Out of the welter of Christmas plans comes this letter and how I wish I were coming to you with it or better still that you were coming home. No use to think of these things though, and I hope and trust you'll be with friends and be cheered and happy. Ina Dobson, December 21, 1932
Back in the '70s, I sought a recipe for "no bake" fruitcake. Mother gave me this recipe, commenting that it was a favorite of my brother, Chuck, and maybe so, since he has confirmed that he likes fruitcake. I don't know that I have ever made this fruitcake, but occasionally I see the recipe, most recently when I reviewed a copy of "The Farmer's Wife" magazine from the 1930s – and that's probably when it originated.
KELVINATOR FRUIT CAKE½ lb Graham crackers
1 c dates chopped
½ c raisins
2 T orange peel
½ c citron (sliced thin)
¼ t grated nutmeg
¼ t ground allspice
1 c cut marshmallows
1 c thick cream
½ c currants
2 T candied cherries
1 t cinnamon
¼ t cloves
¼ t salt
1 c nuts
Crumble crackers fine. Soften currants in hot water and drain. Add spices and salt to dry crackers; add other ingredients. Soak marshmallows in cream and add last. Mix until crumbs are all moist. Pack in mold lined with waxed paper and chill 12 hours. Slice thin and serve with or without whipped cream or hard sauce. Makes a 2 pound loaf.
I can see Mother now, methodically crushing the Graham crackers by placing them, a few at a time, between two sheets of waxed paper and pressing them with her rolling pin. The end product would be a consistently fine texture. To do it right was painstaking work. Today, I would probably buy the cracker crumbs – or crush them in my food processor, substitute miniature marshmallows instead of cutting large ones, and use fruitcake mix for the citron. And how about that thick cream? I don't think we can buy cream as thick as what was bought from "the farmer's wife."
I always thought it was a rather rich dessert. Have you ever had it? KW
[The first postcard was sent to my maternal grandmother, Nina Portfors, from her friend, Mrs. Willis, and I'm thinking the timeframe would have been about 1920. The written message says, "Dear old friend, I intended writing you a letter but do not feel equal to the occasion so will just send a card. Have you ever joined the Eastern Star yet? I have and it is just beautiful."
The second card is blank, but I love the old-fashioned living room setting. Note the electric lamp on the library table.] KW
Love the postcards. Hmm, sometimes I regret my propensity for tossing things. But then, who knew I'd be *old-er* someday and would want to look upon things from the past?? :-) Must be the snow, but I've been remembering things from Christmases of our high school years. Good memories.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a shame that the card artists aren't credited. It's much like advertising. Some of it is absolutely delightful and it would be interesting to know the history of the hand that drew it. I love cards. It's fun to hang the Christmas cards and decorate with them as the holiday approaches. Thanks to Aunt Harriet for the first card of the season! :)
ReplyDeleteMother had a drawer full of greeting cards that she intended to put into scrapbooks "someday." Each year's cards were tied with string and dated. She tossed them all as we went through things. Wish I'd grabbed a couple of the older packets.
ReplyDeleteBut -- we must have order in our lives and our lives must move on.
I know nothing about the greeting card business, but it seems to me that in order to be credited, you must already be an established artist -- like Mary Englebreit, Marjolein Bastin, Holly Hobbie, etc. And yes, it's fun to display cards.
I have to comment on the "unbaked" fruit cake, I though fruitcake was the nastiest thing out there for holiday snacks UNTIL I read the recipes for the unbaked version! Holy moly do people really eat that stuff? LMAO!!
ReplyDelete