Here We Come A-Wassailing

A Christmas wreath in Colonial Williamsburg

Everyone should know this old Christmas song;

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you
a happy New Year.

Colonial Williamsburg wrote an article explaining the history behind the curious word, Wassailing. 

 The meaning has changed over time.  It's original use was used as a greeting and evolved into a form of toasting during ritualized drinking. The word wassail came from the Old Norse phrase, ves heil and the Old English phrase was hál which meant, “be in good health” or “be fortunate.”

 Today we associate wassail or wassailing with Christmas. I personally associate it with the movie Little Women because the girls sing it while walking outside in the snow.  I love it. I also think of Colonial Williamsburg when I think of the word or song.  I adore Colonial Williamsburg.

I was looking through my old Southern Living Christmas books from the 80's.  They are filled with classic craft ideas, gift ideas and old recipes.  So fun.  Surprisingly I came across a recipe for Old Fashioned Wassail. It's like a nonalcoholic hot punch. It looks delicious. I plan on making this for Christmas.

Christmas with Southern Living 1986. I own a copy that belonged to my mom but I have seen them sold on ebay.

Old Fashioned Wassail

1 tablespoon whole cloves

1 (3 inch) stick cinnamon

2 quarts apple cider or apple juice

1 quart real no sugar added cranberry juice

1 (46 oz) can pineapple juice

1 (12 oz) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed and undiluted

1 (6 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed and undiluted

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

Tie cloves and cinnamon in a cheesecloth bag. Place spice bag and remaining ingredients into a large soup pot; stir well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove the spice bag. Yields 1 1/2 gallons.

An inn in Colonial Williamsburg

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

The Better Homes and Gardens cookbook has to be one of the best and most versatile cookbooks out there. It covers most of the basic recipes that we Americans know and love. It even explains how to make coffee and cook rice. I know those are simple things but I would recommend this cookbook to any new bride or someone wanting a great cookbook that they can learn the basics from. The front section of the BH&G cookbook explains cooking terms, the uses for herbs in cooking and different types of store bought items you would need! Perfect for those lost in the kitchen. Every woman in my family owns a Better Home and Garden cookbook!

I decided to be bad today and make some Gluten-free Chocolate cupcakes. I used the basic, One-Bowl Chocolate Cake recipe from my BH&G cookbook. I substituted the plain flour with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free flour.

(I love these paper cups I found at Micheal's)

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour or Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free Flour (if using Gluten free add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk (I used buttermilk)
1/3 cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

Grease and flour 8x8x2 inch square baking pan or use muffin tin with paper cups.

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on low speed just until combined. Add egg and beat for about 2 minutes. Pour batter in pan or divide evenly into muffin tins lined with papers.

Bake in a 350 oven for 30-35 minutes for cake or 15 minutes for cupcakes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

While the cupcakes cool you can start the yummy butter cream frosting which can also be found in the cookbook.

Butter Cream Frosting

3/4 cup butter, softened
9 cups sifted powdered sugar (about 2 pounds)
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
I add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. It adds a lot.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter until creamy. Gradually add in 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Slowly beat in the 1/4 cup of milk and vanilla.

Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar. Beat in additional milk to reach spreading consistency (about 2-3 tablespoons). This made more than I needed but it does freeze well for later use.

I piped my frosting on with a large star tip. They were so moist and they tasted "real".

Excuse the terrible quality of the pictures. They are from my iPhone. I hope to get my computer back soon so I don't have to keep blogging with my iPhone!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone