I am sitting on the couch, knitting furiously, my new warm slippers on my feet and a piping hot pot of tea in front of me. My cat is sound asleep at my side, giving us both extra warmth. These are the nights of winter. Frost collects on our front porch windows, snow falls quietly and I retreat to my own world, slowing down my internal clock. Take a slow breath in, let it out even more slowly-- aah, it’s January!
The Christmas season goes by so quickly and this year was no exception. With breads to bake and food to make, I was suddenly in the midst of family gatherings not quite knowing when I got there. My family journeyed here from out of town from east and west. So Jim and I hosted the large get-together at our small house! With everyone contributing, including a delicious Yule Log from my sister, it wasn’t too much work. It was my first day home for the holidays so we started a puzzle and all the women pulled out their knitting. Despite the outdoor temperatures, inside it was toasty. And you know how families are: a collection of imperfect human beings each with their quirks that somehow make it work when we gather. Each of us brings our experiences and our set of filters but they still are based on a common memory. It was a happy time!
From one family to the next, we were expected in western Pennsylvania late Friday afternoon for the Shenk family Christmas. Our contribution there would be breakfast in the form of my favourite coffee cake that I wanted to make fresh for them on Saturday morning. When we got up early Friday morning ready to hit the road, we had no idea of what the day would bring. It looked cold out as we packed our bags, our gifts and the ingredients for breakfast. We decided on a leisurely mug of coffee while waiting for our nephew to call and check in for a ride. Jim started to load the car and that’s when we realized that our trip might have to be delayed: our street had become a solid ice skating rink overnight! We still decided to give it a go and so off we drove to pick up our nephew. As we headed out of town at a snail’s pace, we discovered that the roads were no better than in town, if not worse. Trucks stalled at the bottom of hills, pickups in the ditches and a line of traffic backed up to the toll road. Jim desperately tried to find a way to get to the toll road but after seeing a car overturned on its roof and realizing that the roads east were even icier than the roads west, we slid home to wait, thinking we would leave the next morning, missing the opportunity to make my coffee cake! But after calls from the family and a couple of hours rest from a harrowing morning, we started out again, car packed with goodies. The next seven and a half hours remain a blur of intense traffic, steady to hard rain, fog and darkness. When we pulled into the lodge in the laurel covered hills of Pennsylvania, it was the beginning of a new day. We were happy to be there, they were glad to see us. And after a few hours of sleep, I woke up the next morning ready to whip up a couple batches of the coffee cake. Sitting together, enjoying breakfast, I thought again about the meaning of family. It was a merry Christmas!
My favourite coffee cake
Filling and topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon
2 T. flour
2 1/2 T. melted butter
Coffee cake batter:
1 1/2 c. flour
3 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. softened butter
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt the butter for the filling in a square baking dish. Mix the filling ingredients together in a small bowl, including the melted butter.
In a larger bowl, mix the dry ingredients for the batter. Cut in the butter. Beat egg and add milk. Combine liquid ingredients with dry ingredients. Spread half the batter in the baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the filling. Add the other half of the batter and sprinkle with the remaining filling. Bake for 25 minutes or until done.
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