Posted on 12/09/2015 5:23:20 PM PST by Jamestown1630
I have to admit that with Christmas coming, and work issues, I'm so busy right now that I've got little for you this week in terms of recipes.
But I've been thinking of some things that I remember from my childhood Christmases. As I've mentioned before, I was largely raised by my paternal Grandmother, who was born in 1890. Her own childhood took place at a time when not many people had Christmas trees in their homes; I remember Granny telling us that in the 1890s the Christmas tree, for her small-town Virginia area, would be in the Church, or in a municipal place.
But treats for the kids at home were very special and important at Christmas, and my Grandmother always followed the tradition that she remembered from her own childhood: She filled our stockings late on Christmas Eve, when we kids had gone to bed, and then she hung them up on the window moldings, either side of our Christmas Tree.
There were always tangerines and apples; a bunch of walnuts and other nuts in the shell that we would have to crack with the nutcracker; little packs of M-and-Ms, and those hard candies shaped like raspberries with soft centers. Except for the apples, these were things we had at no other time of year, in the 1950s, and even into the 60s; and we really enjoyed them. It was the last thing we 'opened' on Christmas morning; but strangely, it is also among the things I most remember.
Of course, in later years, when Christmas Trees in the home had become a real, mainstream American tradition , my Grandmother and Father had been into the whole Christmas Tree thing 'Big-Time', for decades.
In the 50s and 60s, we'd go out on a cold December night to buy the tree from the local Lion's Club, which had their tree sale only a few blocks from our home. We'd choose our tree (this was a serious, time-consuming deliberation! but every year it was, of course, the Best Tree Ever!) and we'd walk home carrying it horizontally, Granny in front holding the top part of the tree, and my brother and I in the back, holding up the heavier bottom of the trunk.
(For some reason, we sang "Fifteen men on a dead man's chest", while we carried the tree those few blocks. I have no idea why; it was something my brother instituted, and it became a weird family tradition ;-)
Decorating was also a little weird. Daddy would have a couple of drinks after dinner, ensconce himself upon the reproduction Duncan Phyfe sofa (his Domain), and direct the first application of decoration, as the rest of us put on the electric lights.
We had to unscrew and screw little light bulbs over and over, until they were all perfect, according to Himself. Then we'd put the glass balls on, and the colors had to be equally positioned and perfect.
Penultimately, Daddy got up and put the star on top (he was the tallest person in the house!) and then permitted us to apply the final gilding of tinsel. But we couldn't just grab a bunch and throw it - we had to delicately place a few strands on every branch. (Oh, Hell; we bunched-and-threw quite often, and it became a little riotous at times. But by then, Daddy was.....well....'in the mood' ;-)
And it WAS the 'Best Tree Ever', every year! It became an actual Presence in the house, for a few weeks; a glorious Spirit, smelling like beautiful, fresh, cold Winter - and feeling like Love. Waking up in the morning and walking into the living room where it stood in its glory, was marvelous. There really was another 'Person' in the house, those weeks!
(Some years ago, I purchased an item on ebay from someone in New England. Since it was around Christmas time, the seller put a big bunch of freshly cut pine branches in the box, as an extra, ephemeral 'something'. I thought that was a very thoughtful touch, and it gave me a lot of pleasure.)
It's been a long time since I've had a real Christmas tree, because I've got cats all the time now, and they want to chew and climb the tree. But this year, I'm going to buy a real wreath and hang it inside, so that I have that fragrance and Presence again.
My Aunt always sent a big box of cookies, candy and fruitcake - I'm convinced that everything wrong with my teeth today, is due to her wonderful confectionery! I've posted her cookie recipe before, and her fruitcake was pretty standard for that time (despite all the jokes about Fruitcake, my husband and I love it, and I bought my dried fruit last weekend, for to make one.)
But her fudge was really amazing. She made a chocolate one, and a sort of Penuche one. After she died, a cousin gave me the recipe for the chocolate, and I was a little surprised that such a simple recipe made that fabulous fudge: while she was alive, my Aunt guarded that recipe as if it were the Family Jewels, and I had thought that it was a mysterious and exotic one.
(I recall her using asbestos pads on top of the electric range, while cooking it. So, I've never been sure that these quickly-jotted and second-hand instructions are the exact ones - but, here it is. She often added chopped walnuts, but we liked it best plain.)
Grace's Chocolate Fudge
Mix in saucepan:
4 cups Sugar
2 cups Evaporated Milk
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 pound (8 squares) unsweetened Chocolate (brand lost to posterity)
Heat over medium heat, and cook to 228 degrees (??? perhaps someone with Fudge Experience can enlighten us)
Beat in:
1/4 pound Butter
7 ounces Marshmallow Cream
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Spread in pans and refrigerate for 24 hours before cutting into little squares.
-JT
Ok, here’s my very simple, mild fruitcake recipe:
3/4 c red candied cherries, cut in half
3/4 c green candied cherries, cut in half
1 c red and green and gold candied pineapple, cut in half
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup flour
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter
2 eggs
1/4 c dry sherry
1 c sour cream
2 c flour
1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 9x5 loaf pan. Combine fruits and nuts with 1/2 flour. Set aside.
Cream sugar, butter; add eggs, sour cream, sherry, soda, salt, and the 2 cups flour. Blend at low speed, then beat 4 min on med speed. Gently fold in fruit mixture. Bake 90 min, or until golden and toothpick comes out clean. Cool 15 min in pan. Remove and cool on rack. You may top with thin icing, if desired.
This is also good warm, or toasted with butter.
They have it on Amazon, too.
They’d be nice for a party, but I’m wondering how far in advance you can fill them. Do they turn out very crispy?
-JT
Living in an area with strong Scandinavian roots (the local coffee house even serves krunzekaka), I have never seen Krumkaka filled with anything. They are always served as just a delicate cone shaped cookie. It’s only when I looked up the recipe online that at I saw they could be filled. I’m not sure how it could work though. They are fairly crumbly and any filling that was at all moist would dissolve the Krumkaka. We had friends who found that out :-).They moved here from Georgia and someone at church gave them a box of Krumkaka for their first Christmas in Minnesota. They had no idea what it was or what to do with it-tried filling it with a few things, nothing but mush!
LOL!
Well, they’re pretty enough just plain.
-JT
Thanks. Added that to my Christmas list for hubby.
That fruitcake looks delicious!
Slightly off-topic, does anyone know of a good hand mixer? The one I have “crumbles” instead of “creams” butter and sugar.
Are they always rolled into a cone, or are they sometimes served flat like Pizzelle?
-JT
I don’t use a hand mixer much, and have an old cheap one that’s adequate; but I believe that the Cooks Illustrated recommendation is a Cuisinart...
-JT
There is nothing better with a hot cup of coffee.
Oooh! I looked that up, and it looks wonderful:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroopwafel
Does it use a special iron? the waffles look very thin.
-JT
Would this do? I’m wondering if it would make them thin enough:
-JT
Not thin enough. A Pizzelle press would do.
Thanks! They’re pretty, and I like ‘presentation’ for parties :-)
-JT
Always a cone.
Thanks for the tip!
TO ALL:
Johnny is very ill. Please pray for him.
Marcella
Prayers up.
HOW TO: on work surface, place a medium gauge wire that has been bent into the shape you want. evry 4-5 inches tie on pipe cleaners or bread wrapper ties. Leave ties open at the top. Now lay on a length of red-striped deco-mesh and tie it on--double over at the ends.
To finish: weave in and out some candy stripe ribbon...tie on Christmassy trinkets.
NOTE: if you're into county or vintage, make this w/ natural or red wide burlap ribbon w/ a homespun bow.
Might look like this.
Here’s a video showing how they go together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwC25eZtNLw
I’ve never seen this done before; I think you could probably do some really nice wedding decoration with it, too.
-JT
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