You know, I really should have predicted this would happen. I’ve been going on almost-weekly adventures with this woman, and by now I should know by now not to open my mouth around her. Case in point: we were idly browsing a favourite thrift store prior to embarking on a soggy beach walk, and I happened to notice a cook book that I used to own, placed on a table right at the front of the store. This book DID NOT – I repeat – DID NOT make the cut when I was packing for my move to the island. Seeing it in the thrift store, I had a momentary failing weakness flood of nostalgia as I gazed upon its cover – recalling flipping through it during many a Christmas Past. I remember looking for inspiration or maybe it was just an escape from the chaos that was that season at my house what with 2 young children, no money, an insufferable monster-in-law, and an unsupportive spouse. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget rampant consumerism and commercialization spoiling the season too...
Is it any surprise that my formerly insane love of this holiday got permanently squashed like a creepy bug on the bathroom floor?
Anywho…there I go digressing AGAIN. The point of my story (and this post) is that I resisted re-buying this book even though the store clerk was helpfully pointing out that it was ONLY A DOLLAR and YET somehow, someway I ended up leaving the store with this book…thanks to Donna sneakily adding it to her purchase and immediately thrusting it into my hands! I pretended to be exasperated with her (how can anyone be pissed at Donna though, really?) but secretly I was looking forward to paging through the book once more…
The book was just as wonderful and aspirational/inspirational as I remembered it. Here is the only recipe that I recall actually trying.
As I was flipping through the book, I kept finding pieces of paper stuck between the pages. Like these: not 1, but 2 printed copies of some woman’s fruitcake recipe.
One copy of the recipe was stuck between these 2 pages, see photo below. This recipe looks good too.
And then I found this piece of paper: a couple of recipes cut out from a newspaper.
But the most surprising find of all? Not a piece of paper but this recipe:
Can we take a moment to remember last Christmas’s Black Forest Trifle kerfuffle? Here is the link. Now I have the source recipe once again, it seems.
But I don’t want to attempt it again this year. The wounds are yet too fresh. However, I have been thinking about making a fruit cake (again). Those wounds have healed over, apparently. Remember this near-disaster, also from last year?
Readers, I need your help (and your votes). The poll will close on November 30th. Help a badass out, will ya?
Thank you, Donna! I may curse your name later but for now I am really happy you ignored my babblings about how I was not going to buy this damn book again, and instead bought it for me.
Rock on,
The WB
