December 23, 1944 Christmas in New Haven, Canning the Meat, Fruit Cake and Plum Pudding

Image courtesy of Northwestern Univ.

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"When you get this all of the Christmas work and excitement will be over.  We are planning big for Xmas.  Our little apartment certainly looks Christmacy.  We have our little tree on an end table and all the pretty packages around it.  There are so many but we haven't opened them yet.  Your box got here Thursday and was in good shape.  Some of our boxes were certainly battered.  I hope ours was in good shape and I'm awfully glad it got there.  You should see our Xmas cards.  We got so many nice ones.  We have them on a ribbon across one wall and there are so many that they reach the full length of the room.

We went to the store real early this morning to do our grocery shopping and there was the awfullest mob at the meat counter.  We got a nice roasting chicken and with it we'll have all the trimmings with fruit cake and plum pudding.  The graduate school's dean's wife gave me a plum pudding.  She sent plum puddings, nuts and a big bouquet of white mums and holly for the Dame's party Wednesday.  I got the flowers.  She must have spent about $8. on our party.  She is awfully nice to me.  Our party was nice.  We sang carols and played games.

There is to be a carol sing for the public on the village green tomorrow afternoon, but it is so cold I don't think we'll go.  Today is a nasty day.  It snows awhile then tries to rain awhile.  I hope it ends up by snowing.

I think you should have let the school can all of your meat at .02 a can.  That is really cheap.

We haven't heard from Buddy at all.  I don't know whether they got their package or not.

How are your face, gums and hands, Mother?  It's a little hard to have to "gum it" with all that nice, fresh meat, isn't it?

We haven't any idea how long it will take B to write his paper--probably several months.  At least, he has started to write the first chapter.  There is no way of knowing how many times the whole thing will have to be re-written to please the faculty.

Have a nice Christmas.  We'll be thinking of you and wishing we could be with you."

                                   Oodles of love,
                                     
                                           B & Bonnie
                                             
NOTE from Ann:  For more dental history than anyone could possibly want, see below:
http://www.namibiadent.com/History/HistoricPictures.html#anchor_94


To hear Frank Sinatra's White Christmas, a top hit for Columbia Records in December, 1944:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPrNrDhZw3w


Chocolate Almond Fruit Cake

Beat 3 eggs till foamy.  Gradually add 1 c. sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla.  Sift together and add 1-1/2 c. flour, 1-1/2 tsp. baking pwd. and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Mix in 2 c. blanched almonds, chopped, 1 c. chopped dates, 1 c. candied cherries, quartered and 3/4 c. semisweet choc. bits.  Spoon into 9x5x3 oiled pan, lined with waxed paper and oiled again.  Bake 1-1/2 hrs. at 325.  Cool in pan on rack till almost cold.  Remove & peel off paper.  Cool completely.  Wrap in foil.  Store in refrigerator a month or more.

Traditional Light Fruit Cake (New Hood Cookbook, 1939)

Mix and sift together 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/4 teaspoon mace.  Mix with 1 cup raisins, 1/2 cup currants, 1/2 cup shredded citron, 1/2 cup minced, candied orange peel, 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries and 1/2 cup blanched and chopped almonds.  Cream 1/2 cup shortening and  add 1 cup sugar, creaming until fluffy.  Beat in 1/2 teaspoon orange extract and 3 eggs, well beaten; then 1/2 cup molasses.  Gradually stir in flour-fruit-nut mixture alternately with 1/2 cup sour milk.  Turn into 2 greased loaf pans (8-1/4 x 4-1/2 inches), lined with waxed or greased paper and steam 1 hour; then bake in very slow over (250 F.) about 1 hour, removing paper the last 15 minutes to dry surface.

Plum Pudding (New Hood Cookbook, 1939)

Combine 1-1/2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs and 1 cup hot milk.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Beat 4 egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar and add 1/2 lb. minced beef suet.  Mix and sift 3/4 cup flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and then stir in 1/2 lb. seeded raisins, 1/2 lb. dried currants, 1/4 lb. dried figs, chopped, 1/2 cup chopped candied citron and orange peel and 1/2 cup chopped dates.  Add bread crumb mixture.  Add 1/2 cup hot cider and mix well and then fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.  Turn into a greased mold and steam over rapidly boiling salted water 3 hours.  

Note:  Format of recipes altered, content the same.