Famous last words: Have a stress-free holiday

Published 9:58 pm Monday, December 26, 2022

During the holiday weeks before New Year’s, I found myself opting to save a little time and rework one of my earlier yuletide food articles.

Ironically, I came upon one I wrote a few years ago advising readers to slow the holiday pace and bake a cake from scratch.

Obviously, I haven’t taken my own advice, as I contemplate the thought of making my own fruitcake cookies or continue in my search to find the one with the authentic taste that I remember.

The process of baking from scratch is one way to slow down and take a breather for the more organized person who can make a list of needed ingredients and carve out the necessary baking time.

As we noted during the days of the Covid quarantine, bread-making became popular in many kitchens and the concentration needed for the methodical process seemed to relieve the stress of the long days.

Another bonus of baking from scratch is that it is less expensive, with basic ingredients such as flour, sugar and eggs being household staples. Some recipes can also be divided for multiple gift-giving.

Baking from scratch is healthier since all the ingredients in the recipe are known, and there are no hidden preservatives.

The homemade treat can be made more nutritious with the addition of other ingredients, such as applesauce, in place of sugar. Most rewarding, though, is the satisfaction derived from giving something of one’s own creation.

Baked from scratch homemade gifts also bring with them fond memories of Christmases past. The fruitcake cookies and white layer cakes with seven-minute frosting of my late mother-in-law and mom were always a part of our Christmas deserts.

Many other grateful recipients in our community will remember the 7 Up cakes baked for gifts and church sales by the late Mrs. Olevia Simon Jackson. Mrs. Jackson was the daughter of the late A.B. Simon, and wife of the late Rev. Dr. Cyrus Jackson, long-time pastor of Star Pilgrim Baptist Church in New Iberia.

This inspiring woman, whom I was fortunate to meet several years ago, was an educator in the Iberia Parish School System. After raising four children, she returned to serve her community as Director of food services for the Head Start tri-parish areas of St. Martinville, New Iberia, Jeanerette, and Patoutville for 24 years. Her talent in baking delicious 7 Up cakes became well known among her friends and at church sales, and those receiving one of her cakes felt blessed indeed.

As we continue to celebrate this holy season, take the time to slow the pace and give a gift from the heart. Whether it is in a homemade baked delicacy, or in the gift of time spent with loved ones, the result will yield treasured memories for years to come.

The following recipes are for the traditional 7 Up Cake, and one of my own time-honored holiday cookies, Russian Rocks. Here’s hoping your holidays are as sweet as these Christmas favorites!

7 Up Cake

3 sticks of butter, softened

3 cups of flour

3 cups of sugar

5 eggs

2 Tbsp. lemon extract

¾ cup of 7 Up

Cream butter and sugar together for 20 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time.

Add flour gradually, and then add lemon extract.

Fold 7 Up into batter and pour into well-greased 12 cup bunt pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let stand in pan for 5-8 minutes and turn out onto plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Recipe taken from the cookbook Diamond Jubilee Gems for Elegant Entertaining, distributed by the National Baptist Women’s Convention in 1976.

Russian Rock Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 ½ sticks of butter

2 large eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ cup hot water

1 (15-oz.) box dark raisins (2 ½ cups)

2 cups flour

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

4 ½ cups pecans (coarsely chopped)

With an electric mixer, cream sugar, butter and eggs together until light and creamy.

Combine baking soda with hot water and set aside.

Combine flour, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice and add to sugar mixture, a little at a time.

Beat in dissolved baking soda.

Stir in raisins and pecans and mix well with batter.

Drop by teaspoons (the size of large walnuts), onto a greased cookie sheet, lightly mounding the dough if necessary.

Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 10-12 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. Cool cookies on wire rack.

Makes approximately 8 dozen cookies

CATHERINE WATTIGNY embraces the “jour de vivre” as a wife, mother and grandmother, inspired by her prior nursing experience with a new focus on good mental health for all.