Sunday, the 21st was Stir Up Sunday; from the Anglican Common Book of Prayer: "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people".& I made my Christmas cake as tradition dictates.
Although not a moan, just an observation; the supply chain break has affected baking supplies. No where in my 25 kilometer radius was citrus peel to be found, & I got the last scoop of red & green candied cherries.
My
baking supply store tells me that getting many of the usual
Christmas baking needs this year has been in minimal quantities or not
at all. And to make matters worse, the mud slides & flooding on the
west coast of Canada (British Columbia) much of the supplies of anything
coming in to their ports, will be delayed coming east, until roads & rails can be re-built, and/or fixed.
This year's Christmas cake recipe had some free fall adjustments; instead of citrus peel, I upped the amount of candied pineapple chunks, & there's two extra scoops of mixed fruit peel instead of the required amounts of cherries. Just for good measure I added in an extra slog of Grand Marnier ! It can't hurt.
And my parting thought for the day is; Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes; small, large, circle, square, thin crust, thick crust, stuffed crust, extra toppings …
Sounds like you have made some tasty adjustments to compensate for the few things you couldn't get! I seem to be hearing the words 'distribution problems' a lot at the moment.
ReplyDeleteDistribution disruption & supply chain breakdown are now two phrases I hear often. I know, first world problems of the 21st century. These last 2 years have fast become lessons of what is necessary in life. I for one, think I have written a test & done well. :)
DeleteI think you know what you are doing, and it will turn out well.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It looks good & now it is wrapped & ready to start its weekly booze feeding until December 19th when it shall be shared :)
DeleteI haven't made a Christmas cake in years and I always skipped the need for candied peel!
ReplyDeleteI was going to skip the making of the cake this year, but a lady at church requested some, she'd had some of mine at the after service coffee in 2019. It was such a compliment I couldn't resist. When I took the cake out of the oven it looked the same as previous years & we do eat with our eyes. (lol).
DeleteThat's really lovely that she remembered your cake and enjoyed it so much that she hoped for a repeat! It looks very tasty from the picture in the recipe book. I hope you will be pleased with the results, and that she enjoys it as much as she recalls, even if you had to improvise a little.
DeleteI think this lady from church is feeling very lonely, so it's her way of reaching out & be noticed. I am only too glad to do my bit. I'll do some more baking of cookies closer to the 19th when I deliver the cake, I'll make a plate of other treats up for her & I must remember to get a treat for her beloved little dog.
DeleteI've always picked up store-bought fruitcake for Christmas and have never tried to make one. I admire you for adjusting to the supply issues.
ReplyDeleteMaking Christmas cake & pudding are the way I try to stay connected to my memories of my Gran & Mom. Stirring the cake is hard work! (lol). Store bought cake is usually dark & I don't like, also it has way too much sugar in them. Making mine own I can reduce the amount of sugar - the candied fruits add enough (IMO) sweetness. Usually the recipe makes two cakes, 1/2 I keep the rest I give away.
DeleteIt's bound to be good ... that extra glug of Grand Marnier will make all the difference x
ReplyDeletean extra splash of GM certainly will add to the enjoyment of the cake. I am so tempted to slice a bit now, but it does need to be aged & receive the weekly wash of extra GM :)
DeleteI would bet the "extra slog" would have a high probability of compensating for all other shortcomings you might fret about.
ReplyDeleteI am most hopeful that the extra slog blends all the flavours together so no one notices no citrus peel (col). And thankfully Christmas cake is one of those desserts that most people only need a little piece, so not much to go on ...
DeleteMy husband would definitely be in favor of the extra Grand Marnier! A friend went to Wegmans (our best grocery stores) this morning and was shocked to find all kinds of shelves empty. I went on Friday (to avoid Thanksgiving week) and the only thing I couldn't find were Hershey's almond kisses. We've since been to two drugstores and another grocery store to no avail. (They are a favorite after dinner treat!) I'm thinking the supply chain is going to make a lot of things much more difficult to find. (Oh, and Uncle Ben's Original Wild Rice---can't be found in Wisconsin or here in Rochester!) Another favorite.
ReplyDeleteOh Hershey's almond kisses are quite tasty & Uncle Ben's wild rice makes for a good stuffing base. I wonder whether a distribution problem or that they are just SO popular. Out in BC because of the flooding, people are panic hoarding again. I wonder if it will get worse before Christmas or better. I think I'll be planning for a plan B dinner plan, just in case.
DeleteYour parting quote had me giggling. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteah pizza the MOST perfect food in the world, IMO. I think that is the take out food I have missed the most inspite of being able to get the make at home.
DeleteYour cake mixture looks wonderful and I'm sure the finished cake will taste great! I used to make Christmas cake, back when my mother was alive. My daughter doesn't care for Christmas cake (she doesn't like the glace cherries or candied peel) so I don't make it, anymore. We make a different type of cake that we both enjoy, instead. :)
ReplyDeleteI think Christmas fruit cake is either you love or hate. I'm not a fan of dark or chocolate fruit cake. I also make a really light white fruit cake that doesn't need fermenting time. But yes when celebrating always go with what makes you smile & if you like fruit cake maybe a neighbour will heed your need (lol).
DeleteI suppose I could always make a small one for myself or do as you do and share. :)
Delete