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Page 14 — Wednesday, December 23, 2009, The Millen News
Recipes
Trim-the-tree treats
By Jenny Harper
Test Kitchen Project Manager
Nestle Test Kitchens
When it’s time to decorate the
Christmas tree, I love having little
helpers. And to keep all my holi
day helpers happy, I like to bake
up some treats we can enjoy while
decorating.
For your tree trimming helpers,
try out this delicious twist on gin
gerbread cookies - Chocolate
Gingerbread Boys and Girls. The
chocolate gives them an added
sweetness that will bring a smile
to everyone’s face.
Frosting cookies - use a pastry
bag with tips, commercial frost
ing in tubes or a plastic bag with
corner snipped off. If spreading
frosting with a knife, thin frost
ing with milk to desired consis
tency.
Special toppings - use candy
sprinkles, cinnamon red hots,
chopped nuts, Nestle’ Toll House
Morsels, raisins, candy corn,
turbinado sugar or colored sugar
to adorn cookies.
To use as tree decoration, make
a hole with a drinking straw at the
top of the cookie prior to baking.
After baking, tie a look of nylon
fishing line or pretty ribbon
through the hole for easy hang
ing.
Chocolate Ginger
bread Boys and Girls
2 c. (12 oz. pkg.) Nestle’ Toll
House Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Morsels, divided
2% c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 /2 tsp. salt
1 /2 tsp. ground ginger
1 /2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine,
softened
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 /2 c. molasses
14 c. water
1 container (16 oz.) prepared
vanilla frosting, colored as
desired or colored icing in
tubes
Microwave Vi cups morsels in
medium, uncovered microwave-
safe bowl on high, 100 percent
power, for one minute. Stir. The
morsels may retain some of their
original shape. If necessary, mi
crowave at additional 10-15 sec
ond intervals, stirring just until
melted. Cool to room tempera
ture.
Combine flour, baking soda,
salt, ginger and cinnamon in me
dium bowl. Beat butter and sugar
in small mixer bowl until creamy;
beat in molasses and melted
chocolate. Gradually add flour
mixture alternately with water,
beating until smooth. Cover; re
frigerate for one hour or until
firm.
Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Roll half of dough to 14-inch
thickness on floured surface with
floured rolling pin. Cut dough
into gingerbread boy and girl
shapes using cookie cutters or a
stencil. Place on ungreased bak
ing sheets. Repeat with remain
ing dough.
Bake for 5-6 minutes or until
edges are set but centers are still
slightly soft. Cool on baking
sheets for two minutes; remove to
wire racks to cool completely.
Place remaining morsels in
heavy-duty plastic bag. Micro-
wave on high, 100 percent power,
for 30-45 seconds; knead. Micro-
wave for 10 seconds; knead until
smooth. Cut tiny corner from bag;
squeeze to pipe chocolate. Deco
rate cookies with piped chocolate
and prepared frosting or icing.
Jim Hite
QUIT BEING A SCROOGE
In previous Christmas columns
I have mentioned how blessed
and fortunate Joyce and I are, be
ing able to take part in the Au
gusta Choral Society’s presenta
tion of Handel’s Messiah. The
magnificent and soaring solos and
choruses that have graced audi
toriums and churches for centu
ries are ever fresh, ever uplifting,
and ever beautiful beyond words.
I have loved every Christmas I
can remember in my 75 years. No
matter how negative or positive
the circumstances in which I have
found myself as December rolled
around, celebrating the birth of
Jesus and attempting to deepen
my understanding of His coming
to live with us as a baby has
brought only joy.
It is strange to my way of think
ing how so many who profess to
honor and accept this Baby can
find so much negativity at this
time of year. Oh, we know that
for many, times are tough and that
there are many who do not know
or even care that God came to live
among us. We fret that “they” are
trying to do away with Christmas
and replace it with holidays.
True enough. But can we not
all realize that God will do what
He will? Can we not realize that
God loves each of us far more
than we can imagine? Can we not
see that this love is also for those
we see as His enemies (because
they are ours) or as lost (because
they are not like us)?
A clerk is allowed to say only
“Happy Holidays.” So what! You
can wish him or her a “Merry
Christmas.” Instead of complain
ing about “them” killing the
Christmas spirit, overcome
“them” with a Christmas spirit
that shines in the darkest situa
tions. Quit the negative, quit find
ing fault, quit being a Scrooge in
a Christ-follower’s clothing.
The Scripture texts selected and
put to music by George Friedrich
Handel give a picture of a people
longing for this Savior and the
triumph that was His life, this
Savior many of us say we follow.
And what a Savior: “He shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor,
The Mighty God, The Everlast
ing Father, The Prince of Peace.”
How do we respond?
“Arise, arise, and let your light
shine!!”
“Amen!”
“Alleluia!”
Wetter, cooler winter headed to Georgia
By David Emory Stooksbury
University of Georgia
There is a high likelihood that Georgia’s winter will be wetter
and cooler than normal.
The exception is the north Georgia mountain region, which is
near the transition from wetter-than-normal conditions to the south
and drier-than-normal conditions to the north. Temperatures in
the mountains will likely be below normal. With soils already near
saturation from September and October rains, the risk of flooding
is expected to remain higher than normal through the winter.
The ocean-atmosphere system is currently in the El Nino pat
tern. This pattern is expected to persist through the winter. Fol
lowing an El Nino winter, it is not unusual for a drier-than-normal
trend in spring. El Nino's influence is especially strong in the south
ern two-thirds of the state.
The mountainous region of north Georgia and middle and east
Tennessee is a transition zone. Depending on where the transition
zone occurs this winter, the mountains will
experience drier-than-normal, near-normal or wetter-than-nor-
mal conditions.
While the outlook is for a cooler winter, this does not mean that
cold arctic outbreaks are likely. The coolness is primarily caused
by the increase in cloudiness. This means that the daily high tem
peratures tend to be cooler than normal. However, the nighttime
lows have a tendency to be slightly warmer than normal because
of the increase in cloudiness.
It is very rare to experience temperatures in the low teens along
the coast and coastal plain during an El Nino winter. Across the
piedmont, single-digit temperatures are very rare. The mountains
rarely experience temperatures around zero during an El Nino
winter.
Many streams that are usually at their lowest flows during Oc
tober are at levels normally seen in March, which is the month
that generally has the highest flows. Since the soils are already
near saturation and stream flows high, the potential for flooding
this winter is higher than normal.
It is not unusual for the middle or late sprig following an El
Nino winter to be drier than normal. Thus, water managers are
going to have a difficult time regulating reservoirs for an expected
wet winter, knowing that from the middle of spring onward there
is a good chance Georgia will experience drier-than normal con
ditions.
(David Emory Stooksbury is the state climatologist and a pro
fessor of engineering and atmospheric sciences in the University
of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
Is Your Ch
Is your child having problems in school? Does he/she have difficulty listening, fol
lowing directions or doing homework? He/she may fight frustration every day and
may even have been called lazy, unmotivated or a “student at risk...”
PACE can identify and successfully treat learning
problems that are often reflected in the following
behaviors:
■ Is unable to sit still; cannot stay on task for any length of
time; is easily distracted
■ Avoids work that seems complicated or hard
■ Has difficulty comprehending and remembering
■ Has problems sounding out words
■ Does written work very slowly; often fails to complete task
■ Has difficulty copying material; constantly looks up and
down
■ Often needs instructions repeated
■ Has trouble reading and spelling
■ Makes reversals - for example: confusing the words “was”
and “saw” or the letters “b” and “d”
■ Is disorganized and frustrated when studying
■ Makes frequent, “careless” errors
Alma Jewell watches as her son, John,
works on some of his PACE procedures.
Mrs. Jewell says that, “John has felt
totally successful in the classroom after
starting his PACE training. He is
enthusiastic about his work and always
reminds me before school when it’s
‘PACE DAY’!”
□□PACE
E3 bvCE
Dfocessing ana cognitive enhancement
PACE Develops:
• Attention • Comprehension • Memory • Processing Speed • Auditory Processing
• Logic & Reasoning •Planning • Visual Processing
PACE May Be The Eery Answer You Seek
If your child is between the ages of 6 and 21 and exhibits one or more of these
behaviors, call today to schedule a screening to evaluate your child’s cognitive proc
essing skills. It could he the most important phone call you will make during his or
her school years.
Learning Enhancement Centers
Call Toll Free
1866-2374260
Waynesboro • Millen
or visit our website at mchalker.processingskills.com