I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Though she was never a Scrooge in any way about it, my Mother found herself a bit melancholy at times during the Christmas season. She had such fond memories of her Christmases growing up, until 1944.

That summer, with World War II in full swing, Mom and 3 girlfriends from Grove City, Ethel, Elaine and Dorothy, went to Washinton, D.C. to work as government girls. They made no plans to come back to Minnesota for the holidays that year since travel was nearly impossible those days. Mom and her friends were busy decorating their apartment with fresh holly and evergreen when a Western Union telegram arrived at their door with news that her mother had been hospitalized and could she please try to get home for the holidays. Their friend, Dick Daby, also from Grove City was a serviceman on leave with plans to head back to Minnesota on the 20th. He offered to escort Mom home. On the way to the train station, they stopped at Woolworth’s, bought an expensive wedding band and she posed as his wife, since Christmas week would be a difficult time for any unnecessary travel.

The miles clicked by and, despite the crowded, noisy, smoky train cars. Everyone seemed to be in a holiday mood, with laughter and singing all the way home, especially the old tune, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”

When Mom and Dick disembarked in Minneapolis, the look on the faces that greeted her, her Dad, brother and sister, told the story. Her sister tried to break it gently but blurted out, “Mother died this morning.” Dick had learned the news in Chicago when they changed trains, but didn’t have the heart to tell her.

On the 27^th, the day of her Mother’s funeral, a box marked “Return to Sender” came for Mom in the mail. It was a big tin of homemade Christmas cookies her Mother had baked and sent to the Washington girls who wouldn’t be home for Christmas and would be in need of a taste of home that year.

It is 67 years ago today, December 22, that my Mother lost hers. But she always remembered the bulging cookie tins and passed those recipes on to me.

MOM’S FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIE

1-1/4 cups shortening

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (save white)

2 teaspoons cardamom

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 cups flour

Topping: Egg white, sugar, finely chopped walnuts

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs. Stir in spices and flour. Chill dough. Roll into small balls and then roll in sugar. Dip top of cookie in egg white, then into nuts, then into sugar again. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

SPRITZ

2 cups butter

1-3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 egg yolks

4 cups of flour (or 3/4 cup more if needed)

In a large mixing bowl, blend butter and sugar. Stir in all other ingredients. Knead in food coloring, if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 4 minutes. 

GRANDMA’S SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3-3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup whipping cream

Colored sugar or frosting and sprinkles

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and baking powder, alternating with cream. Cover bowl and chill 2 hours. Roll out dough on floured surface. Cut into shapes. Sprinkle with colored sugar if frosting is not desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. If cookies are to be frosted, cool first. 

LIFE LESSONS FROM THE BARNYARD

I’ve had a lot of pets in my life. I’m no stranger to living in a farm setting where even the family dog is around for only a dozen years or so. But losing Tucker recently, my ancient beloved Pygmy, a rescue goat, has left a big hole in my life. I didn’t realize how much I would miss him but, every day when I fed and petted him, he would nuzzle my hand and look up at me with a smile. No kidding, the whole bottom row of teeth were visible.

He was extra special because he was rescued from a life of torture, which caused him to have deformed back legs and one ear missing. Most likely no shelter in freezing weather took care of that, but no one seemed to be able to decide what ruined his hind feet.

Nevertheless, Cricket Meadow was his final home and prior to that, he was shuffled from 3 farm sites, that I know of. Never really appreciated. Here, even though he was low man on the rung in the goat pen, he was everyone’s favorite outside the fence. He was small and had fuzzy, salt and pepper hair. He had long curly horns and looked like a little elf with turned up shoes because his back hooves grew upward. No trimming would make them right. He limped badly, like a little old man and, of course a one-eared head is definitely a strange sight. He was clearly a cripple, handicapped and always shoved out of the queue at trough time.

A couple of weeks ago, he stopped eating and began losing weight. He would pretend to eat when he was being observed, but really, like an anorexic, just moved the food around his dish. A few days later, I called Doc Williams who dropped in to check on my little buddy. He took his temp and listened to his lungs and said there was no sign of pneumonia. He gave him a shot, an anti-inflammatory, and told me to keep an eye on him. Later, that evening, I looked in on him and he was walking around, seemingly better.

But the next morning, when I went to do the chores, I saw him stretched out on the floor of the shed, stiff, cold, eyes wide open. Later that day, my dear friend, Dave, came over to help me bury him behind the tool shed. The sight I will never forget, the most endearing thing of all, is that Rusty, the rescue rooster, nursed back to health himself under the tender care of the goats, was like a sentinel, standing guard over Tucker’s body until burial. I like to think that Rusty eased his passing by keeping vigil through the night. Friendship, a brotherhood. What lessons we can learn by just looking on the other side of the fence.

How does this segue into food? It doesn’t…I just had to tell the story. 

ANGEL WINGS (RUSTY’S)

1 cup cold butter, cubed

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sour cream

10 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 tablespoon cinnamon, divided

In a mixing bowl, cut butter into flour until mixture is coarse crumbs. Stir in sour cream. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 6 to 8 times until mixture holds together. Shape into 4 balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. Unwrap one ball. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar on waxed paper; coat all sides of ball with sugar. Roll into a 12 by 5 inch rectangle between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. Sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon onto dough. Lightly mark a line with a knife down the center of the dough, making two 6 by 5 inch rectangles. Starting with a short side, roll up jelly-roll style to the center mark; peel waxed paper away while rolling. Repeat with the other short side. Wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes.  Place remaining sugar on waxed paper. Unwrap one roll. Cut into 1/2 inch slices; dip each side in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Turn cookies and bake 5 to 8 minutes longer. Cool on wire racks. Makes 3 dozen.

ELF SHOES

3 egg yolks

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 to 1-1/4 cups flour

Oil for frying

Powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar together. Add cream and cardamom. Mix well. Gradually add flour until dough is firm enough to roll. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15 inch square. Using a knife, cut into 15 by 1-1/2 inch strips. Cut diagonally at 2-1/2 inch intervals. In the center of each piece, cut a 1 inch slit. Pull one end of dough through slit. In an electric skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry each cookie, a few at a time, for 20 to 40 seconds, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and dust with powdered sugar. Makes 4 dozen.

FRIENDSHIP (FOR LIFE) BARS

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

 2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chopped walnuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in flour. Pat into an ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top of bars immediately after removing from the oven. Spread to frost when melted. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top if desired.