Handcrafters Holidays Blog Meme, vol. 2: Traditions

Third times the charm. Hopefully this time my comment on Sew Mama Sew's Handcrafters Holiday meme will go through. Frankly technology is getting on my last nerve today.

Traditions

• What is your favorite family holiday tradition?

Being Buddhist my traditions are a little different than most. My all time favorite tradition is our yearly trip to the Indian restaurant up in Madison for dinner on Christmas night. Originally I wanted the tradition to be going out for Chinese food on Christmas night. I thought it was funny in a sort of bad TV holiday movie special sort of way, isn't that what the do in A Christmas Story? But wouldn't you know that all the Chinese places around here are closed for the Holiday! We were able to find an Indian place that was open that first year though. Since we don't get to have real, super spicy Indian food on a regular basis, this became our yearly tradition. We've ended up going to the resturant in Madison over the other place in Rockford because while it was nice, it was a little strange to be the only people in the entire place! I guess most everyone in Rockford is having a more traditional Christmas dinner than we are.

• Have you started any new traditions with your family that you didn’t practice growing up?

When I was growing up our "traditions" included running to hell and back to every random family members home, opening a bunch of store bought presents from people who, judging by the gift choices, knew nothing about us. So basically everything we do now is new. We don't go anywhere or really see anyone other than ourselves. We make rather than buy our gifts. We try to be as relaxed as possible. It's already a stressful enough time of year, why make it more so with a lot of travel?

• What do you love most about the holiday season?

To be honest, the decorating. Sure it drives me nuts. I'm not one to start decorating early. Heck we're just talking about it now. But it really is the time of year when my house looks its best. The red "theme" to traditional holiday decorations really looks nice with the red in my living room. While the extra clutter frustrates my inner minimalist, I do like seeing how excited L gets putting up little decorations all over the place. Now if someone else would just pack everything away again in January!

• What do you like least about the holiday season?

The consumerism! There isn't much more to say about that without getting entirely more emotional than a holiday meme needs. Suffice it to say, letting go of possessions and greed are hot button issues for me & the entire holiday season goes against that, a lot!

• Anyone close to your heart that you’ll be missing this year?

ETA: Our pets. In the past year we had to put down Blue, our 12 year old Australian Cattle dog and Dot, my 9 year old kitty. Additionally Dot's litter-mate brother Dash died suddenly. While I love our two cats now, I really miss our old pets. I know it's for the best as both Blue & Dot where very ill. Still it's just not the same this time of year without them. We don'thave to worry about someone knocking down the advent calender to get at the chocolate, we don't have to tie the tree to the wall to prevent climbing cats from knocking it over. I will always miss them.

• What is your favorite holiday food?

Lecherli. I mentioned it in Vol. 1. Lecherli is my great-grandmother Oma's recipe. It's similar to a fruit cake, only more cake than fruit. And despite how my mother would make it, does not have those fake red & green colored cherries in it. Yuck!

• Do you have a great recipe to share?

Only since Kristen asked!

Lecherli

Click for notes on this years batch!

**This is my modified version, circa 2001. This is the version that Oma says is "just like hers". Of only she knew :) **

for cake
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs, beater
2 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped candied citron
1/2 cup chopped candied lemon or orange peel
3/4 cup chopped blanched almonds

for glaze
powdered sugar
vodka, rum or other liquor (water or orange juice for non alcoholic version)
almonds & candied fruit for garnish *optional*

Preheat oven to 350*
Bring honey to a boil in a shallow pan. Cool.
Add eggs and beat well.
Sift together dry ingredients.
Mix into honey mixture.
Beat a few minutes to develop gluten and create a softer cake.
Mix in almonds and candied fruit.
Spread into greased 10x15 inch shallow cake pan.
Use damp hands to spread batter. Make sure it is spread very thinly across the pan.
Lightly score 1x2 inch squares in wet dough.
Decorate with extra fruit and nuts if desired.
Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine vodka and powdered sugar to form a thin glaze.
Glaze while cake is still hot.
Allow to cook before slicing.
Reglaze as desired.
Keeps indefinitely in a tin with orange peel but not in my house where we eat it all the minute it comes out of the oven!

Handcrafters Holidays Blog Meme, vol. 1: gifts

In an effort to become more involved in the craft blogging community & as a way to satisfy my love for surveys & quizzes in general, I am participating in Sew Mama Sew's Handcrafters Holiday Blog Meme.

For those that aren't "hip to the jive", a meme is: an idea, project, statement or even a question that is posted by one blog and responded to by other blogs; viral encapsulated idea, with built-in feedback loop.

Without further ado, Volume 1 of the Handcrafters Holiday Meme.

Gifts

• Do you have a favorite gift that you love to give?

My favorite & also my fall back gifts are food. For many, many years I would make huge quantities of cookies, upwards of 20 dozen, in order for everyone on my list to receive no less than 2 dozen cookies. There were years where I made flavored vodka, hot pepper being a particular favorite. That was back before I could legally purchase the alcohol myself even! I have made bonbons and another year where everyone received cheese straws and homemade crackers.

• If you’re making gifts this year, what are you making? (Post photos if you have some!)

I have grand plans for gifts this year and thankfully my list has shrunk enough for there to be some prospect of actually accomplishing these goals!

The hardest part is that everyone in my family has already received most of the handcrafted things I could think to make. W & J will each get a handsewn shirt, W's an 18th century style, J's a Russian peasant style. My mother & I are working together to design the perfect purse/bag for her, complete with matching zippered pouch, glasses & tissue case and plenty of dedicated storage pockets for the things she's constantly loosing. For C4 I'm considering something simple, a black texture knitted scarf that he can wear in both corporate and social life.

The two girls are the hardest. L either already has or isn't interested in any of the things that I make. A has never really appreciated handcrafted things. I'm also at a loss because there is precious little time where L will be away from me in the next few weeks. It's very difficult to make surprise gifts for a homeschooled kid who is used to being *right there* as I craft!

• Do you have any good stories about handcrafted gifts you’ve given or received?

The only story I have about a handcrafted gift is from the first year I made lecherli. This is a family recipe, similar to a fruit cake with candied citron, lemon peel and a rum glaze. While everyone in the family has the recipe, the only person who ever made it successfully was my great-grandmother, Oma. At the time she was in her early 90's and no longer feeling up to making large batches of baked goods for family.

When I first asked for the recipe at Thanksgiving my mother was shocked. Oh no, you don't want to make that, it never turns out. You have to make it tomorrow and let it sit in a tin with orange peel or it won't be edible. But I insisted. I loved Oma's lecherli and I wanted to make it. The thought of a Christmas without lecherli was unthinkable to me. I didn't care how long it took and how many ingredients!

Well as it turned out, however my mother was following the recipe, was not right in any way shape or form! There was nothing hard about it, no month of resting in a tin was needed and the rum in the glaze was a huge improvement over the water she had always substituted.

When I gave Oma a slice she exclaimed "this is as good as when I make it myself." From that year on, I have been the official lecherli maker of the family. It's been nearly 10 years. In that time I've adjusted the spices, experimented with different dried fruit, added almonds. But it's still Oma's lecherli. Even if I don't make it for anyone else, I always make enough for her. Well and a little for myself as well.

• Name one thing on your personal wish list.

I'd love to receive fabric, especailly linen or wool, at least 6 years of either. That would be enough to make another 18th century gown. However, I have already received my gifts; a new vacuum and a redesigned sewing studio. What more could I really want?

• Do you make and sell things that would make fantastic gifts? (Link)

I have a few things in my Etsy shop, The Green Cottage & will hopefully get a few more in there before the holiday hits. The head bands make good stocking stuffers especially since they are one size, so no measuring is needed. The soap is just delish for anyone on your list, especially the dread heads and those odd relative that lean towards tree hugging. J's graphic novel Bronzeville is perfect for the 20 something young men, possibly the hardest group to shop for. In the next week I'm hoping to list some bento lunch bags, complete with 2 layer bento boxes and a few fleece gnome hats with built in scarves in various sizes.

While it's not stricktly handcrafted, I do have several different designs availble in my new Cafe Press shop, Black Line Design. I try to cover as many themes as I can with my designs, from anti-war to pro military, homeschooling, unschooling, reenacting, and my personal favorite The John Frum Cargo Cult.