Ok…I know you’re supposed to let fruitcake age. Wrapping it in cheesecloth soaked with the liquor of your choice acts as a deterrent to spoiling and allows the flavors of the ingredients to mellow and refine. Yeah, right. I made it about 28 hours and I had to cut into one of those little mini loaves.
Oh. My. Gosh!
Even without the aging, this is some killer fruitcake here! I love the different textures…the sweetness of the candied fruit and the firmness of the nuts with just enough cake batter to hold it all together. Add a healthy dose of Cherry Brandy in the mix and it is just a taste treat. The only thing is, it’s still pretty soft and moist so it doesn’t slice cleanly. But, who cares? You just moosh all those crumbs together and yum, yum, yum!
I also made a pot of chili yesterday. I usually make a huge pot and have enough leftover to serve another three or four meals. This time, I used a new chili seasoning from Sam’s Club. Kinder’s Woodfired Chili comes in a box with five pre-measured packets for $4.98. So, a buck a batch. Add two cans of diced tomatoes, a can of pinto beans, a pound of 90/10 ground beef, and 2-3T of dehydrated onions that I made this summer…you get a quick and tasty meal. We still had a couple pieces of the buttermilk cornbread I made on Sunday. I heated those up and they were the perfect side.
Mr. FixIt likes a sweeter chili without heat. That isn’t my preference, but there are some compromises that are worth the effort. This was actually flavorful enough that I didn’t really miss the heat and my man was a happy camper. And isn’t that the bottom line? Give and take…even when it’s something as simple as a pot of chili…makes life sweeter. It’s the little things, isn’t it?
I thought I’d bake some banana bread but just didn’t get to it. Instead, I sat in front of the fire with my sweetheart and knitted some Christmas ornaments. Maybe today. Maybe not. That’s the beauty of “off season”…there isn’t mowing or gardening or canning to do. It’s the holidays…why not just sit back and enjoy it when you can? Life is too short to stress over…stuff.
?
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Matthew 6:11 KJV