On the Ninth Day of Christmas...
A freebie and a sneak peek
When I was growing up, the one thing we brought to every family gathering was poppyseed bread. From beginning to end, the whole process is seared into my memories. There was going down the baking aisle at the grocery store. (This was before Walmart came to our small town, so this was a pleasant sensory experience.) I loved a good, organized spice aisle. We bought spices and extracts that we only ever bought during the holidays, which was a treat. Then I’d sit at the table with everything spread before me, tripling the recipe, and mixing everything together in our large, blue PYREX bowl. The kitchen was filled with the smells of almonds and butter, and this smell, to this day, means Christmas. The orange glaze was the pièce de résistance, and I’d lick the bowl clean. We’d make large loaves and small loaves, some to keep and some to give away.
The only way you could enjoy this bread recipe is if you had someone write it down for you. There was no baking blog or Pinterest board to get it from. You were the gatekeeper to poppy seed goodness, and this was part of the Christmas experience. This bread was so good that people would call and say, “Can I have your recipe?” You’d write it down on the back of an envelope or index card: “Lori’s Poppyseed Bread” and deliver it to the recipient days after Christmas—standing in their entryway in your snow boots as you were “just passing by.”
(Pay no attention that you can now google this recipe and get hundreds of options. This is not how it’s supposed to be done.)
I have made this every year with my kids, and it just isn’t Christmas unless we’ve made poppyseed bread. Enjoy!
: ) Mariah
Coming Up in CPQ
For Year 6 of the magazine, we will be taking a closer look at some composers and having fun with some “special features” in Common Place Quarterly's “educate” section.
Kathryn Avery has written composer study lessons for the Alveary for five years now. She especially loves the way that composer study can not only introduce students to quality music but foster their understanding and relationship with a historical time period and even with a variety of other subjects--from Bible to science to handicrafts. She will be joining us in Year 6 to share her interest with our readership.
For the first issue of Year 6, we have a special feature that will deep dive into the linguistics and meaning behind a song we are very familiar with, especially if we’ve read The Oxford Book of Verse.
Ninth Day of Christmas Freebie
