The name of this pie may be off-putting, but if it is called “Christmas Pie” – well that makes a big difference!   In medieval times, it was common to cook meat, fruits, and spices together.  Nowadays, we like our meat for dinner and our fruit and spices afterward.

This pie is truly a taste of the past.  Large “coffin” pies and castle shaped pies were common in those times- pies are now smaller, and mincemeat pies are commonly made in small individual pie tins.

I have had an authentic mincemeat pie once, included in its ingredients were beef and suet.  My husband and I were guests at a church Christmas party, and the pie was “forced” upon us by a zealous mincemeat prophet- I could not believe how tasty it was!  So please do not scoff-  try a bite of Christmas pie for old times’ sake.

Christmas caroling is a favorite tradition enjoyed by adults and children alike.   Some Christmas carols are simple songs that can be learned by nursery children, such as Away in a Manger and others, like Handel’s Messiah, are quite complicated.

Some favorites of mine include Good King Wenceslas and I Saw Three Ships.  I have a recording of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing these classic carols that is perfect  for setting the tone for Christmas celebrations.

Often, groups of people will get together and “carol” at the house of a shut in or at a nursing home- I have seen many sick patients’ spirits revived by these musical guests!  My best caroling memory is when my father and his church visited my home when the children were young- the doorbell rang, and my children ran to the door naked- we were just finishing their bath- and we stood at the door with them wrapped up in toweling and enjoyed the fine carols.

My family always gets excited if I am making Yorkshire Pudding.   It is, when baked properly, a light pancake-like bread eaten with a meat and gravy type dinner.

My favorite no-fail recipe for Yorkshire Pudding is found in The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas.  It is one of many wonderful recipes in this cookbook.

My one helpful hint: I have not had good luck making this dish in a cast iron pan.   A thin metal baking dish (square or round) works best.  I have made little Yorkshire Puddings in muffin tins, also.

 

A treacle tart is something that I have never eaten.  It is a very English dessert, and the closest American dessert I can imagine would possibly be Shoo Fly Pie.

A tart is generally a very shallow pie, sometimes topped with a crust.  A treacle tart is a buttery crust filled with a mixture of Golden Syrup, lemon zest, and breadcrumbs.  Golden Syrup (of which Lyle’s is a popular brand) is similar to American Karo corn syrup.  For a stronger molasses taste, dark corn syrup or molasses can be added to taste.

I believe I may bake a Treacle Tart tomorrow, and I imagine it will go down perfectly with a nice cup of tea.

My cardinal is back!  I haven’t seen him for a long while.  Word must have gotten around about my feeders!  I usually have 2 pair of cardinals in my garden each winter, and I was beginning to worry that they weren’t coming back.

I knew he was back without even looking out- his “cheer” is distinctive.

For the last few months, I have made it my habit to enjoy tea and biscuits (cookies, to Americans) at bedtime.  Lately, with all of the cookies I have been baking for Christmas, it has been hard to make a choice.

Date Nut Meringues were tonight’s treat.  The recipe is from my husband’s grandmother.  At some point in the past, I compiled her famous Christmas cookie recipes into a little booklet and distributed it to family and close friends.

I cannot imagine the work involved in making just one treat in days long past.  The date nut meringues required whipping egg whites to a stiff peak- easy enough with my mixer, but hard to do by hand.  Pitting and chopping dried dates, cracking, picking, and chopping English walnuts- I know first hand that this is hard work.

When I tasted my cookie this evening, I remembered the hard work that went into it and it made me feel a pleasant nostalgia for all things old fashioned and homemade.

 

Last week, my son was awakened in the early hours of the morning by the call of an owl. I am convinced that it was a Great Horned Owl, which is the most common owl in Ohio (where I live). We double-checked the call that this particular owl makes, and the call matched the owl that he heard.

A few years ago, I found an owl pellet in my yard. It was a small pellet of fur and tiny bones and was very interesting to dissect. Great Horned Owls eat mice, birds, chipmunks, and squirrels.

I have mixed feelings about the owl that was heard. Apparently I have attracted it, due to the birds and squirrels that I feed.

I have been looking forward to tasting my black walnuts, as we noticed it was a bearing year (some black walnut trees bear irregularly).  I have spent a lot of time harvesting and drying these treasures with the hope of obtaining enough nut meats to make cookies and cakes this winter.

As hard as the work that I put into the walnuts so far, I was not quite prepared for the work of cracking and picking about two dozen of these ebony globes.   I enlisted my family members to help with this task- one wielding the hammer, one manning the nutpick, and myself clucking and pecking the whole time, not willing to waste even a tiny morsel of black walnut meat.

The dining table became a surgeon’s workbench as newspaper was spread over the surface and a large cutting board arranged.  Special protective garments- non slip work gloves and eye protection donned.  The call was made for the “patient” to be delivered into the surgeon’s hands- and then pandemonium reigned.  The noise of banging and metal striking metal was dinning, pieces of walnut shells flying like shrapnel- bouncing off of the team, walls, and furniture.

When the last nut was cracked, our ears were still ringing.  We sifted and sorted and pried the tiny nut bits (that was all that was left after all the banging), and proudly gazed at our tiny harvest- about one cup of chopped black walnut meat.  We cleaned up soberly, gathering the tools, cleaning the table, vacuuming the carpeting.  A feeling akin to “shell” shock (pun intended) reigned.  Incredulously, we examine the tiny pile that was to be the reward for all of this time, mess, and pain (hubby’s arm was sore).

Before the last bit of shell was tossed into the compost, a specialty black walnut cracker had been ordered and shipping assured in two day’s time!

 

Currently, I am reading Nemesis, a story in which Miss Marple starts her day reading  her two morning papers with her breakfast.  She pays special attention to the marriages, births, and deaths that are announced. My husband reminds me of Miss Marple, as he always reads aloud the obituaries to check if we knew so and so.

We subscribe only to the Sunday paper and check the daily news online in our home.  Even the local “fish wrapper”- as my husband calls the weekly market paper is online- but of course one cannot wrap fish in a digital newspaper.

One must admit the experience of reading a real newspaper is different than reading the digital version.  No crackling and rustling sounds as pages are turned and paper folded and refolded,  no crossword to be filled in with a pencil, no sales papers spilling out on the floor, no hands blackened with the ink, no handy papers to crumple when starting a fire or packing a box,  no grabbing of a newspaper for a makeshift umbrella in a pinch…  I sound as old and nostalgic as Miss Marple herself.

Today I wondered what kind of Christmas cards Miss Marple would have chosen to send to her friends and family.

Perhaps she would have liked this vintage card- steeped in English Christmastime tradition and a charming portrayal of the stirring of the Christmas Pudding on the last Saturday before Advent.

In England, a pudding is not like the American custard dessert.  Christmas Pudding is closely related to a fruitcake. It is famously described in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.