2023, Family, Food, History, holidays, Uncategorized

Ich Mache Engelsplatschen (nicht)

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I make a variety of cookies for Christmas that I send to friends and relatives. This year our son asked me to make some marzipan cookies called Engelsplatschen, or angel cookies. He provided the recipe. One of our daughter’s friends, a young woman originally from Stuttgart, also was interested in them, as she is having problems with gluten intolerance, and these only had two teaspoons of flour in them. The only other ingredients were marzipan, almonds, powdered sugar, and an egg.

I have never cooked with marzipan before. My Aunt Leona made marzipan fruits that she painted with food coloring. She learned how to make them from her mother, who was a professional cook in Hamburg. I expected the cookies to stay in the round balls I rolled them in, just like her fruits. Well, they spread out all over, ran into each other, and burned.

I did some research, found a better recipe, and ordered more marzipan. My new recipe has quite a bit of almond flour. They will still flatten out, but will have more substance. Live and learn.

What are your favorite Christmas cookies? What new things have you been learning about or learning to do?

26 thoughts on “Ich Mache Engelsplatschen (nicht)”

  1. I’ve been learning a lot about current music technology from Fil. I’m not going to produce any music myself but the software and devices in use are quite interesting. Fake music?

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  2. OT. I had a notice from Radio Heartland that they are re-playing the final Morning Show today at Noon. Fingers crossed… hopefully it won’t make me cry when Peter Ostroushko plays!

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    1. I’m listening (on my roomie’s laptop, as my work computer doesn’t allow streaming), but I’m not sure how long I’ll last. I was thoroughly verklempt for the original broadcase, and I do need to work today.

      Reminds me, does anyone know how Dale is doing? If there have been any updates I missed them.

      –Sister Crow

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      1. I did asked YA if there were a way to record something like that. She looked at me like I had frogs coming out of my ears and mumbled something about copyright laws as she was heading away quickly.

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  3. Cookies! Topic close to my heart. In addition to the 14 kinds of cookies that I made (all loveling settled in their tins on the front porch), I am part of two cookie exchanges (one was yesterday). Obviously I don’t need the cookies but both are fun parties and a great way to connect.

    This year for both exchanges I am doing the recipe that Anna shared with us years ago… the chocolate chip recipe from the Betty Crocker Boys & Girls Cookbook. I’m substituting holiday M&M minis for the chips and calling them Holiday Chippers.

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      1. Yesterday’s we were to bring six dozen. There were 13 people at the exchange, but quite a few people brought more than six dozen so it worked out just fine. In fact, at the very end, a few people still had some they were trying to give away. That’s never a problem in my book-to come home with more cookies than I started with!

        Next week‘s cookie exchange is very small. There are just four of us so we’re all bringing five dozen.

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  4. I’m learning new chord fingerings for songs I’ve never played before on my mandolin. I enjoy working on that.

    I registered for a knitting class in January. I’ve always wanted to learn to knit. I tried it once but I didn’t keep it up.

    I love cookies. All cookies. Any cookie with chocolate in it works for me.

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  5. We haven’t made any cookies yet. I expect we will make a sort of quasi-biscotti with sliced almonds and mini chocolate chips that I like and some sugar cookies with lemon verbena that Robin likes before we get to Christmas.

    This summer and fall I started making myself some shirts. Not that I particularly needed more shirts but I needed a project and shirts filled the bill. I had picked up a sewing machine at an estate sale for $12.50, and an iron and ironing board from Goodwill so I had the basic equipment.

    As with any pattern there was a learning curve, figuring out the instructions that were unclear and modifying the parts that were unsatisfactory but after a couple of shirts I got there. The trouble is that, unlike cookies, the shirts don’t get consumed. They pile up. I’m at the point where I hesitate to make any more shirts, so I may need to find a new project.

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  6. I love thumbprints and Russian Tea Cakes, but will probably make ones I’m more confident about, the Swedish Cardamom Wreath, or my grandma’s Kringla.

    I’ve been learning to navigate Mayo Hospital satellite in LaCrosse, going to visit my friend there now. I know there are others – thinking…

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    1. Navigating Mayo is no small feet. I have a friend whose father worked there in the early days so I’ve been there with her a couple of times over the years and I don’t know how anybody figure out where to go.

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    2. I was listening between appointments and errands today – HD radio in the car! – and was happy to hear Bud Buck and Bubby Spamden and many of our old favorite musicians. This wasn’t one of the selections in the final broadcast, but I thought of it when I heard a news story this week….

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  9. I’ve learned to despise wash cloths. I’ve hated them for a long time but today had two of the slimy bastards (sorry) in the sink water. Okay. I take responsibility but none of the blame for their disposition. For years, I’ve used steel wool or scruggy pads to do dishes with cloth for counter cleanup. Those cloth people evaded my attention and collected slime. I hate them.

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