What do you do when you're sad, lonely and afraid? One thing that helps is partaking of comfort food. For poor Abigail, the taste of Dana's gingerbread that she shares with the other boarding house residents does the trick--at least for a bit of time.
Here's the recipe. May it give you a bit of cheer on a "bad" day!
Ingredients for the Gingerbread Loaf:
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup of applesauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
chopped walnuts, for topping (optional)
Frosting:
4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar (add more if icing is too runny)
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray that has flour in it or use shortening and flour. Cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy.
Beat in the vanilla and the egg. Blend in the applesauce
Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.)
When everything is mixed, pour the batter into your loaf pan. Bake for about 55 minutes until it rises and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely on a rack before frosting.
To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and then add 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.
Spread a thick layer of the frosting over the gingerbread cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Delicious! Enjoy!
Scene from Christmas Angels where Old Man Albert shares some of Dana's Gingerbread with Abigail:
He beckoned with his gnarled hand “Come in. Come in, Abigail. Want some tea? That dismal Dana—even if she is a good cook—brought me some gingerbread last evening. Have some. Have some. It’s good even if I didn’t make it. Sit down, child, for a minute.” Albert toddled over to the fridge and brought out a quart of milk. “Want milk with your tea, Abigail?”
Where had he gotten real milk?
But she shook her head, not wanting to use up his precious supply, and sniffed. The spicy, delectable smell of the gingerbread wafted toward her, and she closed her eyes to savor it. When was the last time she'd had such a treat? Suddenly ravenous, she couldn't wait any longer and crammed her mouth full of the sweet bread. A little sound of moaning escaped from between her lips. This was so-o-o good.
Christmas Angels blurb:
Her mother called her a failure, and maybe she was. Her husband was gone—in the service, yes, but if he loved her—really loved her, why didn't he write? Or call? Or send the money she needed?
She was scared too, afraid of being alone, and though she loved this sweet little bundle of joy—her baby—well, was she smart enough and strong enough to raise her? She didn't mind doing without all the nice things she'd love to have, but not being able to provide luxuries like Christmas trees, ornaments and presents for her baby girl was beyond enduring.
What she needed was a miracle...and that wasn't going to happen.
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About Carole:
Besides being an active participant in many writing groups, Carole is an award-winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance, and whimsy into her books and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/
We went to a dinner theater musical Christmas play for several years where the ending included a young, talented, professional actor singing "O Holy Night." His strong, vibrant voice had a profound effect on me. From the night forward, "O Holy Night" became my favorite Christmas hymn.
