Christmas Food

Yum! In the center of favorite Christmas memories, holiday food is in there somewhere.

I think of Aunt Ruth McClure’s fruit cakes. Her recipe came from her grandmother Short of Marion County.

Her husband, Judge Freeman C. Mc-Clure, was my grandmother’s brother. He gave fruit cakes to people who worked in the Clerk’s office, bailiffs, lawyers, everybody who made his court room run.

Aunt Ruth soaked her cakes in rum, but people accepted them despite the strong “temperance” spirit in Walker County at the time.

You could smell the rum and children were forbidden to touch her cakes. They were given rum balls instead. I know. I don’t get it either.

I doubt there is a fruit cake better than a Claxton Fruit Cake. Despite fruit cake jokes, they are the best.

A few eats showed up only during the holidays.

“Lady Fingers” are pecan shortbread cookies rolled out and baked then rolled in powdered sugar.

“Cheese Straws” are baked in flat circles as well as sticks. They are made of flour, sharp cheddar cheese, butter and pepper. Tons of commercial cheese straws are shipped during the holidays.

Irish ancestors brought a recipe for “tea cakes” and for generations they were baked during holidays. They are a basic short bread cookie with a top note of vanilla. The longer they sit around, the harder they get but will survive for weeks before going bad.

A south Georgia woman was known for her wonderful sausage balls. Someone thought it would be funny to spread the word that she made them with dog food. It wasn’t true, but there was a sudden and permanent drop in demand for her sausage balls.

The Kansas Woman’s family baked bread to help clean up ham and turkey leftovers. The sandwiches were as anticipated as the main meal.

A Dutch Oven of cracklin’ corn bread cooked in the fire place coals reminded my cousins that our grandfather grew up in a home that was unable to afford a cook stove. All their meals were cooked in the fire place.

Families in my hometown baked something wrapped in bacon. They also served an apple based hot, spiced drink that only came out during Christmas.

I’ve stopped looking for a recipe for Ailey Ale. I just gave up. It was wonderful.

Sassafras tea doesn’t need a recipe, and we still dig a few roots to enjoy during the holidays. There is usually a pot of it simmering on the stove.

I hope you enjoy Christmas memories, make more. Eat well. Remember why it is what it is.

Joy!

joenphillips@yahoo.com