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Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
A Very Merry Vintage Christmas #3....
I love vintage Christmas images, so each year I share some here...
Monday, November 26, 2012
The Fruit Cake Haters Holiday Fruitcake
I bet you are thinking fruit cake already??? well, this fruit cake is better if it can "age" a few weeks before you eat it so I am sharing this scrumptious recipe now. Bake it now for eating around Christmas time. I call this the FRUIT CAKE HATERS fruit cake because even avowed fruit cake haters LOVE this fruit cake made with all natural dried fruit (and rum!)
The Fruit Cake Haters Holiday Fruitcake
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
1 big bottle brandy or rum
(one year I used very dark Jamaican rum --which my folks brought me from Jamaica---to soak the dried fruit in---and when we first tasted the cake we discovered --to our great disappointment!---the rum taste was so strong it was inedible. But when I told an elderly friend about this--she said--"Honey, you just but that fruitcake away until March and then try it." So we stuck the fruitcake in the back of the refrigerator for a few months and when we next tried it--that rum fruitcake was really delicious!)
About 7 -8 cups pitted, chopped, dried fruit
(I use a mixture of raisens, prunes, dates, dried cherries, dried pears, dried apples, dried peaches, dried apricots---all organic, natural and unsulphured if possible)
1/2-1 cup candied orange and lemon peels
(you can purchase these, but I make my own candied citrus fruit peels--these are great in other holiday goodies, also--so I make a big batch each year)
(Note: whatever you do --DO NOT use those commercial candied fruit mixes in the recipe--it ruins the recipe)
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup honey (or molasses for a dark cake)
1/2 cup softened butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4-1/2 cup brandy or apple
cheesecloth
Chop all the dried fruit and citrus peels into about 1/2 chunks---sometimes it easiest to cut the dried fruit with kitchen scissors---and place the fruit in a big bowl. Pour the brandy over the fruit--enough to cover the fruit totally. Cover this with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 days---the fruit will soak up all the brandy.
(Note: if you don't cook with alcohol, you may use apple juice to soak the fruit in)
After the allotted time, thoroughly drain the fruit in a strainer--but save the juices. Stir together the dry ingredients, pressing out any lumps. Cream honey, butter, and eggs. Then stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in the soaked fruit and the nuts, adding enough of the liquid from soaking the fruit to make a pourable batter (not too runny though--like a cake batter). If you don't have much fruit soaking liquid--use apple juice or brandy. (Note: there will be less batter than fruit--but it will be ok)
Grease breads pans and line the bottom with greased parchment paper. (important step--don't omit the parchment paper!) Pour batter into pans--filling only halfway. I usually use a mix small and large bread pans. I like the small pans for gifts.
Bake at 3oo degrees for about 3 hours with a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf of the oven. The tops will be golden brown and cracked and a toothpick will come out clean when they are done. Cool for 20 minutes in the pans before carefully removing. After the cakes are completely cooled pour brandy (or rum) over them, and wrap each cake in cheesecloth you have soaked with the brandy (or rum). Seal up in tinfoil and place in the refrigerator to age. This fruitcake definitely improves with age, but also can be eaten right away.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
1 big bottle brandy or rum
(one year I used very dark Jamaican rum --which my folks brought me from Jamaica---to soak the dried fruit in---and when we first tasted the cake we discovered --to our great disappointment!---the rum taste was so strong it was inedible. But when I told an elderly friend about this--she said--"Honey, you just but that fruitcake away until March and then try it." So we stuck the fruitcake in the back of the refrigerator for a few months and when we next tried it--that rum fruitcake was really delicious!)
About 7 -8 cups pitted, chopped, dried fruit
(I use a mixture of raisens, prunes, dates, dried cherries, dried pears, dried apples, dried peaches, dried apricots---all organic, natural and unsulphured if possible)
1/2-1 cup candied orange and lemon peels
(you can purchase these, but I make my own candied citrus fruit peels--these are great in other holiday goodies, also--so I make a big batch each year)
(Note: whatever you do --DO NOT use those commercial candied fruit mixes in the recipe--it ruins the recipe)
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup honey (or molasses for a dark cake)
1/2 cup softened butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4-1/2 cup brandy or apple
cheesecloth
Chop all the dried fruit and citrus peels into about 1/2 chunks---sometimes it easiest to cut the dried fruit with kitchen scissors---and place the fruit in a big bowl. Pour the brandy over the fruit--enough to cover the fruit totally. Cover this with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 days---the fruit will soak up all the brandy.
(Note: if you don't cook with alcohol, you may use apple juice to soak the fruit in)
After the allotted time, thoroughly drain the fruit in a strainer--but save the juices. Stir together the dry ingredients, pressing out any lumps. Cream honey, butter, and eggs. Then stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in the soaked fruit and the nuts, adding enough of the liquid from soaking the fruit to make a pourable batter (not too runny though--like a cake batter). If you don't have much fruit soaking liquid--use apple juice or brandy. (Note: there will be less batter than fruit--but it will be ok)
Grease breads pans and line the bottom with greased parchment paper. (important step--don't omit the parchment paper!) Pour batter into pans--filling only halfway. I usually use a mix small and large bread pans. I like the small pans for gifts.
Bake at 3oo degrees for about 3 hours with a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf of the oven. The tops will be golden brown and cracked and a toothpick will come out clean when they are done. Cool for 20 minutes in the pans before carefully removing. After the cakes are completely cooled pour brandy (or rum) over them, and wrap each cake in cheesecloth you have soaked with the brandy (or rum). Seal up in tinfoil and place in the refrigerator to age. This fruitcake definitely improves with age, but also can be eaten right away.
So bake a batch of these fruitcakes and be pleasantly surprised by how yummy they are. I'm off to purchase the dried fruit and rum now....
Monday, November 19, 2012
Tis' the Season for Holiday Wreaths
A lovely snow flake wreath
a fun paper straw wreath
a cookie cutter wreath (to let them know the cookies are coming!?)
Cork Holiday wreath---(here's good use for all those wine corks you've been saving)
Hey! a Marshmellow wreath! (hang this one out of the rain)
Aren't these fun?? I'm sure you--my creative reader--can come up with your own crafty DYI holiday wreath....so put on some holiday music, get craftin' and have fun!!! of course, if you want to try and make any of these----just follow the links provided.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Track Santa's Progress with NORAD'S help...
Every year NORAD --- the bi-national U.S.-Canadian military organization responsible for the aerospace and maritime defense of the United States and Canada----tracks Santa's progress on Christmas eve and you can watch it at their website : NORAD TRACKS SANTA.
"For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight. The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.... media from all over the world rely on NORAD as a trusted source to provide updates on Santa’s journey."
Harry Shoup sure had the Christmas spirit!!--my hat is off to him! the folks at NORAD who continue this tradition. May they have a very Merry Christmas and may Santa bring them whatever they want....
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wreaths.....
A few crafty wreaths from around the net....
Monday, November 15, 2010
Hand knit HATS make Great Holiday Gifts...
I just listed these hand knit hats at my Etsy Shop - BOREALIS BEADS - for sale...my hats are always unique...no two alike! (so the creatress never gets bored...:-)
All hats reasonably priced...visit my Etsy shop here and get your holiday shopping done early!
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