FReeper Canteen ~ Favorite Christmas Treats ~ 23 DEC 2008

Serving The Best Troops And Veterans In The World | The Canteen Crew

[laurenmarlowe]

 

 

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~

Favorite Christmas Treats

Gingerbread has been baked in Europe for centuries. In some places, it was a soft, delicately spiced cake; in others, a crisp, flat cookie, and in others, warm, thick, steamy-dark squares of "bread," sometimes served with a pitcher of lemon sauce or whipped cream. It was sometimes light, sometimes dark, sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy, but it was almost always cut into shapes such as men, women, stars or animals, and colorfully decorated or stamped with a mold and dusted with white sugar to make the impression visible.

During the nineteenth century, gingerbread was both modernized and romanticized. When the Grimm brothers collected volumes of German fairy tales they found one about Hansel and Gretel, two children who, abandoned in the woods by destitute parents, discovered a house made of bread, cake and candies. By the end of the century the composer Englebert Humperdink wrote an opera about the boy and the girl and the gingerbread house.

Cookies appear to have their origins in 7th century AD Persia, shortly after the use of sugar became relatively common in the region. By the 14th century, they were common in all levels of society, throughout Europe, from royal cuisine to street vendors.

With global travel becoming widespread at that time, cookies made a natural travel companion, a modernized equivalent of the travel cakes used throughout history. One of the most popular early cookies, which travelled especially well and became known on every continent by similar names, was the jumble, a relatively hard cookie made largely from nuts, sweetener, and water.

Cookies came to America in the very first century of English settlement (the 1600s), although the name "koekje" arrived slightly later, with the Dutch. This became Anglicized to "cookie". Among the popular early American cookies were the macaroon, gingerbread cookies, and of course jumbles of various types.

The most common modern cookie, given its style by the creaming of butter and sugar, was not common until the 18th century.

The earliest Fruitcake recipe from ancient Rome lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into barley mash.

In the Middle Ages, honey, spices, and preserved fruits were added and the name "fruitcake" was first used, from a combination of the words "fruit" (Latin: fructus, Old French: frui), and "cake" (Old Norse: kaka, Middle English: kechel).

Fruitcakes soon proliferated all over Europe, however recipes varied greatly in different countries and throughout the ages, depending on the available ingredients as well as in some instances on church regulations of the use of butter, regarding the observance of fast (e.g. "Butterbrief" or butter letter by Pope Innocent VIII). Pope Innocent VIII, (1432 – 1492), the Holy Father softened his attitude and in 1490, he sent a permision known as the “Butter Letter” to Saxony, stating that milk and butter could be used in the North German Stollen fruitcakes.

Starting in the 16th century, sugar from the American Colonies, and the discovery that high concentrations of sugar could preserve fruits, created an excess of candied fruit, thus making fruitcakes more affordable and popular.

In the 18th century in some areas in Europe, fruitcakes were made using nuts from the harvest for good luck in the following year. The cake was then saved and eaten before the harvest of the next year.

What is your favorite Christmas Treat?

Merry Christmas!

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT~Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allies military and the family members of the above. Honoring those who have served before. 

Please remember: The Canteen is a place to honor and entertain our troops. The Canteen is family friendly. Let's have fun!

We pray for your continued strength, to be strong in the face of adversity.

We pray for your safety, that you will return to your families and friends soon.

We pray that your hope, courage, and dignity remain unbroken, so that you may show others the way.

God Bless You All ~ Today, Tomorrow and Always

 

 

[Lady Jag]

Kathy, the drive in was alright but the drive home was the most frustrating commute I've had in years.

There were no accidents and roads were clean and dry. Even though highway speeds were 6 to 30 mph for the 12-mile length of the Southeast Expressway and slow and erratic on the others routes, and icy on the side roads.

At least a third of the cars had 2 or more people in them and they were all out looking for the most elusive shopping so close to Christmas. All those thoughts make them forget they're driving and they wander in their drowsiness impervious to anyone else in the world or in their lane. God bless them even though they voted for Nobama of the Many Names.

It's 23º

How are you doing?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Today was Wednesday....nose to the grindstone, shoulder to the wheel....checks are printing right now. And it’s snowing. My car is all white. It’s purty outside...only purtier is if I was watching it snow from home and my own window. The boss just left and said we could go when we get done, but it’s too late right now. The whole city is trying to sneak out early. Thanks, but I’ll wait until some of this mess clears out. I can sit here and FReep!

[SandRat]

Don’t tarry too long and drive safe when you head home.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Doing well.....checks just finished printing (everything is a day early this week), and it is snowing. Looking out the window finds cars in all directions. I will hang here for an hour or so, waiting for traffic to clear out. Every news report lists more accidents.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Checks just finished. I’ll wait an hour or so. Reports of accidents all over town, and a road closure because of a bad head-on crash.

[SandRat]

at least you have FR

[Kathy in Alaska]

[Lady Jag]

You are finally getting that snow! Looks like it deliberately waited for your commute.

Drive slowly, you know the routine, and stay safe.

[RockerMom2MyHero]

Sugar cookies are my favorite!

[beachn4fun]

how are you fixed for water today

No problems that I'm aware of. HUGS

[beachn4fun]

LOL

Need a gigantic toothbrush for that smile.

[beachn4fun]

ROTFLOL

[Aliska]

You found my favorite brand! I just drink it cold, but it makes good hot drinks, too. That pinwheel cookie. If that's what I think it is, I had an iron you dipped in batter and plopped into hot grease, turned into crispy things then you drained on paper towels and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

I'd like to get another one of those as my kids just loved them, only made them once or twice.

My modem is back up this morning, bur if it goes down again, I won't be able to get back online until who knows when.

Thanks for finding the pic. Love those nutcrackers, too.

[Kathy in Alaska]

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hope your modem behaves.

[Aliska]

Thanks! Merry Christmas to you!!! Been playing with Photoshop to make some Christmassy envelopes for the grandkids’ $$$. It’s was on this morning when I got up, then went down at about 11:30 am, but see it is back up now, don’t know why it is doing this, have a trouble ticket and will have to wait until the day after tomorrow to hassle with that. I think it is some settings on their end, the lines, or the box coming out of the phone company as I’ve had everything here checked a couple weeks ago. I hate this stuff. If I get a new modem (am on second one), maybe that won’t do it anyway. Usually surf trouble free for weeks on end. Could be weather related. It’s just awful here. Snow piled up more than I ever remember before Christmas, was pretty this am but we usually don’t get hit like this until Jan or Feb. The ice is packed on the sidewalks, I got the front all cleared down to the car, and somebody ran the snowblower over the rest (bless them!) so that is a help even though the snowpack is an inch thick on the base or more. Lots of sidewalk as I’m on a corner. Usually I can handle it with the snowblower myself but not this mess. Am on my 3rd 25# bag of salt! I feel sorry for the city crews but they at least get overtime.

[Aliska]

Happy Holidays! Yeah, I tasted my Crisco yesterday and it didn't taste real fresh but thought it was ok. So I made up a batch of dough, the 5-cup flour version for the huge pan, and was pressing it around the edges first and decided to taste it. It tasted off (haven't used any for months). Well it wasn't totally rancid but just wouldn't do, I knew it would not be the same. So I threw it all out, washed everything up and have to start all over tonight. My son brought me a fresh can; luckily I had plenty of flour and the rest and luckily I decided to wait until I had the crust ready before I thickened the cherries which was a darn lucky thing because sometimes it goes thin if it sits too long.

Anyway, my son had already brought me 4 packages of frozen cherries, they were huge! The size of bing cherries but the sour ones. He must have paid a fortune for them. First I was going to use 3 because they filled the usual pot I use, but after they thawed, I decided to add the 4th one. He said they had fresh cherries with stems at the store! The sour kind? Yes. Imagine! We are so spoiled. But sometimes I use the canned stuff, Aldi's is pretty good. My son put his foot down, wouldn't hear of that :-(

So I didn't do so hot today. One time I borrowed some crisco from a neighbor and fried chicken in it (I use half butter and half crisco). It was totally rancid, tasted awful. I would never make anybody eat anything I cooked that I suspected of being the least bit off. But I didn't know until it was too late that time. We just wouldn't eat it, and I normally love my fried chicken. The other two women were Polish so I couldn't explain what had gone wrong. Paula (the neighbor, don't blame her) crisco bad lol. That's how I had to talk to them, short words and pointing.

The one Polish lady needed a feminine product and I needed some, too. So she asked me to get her some, and I came back with a huge pack because it was cheaper. She was visibly upset that I bought so many, so I did the math on paper and said "me half you half". Then she was relieved.

[Kathy in Alaska]

I HATE computer problems...hope yours are easily fixed on Friday. I want to turn my computer on and have it work....every time. LOL!

I went out to shovel before work this morning and the neighbor, bless his heart, had plowed the driveway. I’ll take a plate of goodies over to him later.

[Aliska]

I hate them, too. It's all I can do to keep things working on this thing; somebody tried to help me on another thread. So I'm backing everything up and just waiting to start over. I would reformat but it could be going bad anyway so I'll wait and get a newer one maybe.

You had to shovel, too. I don't have to work any more, but sure remember some awful days. Even had chains way back when, then got sent out of town for work so knew I'd be driving on dry road so had to stop and jack up the car and get those chains off. I'm not the handiest, but I had to learn some things. I can't do that kind of thing any more. Alaskan winters at least in Anchorage have been milder than usual.

I don't have any cookies or anything I made this year. I told my son if I'm still alive next year, I am going to do it right, all of it, baking ahead then a nice dinner.

My sweet cat. It's 9 degrees, going down, he always wants out in the evening, hate to let him but he meows. If he wants out again (usually goes twice), I will stamp my foot and say no, and he will know I mean it! So I told him not to stay out very long, set the timer for 20 min and checked. He was back and ready to come in. He's such a good cat, a stray I took in. I didn't want any more after the last 2 died, but when it got cold a couple years ago, I couldn't stand the thought of him with no home even if I was feeding him outside. So I grabbed him and forced him inside, he got used to the idea. Now he's my bud.

If I stop the chit chat, it's because I have determined I'm going to start that pie at 8:00 or it went down again. I just hate doing it any more but if you want homemade, you have to.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Radix, for the reminder and the read on the USS Pueblo.

[Kathy in Alaska]

I like your cool cat. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!