Let’s get this party started:
[This was, originally, a Pandemic Project. We all spent the 2020 holiday season in isolation. I asked my immediate family members to contribute suggestions for movies, songs, recipes, memories, and even travel fantasies appropriate to the holidays, whatever your religious affliction. In the years since, the tradition has been maintained, although it was morphed into a smorgasbord that is as varied as it is delicious. Now we open the doors to all citizens of The Jungle. Pick and choose, fill your plates, buckle up, and share with us! SB SM]
Silverbuck Jake Morris has curated a playlist of holiday tunes, kicking it off with Keb’ Mo’. Christmas is a religious holiday? No one told Keb’ …
Hannah Kim (Morris) has planned an itinerary:
To celebrate the end of this most-unusual year, we’re embarking on a 12-day world tour on our own Magic Sleigh. It’s all-expenses-paid, COVID-free, and best of all, there’s no jet lag!
Our first stop is as close to the North Pole as we’ll get: Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in Lapland, the northernmost region in Finland. Here, we’ll stay in individual glass igloos so we can watch the Northern Lights as we fall asleep. Enjoy the sauna and sleep well, my friends, for new adventures wait for us tomorrow!
Hungry? Silverbelle Sandy starts us off with something sweet and savory:
GINGERBREAD … THE SWEETEST SMELL OF CHRISTMAS
The comforting scents of Chrismas – a freshly cut tree, smoldering logs in the fireplace, hot chocolate warming on the stove, and the enveloping aroma of gingerbread baking in the oven.
After experimenting with several recipes through the years, I adopted Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s classic for a moist, dark, and spicy gingerbread that is not too sweet. The addition of black pepper to enhance other spices is a historic hook that works.
- 2 cups minus 2 tbls unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 generous tsp baking soda
- ½ generous tsp salt
- 1 tbls ground ginger
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp fresh-ground black pepper
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup mild or dark molasses
- ¾ cup very hot water (190’F)
- 1/3 tight-packed cup dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- whipped cream for serving
- crushed candy canes (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour an 8-inch square, metal pan.
In a medium bow, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, molasses, hot water, and brown sugar. When the mixture is almost frothy, beat in the egg, and gradually add the flour mixture. Stir until thoroughly blended, but no more.
Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
For a moist gingerbread, cool it in the pan on a wire rack. For a drier consistency, cool the gingerbread in the pan for 10 minutes; then turn it out of the pan and set it on the rack to cool.
Serve warm if possible, with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream. At Christmas time, I sprinkle crushed candy canes over the whipped cream for a festive look and flavor.
Don’t forget to eat this for breakfast. Gingerbread is even better the day after it is baked.
Feeling Silly? … Patrick Morris will keep it that way
And finally, this year’s greeting card from The Parsonage. Sandy and I pose in front of the Gilead apple tree in front of the house:
