Christmas Morning Bread

I would have to say one of my favorite treats at Christmas is "Christmas Morning Bread" This recipe was from my Aunt Marlene. I am not sure where she got it from but she would give it as a gift for Christmas. My mom got the recipe and has been making it every year at Christmas for years now. I have since taken it over and make it every year. Peter (my husband) LOVES it. We call it "Christmas Morning Bread" because we eat it...Christmas morning with our coffee. BUT it could be eaten any time really. This is a sweet bread, not a bread you would make a sandwich with. I have toyed with the idea of using it to make french toast.

I love how this bread has become such a tradition. I think of my mom every time I make it. Today I talked to her and she was making her loaves. I love that it makes us connected 3000 miles away..ha that's powerful bread. And although the bread is awesome it's the memories that tie us.

This is our first Christmas without Gram. I can't even tell you how hard it is. I am clinging to the hope I have in Jesus that she is celebrating the true meaning of Christmas this year. The whole reason for the season...Jesus was born so that He could die. He was born to pay the price for our sins. He was born to hang on the cross. He was born to be buried in the tomb. He was born the conquer the grave and rise from the dead. He was born to give us the hope of eternal life. It is not a hope from a fantasy like believing in Santa Clause. It is a true and living hope. I know that one day I will experience all that Christmas should be when I meet Jesus face to face.

Fresh out of the oven.

2 packages yeast
t tsp salt
3 eggs
2 tsp cardamon
1 cup sugar
1 cup melted butter
2 cups scaled milk (bring milk just to a boil and cool)
8 cups flour or until dough is not sticky

Soften yeast in warm water
Beat eggs and sugar
add milk, salt butter, cardamon and yeast
add flour gradually
Kneed until smooth
Place in greased bowl until dough has doubled in size
Punch dough down
Divide into four portions
Cut each portion into three pieces
Roll into plaits and braid
lay on greased sheet and let rise 1 hour
brush with beaten egg
Bake at 325 for 1/2 hour or until golden brown on top and bottom
Frost with white Frosting, add cherries and chopped Walnuts.


One way to decorate it. You could spread the frosting on top, that is how we did it for years but I mixed it up a bit so you could see the braid. You could even shape the bread into a circle for a "Christmas" wreath and it makes it easy to find a container to put it in for gift giving.

Merry Merry CHRISTmas.

Peanut Butter Fudge

It's been a long time since I have posted another one of Gram's recipes. And it seems only fitting that Christmas is upon us and this next recipe was one of Gram's signature Christmas recipes. She made this fudge every year. My husband loved Gram's fudge, especially this peanut butter one.

I have a very sweet memory about this recipe. I tried making this to surprise my husband a few years back. It was a disaster. My fudge ended up the consistency of a thick soup. It tasted good, but looked awful. I called Gram all upset because it didn't turn out. She said "well you'll have to try it again" So I got out all the ingredients again and she walked me through it on the phone. She was confident I would get it right. I scribbled down the instructions on some piece of paper that has since been lost. But today when making it I remembered her little 'tricks' to getting it right.

That's one of the things I love about having memories. They can't be taken from you. It's so important to share life stories with those we love, write them down, preserve them for generations to come. Here it is recipes with stories, but yours might be trips that were taken, birthday that were celebrated, hardships you went through, or the story of God's faithfulness in your life.

I have so many amazing memories of Gram. This is our first Christmas without her. Her passing is ever more on my mind these past weeks. I found a sweet Christmas card she sent to my Hannah. It read "Merry 1st Christmas Little One...Bless you my little Hannah love Memere" That was just this time last year. It was this time last year she sent a beautiful Maine wreath to hang on my door because she knew how homesick I was. It was just last year she told me how proud she was of me for moving to Washington with my family. It was last year this picture was taken of her opening the gift card to CVS I sent her for Christmas.


As a child I loved waking up Christmas morning and opening gift after gift. I loved the sound of wrapping paper ripping. It was awesome. But my favorite thing about Christmas was after all the gifts were open and put away. My Gram would come over with my Aunt and Uncle for "Christmas part 2" Gram was always thoughtful and practical with her gifts. First up socks, new clean socks. Sounds crazy but I looked forward to getting those socks every year. The next part of her gift was more personal. It could be a favorite colored sweater or a snowman. One year she bought the boys soft fleece blankets. They loved them. We still use them today. Those blanket made me think of my Pa and now they make me think of both him and my Gram.

The Recipe

2 5 oz cans evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
1 stick of butter
16 0z (one big container) Fluff
2 tsp vanilla

Ok so here's the trick...melt all these together on medium heat. Keep stirring. Bring to a boil...a full boil, make sure it's not just air bubbles. Stir and stir and stir for at least 10 min. TEST take out a little bit of mixture on a spoon and let cool. If you can roll it into a firm ball then it's done.
Remove from heat
1/2 cup peanut butter
fold into mixture
pour into greased 9x11 pan

I divided into two pans but these creates a thinner fudge and Gram's was thick!
You could add nuts if you wanted too. Gram did sometimes.



It came out pretty good....if it was thicker it would look just like Gram's. It tastes just like it though =)