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recent posts
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The First of Many
The Mood Strikes
The Card
(Un)Settled
Extremists
Appalled for the Holidays
Today Is Not a Holiday
What Ho, Nostalgia?
Not On Top of It
R.I.P. Dr. Saperstein
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Secret Ingredient
Fifteen minutes ago, I questioned the wisdom of it, but now I'm quite pleased I went ahead, pulled out the ingredients and mixed up a gingerbread loaf. It's in the oven now.
The hesitation, I suppose, came from the insipid call of work I haven't done and probably from some underlying sadness and anger about moving. This is probably the last loaf I make in this house. I don't know when it will happen, but in two weeks my windows will be showing me a different view.
If you have to make a home made dessert, let me recommend this one: easy to make, tasty, makes the house smell good... It isn't much in the looks department, though whipped cream would probably help this. I don't bother. I love my recipe because it is the only "family" recipe I have (not coming from a family much inclined toward baking or written recipes). It showed up in my life through my mother who got it from my friend's mother. This gingerbread has possibly been in my life since I was Felix's age. In fact, my friend also makes this loaf from time to time as well, and she has some very good serving suggestions that I can't remember.
I didn't think about gingerbread was an obsession, but I do have an annual excursion into gingerbread house building-- and this year's incarnation is winking at me garishly on the other side of my computer (I force other people to do the decorating)-- but it too is part of my fascination with gingerbread. Gingerbread has given me a social life. This house is the pretext for the first party I ever really came up with on my own (and which I now host annually). You can see here a view of the very welcoming front of the house. Felix has been bragging non-stop about his input on the tree and the bear, but his little fingers are constantly trying to prod and, by extension, destroy this creation.
Forgive this tumble headlong into nostalgia and food. This is what happens when one moves during the holidays.
I know I haven't posted the recipe here but I will share with you the ingredient I add that isn't found in the recipe my mother inherited. I suspect it would have the same effect on any gingerbread loaf you set your mind to baking. Here it is:
A few grinds of black pepper.
posted by Elise at 4:56 PM
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