We Wish You Merry Christmas

Recipe | Dried Fruit Fruitcake

We've all heard the jokes about ... fruitcake. And until now, I completely agreed. To be fair, I'd only taken a bite ... once. And that was enough for me. My husband, however, is one of those rare individuals who actually likes fruitcake. And so in a moment of magnanimity, I decided to throw caution to the wind ... and actually make a fruitcake. Being the traditionalist that I am, I was determined to not only make one (in keeping with generations gone before) but to find one that even I could like. And I did. With a few adaptations, I found that recipe. The best part is ... there is no soaking the fruit for days on end or maturing in the refrigerator for weeks. It's good to go the day you bake it.


Dried Fruit Fruitcake

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
5 large eggs
1/2 cup apricot nectar
1/4 cup half and half
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 pound dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound golden raisins
1 pound coarsely chopped walnuts and pecans (I did a half pound of each)
1/4 cup brandy

Glaze
1 cup apricot pineapple jam (or just apricot jam)
1/4 cup brandy

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour 6 (5"x3"x2") aluminum loaf pans or 2 (9"x5" loaf pans), mini bundt cake molds or 2 round cake pans.

In large bowl with mixer, cream butter, brown sugar and honey until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Add apricot nectar and half and half. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Blend well. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in dried fruit and nuts.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake tester or wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (If you are baking in smaller pans, start checking with toothpick after about 30 minutes). Remove to wire rack and cool in pans.

Sprinkle tops of cakes with brandy and let stand 1 hour. Remove cakes from pans.

Cakes can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks. For longer storage, wrap in cheese cloth soaked with brandy and then in foil and refrigerate several months, resoaking cheesecloth once a month.

To serve, make glaze (above). Decorate the top of your cakes with dried apricots, walnuts and pecans and brush glaze onto top and sides of the cake.

Adapted from a recipe by Marlene Sorosky, "Cooking for Holidays and Celebrations."

Cookie Advent Calendar

It's baking week at our house. And ... I'm running out of freezer space. While we always have our traditional cookies favorites that dictates some of what sits on our platters, it is always fun to add new ideas to the mix.

I'm loving the 2012 Saveur Cookie Advent Calendar this year. Twenty-five cookies from around the world. Very inspiring.

Here's the link: 2012 SAVEUR Cookie Advent Calendar

Craft | Peg Doll Nativity Set

This is the most creative, adorable make-it-yourself craft I've seen this year. I can just imagine how my little niece, Isabella, and little nephew, Matthew, two and almost one year respectively, would love this! And what a treasure it would be to pass this down to future generations!

Supplies for this project include:


7 wooden peg dolls {$1.99/pair}
Wooden Star {$.29}
Wooden Angel {1.99}
Wooden Crate {$2.59}
Plastic toy animals {$4.59}
Acrylic Paints {$1.29/ea; on hand}
Triple Thick Glaze {$2.49}
Tiny Paintbrushes {$3.49}
Raffia {$1.79}
Hot Glue Gun

Cost to make this project: About $20.00.

For a step-by-step tutorial, click here!

Craft | Dried Orange Slices

 One of my most favorite things to do at Christmas is to dry orange slices for my kitchen tree. It's like a stress-free day to recoup from the craziness of the season. The aroma from my oven is like an incense, evoking memories of a simpler time. Of all the trees in our house, and I do love them all, there is something special about my Kitchen Tree. It's loaded with all things natural, homemade ... whole. I load the limbs with dried orange and apple slices studded with cloves and usually tied with raffia. I always make very plain gingerbread men and sometimes gingerbread stars tied with satin or grosgrain ribbon and trim the tree with cranberries. Sometimes I even tie individual cinnamon sticks for extra sensory excitement.

Drying oranges is one of the simplest tasks, perfect for a wrapping day or a Christmas card day ... or any stay-at-home day.




Dried Orange Slices

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

2 large naval oranges, sliced into 1/4' slices
handful of whole cloves

Method

Lay slices of oranges on paper towels and blot as much juice from the oranges as possible. Place several clove studs in each orange slice. Place orange slices on baking sheet, not touching, and bake in preheated oven for 4 - 6 hours, turning periodically so that they can dry on both sides.

Thread ribbon, raffia or other medium through slices after they've been dried and use as ornaments.

Other ideas for dried oranges:

Recipe | Scotch Broth

Scotch Broth is a traditional dish served on Scotland's St. Andrew's day, November 30th. But it's also a wonderful and hearty winter soup that can keep you warm even on the coldest days. This is a quicker version of Scotch Broth, which traditionally cooks for hours.



Scotch Broth

Ingredients

1 lb ground lamb
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, chopped
4 carrots, sliced 3/4-inch thick
1 turnip, cut in 1-inch dice
1 large bunch organic kale, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
2 cups water
2 cups cooked pearl barley (cook in separate pan for 45 minutes)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Method

Brown lamb in stock pot or Dutch Oven until browned. Remove with slotted spoon and remove all by 1 teaspoon of fat.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter and saute onions, carrots, turnip, and kale, add salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook until onions are softened, 5-8 minutes. Add broth, water, cooked barley, bay leaf and rosemary. Simmer, covered until vegetables and barley are tender, about 10 minutes. Add reserved lamb and vinegar, gently simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes for flavors to blend. Discard bay leaf and serve.