Recipes blend sweet and tart tastes

smcclanahan

I seem to be hopping from event to event these days. All weekend we just ran from one thing to another. But the highlight of the weekend was spending the better part of the day on the new bridge. Having grown up in McClure, Ill., where my parents still live, we crossed the bridge every day, often several times a day. The bridge has been an important part of my life.

Our children were so excited about "Grandma and Grandpa's new bridge," Lexie even wrote to President Bush to come and walk across it with her. So now that all of that excitement is over, we turn our attention back to Christmas.

My mother has always used her old family recipe for date cakes to keep a strong tradition going in our family. Every year she makes several loaves and gives them as gifts, as well as letting the family enjoy them. After they are baked, they will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. During Christmas, she sometimes adds drained maraschino cherries to add some color.

Old German Date Cake

1 pound pitted dates

2 cups water

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

4 tablespoons butter

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups whole or broken pecans

Bring to a boil: 1 pound dates and 2 cups water, reduce heat and just simmer for 2 to 3 minutes over low heat. Turn heat off and add baking soda. Stir in and set aside. Cream together brown sugar, eggs and margarine. To this creamed mixture add alternately the flour and salt and the date mixture. Lastly, add the vanilla and stir in pecans. Bake in 2 9-by-4-by-3-inch loaf pans, greased and floured, at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until done. Turn out onto a cooling rack. When completely cool, wrap well and store until ready to serve. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator to keep fresh. This also freezes very well.

Our friend and the kindergarten teacher to both of our children, Leasa Maxfield, makes Cranberry Fluff each year for the class dinner. It is so good and the children love it with the sweetness of the marshmallows and the tartness of the cranberries.

Leasa's Cranberry Fluff

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups cranberries, ground

2 cups miniature marshmallows

3/4 cup red unpeeled tart apples, chopped

1 cup green grapes, halved

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 package Dream Whip

In a bowl, combine the sugar, cranberries and marshmallows. Stir together, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, add the apple pieces, grapes, nuts and salt. Stir well to combine. Prepare the package of Dream Whip according to package directions, or substitute Cool Whip. Fold into salad before serving.

Another dear friend Cheryl Mothes adds enjoyment to the holiday when she makes her easy, but delicious Cranberry Orange Cake. The cake serves about 20 at her house, but not near that many at ours.

Cranberry Orange Cake

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup mayonnaise

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1/3 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon orange extract

1 cup chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl, except for the pecans. Mix well, then fold in the nuts. Bake in a greased and floured decorative tube pan for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Glaze with orange juice and powdered sugar mixture. Store tightly covered to keep moist.

An excellent volunteer for the Cape Senior Center and my friend Lorene Wood makes a delicious Orange Slice Cake. She has made it for me a couple of times and it is delicious. The combination of the dates, orange slices and coconut is just fabulous.

Orange Slice Cake

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons orange zest

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 1/2 cups flour (add to milk)

1 pound orange slice candies, cut up

8 ounces pitted dates

2 cups pecans

2 cups coconut

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

For the glaze:

1 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoon orange zest

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Combine the flour and the buttermilk. Add remaining ingredients except nuts and the glaze ingredients to the cake batter. Fold in nuts. Heat oven to a slow 300 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan. Pour batter in and bake for 1 hour and 50 minutes. Remove from oven when done. While cake is still hot, combine the glaze ingredients of orange juice, sugar and zest in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over cake and allow it to soak up the glaze. Turn out onto serving platter.

Over the holiday season we have to have hot cider a time or two to warm up and have the aroma fill the house. There are as many recipes floating around as there are people to consume it. But this one is the one I keep coming back to.

Hot Apple Punch

2 quarts apple juice

2 quarts pineapple juice

1 quart orange juice

1 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon cloves

1 cinnamon stick

Sugar to taste

Orange slices, to float in punch in pan

Combine all ingredients in a large pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and serve piping hot.

Another one of my favorite recipes for a cookie tray is the Sugar Plum cookie. As you can tell from the past several recipes, I love dates. Around Christmas is the only time I really think to purchase dates. I should spread it out over several months instead of enjoying them in only a few short weeks.

Sugar Plums

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

48 whole pitted dates

2 pounds pecans halves

Cream shortening and sugar, salt and vanilla. Add eggs. Combine flour and baking powder and mix with milk. This mixture will be thick and creamy. Open date and stuff with pecan half, roll in the batter and toss coated dates in fluffy ground pecans. Place on a lightly sprayed baking sheet. Bake on top rack of oven 15 to 18 minutes at 375 degrees.

As usual, I had pulled several more recipes from my files, but am out of room for this week. I hope you can find time in your busy holiday schedule to enjoy one or more of our favorite Christmas recipes.

Have a wonderful week and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.