# Fruit cake season...



## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

Best fruit cake ever .. I used rum.. made 19 cakes .. comfort food ... with a cup of tea.



















This cute lady makes them too...


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## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

http://www.youtube.com/attribution_...vlVvv8&feature=share&a=4VYAK66dDHqfbFWxwmRD9A


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Wasn't paying attention to the part of the forum I was going to as I clicked links in the New threads sorter. Thought this would be a post about all the weirdos we seem to have picked up lately. Anyway have to point this out to the wife she is a huge baking pastry chef might just be a good hook to get her hanging out here a lil bit. Not really a big fan of fruit cake but danged if you havent got me wanting a slab of it maybe with some butter on it


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## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

LOL... I had always hated fruit cake until my stepmother gave me hers.. I had never tasted anything like this fruit cake... I don't know if it was the aged booze soaked thing or that it was so full of the normally yuk fruit but soaked with the booze... I am not a drinker .. but this was the best cake I ever had and in winter I like tea... anyway this to me is an emergency cake.. LOL winter storm grid down you name it fruit cake. I don't know how good butter would be ... it doesn't seem to go with all the fruit ... BUT I will try it .. in a month when it is ready to take out of the cool dark place.... LOL and let you know. And I am always looking for things to put butter on... Just recently I ran out of half and half for our coffee.. we had milk .. but that just isn't good enough.. so I put a little milk and a small pat of BUTTER... IT WAS PERFECT... LOL


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I made some fruit cake from a recipe in an old cook book last year, was pretty good, I'll post it when I dig it up again.

I was curious about all the stories of fruit cake lasting forever so I vacuum sealed one of them last November, put it on a shelf(no refrigeration) then opened and tasted it every month since. Besides tasting a little stale, it was still pretty good when I cut it and handed it out at at the Texas Meet-Up a couple weeks ago.

Came to the conclusion fruit cakes are like Twinkies, will probably last forever.


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## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

Was it preserved in liquor? That is what I think that keeps it ... edible ... I used 3/4 gallon in the 19 cakes... LOL


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

faithmarie said:


> Was it preserved in liquor? That is what I think that keeps it ... edible ... I used 3/4 gallon in the 19 cakes... LOL


No, I didn't use liquor, thats what surprised me about it keeping for so long. I think it was the fact that no levening was used so no air was inside the cake, the high fat content and it being vacuum sealed may be the reason it preserved so well.

I was going to keep the test going to see exactly how long it would last but I gave it all away at the Meet-Up. I'll start it over again this year and keep it going until either the cake is gone or its not fit to eat.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Davarm said:


> I made some fruit cake from a recipe in an old cook book last year, was pretty good, I'll post it when I dig it up again.


You buried it? Seems like they would last well enough that way, maybe wrap with wax paper first



faithmarie said:


> Was it preserved in liquor? That is what I think that keeps it ... edible ... I used 3/4 gallon in the 19 cakes... LOL


Darn, I want some of THAT cake:cheers: Grew up with Grandma's fruitcake then at some point it didn't seem so good, kinda artificial. Now sometimes I crave it :droolie: with LOTS of butter


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## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

Well that makes it a good stockpile comfort food then .. I think. I want to get tootsie rolls also.. They never go bad .. I believe ... weren't they made for the military? I am looking for sweet snaks that won't go bad easily.


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## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

Wow How have I missed butter on fruit cake all these years??? The bad fruit cakes .. even butter doesn't help... but now how and I going to wait a month to try this?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

faithmarie said:


> Well that makes it a good stockpile comfort food then .. I think. I want to get tootsie rolls also.. They never go bad .. I believe ... weren't they made for the military? I am looking for sweet snaks that won't go bad easily.


As for other comfort foods go, M&M's will almost last forever.

Wait a minute, what about tootsie rolls and M&M's in fruit cake?:laugh:


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

jsriley5 said:


> Thought this would be a post about all the weirdos we seem to have picked up lately.


I thought the same thing.  Glad to see it isn't.


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## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

What make you think I am not a weirdo? It is an all encompassing fruitcake thread..... :flower:

I love M&Ms .. I like the nut ones better.. yup a fruitcake and a nut... but the nuts would go rancid ... I may try the M&Ms in my next batch of fruit cakes... Thanks for the suggestion.....


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I have to admit, when I saw the title of this thread I thought maybe it's time for the pride parade in san francisco, lol. But that didn't seem like a topic about which you would start a thread. 

As a really little kid I remember we'd get these weird dark loaf looking things in the mail from my grandma every Christmas, and they'd sit around and never be eaten. I don't know what ever happened to them, but I do sort of wonder if my siblings and I will find them in dark corners when the time comes to clean out my parents' house to sell. 

Thanks for the info - the concept of fruitcake from my childhood is pretty ingrained by now, but maybe I'm starting to think of it a little differently.


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## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

LOL... Like I said .. I never liked it either .. and I thought that fruit cake was appropriate for today because we have one as president and people today are mostly fruitcakes and I am trying to take that concept and find something good in it LOL jk 

By the way ..if you JUST make the batter and put raisins...and nuts and candied ginger or plane ..it is really yummy! I suppose I am just so happy I found a person who has my stepmothers recipe.. 

It may be a fun science project for the family... LOL and if you find cake in a dark corner of the house .. and it has a lot of booze in it ... try it...


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*I've never met a fruit cake I liked, ever!*

Sorry, I am not meaning to derail your thread, but this is relavent to fruit cake.

The very first migraine I ever had was when I was around 13 years old, and ate some fruit cake with whipped cream. I got sick as a dog. I have never liked the stuff since. I couldn't even eat whipped cream for a few years. Vomiting, couldn't stand light, throbbing head, stabbing pain in my upper neck.

20+ years ago, I went to a headache doctor about my headaches. He said they were migraines. I didn't know that, just knew they were horrible, debilitating headaches.

What causes migraines? Mostly mold and foods created with an aging process. Mold can be invisible. For a long time I avoided any foods that were made with the aging process. What are they? Most alcoholic beverages, cured meats, many chocolates (more later), sour cream, many aged cheeses, red wine, vinegars, dried nuts (sometimes), dried fruits and msg. He told me that any food that has been in the refrigerator (something you've cooked, like a roast, casserole, soups, more) more than 5 days has mold. I actually am someone who really only allows food I've cooked about 2 days, rarely more than that.

The other thing that I learned is that if I ate something that might have mold, it can take up to 24 hours for the migraine to begin.

After learning all of this, it explained why I never really liked hot dogs and cold cuts. I have found dried apricots and many dried fruits a challenge. The dehydrating process has gotten better, I think, over the years, but dried fruits have always bothered me. Raisins - yuck!

Chocolate: there are a few ways that chocolate is processed and maybe some of you know this better than I. It seems, or at least I have been told, that in Latin American countries, cacao beans are put in a vat or trough and covered with water for a long period of time. These scum over with mold. The mold is periodically skimmed off. I honestly don't know how Belgian chocolate is made, but it and Dutch processed chocolate does not cause typically cause migraines, at least for me. Typically, Hershey chocolates give me migraines.

Back to fruitcake: If you think of the processing of the typical fruitcake, it is a cake that is laden with dried fruits and nuts, both potential migraine causers, soaked in alcohol (migraine causer), and allowed to age (migraine causer) until a time that deems the fruitcake done.

Does this mean that all of those things are bad and that I never eat them? No. I eat nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, ham, sausages. For a long time I was very careful, and then BAM, I would have a migraine, cause unknown.

Actually, if 9 out of 10 people have colds and are coughing, sneezing, blowing their noses, I will probably get a bad headache for a few days. That is how sickness manifests itself for me.

So what I figured out about migraines is that typical things for pain like Tylenol have little affect on mine. Many painkillers do not work for me. If I have a true migraine, aspirin products with acetaminophen (yes, Tylenol) and caffeine will work, if I take the right amount. Sometimes, I might wake up and know that 2 will not cut it for me. Sometimes 3 and rarely 4 are needed to abate the migraine. Two products are manufactured that have that combination, that work for me. One is Extra strength Excedrin and the other one is called Vanquish. Excedrin makes a migraine formula which has the identical ingredients as their Extra Strength product, but typically sells for a little more, $1.00 more at Sam's Club.

Enjoy your fruit cake!


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## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

Oh that is horrible... I am so sorry.. No fruit cake for you.... or anyone else that I know who has allergies ... I know 2 people who get migraines and end up in bed in a dark room. 

Peanut butter is also mold laden ... I try and buy Maranatha brand because they grow in New Mexico and that is a dryer climate.. 

I did not know that about chocolate .... 
Thank you for that information. I believe there is an epidemic of people having food allergies ... 

I know with wine I have to buy the kind without the tannic acid ... or natural wine.. I don't remember everything about the why.. but it is the only wine that won't give me a headache ..

My son in laws grandfather used to get migraines and a Chinese doctor told him to eat a piece of fresh ginger root everyday... He has not had a migraine in 15 years. 

I hope you never have a migraine again....


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## Halloween (Nov 24, 2012)

I have never ever eaten fruit cake
20+ years as a pro chef and I can honestly say I have avoided it. 
To many jokes and horror stories I guess
I can honestly say I m curious - a little


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Ginger*



faithmarie said:


> Oh that is horrible... I am so sorry.. No fruit cake for you.... or anyone else that I know who has allergies ... I know 2 people who get migraines and end up in bed in a dark room.
> 
> Peanut butter is also mold laden ... I try and buy Maranatha brand because they grow in New Mexico and that is a dryer climate..
> 
> ...


Faithmarie, thank you. I did watch the videos. Is that you in them?

Ginger is something that I have not eaten or cooked with much. I have seen recipes for ginger tea. Now I am intrigued. I will try it.

I am trying to grow some ginger in 2 pots now so I can have some if I want it later. It is a nice looking plant. I am also growing some turmeric, a cousin of ginger. It has a different look.

I have known a few people who have been in bed for days with migraines. I share what works for me in case others want to try it. At least 2 people no longer spend days in bed with migraines, they take the Excedrin or Vanquish. It is not 100%, but it makes the migraine bearable. Also, when a bottle of aspirin says take two tablets, we usually follow the directions. I just found that a third one makes all the difference sometimes.

Also, if anyone ever gets to Canada, you can buy aspirin with codeine in it over the counter without a prescription. It is called 222. It is good, but again, sometimes the prescribed 2 are not quite enough. I have a Canadian friend who tries to keep us stocked.


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## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

LOL No that is not me.... It is a lady I found on youtube that has the same recipe I was looking for and I likes her.. she is cute... nostalgic kind of... kind of old time ...

I love turmeric ... I make a drink with turmeric and tamarind honey and lemon..

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78

Promoting your immune system*
Helping you maintain your healthy digestive system*
Supporting your healthy bones, joints, and overall skeletal system*
Helping you maintain cholesterol levels that are already within the normal range*
Promoting your healthy blood and liver functions*Tamarind is a good source of antioxidants that fight against cancer. Tamarind contains carotenes, vitamin C, flavanoids and the B-vitamins

Tamarind protects against vitamin C deficiency
Tamarind reduces fevers and provides protection against colds
Tamarind helps the body digest food
Tamarind is used to treat bile disorders
Tamarind is a mild laxative
Tamarind lowers cholesterol
Tamarind promotes a healthy heart
Tamarind can be gargled to ease sore throat
Tamarind applied to the skin to heal inflammation

If you can grow these things ... that would be great!
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=72

Turmeric 
Ginger
Onions 
Garlic
Oregano 
These are s few of the things I always want in my house


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

faithmarie said:


> LOL No that is not me.... It is a lady I found on youtube that has the same recipe I was looking for and I likes her.. she is cute... nostalgic kind of... kind of old time ...
> 
> I love turmeric ... I make a drink with turmeric and tamarind honey and lemon..
> 
> ...


I have been on a search, a quest if you will, to have more variety in my food stores. I heard a question on tv, "Which is the healthiest food, Italian, Mexican, or Indian?" The answer is Indian due to the spices. Indian (Pakistani, Bangli, Sri Lankan) food has turmeric, ginger, onions, garlic, and tamarind, all spices or foods that are good for you.

Tumeric is supposed to have many health benefits. http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/20-health-benefits-of-turmeric.html



> Here are 20 health benefits of turmeric:
> 
> 1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.
> 
> ...


Growing up in a family that ate meat and potatoes, I have had to learn how to cook other kinds of foods, which I consider experiments, and fun.

Indian dal is a simple dish made with a variety of options of lentils or small beans, seasoned with turmeric, garlic, onion. It only takes about 1/2 hour or a little more to cook and is served over rice. Basmati rice is eaten by Indians. It is easy to store these foods and quicker to make than many other bean varieties. And the health benefits of the spices are important especially to those of us who are no longer youngsters. My guess is that finding the variety of lentils will be a bigger challenge for people who live far from the cities. This became one of my quests in the past year, to learn some of the many recipes for dal and to get some varieties of beans/peas as well as the spices. Even in the big city, it took some searching.


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## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

If you find an indian store they have it all.. But I buy on amazon sometimes... and bulk online stores. There are plenty. I do a lot of shopping online. Do you have a health food near you? I try and make healthy stuff.. I buy all dried beans and I use a lot of chick peas so I cook ten and bag them and put them in the freezer. I use a ton of lentils... green french and red they are cheap at indian stores.. I buy most of my spices on herb... free shipping when you buy a certain amount !


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

faithmarie said:


> LOL... Like I said .. I never liked it either .. and I thought that fruit cake was appropriate for today because we have one as president and people today are mostly fruitcakes and I am trying to take that concept and find something good in it LOL jk
> 
> By the way ..if you JUST make the batter and put raisins...and nuts and candied ginger or plane ..it is really yummy! I suppose I am just so happy I found a person who has my stepmothers recipe..
> 
> It may be a fun science project for the family... LOL and if you find cake in a dark corner of the house .. and it has a lot of booze in it ... try it...


 We are going to make a few, but we don't wait to eat one of them,we just eat it soon as it cools, haha.

Like your signature Marie.:beercheer:


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