a bit of sweetness

in which our plucky heroine is certain that a modicum of happiness is best homemade...

Am gradually filling up the Fido jars (which I use for storage of dry goods and not for waterbath canning) with dried persimmons. Ran two trays of half plums from the freezer through the dehydrator as well, as it seemed to me that they would work well as a fruitcake ingredient. Gosh they take a lot longer than the persimmons to dry, probably because they still have their skins on. Now cut into small dice, and will be soaked in something alcoholic, probably port, to soften them again prior to baking them into cake along with dried persimmons, homemade candied citrus peel, and some pecans from Costco...

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I use the Christmas Cake recipe* in Nigella Lawson's "How To Be A Domestic Goddess", though I modify which dried fruits to use, and always add pecans. I find it useful that the recipe has several different sizes of cake possible, as I usually make the smallest size, since I know not everyone loves homemade fruitcake like I do, and I don't make it very often even so.

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There are currently five 8 oz jars of persimmon ketchup cooling on the windowsill, this batch made entirely without any capsicum either as an ingredient or as a seasoning. My friend Tullia cannot eat anything in the capsicum/nightshade family, so this batch is for her... while it isn't the vivid red of tomato based ketchup, it has a dark orange-y color, and an entirely ketchp-y flavor.

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Have also finished the multiple blanchings needed to start turning thick grapefruit peel into tasty candied peel, (some of which will be added to the holiday cake, and some of which will be sent by post to my dear father as a birthday gift) and the well blanched peel is currently being simmered in sugar syrup. It will need to dry at least overnight, and then be rolled in sugar granules and put aside in storage.

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Yesterday morning, when changing from bus to Max downtown on my way to the Social Security building, I saw this amusingly odd window display, of hairless women and headless, handless, and footless men! Not sure what the message is - I am most definitely not the target demographic...

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	capsicum-free persimmon ketchup	2 walls painted grey	wooden AC support
2	x	neckline has dots	damaged shoes
3	x	new lid worm bin	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - homegrown tree fruits

*this recipe is close, but not quite the same, the recipe from How to Be a Domestic Goddess is not online