Remember

I‘ve had friends and family that served but I’ve been fortunate enough to not know anyone that lost their life while serving in the military.  I am old enough, however, to remember when the day to celebrate Memorial Day was changed from a specific day (the 30^th) to the last Monday in May by Congress.  I have vague recollections of briefly talking with my classmates about how strange it seemed and no doubt we quickly jumped back into doing whatever junior high kids did back then.  I’m certain we were glad we’d get a three-day weekend out of the deal. Call me cynical, that’s okay, it seemed like the change worked so well it became more like the “day the amusement parks open”, “the first warm weather three-day weekend”, or “the start of summer sales” than a real day of remembrance. The National Moment of Remembrance became a necessary attempt as a good way to put the memorial back in Memorial Day. All this was rattling around in my mind as I browsed through articles and videos showing the various ways people celebrate Memorial Day and I thought about the families that had to carry-on after the loss of someone in the Armed Forces. Please take a moment to remember our fallen heroes today but also take a moment to share a smile, a kind word or two, and maybe a hug for those out there who are remembering their veteran today.

Mr. B's Request AKA The ...

Yummy Christmas thing you make.

Prep time

This creation and I first crossed paths at a small office Christmas party back in the late '80s. After I took my first bite I knew I had to wrangle the recipe out of the person who brought it. I've seen similar cakes since but they are all constructed differently than this one. I've made this for office several of the Christmas parties I`ve attended and it always disappeared quickly.  


The person I got the recipe from didn't tell me a whole lot of what went into making this other than the ingredients of which there are but a few. The important part I learned early on entails the construction, which is my reason for sharing it here. The other is a request from a former co-worker and friend. He asked me to make it the last Christmas we worked together. I was in no shape to pull it off then and I didn't get it done.


Over the years I've learned through much experimentation what really worked well for me when making this. Those experiments culminate here.  




You'll need:

1.   1 Small electric hand mixer or an arm that won't get too tired

2.  2 mixing bowls - One must fit inside the other

3.  1 to 2 trays of ice cubes - the really cold brand, warm flavored ice cubes just don`t get it done.

4.  2    1/2 pints heavy or whipping cream (your choice) it works with either.  The size of  the cake matters too. One half pint is usually more than enough if you use just one deck. Don`t be surprised at the amount of whipped topping left.  You can be surprised because sometimes more is just plain good. Nekkid works but that thought belongs at another venue. 

5.  1 Box Honey Grahams  Graham crackers - Full size. Get the real ones, its worth 1 to  2 bucks more for a better result. The store brands or the other national brands are too hard to make this work correctly since they don't wick well enough. No I`m not endorsing Honey Grahams.

6.  1 16-18 oz. jar preserves - Dumping the preserves in a small bowl makes them easier to dish out. I've found that preserves work the best. I'm partial to strawberry, but raspberry works well too. Jam is too loose, jelly just doesn't cut it. I`ve yet to try making my own preserve type filling. If you have a grandma that makes her own jams and preserves hit her up.

7.  To flavor the whip : Add 1 - 2 tsp sugar or a dash of 2 vanilla  or your favorite flavor extract, peppermint,spearmint, etc. This is to give the whip a little flavor since it's blah just plain.


8.  A rectangle of cardboard about the same size (actually  a little smaller) as a cookie sheet or a pizza pan .This will be used as your work surface after you cover it with wax paper or parchment paper. 


9. 2  Flexible spatulas for spreading - one only for whip, one only for preserves

     9a.  This list consists of ingredients,  4 to 6, all the others (1-3, 7-10) are my tools to build this vacation cake getaway. 

10.  Read to the end  first





Make sure you have enough room to spread out and gather all your ingredients. Dump at least 1 tray of ice into the big mixing bowl then set the next size bowl inside it and set the nested bowls aside. I usually let them sit until the cubes sweat. That takes 10-15 minutes depending on the temp of your work space or put the bowls together than popping them in the fridge works if you have to speed create.  

Whip the cream until the top comes to stiff points

Now it's time to rock and roll. No rocks were harmed n the creation of this recipe. 

I put a dab of whip on the surface your are using to make your cake on. This  should be the length of the cracker and at least 2" wide to acommodate the edge of the long side.This helps stabilize the first few layers and if done rather quickly will help the rest of your build.  A practice run won`t hurt. : )

NOTE:

*****The next part you'll have to work rather quickly with no breaks unless you can tag out to a helper if you have one since the whip starts to collapse as it warms up. *****

Butter your crackers with the preserves, then lay some of the whip over top of the that and lay it down on the skinny edge of the long side. The first 2 or 3 pieces can be a little messy to get standing up. Have a bowl of water or a roll of paper towels handy. Just keep building out from there until you  get to the size you imagined your finished cake would be. One deck of crackers makes a cake about the size of the graham cracker box or a little longer depending how thick your layers are. (A practice cracker is worth a shot, because you may need a snack before you finish) : )



To finish: Any leftover preserves I`ll spread over the top to fill in any gaps. Then cover that with the remaining whip which should be more than enough to cover the top and sides.

Decorate the finished cake. Using jimmies or sparkly sugar gives a nice effect when it melts in the whip. Anything really as long as its not too heavy, so no bowling balls.

Cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight. Its great with breakfast or for breakfast. We are talking decadence incarnate here. Serves 1 because you'll want to eat the whole thing.

What makes this a nice cake for a party is the way you slice it and the reason for its manner of creation. Cut your slices at a 45 degree angle to see all the layers. The reason will be apparent after that one person who always wants the corner piece gets theirs.

I have one request; I`ve never made this for someone on a special diet so I wonder if  anyone does tried to make this using ingredients that were ok for someone with diabetes or lactose intolerant or any other special diet I would love to know your results.  Comment here since comments are open on all devices.
My hope for you is that this will be a hit at your holiday party and gives you more joy than I`ve had making it and sharing this with you.

   I don`t remember making one this pretty though it is something to shoot for.

The Best Christmas Ever

 Now that the seasonal excitement is winding down, I would say to continue the theme that started when this holiday season rolled around and calling this the best Christmas ever is definitely a no-brainer. The road traveled internally since February with the uncertainty of that time and whether I`d be around here for Christmas makes me stop and think.  Here I sit staring a new year in the face as it waits in the wings a few days away. To be able to sit here putting these words to paper gives me pause to recognize how that makes me a very lucky and grateful man. So much has transpired since the early part of this year.

The fact my wife and I were able to celebrate Christmas this year on Christmas Day added to the special nature of this holiday season. She was able to get out a little early on Christmas Eve so our weekend started ahead of schedule. We talked till the wee hours of the morning that night and when one works 2nd shift that is a somewhat common occurrence though we both managed to stay awake past our typical crash time. 

  Christmas started a three days early for me this year with three phone conversations and an email from four individuals instrumental in keeping my spirits up in their own way throughout this year.  Each individual at different times and in their own unique way gave me such a boost of Spirit I can't put it into words. I will do my best to carry on and carry forward and pass on what they each have given me. We communicated by text, email and phone and the one in person visitor of those four won't see this because he doesn't really do the Interwebs. 

The relationships were created in their own unique ways, two were old friends and two were new this year. One was someone I met through a common connection whose support and good thoughts, whether by phone or email, have been a huge part of helping me navigate through the ups and downs of 2016. The other new friend resulted from a comment online and lead to much laughter and support that I still don't think he really knows how much he helped me this year. We haven`t talked by phone yet. The other two were my oldest friends calendar wise that are still above ground. One managed to make a stop at the house on a quick turnaround trip to Arizona back in the summer; we hadn't seen each other in several years. The best news from him is he will be out here again in January and we'll be able to sit and break bread. The last was my longest time old friend that is bar none  the best wrench I have ever known. I haven't seen him in over a dozen years though we do talk at least 2 to 3 times a month. These four reminded me of a few old friends that are not with us anymore and I think of those folks often, especially at this time of year. 

Christmas day I awoke and told my wife  "I felt better than I have in close to 2 years and for sure a year and a half at least. Not better in the sense I'm going to run outside and paint the house though it needs it. It is different and better than just a body feeling it is a Soul feeling. I still get worn out too fast to suit my taste, most tasks take two to three times longer to complete and I'm not always steady afoot though little improvements in regard to any of those instances are most notable. I do take the time to recognize and celebrate them. 

One goal reached another standing by and a third will be here soon.

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The New Year is almost upon us and I plan on making a few resolutions but those are for another edition of The Hole in the Paper.

I hope everyone's Christmas was as merry as mine.

Have a safe, happy and prosperous New Year.