On the Tenth Day of Christmas

My true love gave to me Ten Lords-a-Leaping. Each Lord represents a Commandment from above. The Ten Commandments are the cornerstones of civilized law.

There are those who will argue that the first three Commandments serve no relevance, especially in our modern world.

I am the Lord thy God
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
Remember to keep holy the Sabbath

Look again – the Lord is God, so have a little faith. Do not call out to God to damn those you do not like. Let not a single word of ugliness depart your lips and spew out into the universe. And most of all, remember to gather together as a people. Faith; family and community are the ties that bind us. Without those fundamental structures; civilization is doomed to fail.

Honor thy father and mother
Thou shalt not kill
Thou shalt not commit adultery
Thou shalt not steal
Thou shalt not bear false witness
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods

The remaining seven commandments are the cornerstone of decent human behavior. Today we live in a world that seems to have forgotten how to be decent to one another without asking what’s in it for me. If decency yields no bankable rewards, what’s the point?

As parents, grandparents, or heads of the family unit, it is up to us to instill in our children the value of decency. In a material-driven existence, it’s not always easy to comprehend the bankability of decency. It’s hard to raise up honorable human beings when the temptations of instant gratification and monetary rewards bombard them from every direction. Especially when it seems taking what we believe is “owed” to us is somehow justified.

Now more than ever before it is so important to teach by example from the very beginning to make the right choices for moral reasons and not personal gain. It’s impossible to choose to do what is right if you have never been shown the difference between right and wrong in the first place. God has already given to us a moral compass to point us in the direction of human decency with His commandments. What good is it to possess the world but loose your soul in the process?

The Tenth Day of Christmas is also National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day. So enough lecturing from on high. It’s time to celebrate the day. One of the easiest ways to embrace National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day would be to buy a box of Cherry Cordials. A better way would be to eat cake!

Commanding Chocolate-Cherry Cola Cake
Chocolate Cherry Cake
1 jar (10 oz) Maraschino Cherries, drained
1/4 cup Cherry Liquid from jar
1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1 cup Cherry Cola
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs

Heat oven to 325-degrees. Spray bottom only of 13-inch by 9-inch cake pan with floured baking spray, set aside.

Drain jar of cherries, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid to add to the cake. Remove stems from cherries if necessary. Chop cherries and set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, blend cake mix, Cherry Cola, oil, eggs and the reserved cherry liquid on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium, bean for another 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl if necessary. Fold in the chopped cherries. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Spread out cake batter evenly, tapping the sides of the pan to release any air bubbles.

Bake cake in the heated oven for about 34 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely; about an hour.

While the cake cools, make the chocolate covered cherries for a garnish.

Chocolate Cherries
20 Maraschino Cherries with stems
2 cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips
2 tablespoons Shortening

Drain cherries, pat dry and place on paper towels to help absorb excess liquid. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper, set aside.

In a microwave, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding on to the stems, dip cherries into chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on prepared cookie sheet until set. Store, refrigerated, in a covered container until ready to use.

Next make the frosting.

Marshmallow Frosting
1 container Whipped Vanilla Frosting
1 cup Marshmallow Crème

In small bowl, mix frosting and marshmallow crème until smooth.

Once the cake is cooled, spoon frosting in all four corners and down the center of the cake. Using a off-set spatula, spread frosting to cover cake.

To serve, slice cake into 10 large square slices, one for each commandment. Top each plated piece of cake with 2 chocolate-covered cherries.

Serve and enjoy!