During the twelve days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will again present staff favorites from the holiday season. This eighth edition will not include eight maids-a-milking, but beloved Christmas songs, recipes, movies, crafts, and festive wear.
Song:
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” – performed by Gene Autry
Recipe:
Snowy Tree Cookies
Ingredients:
Cookies:
- One and one third cups of butter
- One and a half cups of sugar
- One teaspoon of grated orange or lemon zest
- One teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Two eggs
- Three tablespoons of milk
- Four cups of flour
- Three teaspoons of baking powder
- One-half teaspoon of salt
Royal Icing:
- Four cups of sifted powdered sugar
- Two to three tablespoons of egg white powder
- Two tablespoons of water or milk
- One teaspoon of vanilla extract
Steps:
- Cream butter, sugar, orange or lemon zest, and vanilla extract together thoroughly. Add in eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
- Sift dry ingredients together, then blend into cream mixture, alternating with the milk.
- Divide dough in half and place each half in a plastic bag to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Roll out dough into a one-third-inch sheet. Cut out tree shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter and place onto a parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Bake at 375 degrees for approximately six minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown.
- While cookies are baking, mix powdered sugar, water, egg whites, and vanilla on high for about ten minutes.
- Separate icing into two bowls. Add about one tablespoon of water to one bowl and three tablespoons to the other. Put frostings into separate squeeze bottles, piping bags, or sandwich bags.
- After the cookies have cooled, outline the edge of the cookies and draw in the lines of snow with the thicker frosting. Fill the centers with the thinner frosting, using a toothpick to spread the icing all the way to the edge.
Movie: Arthur Christmas
“How can Santa deliver billions of presents to the whole world in just one night? With an army of one million combat-style Field Elves and a vast, state-of-the-art control center under the ice of the North Pole! So how could this incredible operation have missed one child? To Santa’s young son, Arthur, it threatens to end the magic of Christmas. With retired Grandsanta, a rebellious young elf, an old sleigh and some untrained reindeer, Arthur sets out in a crazy mission to deliver the last present. Deck the halls with excitement, fun and wonder in this new Christmas classic,” according to arthurchristmas.com.
DIY: Paw Print Ornaments
Supplies:
- One-half cup of hot water
- One-half cup of salt
- One cup of flour
- Acrylic paint
- Matte finish Mod Podge
- Glitter
- Ribbon
- Gold paint pen or Sharpie
Steps:
- Mix together the hot water, salt and flour. Kneed it together until it forms a dough ball. If the mixture is too sticky, add some extra flour.
- Roll out the dough until it is a quarter-inch to a half-inch thick.
- Use small plastic cups to cut out circle shapes.
- Gently press pet’s paw into the center of the circle to make an imprint.
- Use a drinking straw to cut a hole for the ribbon.
- Transfer the circles to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 225 degrees for two to three hours until ornaments are solid and completely dried out.
- Once ornaments have cooled, paint the ornaments as desired.
- Write your pet’s name and the year on the front or back of the ornament using a gold paint pen or a Sharpie marker.
- Add a coat of matte finish Mod Podge and sprinkle it generously with glitter.
- String a ribbon through the hole to hang the ornament.
Fashion:
“A trio of caroling kittens give Karen Scott’s sweater some holiday charm. 3-D details bring the design to life,” according to macys.com.
– Daisy Steinthal, Photo Editor and Features Editor