An Indoor Sort of Day

27°f/-2.8°C, light snow that ended around 2, maybe an inch or better accumulation.  

It's a good day to be indoors doing Christmas stuff! Not that I have done a great deal. I made apple-walnut pancakes for breakfast, so good with our cherry pit syrup (recipe below) and Larry's pear cider, and hot black coffee afterwards. 

Of course Larry has mucked about outside because he cannot stand staying indoors more than a few hours. He took care of his critters (rabbits and chickens) whole the dogs behaved like young children, wanting to go in and out, in and out. The doors have been open at least 30 times! Thank goodness for free gas. Larry made a fire in the fireplace too, so despite the swinging doors, it's pretty cozy.

I am content to stay inside, unlike the rest of this crew. Even the chickens are out in their pen, pecking at the snow like it's a special treat. I sat down and got about half of the Christmas cards done, focusing on the overseas cards first. Then my 12 brothers and sisters and most of the grandchildren--I still need addresses for a few that have moved in the past year. I always enjoy this ritual, although I know that many have given it up.  

Next on my list was fruitcake, again. I made those white fruitcakes 2 weeks ago; they're okay, but they do not have the same rich complexity of 

 my mother's recipe. This time, I actually followed the instructions closely, and I must say I like the result so far. Of course, I changed up the fruits, as usual, using what I had on hand: golden and black raisins, red candied cherries, and the usual fruitcake citron mix. And walnuts, mustn't forget them!

The beginning: great big bowl and recipe. I have this recipe aa it makes 14-15 small cakes, one great big cake, or 3 or 4 loaf-oan-size cakes. My pans are buttered and the bottoms lined with parchment paper.

Gathering a few ingredients: black coffee, orange and lemon zest and juice, cherry jelly, and in front, beaten eggs.

All mixed up and ready for Larry to make his 3 stirs and a wish!

Into the pans

And done, except for baking.

And now, really done! Waiting to see how they taste. One always gets sacrificed for tasting while the rest get soaked with brandy and stored away until Christmas. 

A trick I learned this year ( why did it take so long to figure this out?) Is to cover the upside-down pans with a towel for a few minutes. Cakes come out so easily then, because the towel traps the steam just long enough to loosen them. 

I don't think my sisters and I adhered to the  instructions, or to the ingredients for that matter! We substituted fruits, sugars, etc, as dictated by what we had on hand, and there are some steps I don't recall following, but our cakes always came out fine. We shall see how mine do this time.

While i worked in the kitchen, Larry finished picking a full pint of hickory nuts, so I went through those and took out all the bits of shell he missed. So now I have these plus a quart of black walnuts stored in the fridge. Riches!

A nice surprise came in the mail: my friend Suzy mailed me her annual Christmas ornament! I have about 20 that she has made over the years, I think, and actually have a little tree just for her ornaments. This year's ornament is just charming. 

Enough for now. I think i will get back into my book, a collection of short stories called Murder for Christmas. An older title, but good stories by a wide range of authors. 

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Cherry Pit Syrup Recipe

Save to use next time you have lots of cherries!

From Google AI

This recipe yields a flavorful, nutty syrup, a great way to reduce food waste. 

• 1 cup cherry pits (from about 2 lbs of cherries)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp pure almond extract or vanilla extract (optional, added after cooking) 

Instructions

1. Combine the cherry pits, water, and sugar in a small saucepan. Do not clean the pits completely; a little leftover fruit adds flavor.
2. Bring to a low boil over medium heat and simmer gently for about 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
3. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to steep for a few hours (or at least 10–15 minutes) for maximum flavor infusion.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl or jar to remove all pits and solids.
5. Stir in the almond or vanilla extract, if using, a drop at a time to taste. 

Canning Instructions for Shelf-Stable Storage

To make the syrup shelf-stable and store it at room temperature, it must be processed in a boiling water canner. 

1. Prepare Jars: Ensure your half-pint or pint canning jars, lids, and bands are clean. Jars should be kept warm in simmering water until ready to use.
2. Fill Jars: Using a funnel and ladle, fill the warm, clean jars with the hot cherry pit syrup, leaving ½ inch of headspace (the space between the syrup and the rim of the jar).
3. Remove Air Bubbles: Run a non-metallic utensil around the inside of the jar to remove any trapped air bubbles.
4. Seal Jars: Wipe the jar rims clean with a damp paper towel. Center the lids on the jars and apply the bands, tightening to "fingertip tight".
5. Process in Water Bath:
   • Place the jars in a boiling water canner, ensuring they are fully submerged by at least 1 inch of water.
   • Bring the water to a full rolling boil. Start the timer once the water reaches a full boil.
   • Process half-pint or pint jars for 10 minutes at altitudes up to 1,000 feet. (Adjust processing time for higher altitudes; check the National Center for Home Food Preservation for guidance).
6. Cool and Store: Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and let the jars sit in the hot water for 5 minutes before removing them. Place the hot jars on a wire rack or folded kitchen towel to cool for 12–24 hours. Check seals, label, and store in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate after opening. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 237: Fruitcake Day

A chilly 36 this morning, and frost in places. Hazy sunrise, with some fog.

Will this be the killing frost at last? We shall see when the sun hits the mulberry trees. Right now one is a glorious golden yellow, the other many shades of yellow and green. Usually these trees are the last to shed their leaves, only doing so when we have a heavy frost. Then they drop all their leaves within an hour. It's amazing to see--the ground will be carpeted solidly with them.

This little tree is a seedling from the older tree. 

This tree was planted by our son Derek when he was 8. He's now 48. It did not bear any fruit until he was 18 and in Iraq for his first tour. Each year these trees are filled with Cedar Waxwings when the berries are ripe. It's a beautiful sight to see.

Last night's sky had only the faintest tinge of red in it. I believe today will be a mix of clouds and sun, then rain tomorrow. 

It doesn't matter what the weather does today, this is fruitcake day! I laid out all the ingredients and a copy of the recipe last night. And then at 12:30 realized that I needed to set out the butter to soften, and to make some strong coffee so it would be cold by morning. So back up I got to get those little tasks done. Now I'm ready to go. I think.

Since Covid is preventing us getting together this year, my sisters and I will be making our cakes via Zoom. There's more than one way to skin the cat, as the saying goes. And now I'm wondering where that saying came from!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Sisters and Fruitcakes Are Not the Same Thing

I cannot believe I've let so much time go by without posting here. The truth is the days have been nonstop full of all sorts of good things. Here's a quick rundown:

Last week I worked on getting ready for my sisters to visit. That sounds simple but it's a little more complicated than it might seem. You see, my house has one bedroom and five sisters were coming. So how to house everyone? We do have a single and a double hide-a-bed sofas, so that accounted for three. I could put two in my room and that took care of everyone, but where would Larry and I sleep? The problem was solved fairly simply--he spent the nights at our son's house, and I bought a camping cot with a nice little mattress on it, and slept here in my office. It all worked out just fine. Whew.

It's funny. Over the years this house has been full of my sons and their families many times. We throw down air mattresses or sleeping bags, the kids pile onto them and we're all set. But my sisters were a different story. We're all getting a little too "mature" for  air mattresses and definitely past the sleeping bag age. Beds are not a luxury anymore, they're pretty much a necessity. I cannot wait for this new room to be finished so that we will actually have room to house guests in a comfortable space. Patience is not a virtue I am familiar with, but I know that I have to have it since the room progresses as we get the funds to more ahead. I take comfort in knowing that is is almost to the point that the grandkids can camp out in there.

We had a wonderful time together, my sisters and me. Only five of the seven could come, but we made enough noise for an army. We laughed, talked and laughed some more. We cooked, we ate, we visited. Our Aunt Georgette came to make fruitcakes with us and that was a real pleasure.

We can make a mess when we get to baking:

 

 But we usually don't care since it's so much fun:

There are a lot of cooks, but in this case they don't spoil the cakes:

 

And of course we need someone to take pictures:

and help mix:

 

and just help with anything we ask (granddaughter Haley was with us for a while):

 

 And our lovely aunt put up with all the commotion and was still smiling at then end of the day:

even though I think she really wanted to escape!

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

The Sisters Are Coming!

It's fruitcake making weekend, and my sisters are on their way to my house! If I've been quiet this week it's because I am getting ready for the fun to begin. I've bought baking supplies, planned meals, cleaned, planned where everyone will sleep (this is a small house!) and probably driven my husband mad.

Five of my seven sisters will be here, along with my aunt, two or three granddaughters and maybe my great-granddaughter. Lots of female energy will be floating around and Larry says he's heading for the high country.

Here's a photo from one of our fruitcake days several years ago when all 8 of us were able to be together:

Good times ahead!

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

The Nicest Things Come in the Mail

Like this beautiful package:

I knew what was in it when I saw who sent it. My friends Jason ( of the Words from the Mountains blog) and John decided to make my mother's fruitcake recipe and had called me from the grocery store as they were buying the ingredients. A cake was promised, and I forgot all about it until Jason sent a message that the cake was on the way.

We opened the pretty box (I am so saving that!) and inside found...

yet another package. What fun it was to unwrap this.

Finally, inside we found two beautiful cakes:

which we immediately had to sample.

Verdict: Delicious! And even though they used the same recipe, the cake was quite different from the ones my sisters and I make--and ours come out different each year anyway. This cake was darker (maybe dark molasses instead of sorghum?) and had no candied citron but instead was full of cherries, golden and dark raisins, lemon and orange peel, and nuts. I liked it very much and am thinking about not using as much citron myself next year.

Thank you, guys! Mom would be so happy to know her recipe is being used by others, with such excellent results.

Weekend: Journey's End

We're home again after a 3-day trip to Virginia for an annual ritual: the Sisters' Fruitcake Bake and Gift Exchange. We started this the year our father died, in 2006 and have continued each year since then. Each year we meet at a different house--last year, we were at my son Jon's home in Leesburg (and that was the last time I actually saw my son, so how fortunate that we made the cakes there. Otherwise my last visit with him would have been Thanksgiving).
 

This year the sisters, all eight of us, met at sister Cathy's house, which used to be our parents' home. It seemed fitting that we should be there, in Mom's old kitchen that has become Cathy's warm space. Cathy and her husband are slowly remodeling the house, one project at a time. The kitchen is in line for updates too.

We're getting better at this. We started work promptly at 10:00 am as scheduled, and the last batch was in the oven before 3:00pm. It was crowded but that did not slow us down.

We make a LOT of cakes, so this is no small feat. Not all the sisters make or even like fruitcake, so some just help and visit. I think we ended up with 40-45 cakes this year--these are the small loaf pans, not the big ones!

The reason for the annual get-together goes back to our childhood. Our mother called the day after Thanksgiving "stir-up day," referring to her English custom of making fruitcakes and plum puddings on this day. These were soaked in brandy and stored in a dark, cool place until the holiday feasts. We helped as children, always stirring the fruitcake mix three times and making a wish. As we grew to adulthood, the custom continued although not all of us participated. I usually did not, simply because of distance and family commitments of my own. But after Mom passed away, the ritual became a healing process and then a time that we could schedule to be together each year. It's important to all of us now, and I would not want to miss it.

Another part of the tradition is bringing in the younger females in the family. The first year it was just the sisters, but now each year more and more female relatives join us for at least part of the day and the younger generation is learning the "secret" recipe. (The secret--not following the recipe).

An odd thing happened the first year we got together. Many of us brought a small gift for each sister, completely unplanned. The next year, everyone brought gifts. These are usually nothing big or expensive, and there are some funny unspoken rules: homemade is awesome, thrift or yard sale finds are especially welcome, and if it's something new form the store--well, that's fine too because a sister chose it! I've received gifts wrapped in vintage linens, gifts in jars, gifts in baskets, and even some very carefully wrapped and decorated. Each finds a special place in my home, and each brings a smile whenever I see or use it.

I feel blessed to have sisters who know me so well that even though we don't see each other often, they know my likes and select so well. I'll post photos of this year's gifts tomorrow. At the end of the day, we took a quick walk up the street to a thrift shop and had a blast browsing the offerings. Another thing we have in common--we all love antique and junk shops.

Now it's time to finish up some laundry and go to bed. Another blessing of travel: the luxury of your own bed and pillows when you return home.

600 miles and 45 fruitcakes later

From getting things ready in my kitchen at home, to be packed up and transported to my son Jon and daughter-in-law Jennifer's home:

to Jennifer's pristine kitchen (but not for long):

The children played outside in the first snowfall of the year while

in the kitchen the cooks sported hats homemade by Judy (fourth from the left).

(Julie, Theresa, Mary, Judy and me)

and got to work.

Daughter-in-law Jaime is laughing because someone complimented her on picking her nuts so well...(she was getting out bits of shell left in the black walnuts by my well-meaning but sight-impaired husband),

and sister Mary is happy because although she doesn't make fruitcakes she manages to get some of her Christmas baking done.

Everyone was busy making a mess...

but then we got to the best part: mixing the fruit.

Then the batter and fruit are combined and everyone makes a wish as they give three stirs...

I can't help but wonder what Jaime was wishing!

Then the batter went into the pans...

and voila! We have fruitcake!

Or should I say fruitcakes? This is not even half of what we made.

The cakes were divided up, packed and the sisters departed while it was still daylight to avoid the freezing roads after dark.

The last sisters leave (sniff).

Bye, sisters! Didn't we have fun?