Ice Box Fruitcake

'Tis the season for the great Fruit Cake debate. It's one of those things where you either love them or hate them. Sometimes. As with most foods, some recipes are better than others. I've never been a fan of those packaged fruit cakes that are baked. You know what I'm talking about. You buy them in a box, stick them in the refrigerator and slice at the appropriate time. No fuss. No time involved. Not much taste involved either. I grew up on Ice Box Fruitcake. I love it. So does my Dad. No one else seems to care for it in our family. However, a number of friends who "knew" they didn't like Fruit Cake like this one. It takes a little time to put together but it truly is worth the effort.

 

Ice Box Fruit Cake

1 quart chopped pecans

1 can Eagle Brand milk

1 lb. candied cherries, finely chopped 

1 lb. candied pineapple, finely chopped 

1 lb. raisins

1 lb. graham crackers, crushed

5 tablespoons lemon juice 

Stir pecans, cherries, pineapple, graham crackers and lemon juice together. Gradually stir in the milk. This mixture is very, very sticky so be prepared. I place wax paper on the bottom and sides of a bread loaf pan. Put the cake mixture in this. Fold the wax paper over the top of the mixture. Cover this with tin foil. Place in the refrigerator at least overnight. You can do this a week or more ahead of time. It's Fruit Cake. It keeps. Just slice what you want when you want it and store the remaining Fruit Cake in the refrigerator.

Pecan Delights

This is the season for pecans in the Deep South. Pecans are falling from their trees. Which is a good thing. It is so not fun to try and knock the pecans from the limbs. I know. Some folks have expensive tree shakers. Really. They hook up to the tractor and then the tree. They shake the tree, sort of like one of those body vibrators. Before you know it, you've got a shower of pecans coming down. Better duck. Pecans can hurt.

We don't have expensive equipment like that. My father only has about 50 trees. So we gather then the old-fashioned way -- we use our hands or this little roller thing. Can you say back-ache?

Yesterday we finished gathering pretty much all that we're going to gather. This afternoon we finished sorting through the buckets, discarding the bad or "light" ones along with the rubbish that comes along for the ride. And, yes, there is some expensive equipment to do that too. And, no, we don't have it either. What we have is a system. I go through and get the worst ones. My father goes behind and gets the light ones. My mother prefers to operate independently. We're all happier that way.

Why go through it all? Well, we do sell some of the pecans. But they are also excellent for eating and baking. This recipe is something my mother baked when I was a child. I carried the recipe away from home with me and have always used it. It's not too sweet but don't worry. There are plenty of calories.

Pecan Delights

1 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Using a mixer, cream butter. Gradually add sugar until well blended. Mix in water and vanilla. Slowly add flour. Then stir in the chopped pecans.

It's okay to mix this up ahead of time and chill it in the refrigerator. If you're in a hurry, just go ahead and bake.

Use a teaspoon to drop the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Leave about an inch between each drop.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 325 degree oven. These cookies taste much better if you don't get them too brown.