Christmas Eve 2008

I was up early and off to Target. It was a great day! Everyone was in a festive mood and there were things to do, but we weren’t overly busy/hectic. I visited with a lot of coworkers about their holiday plans whether they celebrated Christmas or not. I was keeping my eye on the weather when I would go on my breaks. There was so much snow in Chicago where the train was coming from. It sounded like the train would be late! Not what we wanted! We wanted to get off bright and early so we could enjoy the whole day at the farm.

When I got home from work I showered and got ready for church. I was excited to dress up and go see Kathryn. It is about 45 minutes west of us. Lawyerboy and I talked the whole way there. It had been awhile since it was just us in the same place for a solid block of time. The Christmas Eve service was just what I needed. We left our truck at Kathryn’s and rode back to Saint Paul with her. I suggested we stop at Amtrak and get our tickets. It didn’t look good. The train was supposed to be arriving in a couple of hours. However, it was  still in Chicago! They said we could get our money back for our tickets. So we made a quick a decision to load up our car and drive. If we didn’t, we’d never get home because the storm was headed our way. We got back to our place and Kathryn loaded all her things into our car. Chad and I threw all our stuff together. Kathryn and Chad took loads down to the car while I made a frozen pizza and got some snacks so we could eat in the car and keep on moving. We had so much stuff! There was no way we could have gotten all the gifts on the train! For two people with little money at this time in our lives, it looked like we had spent a ton!

We left at 8:40 that night. We let mom and dad know we were on our way! We ate and talked for the first part and it went really fast. I drove to Fergus Falls. Chad took over and drove until Towner. We were 45 minutes from home and it was already three in the morning. We were getting to an area where there are a lot of deer. I spotted quite a few in the ditch, but luckily we made it home safely!

It was almost four in the morning when we got to the farm! It was so great to be home. Dad heard us so he could sleep better now that he didn’t have to worry about us. We got a few hours of much-needed sleep and then it was time to start my favorite day of the year! I could hear my mom in the kitchen and of course the smells… It was heavenly and I was definitely home!

Since I was little, mom always made Christmas bread. As big of bread lovers as we are, she is the only one that eats Christmas bread. She would always make a loaf for herself, which she deserved! I always tasted it because I desperately wanted to like it, but it just wasn’t for me. I prefer a simple Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread. To me, this is a perfect bread for any holiday or day of the week!

Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread:

Preheat Oven: 350 degrees – Bake Time: 55 minutes – Prep Time: 20 minutes – Makes: 12 to 14 slices per loaf

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup raisins

Swirl:

1/2 cup sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

In a large bowl, put the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt together and mix. In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Add the buttermilk and blend together. Stir in the oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend. Fold in the raisins.

In a smaller bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

Butter two 8 X 4 bread loaf pans. Spoon half the bread mixture into the two loaf pans. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top. Then add the rest of the bread mixture over the two loaves. Take a butter knife and swirl through it each pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until a toothpick in the middle of the bread comes out clear. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Let the bread finish cooling on baking racks or on Saran Wrap on a dish towel.

*This bread is super yummy while it is still warm! It can also be frozen. Wrap in foil and put in a Ziploc bag and freeze for two to three months maximum.