Wednesday 28 October 2009

Words for a Wednesday . . .



Once upon a time a man named Bill was on his knees in his garden weeding, as a friend passed by.

"Why don't you take the hoe to them, Bill?" His friend called out. "It would be a lot less work."

Bill looked up, gave him a wave, and replied. "Weeds are like bad habits, " he called out. "You've got to pull them right out by the roots. Leave anything of them and they'll soon grow again worse than ever!"

With that, he held up a weed, root and all. "Look," he said. "That's the only way to treat a weed . . . or a bad habit."

Wise advice today from a gardening friend.



What a beautiful day we had down here in Kent yesterday. The sun was shining and the temperatures were soaring. I do believe we are having Indian Summer. It is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of October and in to November. They were just saying on the telly last evening that normal temps for this time of year are closer to zero than the 20's that we are experiencing. I have a feeling though that it won't last for long, so we'll just enjoy it whilst we can!



My son . . . my baby . . . he leaves on Sunday for Basic Training for the Canadian Military. This is a picture of Bruce being sworn in yesterday afternoon. This is a tender sweet time for a mama. On the one hand . . . I am so very proud of him and his desire to serve his country . . . and yet on the other, he is my baby and I am a bit afraid of what the future may hold for him . . . Afghanistan? Iraq? I'll just have to keep him upheld in prayer and the Lord's hands as I have had to do these past ten years. It was ten years ago this Halloween, that I was able to take him "Trick or Treating" for the very last time. I can remember that it was a very cold night, and the ground was frosty and hard beneath our feet. His father and I had only recently separated, and this was one of the last few things his father let me do with him. Since then, he has grown into a fine young man and my moments with him have been few and far between. I hope that he knows that I love him very much, and that I wish things could have been different for him and me. I never got to finish bringing him up, and my heart aches for that loss at times. Most of the time, I am able to put it out of my mind, but it is at times like these that I find it a bit hard . . . oh well, we do our best and all that we can, right?

My Todd loves fruitcake. If you bake a cake and fill it with raisins, he is right there. This recipe is an oldie from my Big Blue Binder. I am going to have to do a volume 2 one day soon as I have ever so many more recipes to share. It's called a Cut and Come Again cake . . . and I expect that is because it is so good that you will want to cut a second piece and devour it soon after the first!!! It's that good!!



*Cut and Come Again Cake*
Makes 1 9-inch round cake
(Use a deep pan)

This is much lighter than a fruit cake and filled with a variety of delicious fruits and nuts. It's like what they would call a farmhouse fruit cake over here I suppose. This is an oldie from my Big Blue Binder. You can vary the fruit. Today for instance, I used a mixture of dried cherries and cranberries instead of the candied fruit, and most of the currants. (I ran out of currants)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 TBS molasses
1 rounded tsp baking powder
1 cup hot water
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants
1/2 cup mixed candied fruit (cherries, pineapple, etc.)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1/4 tsp almond extract



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Grease and flour a 9 inch round deep cake tin very well. Set aside.

Cream the butter together with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, molasses and extracts. Stir together the flour, baking powder, fruit and nuts. Fold this mixture into the creamed mixture along with the hot water, until the batter is smooth. Spread into the prepared pan.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Let sit in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in a tightly covered container. This is one of those cakes that tastes better as each day goes by!!



I'm baking bread today over in The English Kitchen.

Psst - I had my sewing machine out yesterday afternoon . . . I'll have something real pretty to show you on that front real soon! Oh, and my rubber stamp should be out within the next week as well! (exciting times!)

11 comments:

  1. I can imagine how difficult it must be to see your son with what is ahead of him. Here in Canada our soldiers are looked up to; brave young people. I will have a special prayer for you and him.
    Rita

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  2. Bless you, Marie... Thinking about you so much as your son goes out to be a soldier. May he be safe and protected wherever he goes... prayers going out to him. :o) LOVE today's cake... that's just up our street too--the more chock with fruit the better! Just dropping in to say hi...it's been a nutty week. Now Charlie lost his collar--again--have to go get a new one today... oh, my...LOL! So sorry to have missed you for a chat so far this week. I checked for you on MSN yesterday but didn't see you on at the same time. Oh, well...soon! LOVE YOU HEAPS, dearest friend :o) ((BIG HUGS))

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  3. It must be so difficult not knowing what lays ahead, I can't find the words I need to tell you how I feel for you right now. Your son is brave beyond belief.

    Thank you for that recipe. I have English family and my grandmother was a pastry chef in Yorkshire. But I don't have her recipes. For years I have wondered about cut and come again cake and leafy cake. At least I now know one recipe.

    Have a blessed day.

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  4. Marie I know how you must hurt for the lost chances to have finished raising your son. What a very difficult thing to have endured.

    As he grows older perhaps he will understand why it had to be. I pray that the miracles associated with the atonement will heal your heart, lift you up, and make you feel whole. We can rise above our deep pains in life but only with a hand up from the Savior. In the end all will be made right~for now we all need the 2nd comforter to get by. May you be encircled in that comfort whenever this pain surfaces in the days ahead. If only this crazy world would take a break from the wars. May God bless your boy on his way! And you as you keep that unconditional love for him in your heart.

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  5. Good morning, Marie! Oh, your story just touched my heart--I can't imagine what that would feel like. You're a very strong woman! Thank-you for sharing this. The cake looks amazing (as do all of your recipes!) I'll have to try that. I like the idea of using dried fruits rather than the candied fruits--great idea! Going to head over to your Kitchen blog to see your bread!
    I'm not in Utah, but in California--would love to be in Utah, though! My parents are, as is my eldest daughter, who's at BYU right now!
    Thanks, as always, for visiting me and for your kind words!

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  6. Sweet friend I have no doubt at all that you really did your best and what a handsome young man he is.

    Now, I am praying that he get stationed in Shiloh, Manitoba. How does that sound for you.

    You have every right to be proud.

    Love Renee xoxo

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  7. Your come again cake looks so good..I could eat a ton of that with a cup of hot chocolate!
    Your son looks like a good son..God be with him as he goes to serve...and hold no regrets...just go forward loving!
    Come say hi :D

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  8. How proud you must be of your tall, handsome son. I will be adding my prayers to yours for his safety. I love the name of your cake today and as always wish I could just taste it without putting out the effort of making it! Enjoy that nice weather while you can. we are experiencing early winter here. Have a great day!

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  9. Your cake looks wonderful! I'm sure your son knows you love him.

    And that first picture cracks me up!

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  10. Hi Marie,
    I can imagine how concerned you are for Bruce, and I'm sure he knows how proud you are of him, and rightly so!
    I have made Cut and Come Again cake for years although mine doesn't have as many ingredients in as yours, I've never put cranberries in for instance.
    I bought some dried cranberries the other day to put into some Christmas biscuits, I made some last year and all I have to do now is to find the recipe again!!Love to you and Tod! ~~ Pat xx

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  11. You must be proud of your son. He will be in my prayers for his safety. Your cake sounds delightful as all your recipes do! I chose you for the stylish blogger award on my page so to accept it you must visit my page and follow along if you like. Thanks!

    Christina B.
    http://freshbrewedeverymorning.blogspot.com

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