Sunday, December 4, 2005

Hard Sauce?

                     

I put up this snowman for those of you who live in such climates.  I think it would be wonderful if Andrea could experience snow and ice, but I'd be miserable giving her the experience.  When its cold, my poor body pays the price in pain.  I guess that's what happens as some of us get older. 

I am working today again.  One more work day after this and I get 3 off in a row.  Sunday is a short office day at work, but there are things to do outside.  I have to do a lock check, clean a couple of vacant units and stay until the gates close.  I will probably have time to ruminate, maybe some computer time and some time to catch up on things I can't do when customers are present. 

Today is day 4 of the December Challenge.  At Christmas time more than any other, my mom loved to bake and make candy.  She made different kinds of fudge, from caramel to divinity.  She also made the best mincemeat pie!  On top of the pie we always put hard sauce.  It's made with cooking sherry, butter, powdered sugar and other things, like nutmeg.  I just loved it.  Mom would always be happy on the day she made hard sauce.  It took me years to connect the dots . . .the rest of the year we never had alcohol in the house.  Depending on the taster, the hard sauce got harder and harder!  Yum!

I haven't had hard sauce in years.  I don't use alcohol in any form, but I remember it well.  I also like to bake at Christmas.  My specialty is bread.  I make specialty loaves and give them as gifts to those I care about.  My favorite is a cardamom braid, however I am unable to find cardamom this year.  It's very expensive, but it really adds to the flavor of the bread.  I also make rosemary loaves.  Maybe this week I will start. 

Andrea and Rob are going to church today and will tell me what I missed.  I feel like a part of me is missing when I don't attend. 

Be blessed today,

                    

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

your story of hard sauce brought a wonderful memory back to me...one i had forgotten...my mom always making rum balls !!! Like you, that's the only time we had alcohol in the house !!  I still have her recipe today...wonder if I should attempt them :)

Anonymous said...

I love cardamom, I have lots of it, it's not very expensive here either. I put it in rice when it's boiling,it  gives a lovely flavour to it. You're like me, I hate the cold and get so many aches and pains. Jeannette.

Anonymous said...

Taker her up into the mountains..if you live close to Yosemite there's probably snow up there, of course the roads may be closed.  I went up there from the east side a couple years back.  We went up Tioga Pass and it had just been open a few days.  Absolutley breath taking beauty !  Or..she can come up here to Washington and we'll get her on some skis or a snowboard.

Anonymous said...

I have never heard of hard sauce. We had an ice storm here in Ohio on Sat. Its miserably cold. I hope you didnt work toohard today. Love you, lisa

Anonymous said...

love the picture of the snowman!

Hard sauce; that sounds delicious.

Have fun baking your bread - I bet it is a well appreciated gift!

Here's my tradition for the challenge:

We only did this for the two years we lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but it is a tradition for the people who live there every year. On one of the hilly roads called Canyon Walk, where there is a lot of artist studios and specialty shops, on Christmas Eve they line the whole street with faralitos as they call them or luminaries as they are more known. They are made from a lunch size paper bag folded down two inches, filled with sand and a votive candle. The candle is lit and is supposed to signify the light of the world, Jesus.

Anyway, everyone does the Canyon Walk. The street lights are turned off and everyone walks up and down, singing Christmas carols. The shops are opened, people are offering hot cider and candy canes.

It was nice; so peaceful even with the crowd of people. People getting along; singing, rejoicing.

betty

Anonymous said...

Cute snowman....and I laughed out loud about your happy mother!  Maybe that's why my mom smiled so much during all the baking days!

Anonymous said...

LOL, this was a great story. Thanks for sharing the Connect The Dots memory...

Jimmy

Anonymous said...

Christmas memory - Playing Christmas carols over and over on the record player for hours until my mother thought she would crack up - the same ones, and singing along with them!

Krissy
http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink

Anonymous said...

My Grandma makes divinity and she always makes a special batch for me cause I don't like the batch she makes with nuts.