Visions of sugar plums dance in my head!
By Debbie
In the fall, as the daylight hours dwindle and the days and nights grow chill, all of nature in these parts detects a signal to go into winter mode. Like the birds and the beasts and the plants, I also am affected by an irresistible call of the wild that kicks into gear at this time of year. It is the baking and comfort food impulse. It usually starts with the ginger snap impulse or maybe the apple pie impulse early in October and then progresses to the flourish of daily baking that I feel called to. Maybe I just want to eat this stuff , that�s true enough, but I do seem to have some archetypal instinct to fill my house with the tastes and smells of what has always meant home for me.
So far this fall, beyond the afore mentioned and the Thanksgiving pies, I�ve made ginger bread with lemon sauce, cranberry orange nut bread, cranberry orange cookies and cranberry orange bars (I seem to have a cranberry/orange fetish this year), brandied fruit bars, pecan rolls, nut butter balls (Andy calls �em Mexican wedding cakes) triple chocolate cookies and pumpkin cookies. I am still itching to make several further traditional goodies, like my buttery peanut brittle and Joe�s favorites chowmein noodle candy and the candy cane shaped coffee cakes filled with cherries and apricots, white Christmas fudge and pistachio bread, cut out cookies and who knows what else. It is possible that everyone probably has her own bizarre seasonal rites and this is mine. Even now, when my children are grown and rapidly departing from the area, I love the luxury of having all these goodies in my stash to pull out whenever I want to invite friends for Christmas cheer or send a goodie box. I�d love it if you�d drop in for a sample this year!
Though our Christmas this year will certainly be different than it has been when our kids were all here, we have sufficient peace and contentment, not to mention treats, to welcome it as it is. Where ever this Christmas finds you in your life, we wish you peace and contentment, too. |
