Mistletoe At Moonglow (The Moonglow Christmas Series Book 1)
Page 8
“Oh, I get it!” Robert said. “One for each of us.” He paused. “But how do I know which ones are for my mom and dad and which one is for me?” Everyone looked at Mist expectantly.
“It won’t matter,” Mist said.
“Because they’re the same?”
“They are the same, and yet different,” Mist explained.
Curious, Robert handed two of the packages out to his parents, then reevaluated and switched them around. Still deciding, he switched them again, finally satisfied he’d assigned them correctly. Sitting back down on the floor, he tore the wrapping off and held up his painting, just as others had done.
“Why, Robert,” Clara exclaimed, “I believe that’s the popcorn and cranberry chain you made last night.” Others nodded in agreement, recognizing the round berries and puffs of popcorn.
“It’s cool! It looks like a bumpy red and white snake!” Robert paused. “But it’s just his body. His tail and head fell over the side.” He turned the canvas sideways, seeing that the strand didn't continue over the edge. “No, they’re missing. The popcorn snake lost its head and tail!”
“I’m not sure about that,” Mist said. “Let’s see what the others look like.”
Robert turned to look at the other two paintings, which his parents now held up. The professor adjusted his glasses to get a better look.
“Mom got two popcorn snakes! And Dad’s looks like mine, but sort of different.” Robert turned his head from side to side, examining the paintings from different angles.
“Try putting them together,” Michael suggested. Mist sent him a knowing smile.
Robert placed the three paintings on the floor, twisting them around like puzzle pieces. He tried several combinations, coming up with different designs every time. Finally he stopped at one particular combination. “Hey, it’s one long snake without a head or a tail!” He looked at his parents and pointed at the design. “It’s a circle! A circle snake!”
“A family circle,” Clara whispered. “How lovely.”
“They’re all wonderful gifts, Mist,” Clive said. He slipped his arm around Betty, who nodded in agreement. “And we have a little something for you,” he added.
“Clive, Betty,” Mist objected. “You are all my gifts. Time with you is enough. I don’t need anything else.”
Clive laughed. “I don’t think you’ll object to this. It’s really for everyone.” He stepped away from Betty and pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket, reaching inside. Lifting out a small cluster of leaves and berries, tied with a red satin ribbon.
“Mistletoe! I tried to get some earlier this week. I thought Maisie ran out.” Mist looked at Betty, who appeared just as surprised.
“She did,” Clive said. “All but one bunch, which she found this morning.” He placed it on a hook above the archway to the parlor. “I thought I’d test it out.” Before Betty could object, he pulled her over and planted a kiss on her forehead. Betty smacked him playfully with one hand and a round of applause followed. Clive laughed, “I knew that would work. Maisie was right. She said mistletoe had a way of bringing folks together.”
“I get it!” Robert said. “Mist…Mistletoe…Get it? Get it?” The adults nodded in agreement.
“Well,” Mist said, “how about some refills on Java Love and tea? And maybe more glazed cinnamon walnuts?” She eyed the empty dish on the table beside Michael’s chair.
“A splendid idea,” the professor said. “Especially the tea.”
“I could go for more of those walnuts,” Clara said, picking up the empty dish and following Mist to the kitchen.
Ellen Greeley stood and stretched. “I’m going to bundle up and take a walk. The weather is too beautiful to stay inside all day.”
“I’ll join you for a short one,” Michael said, standing.
“I’ll make sure the front walk is shoveled,” Clive said.
“Snow play!” Robert jumped up, running for his coat, mittens and boots. “C’mon,” he called to his parents.
In the kitchen, Mist filled the bowl for Clara, taking her up on an offer to serve the professor his tea, as well.
Finally alone with Betty, Mist refilled the hotelkeeper’s coffee and made herself a cup of herbal tea. Looking around, they both saw the dishes that needed washing and knew they had an evening meal to prepare since all of the guests were staying one more night. They still had work to do.
As Mist set her mug of tea down and headed for the kitchen counter, Clive stuck his head in the side door.
“The Morrisons are building a snowman. Clara, Michael, Ellen and the professor have all offered to help. Are you ladies just going to work all day?”
Mist and Betty exchanged glances. Betty raised her eyebrows. Mist shrugged her shoulders.
“I think we can spare an hour,” Betty said.
“Or two,” Mist said, grinning.
“Well, then, get on out there!” Clive backed outside, laughing.
It was a rare day at the Timberton Hotel when Betty and Mist threw off their aprons and headed out simply to enjoy the day. But this wasn't just any day. Strangers had become family and chores could wait while they spent time with these people who had become dear.
As Mist followed Betty out the door, she looked back at the kitchen, taking in the stacks of dishes to be washed and ingredients to be prepped for dinner, all signs of camaraderie between guests. She smiled as she stepped outside and closed the door. No, this wasn't just any day. This was Christmas Day at the Timberton Hotel.
*****
Looking for more Christmas cheer? Read the second of
the Moonglow Christmas Novellas, Silver Bells at Moonglow.
Available now!
Betty’s
Cookie Exchange Recipes
Glazed Cinnamon Nuts
Cook's Nut Balls
Melting Moments
Ginger Crackle Cookies
Lemon Bars
Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies
Potato Chip Cookies
Chewy Coconut Cookies
Pumpkin Squares
Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Yolanda's Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ricotta Cookies
Pecan Melts
Peanut Blossoms
Grandma’s Shortbread Cookies
Holiday Eggnog Snickerdoodles
Spiced Apple Cookies
Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Salted Double Chocolate Chili Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Amish Ginger Cookies
Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
Mother’s Sugar Cookies
Bourbon Balls
Glazed Cinnamon Nuts (a family recipe)
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Heaping teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups walnut halves
Directions:
Boil sugar, water, cream of tartar and cinnamon to soft ball stage (236 degrees.)
Remove from heat.
Add butter and walnuts.
Stir until walnuts separate.
Place on wax paper to cool.
Cook’s Nut Balls (a family recipe)
Ingredients:
1/4 pound butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and form into small balls.
Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes.
Cool and roll in powdered sugar.
Makes about 18 cookies.
Melting Moments (submitted by Elisabeth Conley)
Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 teaspoons of van
illa
Directions:
Cream together the sugar and butter.
In separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar; add to creamed mixture; add vanilla.
Drop on cookie sheet by teaspoonful.
Gently press flat with a fork dipped in milk.
Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, 10 minutes or less.
Ginger Crackle Cookies (submitted by Kim McMahan Davis, from her blog, Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder.)
Ingredients:
2 1/4 (10 ounce) cups flour
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup (2 ounces) vegetable shortening
1 cup (8 ounces) granulated sugar, plus 2/3 cup for rolling
1 large egg
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) molasses
1/2 to 3/4 cup crystallized ginger pieces, finely chopped
Directions:
Position oven rack to the middle. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment or Silpat.
In large bowl, combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Whisk until well blended.
In another large bowl, combine butter, shortening and 1 cup sugar. Beat with mixer on medium-high speed until well combined. Add egg and molasses and beat until well blended. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended. Add crystallized ginger and blend in.
Pour remaining 2/3 cup sugar into shallow bowl. Using a small scoop, make 1-inch balls with dough. Roll each ball in sugar and set 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. (If dough seems too soft to work with, place in refrigerator for a couple of hours.)
Bake one sheet at a time until puffed and slightly browned around the edges, about 10 - 13 minutes. Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes then place cookies on wire rack to cool completely.
To make ahead:
The dough can be made, shaped and rolled in sugar through step 3, then frozen for up to 2 months before baking. For best results, position the shaped dough snugly on a small cookie sheet and freeze until very firm. Then pile the frozen balls into a heavy-duty freezer bag and store in the freezer. When you’re ready to bake, remove only the number of cookies you need, place them on the prepared cookie sheet and leave them on the counter while the oven heats up. Bake as directed.
Lemon Bars (submitted by Carol Anderson)
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Lemon layer:
4 eggs
4 tablespoons flour
2/3 cup lemon juice
2 cups sugar
Directions:
Cream ingredients for crust together and pat into 9 x 12 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Mix ingredients for lemon layer together. Pour over baked crust.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.
Chocolate Chip - Mint Cookies (submitted by Beth Britain, originally from Mollie Katzen’s “Still Life with Menu”)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixer at high speed. Beat in egg. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts.
Sift together dry ingredients and add them to the butter mixture along with the chocolate chips. Stir until well combined.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
Remove from sheet immediately after baking and cool on a rack.
Potato Chip Cookies (submitted by Erika Bonham Kehlet)
Start with:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream above ingredients together.
Add:
1/2 cup crushed potato chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups flour
Roll into walnut sized balls.
Flatten with a glass dipped in granulated sugar.
Place on untreated cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Chewy Coconut Cookies (submitted by Valerie Peterson)
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups ground raisins
1/2 cup coconut
Directions:
Cream together sugar and shortening.
Add eggs, salt, soda and vanilla. Beat well.
Add flour, oatmeal and raisins. Add coconut last.
Roll in balls the size of a walnut.
Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes
Pumpkin Squares (submitted by Carol Ann Kauffman)
Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
Mix these together. Spread on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool.
Filling:
1 pound can pumpkin
I can evaporated milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of nutmeg
Mix. Pour over crust. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Topping:
3/4 cup walnut
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
Mix and spread on top of cooked pumpkin mix. Put back in oven for another 15 minutes.
Note: Double recipe for a cookie sheet size.
Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies (submitted by S.A. Molteni, author of I.T. Geek to Farm Girl Freak)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 giant Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Bar chopped into chunks
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and baking soda. Beat mixture until combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla, beat until well blended. Beat in half of the flour, and then stir in remaining flour. Stir in chocolate pieces.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoons on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Transfer cookies to a wire rack or wax paper and let cool.
Makes about 48 cookies.
Yolanda’s Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (submitted by Lisa Maliga, author of The Aroma of Love, from The Yolanda's Yummery Series, Book 3)
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions:
In a medium bowl, add the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix on low to medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and mix well. With a spatula, scrape the sides, and then add the vanilla extract. Mix well until combined.
In a larger bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients, and mix on low until combined.
Beat in the oats and raisins on low speed. Add the walnuts last. For puffier cookies, refrigerate the dough for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a standard tablespoon, scoop dough and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft and lighter in color.