Irene Nickerson's Light Fruit Cake (Christmas Cake)

3 cups golden raisins
2 cups slivered blanched almonds
1 cup candied cherries (red or green)
8 oz (4 rings) candied pineapple slices, cut up
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Combine fruit above and toss with the flour so fruit pieces do not stick together

1 cup butter  (not margarine)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond flavouring
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

orange liqueur (Cointreau or Triple Sec) or orange juice for later after baked.

Prepare cake pan 8x8x3 or 9 in tube pan or 2 9x5 loaf pans (my choice is the loaf)
Grease and line with 2 layers brown paper (greasing with Crisco was the traditional choice) Irene's old recipe says to use "2 brown Safeway grocery bags".

Method
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Beat in flavourings (almond and vanilla)
Combine remaining flour (21/4 cups) and baking powder and salt.
Blend in alternately with milk.
Add floured fruit and mix thoroughly (recipe says use wooden spoon and also do by hand)

Bake at 275 degrees for 2-21/2 hours.  Bake in a pan of water. 

Brush with liqueur. Poke holes with tooth picks.  Do this four or five times.  Wrap in wax paper  and foil.

Put away.

The bottom photo is the wedding picture of my parents John and Irene Nickerson in 1949. The top photo of them about 35 years later.

Grandma Forstrom's Rye Bread

I watched Grandma make this bread many many times. Note that there are areas of the recipe that call for experience or judgement. "work flour in until the right consistency" is an example. No info on how long to let rise or how long to bake!  Need to check the Joy of Cooking for basic bread baking info I guess.

Leavening:
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
sprinkle 1 pkg yeast and let rise 10 minutes

Mix:
1 qt skim milk (warm)
1/2 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. molasses
2 tsp salt

Add:
1 heaping cup rye flour
2 cups white flour

Stir in the yeast mixture

Add about 6 cups flour--1/2 cup at a time--beating it in
Put 2 or 3 cups flour on the board
Drop dough on board and work flour into right consistency
(total about 12 cups of flour)

Put in bowl to rise--punch down
shape into loaves
rise again


Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour.

The first photo is of four generations of Forstrom women. I (Mary Lou) and the baby (born 1951). I am with my mother Irene Nickerson, my grandmother Olga Forstrom, and my greatgrandmother Mathilda Persson. The second photo includes my grandfather William Forstrom. The final photo is of my grandparents, Olga and William, likely on their anniversary.