[Magdalen] Christmas Baking.

[cantor03 at aol.com]

My partner did some empanadas last night, and I must confess they were very tasty.  I evenhad one for breakfast this morning. The half moon shape of these reminds me of the Christmasbaking in the Upper Midwest USA.  This because my mother made a Christmas cookie filledwith dates and folded over for baking, and look much the same as an empanada.of Caribbean
origin.

All the women and a few men do a lot of Christmas cookies and other baking.  I can't rememberall the names for my mother's cookie production, but it was  a real part of the Christmas experienceto see all this baking going on.

In addition to the half moon date cookies, mother did various sugar cookies, the sandbakkalsin the shape of a sunburst with that characteristic cardamom flavor and aroma, and my favorite,the Krumkake, the delicately thin rolled treat, plus several other date cookies.  Also her specialKransekage that towered a couple of feet and was always bedecked with dozens of smallNorwegian flags.  There was also Julekage, a sort of hearty break studded inside and outwith citron, candied cherries, and other candied fruit.  Other European cultures had thissame sort of bread,  I know the Germans did.

The good ladies of my home town all used to make rosette cookies, but everyone eventuallyrealized that Mrs. Chris Thompsen's rosettes were superior, and so they all just bought themfrom her.  I notice, reading the home town obituaries, she just died at 104.''My mother made rommegrot (Norwegian Cream Pudding) at Christmastime, but I located afarm lady in Eau Claire who made this treat well, and she hand delivered it to the clinic whereI worked.  The employees, heavily of Norwegian ancestry always got a charge out of thisfarm woman marching into the clinic, holding aloft her rommegrot as though she were transportingthe English Royal Crown.

I wish I could have a sampling of my mother's cookies!


David Strang.