), but I don't really recommend making a habit of that. Trust me.
This is the basic recipe and method. Take equal parts of chopped dark chocolate (chocolate chips are fine) and heavy whipping cream. Usually I use 2 cups of each so that I'm using the entire bag of chips without leftovers. Next, put the chocolate in a bowl by itself and heat the cream to boiling in a separate container. Once boiling (nearly boiling over, but not quite), pour the cream over the chocolate, tap the chocolate bowl to ensure that the cream has reached the bottom, and let it sit for a couple of minutes. After it sits, take a spoon or a whisk and stir until something magical happens. This somewhat-ugly chocolate-speckled cream mixture slowly transforms into this dreamy pool of silky, rich, but not-too-rich chocolate ganache. You'll know when it's ready because all you will be able to do is stare at the seductive mixture and restrain yourself from taking that spoon and going for it right then and there. Let it sit for about 15 minutes so that it can cool. Store the finished ganache covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
(Allow me to interject here that if you use larger chocolate chips such as the Ghirardelli baking chips, they do not always completely melt thus resulting in a less than perfect texture. Option 1: (Fun, but not recommended) Eat the whole bowl for yourself and start over. Chop the chips into smaller pieces next time. Option 2: Declare it a new recipe for "Chocolate Chunk Ganache" and use it anyway. If you sound like you did it on purpose, most people won't question it.)
Ganache on its own is lovely and can stand by itself, so don't feel compelled to flavor it too quickly, but if you would like there are two ways to do so. You can flavor the cream before adding it to the chocolate by infusing flavors like black tea, espresso, lavender flowers, and orange zest into the cream during the boiling process. You can also add ingredients to the finished ganache after it has cooled. Liqueurs like Amaretto and Grand Marnier can be stirred in as well as strained fruit purées or Nutella :).
Once you've mastered the basic recipe you can play with the cream-to-chocolate ratio to create a full spectrum of delicacies. Add less cream and whip the ganache to make a delectable frosting, and add more cream and some milk to create the richest hot chocolate you've ever tasted. If you need a firmer texture without sacrificing the cream (as for truffles), put the basic ganache into the refrigerator for a few hours. If you need a more pourable consistency (as for glazing cakes) heat it up a little. Do you get the idea?
So, go forth and experiment with this amazingly simple yet wonderfully elegant concoction called ganache, and tell me all about it! What's the worst that could happen? You'll have bowl full of molten chocolate to deal with? Grab a spoon!
(Note: I learned much of what I know about this technique from the book, The Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard.)
