Taste Bud Memories ~ Kristine Raymond #originalitybydesign

Taste Bud Memories There are certain foods that taste better this time of year than at any other. Take, for instance, Sweetheart Salad. One spoonful of this fruity, whipped cream concoction and I’m transported back to childhood; immediate and extended family gathered around the table for a holiday meal. Though it very well could be classified as a dessert, Mom served Sweetheart Salad as a side dish each Thanksgiving and Christmas alongside the mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and crescent rolls. I’m awfully glad she did because having to wait several hours for this sweet treat would’ve been torture! In keeping with tradition, I prepare this delectable confection only around the holidays. Though I’m sure it would be tasty at a Fourth of July picnic, the memories that accompany each bite are so closely associated with Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” and holiday lights and balsam fir incense that it wouldn’t be the same.

 Sweetheart Salad Add 2 cups of drained, crushed pineapple, ½ cup sugar, 1 ½ packages unflavored gelatin (in dry form), and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and cool. 

In a mixing bowl, combine 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and one 6-ounce bottle of drained, stemless, maraschino cherries and mix on low speed until creamy. Stir into pineapple mixture and refrigerate. Whip ½ pint heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into chilled fruit mixture being careful not to over mix. Spread into a 9 x 9 pan and refrigerate. Enjoy.

Two more seasonal favorites are Molasses Cookies and Snickerdoodles. For eight months out of the year, neither of these goodies get a moment’s thought, but when the mercury dips and the ground is blanketed by fallen leaves, my mouth waters in anticipation of sinking my teeth into a soft gingerbread-like or cinnamon-covered cookie.

 Molasses Cookies Mix thoroughly until creamy – ¼ cup shortening ½ cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 egg ¼ cup dark molasses Add – 2 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground cloves ¼ tsp sea salt Mix until dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Dough will be sticky. Cover and chill for one hour. Preheat oven to 375. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in Demerara or Turbinado sugar, placing cookies several inches apart on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for several minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Enjoy.

Whatever seasonal treats you look forward to, I hope you’re able to enjoy them with those you love. Wishing you a joyous holiday season! 

 ~ Kristine Raymond