TIME FOR DESSERTS

This is the time that I allow myself to indulge in desserts. My winter holiday season starts now and runs through the middle of January. It starts with my birthday and ends with another birthday. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's are sandwiched in between my private celebrations.

I have been dreaming of the desserts and candies of my childhood. The female descendants of the Swedish and German settlers of Sully County, South Dakota are great cooks. The bake sale was a regular fund raising event.

I can close my eyes and see the upper rooms of Blaine School, full of people, cakes, pies, cookies, candies, all home made. I can almost taste the divinity (without nuts, of course). Rum balls were made with real rum. If you could not make flaky home made pie crust, you brought something else. The German chocolate cake was a favorite of many. I just ate as much divinity as I could get away with.

We lost something when we got liberated.

I am pleased to see the SLOW COOKING movement involve both men and women with the cooking of fine food. I am sorry that eggs, butter, and whipped cream are now considered heath risks.

Most of all, I miss home made divinity.