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Bountiful Baskets & Bountiful Bargains December Newsletter
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Newsletter Contents
Frankincense and Myrrh:
Christmas Magic from us to you
By Sally Stevens
What are they?
Frankincense is a resin. To get it, you strip back the bark of the Boswellia tree and scratch the layer of wood right under it. Resin bleeds out of the tree and will dry into “tears.” The highest quality Frankincense comes from Oman, but Frankincense also comes from
Yemen
and the North Coast of Somalia.
Myrrh is the dried sap of Commiphora molmol tree, native to
Yemen
,
Somalia
, and eastern parts of
Ethiopia
. The scent of raw myrrh resin and its essential oil is sharp, pleasant, slightly bitter, and resinous. Myrhhwas often worth more than gold in Jesus' time.
What to do with them?
A couple years ago I bought a pound each of Frankincense and Myrrh. On Christmas Eve we did our normal family tradition of cracking The Book, and recounting the Birth of Christ from The Gospels. After, we closed our eyes, smelled our Frankinscense and Myrrh,and letour imaginations go. Our minds filled with pictures of what it might have been like 2000 years ago fortheHolyFamily when the Three Wise Men brought them the gifts of Frankinscense and Myrrh. It wasamazing to thinkwe were smelling some of the same smells that the Holy Family smelled a couple thousand years ago. It was one of thoserare momentswhen I knew my kids understood the truemeaning of Christmas.
Extra Bonus
I got to be the most interesting grown up as I gave out baggies to the kids as we went to friends’ and families’ homes on Christmas day. Every child got wide eyes when he or she realized he could smell something that Baby Jesus smelled when he was only 12 days old!
What You’ll Need
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O Tannenbaum
By Tanya Jolly
A dark room. Twinkling lights in the corner. Adornments, both elegant and child-made, reflecting the lights and the nearby crèche in miniature. The smell of a fresh Christmas tree. Nothing puts me in the warm-love-family-giving-Christchild-peaceful-snuggly blanket-hot cocoa-family-Christmas mood faster than that wonderful, distinctive aroma filling my darkened living room.
A Quick History
Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it. In the 16th century, devoutChristians brought decorated trees into their homes. Until the early 19th century, most Americans viewed Christmas trees as pagan symbols, but by the latter half of the 19th century we were decorating our homes – and the White House - with floor-to-ceiling Christmas trees.
Back to The Present
Today, 25-30 million real Christmas Trees are sold each year in the United States, almost all of which come from Christmas tree farms and plantations. The lifecycle of a Christmas tree from seed to a 7-foot tree takes between 8 and 12 years, depending on species and cultivation methods.
Like many, our family loses the true meaning of Christmas – lost among ad campaigns and plastic branches - at some point in the (shopping) days before Christmas. But once the dishes are done, the kids are in bed, and hubby and I are ready to turn in – I click off the tree lights, take a lungful of that spicy-warm-piney scent, and am transported to a wonderful place of anticipation, joy, and thankfulness.
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The Bottom Line: Real. Food.
By Tanya Jolly
See’s Candy. What’s not to like? See’s Candy is not a staple in my family’s diet – we do *try* to eat healthily – but it is easier to say ‘okay’ to a piece (or pieces!) of See’s Candy than to anything in the boys’ Halloween stash.
If you "can't get no satisfaction" and just keep grazing on that junk food this holiday season, try eatinga bitof See's Candy. As any healthy eater can tell you,.a little bit ofthe really good stuff puts that craving monster to bed pretty fast!It cankeep you on track the other 99% of the time.
For starters, See’s Candybegins with high-quality raw ingredients and doesn’t deviate. In this health-conscious era, the absence of hydrogenated oils, additives, and preservatives really turns my head. Got butterfat cream? Real white and brown sugar? Real condensed milk? Hand it over. See’s. Just yummy. Real. Food.
Sally & Tanya's all time favorite (Yeah, it's creeps us out too that we have the same taste in a lot of things. We're even both allergic to walnuts! No nuts and chews for us...):
Other Favorites
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Sally's Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are called Pepitas south of the border. In my house this recipe produces a snack worthy of replacing chips.
Ingredients
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Pumpkin Seeds
-
Water
-
Sea Salt
Instructions
1. Grind Sea Salt in a wheat grinder or high power blender.
2. Mix 2 tablespoons with 1/4 cup water.
3. Pour 1/3 pound of pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet.
4. Set over to low broil.
5. Pour Water/Salt Mixture over seeds.
6. Shake pan back and forth to distribute evenly.
7. Set into oven. Leave the door of the oven cracked.
8. Every minute and a half or so take the pan out, stir the seeds with a wooden spoon, and put it back.
9. When the seeds are almost dry and are popping fat, but not burned turn the heat off, leave the door part way open, and let dry out the rest of the way.
Keep an eye on this. Don't let it burn. They are like heaven done just right, but not so much burned.Thissnack isrich in "good fat" and protein, and a favorite with company and kids alike.
What you'll need
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Sally's Favorite Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients
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1/4 cup white cheese powder
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Dill to taste
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frozen or canned peas
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Pack of Macaroni or other shaped pasta
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Milk to taste
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A pat of butter or olive oil
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Salt & Pepper to taste if you like
Instructions
1. Boil the pasta.
2. Add the peas at the end.
3. Cook until they're done.
4. Drain.
5. Put in bowl.
6. Add milk and oil/butter
7. Add cheese powder and dill
8. Stir well
What you'll need
(You may substitute if your family would enjoy that more.)
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Aroma rings and Scented Oils
Take your choice ofeither Brass Aroma Rings, or Ceramicadd either fragrance oils or essential, and wrap it up in an organza bag for a fresh & frugal gift.
The difference between a fragrance oil and an essential oil, is that pure essential oils do not have any additives and are made from the plant they are named after. Our essential oils are gas chromatographed which means that they are tested for complete purity. This is important because lower grade "essential oils" can be extracted using solvents (read toxins).
Fragrance oils are also often made from petroleum based chemicals. So are many perfumes.A fun project is to get aeither the small or largeassortment of essential oils, and see if you can make your own blends that you trade out for your favorite petroleum basedperfumes.
What you'll need
or
Best Value for Essential Oils
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Spice Assortments
by Sally Stevens
When the co-op first started the very first special offering we did was Herbs & Spices. Imagine my delight when I found that there was a 3000+ % mark up on herbs and spices. We used to each chip in $15, and we were able to receive 20 different spices. When I comparison priced these packs they were worth more than $240!
You can easily(and frugally) make spice assortments for your family, or be the thrifty coordinator of this for a group of girl friends!
Instructions
The Night Of Your Spice Party or Gift Making
- Use 8 1/2 by 11 pieces of paper rolled into a "party hat" upside down as funnels (most people don't have enough real funnels).
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Filling bottles
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if you are doing 12 sets the start with spice 1
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set out twelve bottles
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fill them until full or about evenly filled
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if the bottles fill before the spice is gone, set the extra aside
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girls who help get to pick extras to take!
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Cap the bottles and screw lids on
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Set out 1 grocery bag for each assortment you are making
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Put 1 of each spice into each grocery bag as you go
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Tanya's Coconut Joy Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (2 squares), melted
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Instructions
1. Melt butter in saucepan.
2. Remove from heat and add sugar and coconut.
3. Mix well. Shape rounded teaspoons of mix into balls.
4. Make an indent in the center of each and place on a cookie sheet.
5. Fill centers with melted chocolate.
6. Dust with Powdered Chocolate
7. Chill until firm. Store covered in fridge.
8. Makes 3 dozen. If you put an almond in the middle, you have a wanna-be Almond Joy!
(I always use more chocolate... of course.)
What You'll Need
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Sally's Favorite Lemon or Lime Aid
Ingredients
Water
Lemon Juice Powder
Lime Juice Powder
Turbinado Sugar or Palm Sugar
Citric Acid Powder
Instructions
1. Melt Turbinado Sugar in water until syrup (this keeps the sweetness from settling.
2. Fill Quart Pitcher with water
3. Add 4 Tablespoons of either Lemon or Lime Powder or any mix of your choice.
4. Add 1 Tablespoon of Citric Acid Powder.
5. Add syrup to taste
What You'll Need
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Tanya's Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients
2-3 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 cup granola or toasted wheat germ
1 cup dried skim milk
1/2 cupturbinado sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted, unsweetened dried coconut OR toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup raisins
optional: chopped and dried fruit; chopped nuts, toasted sunflower seeds
Instructions
-
Mixeverything except peanut butter.
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Add enough peanut butter to make mixture stiff but not crumbly.
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Roll mix into balls.
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Cover balls with coconut or sesame seeds.
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Store covered in refrigerator. Enjoy!
What you'll need
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Sally Favorite Salad
This has been my favorite salad for the past month.
Ingredients
2 handfulls of shredded lettuce
4 - 8 slices of cucumber
1/4 cup edamame
1/4 cup strawberries
2 Tablespoons Green Onions
2 Tablespoons Feta Cheese
2 Tablespoons dried Cranberries
2 Tablespoons Sunflower Seeds
Asian Sesame Dressing to taste
Instructions
-
Add the following
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Lettuce
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Cucumber
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Edamame
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Strawberries
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Green Onions
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Feta Cheese
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Dried Cranberries
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Sunflower Seeds
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Toss then add Asian Sesame Dressing to taste
What you'll need
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Have you visited the newBountiful Bargainswebsite?
We are so excited to roll-out our newBountiful Bargainswebsite! TheBountiful Bargainsgives us access tonew, non-fooditems - like fresh Christmas trees and spice containers for our bulk spices! - as well as the staple bulk food items we enjoy from Co-op. Please note that you'll need to register as a new participanton this stand-alone website.
We have:
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