Holiday Goodies

[Freiheit]

Home-made Fruitcake and the ever-present dreaded Stollen. So much of it I always look forward to the holidays being over.

Why is the Stollen dreaded? It looks tasty, though I've never tried it

About two pieces is all I can stand. It's usually too sweet, five days old, dried out, and full of crunchy things that break your teeth or rip your gums to shreds.

I think they are German or Norwegian or something. Everyone makes them for Christmas and if you had a fireplace, you could almost heat the house with them for a couple days.

Home-made Fruitcake and the ever-present dreaded Stollen. So much of it I always look forward to the holidays being over.

Stollen is yeast bread with eggs and a little sugar it has candied and dried fruit and nuts incorporated in the bread it is then wrapped around a marzipan log baked generously dusted with confectioners sugar sliced and served. Stollen is not as sweet as a cake. You might check the recipe your folks are using.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

The one sweet we used to make regularly...

Martha Washington Bon Bons.

Holiday-Ready Martha Washington Coconut Candy

We burned up many a hand mixer before we started using a drill.

a drill???? Are they really that difficult to mix?

Oh yeah they are!!!
We first burned out the mixer,then tried a wooden spoon which promptly broke.
Then came the light bulb .......the 1/2 inch Milwaukee drill.

True enough I guess with all that powder sugar, coconut and pecans......but don't they 'melt in your mouth' for easier eating?

I know some of those candies I've made can be like that...….difficult to mix, but easy eating.

Though once there's enough powder sugar in there, I use my hands

They were easy enough to eat.
Mixing was a whole different issue.
Ya know we haven't made em in probably 20 years. I think I might try the new KitchenAid and see if it'll handle em this year.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

The one sweet we used to make regularly...

Martha Washington Bon Bons.

Holiday-Ready Martha Washington Coconut Candy

We burned up many a hand mixer before we started using a drill.

a drill???? Are they really that difficult to mix?

Oh yeah they are!!!
We first burned out the mixer,then tried a wooden spoon which promptly broke.
Then came the light bulb .......the 1/2 inch Milwaukee drill.

True enough I guess with all that powder sugar, coconut and pecans......but don't they 'melt in your mouth' for easier eating?

I know some of those candies I've made can be like that...….difficult to mix, but easy eating.

Though once there's enough powder sugar in there, I use my hands

They were easy enough to eat.
Mixing was a whole different issue.
Ya know we haven't made em in probably 20 years. I think I might try the new KitchenAid and see if it'll handle em this year.

I take that back.
I went in and asked the Wife about em and it's been 28 years since we've made them. She actually found the rolodex card from friends here in Texas with the recipe.
And WTF? You mix wax with the Chocolate!!!!
Holy Shit it's been awhile!!!!

 

[JustAnotherNut]

The one sweet we used to make regularly...

Martha Washington Bon Bons.

Holiday-Ready Martha Washington Coconut Candy

We burned up many a hand mixer before we started using a drill.

a drill???? Are they really that difficult to mix?

Oh yeah they are!!!
We first burned out the mixer,then tried a wooden spoon which promptly broke.
Then came the light bulb .......the 1/2 inch Milwaukee drill.

True enough I guess with all that powder sugar, coconut and pecans......but don't they 'melt in your mouth' for easier eating?

I know some of those candies I've made can be like that...….difficult to mix, but easy eating.

Though once there's enough powder sugar in there, I use my hands

They were easy enough to eat.
Mixing was a whole different issue.
Ya know we haven't made em in probably 20 years. I think I might try the new KitchenAid and see if it'll handle em this year.

I take that back.
I went in and asked the Wife about em and it's been 28 years since we've made them. She actually found the rolodex card from friends here in Texas with the recipe.
And WTF? You mix wax with the Chocolate!!!!
Holy Shit it's been awhile!!!!

The wax is probably to stabilize the chocolate.....to make it not melt in your hands so much and to help it set up.


So is she willing to tackle the drill again?????

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

a drill???? Are they really that difficult to mix?

Oh yeah they are!!!
We first burned out the mixer,then tried a wooden spoon which promptly broke.
Then came the light bulb .......the 1/2 inch Milwaukee drill.

True enough I guess with all that powder sugar, coconut and pecans......but don't they 'melt in your mouth' for easier eating?

I know some of those candies I've made can be like that...….difficult to mix, but easy eating.

Though once there's enough powder sugar in there, I use my hands

They were easy enough to eat.
Mixing was a whole different issue.
Ya know we haven't made em in probably 20 years. I think I might try the new KitchenAid and see if it'll handle em this year.

I take that back.
I went in and asked the Wife about em and it's been 28 years since we've made them. She actually found the rolodex card from friends here in Texas with the recipe.
And WTF? You mix wax with the Chocolate!!!!
Holy Shit it's been awhile!!!!

The wax is probably to stabilize the chocolate.....to make it not melt in your hands so much and to help it set up.


So is she willing to tackle the drill again?????

LOL....I't freaked me out that we used Gulf Wax in the chocolate but apparently it's still common practice.
Actually I'm the cook in the family and She's my Sous Chef.
And dishwasher......
To be honest she can't cook worth a lick other than a few dishes she excels in.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Oh yeah they are!!!
We first burned out the mixer,then tried a wooden spoon which promptly broke.
Then came the light bulb .......the 1/2 inch Milwaukee drill.

True enough I guess with all that powder sugar, coconut and pecans......but don't they 'melt in your mouth' for easier eating?

I know some of those candies I've made can be like that...….difficult to mix, but easy eating.

Though once there's enough powder sugar in there, I use my hands

They were easy enough to eat.
Mixing was a whole different issue.
Ya know we haven't made em in probably 20 years. I think I might try the new KitchenAid and see if it'll handle em this year.

I take that back.
I went in and asked the Wife about em and it's been 28 years since we've made them. She actually found the rolodex card from friends here in Texas with the recipe.
And WTF? You mix wax with the Chocolate!!!!
Holy Shit it's been awhile!!!!

The wax is probably to stabilize the chocolate.....to make it not melt in your hands so much and to help it set up.


So is she willing to tackle the drill again?????

LOL....I't freaked me out that we used Gulf Wax in the chocolate but apparently it's still common practice.
Actually I'm the cook in the family and She's my Sous Chef.
And dishwasher......
To be honest she can't cook worth a lick other than a few dishes she excels in.

So you make all the mess and she cleans it up? Willingly??

 

[task0778]

Every holiday season my mom's side of the family tree would get together at somebody's house up in Michigan in a week or two before Christmas and make what they called million dollar fudge from scratch, along with cookies and all sorts of candy and treats. I couldn't tell you what the ingredients were, but man, that was good stuff. I was just a kid then (70 now), and was more interested in the consumption side rather than the production side, but everybody had a really good time singing Christmas carols and such.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

True enough I guess with all that powder sugar, coconut and pecans......but don't they 'melt in your mouth' for easier eating?

I know some of those candies I've made can be like that...….difficult to mix, but easy eating.

Though once there's enough powder sugar in there, I use my hands

They were easy enough to eat.
Mixing was a whole different issue.
Ya know we haven't made em in probably 20 years. I think I might try the new KitchenAid and see if it'll handle em this year.

I take that back.
I went in and asked the Wife about em and it's been 28 years since we've made them. She actually found the rolodex card from friends here in Texas with the recipe.
And WTF? You mix wax with the Chocolate!!!!
Holy Shit it's been awhile!!!!

The wax is probably to stabilize the chocolate.....to make it not melt in your hands so much and to help it set up.


So is she willing to tackle the drill again?????

LOL....I't freaked me out that we used Gulf Wax in the chocolate but apparently it's still common practice.
Actually I'm the cook in the family and She's my Sous Chef.
And dishwasher......
To be honest she can't cook worth a lick other than a few dishes she excels in.

So you make all the mess and she cleans it up? Willingly??

Yep.
I'm the type that preps all ingredients and puts em in a paper plate/bowl before I ever get started cooking.
If it's a new recipe all she does is read out the steps while I do all the work.
Trust me,she loves the arrangement since she has damn near zero understanding when it comes to cooking.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

They were easy enough to eat.
Mixing was a whole different issue.
Ya know we haven't made em in probably 20 years. I think I might try the new KitchenAid and see if it'll handle em this year.

I take that back.
I went in and asked the Wife about em and it's been 28 years since we've made them. She actually found the rolodex card from friends here in Texas with the recipe.
And WTF? You mix wax with the Chocolate!!!!
Holy Shit it's been awhile!!!!

The wax is probably to stabilize the chocolate.....to make it not melt in your hands so much and to help it set up.


So is she willing to tackle the drill again?????

LOL....I't freaked me out that we used Gulf Wax in the chocolate but apparently it's still common practice.
Actually I'm the cook in the family and She's my Sous Chef.
And dishwasher......
To be honest she can't cook worth a lick other than a few dishes she excels in.

So you make all the mess and she cleans it up? Willingly??

Yep.
I'm the type that preps all ingredients and puts em in a paper plate/bowl before I ever get started cooking.
If it's a new recipe all she does is read out the steps while I do all the work.
Trust me,she loves the arrangement since she has damn near zero understanding when it comes to cooking.

I do a lot of that prep work like that as well. It's much easier to have everything all ready to go, when it comes time to actually cook it.

Just so she's ok with it...…..Here, I'm the chief cook & bottle washer

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Every holiday season my mom's side of the family tree would get together at somebody's house up in Michigan in a week or two before Christmas and make what they called million dollar fudge from scratch, along with cookies and all sorts of candy and treats. I couldn't tell you what the ingredients were, but man, that was good stuff. I was just a kid then (70 now), and was more interested in the consumption side rather than the production side, but everybody had a really good time singing Christmas carols and such.

Now see, those are great memories aren't they? And it wasn't all about the goodies, but the fun time spent together...…..well ok, being a kid it was more about the goodies.

I always loved when my Mom made her fudge cause I'd get all the tests. After cooking the fudge for a time, she'd always put some in a cup of cold water to test how well it set up or not and if she needed to cook it longer or if it was ready. She never used a thermometer.

Then of course was the nightmares with my Aunt every year....making divinity. She's always get stressed over the timing and having to pour the syrup into the egg whites. I will forever dislike divinity because of it.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I take that back.
I went in and asked the Wife about em and it's been 28 years since we've made them. She actually found the rolodex card from friends here in Texas with the recipe.
And WTF? You mix wax with the Chocolate!!!!
Holy Shit it's been awhile!!!!

The wax is probably to stabilize the chocolate.....to make it not melt in your hands so much and to help it set up.


So is she willing to tackle the drill again?????

LOL....I't freaked me out that we used Gulf Wax in the chocolate but apparently it's still common practice.
Actually I'm the cook in the family and She's my Sous Chef.
And dishwasher......
To be honest she can't cook worth a lick other than a few dishes she excels in.

So you make all the mess and she cleans it up? Willingly??

Yep.
I'm the type that preps all ingredients and puts em in a paper plate/bowl before I ever get started cooking.
If it's a new recipe all she does is read out the steps while I do all the work.
Trust me,she loves the arrangement since she has damn near zero understanding when it comes to cooking.

I do a lot of that prep work like that as well. It's much easier to have everything all ready to go, when it comes time to actually cook it.

Just so she's ok with it...…..Here, I'm the chief cook & bottle washer

I treat her nice.
The majority of the clean up is paper plates and bowls.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I take that back.
I went in and asked the Wife about em and it's been 28 years since we've made them. She actually found the rolodex card from friends here in Texas with the recipe.
And WTF? You mix wax with the Chocolate!!!!
Holy Shit it's been awhile!!!!

The wax is probably to stabilize the chocolate.....to make it not melt in your hands so much and to help it set up.


So is she willing to tackle the drill again?????

LOL....I't freaked me out that we used Gulf Wax in the chocolate but apparently it's still common practice.
Actually I'm the cook in the family and She's my Sous Chef.
And dishwasher......
To be honest she can't cook worth a lick other than a few dishes she excels in.

So you make all the mess and she cleans it up? Willingly??

Yep.
I'm the type that preps all ingredients and puts em in a paper plate/bowl before I ever get started cooking.
If it's a new recipe all she does is read out the steps while I do all the work.
Trust me,she loves the arrangement since she has damn near zero understanding when it comes to cooking.

I do a lot of that prep work like that as well. It's much easier to have everything all ready to go, when it comes time to actually cook it.

Just so she's ok with it...…..Here, I'm the chief cook & bottle washer

The thing she doesnt have to worry about when it comes to clean up?
The BBQ pits....all three of them.
They take at least three hours a piece and require the trailer to take em to the carwash.
Believe me.....She has it easy.

 

[JGalt]

Home-made Fruitcake and the ever-present dreaded Stollen. So much of it I always look forward to the holidays being over.

Why is the Stollen dreaded? It looks tasty, though I've never tried it

About two pieces is all I can stand. It's usually too sweet, five days old, dried out, and full of crunchy things that break your teeth or rips your gums.

I think they German or Norwegian or something. Everyone makes them for Christmas and if you had a fireplace, you could almost heat the house with them for a couple days.

Actually Saxony/Germany/Netherlands.....Stollen - Wikipedia

Do you also do the fruitcake with brandy??

My wife used to do that every year, but so many people were giving them away that we quit making them.

One year, her mix was so full of brandy that the oven ignited the fumes and blew the oven door open.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

I tried today to make a small batch of Peppermint patties and a few chocolate drops. Everything went fine & dandy until melting the chocolate chips to dip them in. Instead of melting to a smooth creamy texture for dipping......I got a soft gooey glob and no matter how much I stirred it, even adding a bit of milk, then butter, then water and stirring some more...…...I still had a soft gooey glob.

Then tried to make the best of the situation and tried to dip them anyway, but the glob wouldn't stick to the centers correctly and I either had too much or not enough and ended up using my hands to press the hot glob all over the patties & drops and quickly stick them in the freezer. Once set up, they do taste good, but look like a disaster. I've never had that happen before so I just hope it was a weird bag of chips. grrrrr

 

[Freiheit]

Every holiday season my mom's side of the family tree would get together at somebody's house up in Michigan in a week or two before Christmas and make what they called million dollar fudge from scratch, along with cookies and all sorts of candy and treats. I couldn't tell you what the ingredients were, but man, that was good stuff. I was just a kid then (70 now), and was more interested in the consumption side rather than the production side, but everybody had a really good time singing Christmas carols and such.

Now see, those are great memories aren't they? And it wasn't all about the goodies, but the fun time spent together...…..well ok, being a kid it was more about the goodies.

I always loved when my Mom made her fudge cause I'd get all the tests. After cooking the fudge for a time, she'd always put some in a cup of cold water to test how well it set up or not and if she needed to cook it longer or if it was ready. She never used a thermometer.

Then of course was the nightmares with my Aunt every year....making divinity. She's always get stressed over the timing and having to pour the syrup into the egg whites. I will forever dislike divinity because of it.

Divinity is so damned sweet it sets my teeth on edge. My aunt made divinity as well and she would almost have a hissy fit every time, same thing syrup in the egg whites. What memories.

 

[OldLady]

When I had a lot of relatives to exchange with, I tried different things--had to be pretty cheap--combination of clever crafts and something baked. Some of them were on diets--diabetic or bad digestion or whatever, and weren't able to eat fudge or haystacks. Then one year I filled coffee cans with Chex Party Mix, the original recipe, and from then on, they were very greedily expecting it. After four years, I thought it must be getting old and made something else--I ended up going home and baking Chex Mix for three people who took their gift and said "No Party Mix?"
LOL
It's relatively cheap. The most annoying part is gluing the Christmas wrapping paper on the outside of the coffee cans. A batch fills almost three cans. Always use the good McCormick's Season Salt and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire. Follow the recipe exactly. That stuff they sell in the bags doesn't taste anything like the real thing.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

When I had a lot of relatives to exchange with, I tried different things--had to be pretty cheap--combination of clever crafts and something baked. Some of them were on diets--diabetic or bad digestion or whatever, and weren't able to eat fudge or haystacks. Then one year I filled coffee cans with Chex Party Mix, the original recipe, and from then on, they were very greedily expecting it. After four years, I thought it must be getting old and made something else--I ended up going home and baking Chex Mix for three people who took their gift and said "No Party Mix?"
LOL
It's relatively cheap. The most annoying part is gluing the Christmas wrapping paper on the outside of the coffee cans. A batch fills almost three cans. Always use the good McCormick's Season Salt and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire. Follow the recipe exactly. That stuff they sell in the bags doesn't taste anything like the real thing.

I agree the homemade Mix is so much better, plus I add or subtract from the mix that suits us. Mainly adding baked Cheetos I've been told is a must.

Last year I wasn't going to do any goody making at all. Just didn't feel up to it with so much else going on.at home. When I mentioned it to #3 while in Walmart, he comes up & stands right next to me, looks down (he's 6'4, I'm 5'6) and in his deepest baritone says 'Mom you have too.. You HAVE to make the Chex Mix with lots of Cheetos.....and the peanut butter & chocolate squares (fake Reese's candies). Those are sooo good. It's a Christmas tradition.'

I guess that's one drawback to starting those traditions...….you're stuck with them whether you like it or not.

 

[OldLady]

When I had a lot of relatives to exchange with, I tried different things--had to be pretty cheap--combination of clever crafts and something baked. Some of them were on diets--diabetic or bad digestion or whatever, and weren't able to eat fudge or haystacks. Then one year I filled coffee cans with Chex Party Mix, the original recipe, and from then on, they were very greedily expecting it. After four years, I thought it must be getting old and made something else--I ended up going home and baking Chex Mix for three people who took their gift and said "No Party Mix?"
LOL
It's relatively cheap. The most annoying part is gluing the Christmas wrapping paper on the outside of the coffee cans. A batch fills almost three cans. Always use the good McCormick's Season Salt and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire. Follow the recipe exactly. That stuff they sell in the bags doesn't taste anything like the real thing.

I agree the homemade Mix is so much better, plus I add or subtract from the mix that suits us. Mainly adding baked Cheetos I've been told is a must.

Last year I wasn't going to do any goody making at all. Just didn't feel up to it with so much else going on.at home. When I mentioned it to #3 while in Walmart, he comes up & stands right next to me, looks down (he's 6'4, I'm 5'6) and in his deepest baritone says 'Mom you have too.. You HAVE to make the Chex Mix with lots of Cheetos.....and the peanut butter & chocolate squares (fake Reese's candies). Those are sooo good. It's a Christmas tradition.'

I guess that's one drawback to starting those traditions...….you're stuck with them whether you like it or not.

Absolutely! Fortunately, the things he requested sound pretty easy. I was terribly relieved that my son's favorite ended up being those haystack things made out of chow mein noodles, peanuts and butterscotch chips.

I always feel like I need a bath after Cheetos, but it sounds good.

 

[koshergrl]

I made huge batches of sugar cookie and gingerbread dough...

Then let them sit in the fridge for 3 weeks hahahaha.

I made trifle yesterday, though, so I am somewhat redeemed.