Loading...
The Rural Voice, 1988-12, Page 62MRS. O'RYAN'S PILLOW FACTORY AND FURNITURE WAREHOUSE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Recliners $169.00 PALMERSTON 165 Main St. 519-343-3050 WALKERTON 106 Colborne St. 519-881-1207 Durham Welding Supplies Ltd. • Canadian Liquid Air cutting & welding equipment • Miller arc welders • Gases • Wires • Electrodes for Dependable Weekly Delivery Call: Durham Welding Supplies Ltd. A. UMW AM' DISTAIMMOM .- oarnwrraM Dutham, Ont. 519-369-3546 1-800-265-3885 Serving the welding industry since 1952 60 THE RURAL VOICE RURAL LIVING MAKING THE MOST OF CHRISTMAS by Rhea Hamilton -Seeger Christmas is coming, The goose is getting fat, Please put a penny in the old man's hat, If you haven't got a penny, A ha' penny will do. If you haven't got a ha' penny, May God bless you. C hristmas has to be the one time of the year when gen- erosity becomes the norm instead of the rule. Our holiday customs reflect this spirit. But have you noticed that as you get busier and busier some of those customs seem to lose their beauty and a fraction of their meaning? So much family life today revolves around parents working out of the home and, with the Christmas rush, many put in overtime to buy the extra toys the kids are dreaming about. I have noticed that many maga- zines are offering simple holiday gift ideas and recipes. But it still comes down to the old crunch: who has the time? I remember as a child spending a whole morning in November helping my mother quarter candied cherries, slice glazed pineapple into fine bits, and chop all the nuts for the magnif- icent fruit cake. Aromas from the oven for weeks prior to the Big Day would draw the season out and create even more excitement. Shortbreads and fruit cakes had to be made weeks in advance in order to ripen. Fudge candies were made later and stored in tins in the fruit cellar until fancy plates were set out for company. I can't suggest ways of rearrang- ing your time to accommodate all the festive baking, but I can offer a simple recipe that will make even your mother believe that you are handling the hectic season well and finding time to cook some of the traditional recipes. This fruit cake can be made in 15 minutes and can be eaten the next day. Sliced thinly and held to a window it will remind you of the colourful stained glass windows of a church. If has no peel, but you could quite easily add some for you own delight. BRAZIL NUT FRUIT CAKE Put into a large bowl: • 2 cups brazil nuts, whole or coarsely chopped • 1 1/2 cups whole cherries (1 pound) • 1 1/2 cups diced glazed pineapple rings (pkg. of 4) 1