WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 7
CHEESE POPCORN
1/2 c. unpopped popcorn
1/4 c. butter, melted
3 tbsp. cooking oil
1 (1 1/2 oz.) envelope cheese sauce mix
Pop corn in hot oil according to package. Place popcorn in large bowl. Pour butter over warm popcorn. Toss to coat. Add dry cheese sauce mix toss again.
HISTORY OF FRUIT CAKES
Fruit cake has been made back in the days of ancient Rome in one form or another. Back then, it wasn't called "fruit cake" until the Middle Ages, when people started to put preserved fruit, spices and honey responsible for the sweetness the cake. When the American colonies became a source of inexpensive and rich sugar in the 16th century, people in the colonies and Europe found out that fruit would keep for a long time when preserved using a large amount of concentration of sugar in sugar-water syrup. Thus, an over production of preserved fruit was created which, in turn, made the preserved fruit inexpensive and made the baking of fruit cakes more famous. Nuts weren't used greatly in making fruit cakes until the 18th century when Europeans begin adding nuts in the cakes at harvest to guarantee good luck and a good harvest the following year. Since then, dried fruits and nuts always go together in making a fruit cake.
There are so many special kinds of fruit cakes and different ways to make them; the recipes for them would rapidly fill a very thick book! Recipes for fruit cakes differ widely depending on what country they come from and the kind of fruit that's available in that country. There are innumerable fruit cake recipes from the United States, mostly because we produce so many different kinds of fruits and nuts. The most famous recipes here are the light fruit cake and the dark fruit cake; so named because of the color of the fruits and nuts used in making them. There are also fruit cake recipes that have been handed over from mother to daughter over the years and are a special part of their Christmas traditions.
TRADITIONAL FRUIT CAKE
3 cups walnut halves
1 package (8 ounces) candied cherries
1 package (8 ounces) chopped dates
1 package (4 ounces) candied pineapple
3/4 cup sifted flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons dark rum or rum extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
:Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 9X5-inch loaf pan with greased waxed paper.
Combine walnuts and fruit in large bowl; set aside.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Sift over walnut mixture; toss gently until walnut mixture is well coated.
Blend in eggs, rum, orange peel and vanilla. Spread in prepared pan.
Bake 1 hour 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
NO BAKE FRUIT CAKE
1 (13.5-ounce) package graham crackers, crushed
2 (6 ounces) containers candied cherries (1 red and 1 green), coarsely chopped
1 (6 ounces) container candied pineapple
2 (14 ounces each) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Line 9- x 5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, letting wrap hang over sides a few inches.
In large bowl, combine all ingredients and thoroughly mix with your clean hands. Place mixture into lined pan and cover well. Freeze for at least 8 hours, or overnight before serving.
To serve, remove from freezer, invert over serving platter, remove pan and plastic wrap, and cut into slices. Store any remaining cake in freezer