As the holiday season approached I begin to think about my own childhood. The years my mom and I would get into the car and drive the 24 hours from Baltimore, Maryland to Davenport, Iowa to see my Grandpa George and Grandma Anna. The times we would share. I remember the spare bedroom at their house. In it you would find the exercise bike, a bed, and some other little pieces of furniture. The closet had my mom's record player and her kid records that I would listen to. But was magical was what sat on that spare bed. For a month before the holiday's my Grandpa would begin baking. Two main things he made every year was Fruit Cake and Springerli Cookies. I remember loving his fruit cake and how "drunk" we use to say the cake was. My Grandpa would wrape the cake up in a clothe soaked in wine or brandy and change the towel every few days. This was done a month a head of time, so by the time you cut the cake is was well flavored.
Then there were these tins and tins and plastic containers full of Springerli Cookies. This hard anise flavored cookies were like heaven. These cookies were a family tradition that my Grandfather said came from German. We would eat some for breakfast, lunch, dinner it did not matter. Any excuse to open a container and take some cookies was good.
So last year I asked my mom if could use my Grandpa George's Springerli molds and have a copy of his recipe and give it a shot. And you know I think Grandpa was looking down from heaven with a big smile on his face. Well this year the tradition continues and I hope again he is smiling from heaven.
Maybe we will try to make the Fruit cake this year too? Who knows...only time will tell.
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