My father’s Uncle Ernst sent us a gift basket every year, from Switzerland, for Christmas when we were little. It arrived in September, sat until Christmas day then awaited thank-you notes until it could be opened. Of course it was quite stale but we grew up on the taste of spicy cakes. I went to a local store yesterday for one thing and came out that, and with mincemeat, lemon curd and lebkuchen. All will be put to good use.
The mincemeat must go for tarts, and all my tart pans are in storage at this time. The lemon curd is another Brit staple from my mother’s side, that I now use for a lemon-berry trifle. Lebkuchen is definitely from my father’s side of the family. When I saw it I bought a pack of eight of what my father called “God bless you, my sons,” just because the bottom is made of the same wafer Catholics would take at Communion. He was Lutheran. How was he to explain the bottom of lebkuchen?
Well, God bless him for that one. And God bless Uncle Ernst for keeping us in his thoughts for so many years. Best wishes, Dee
Cooking with Dee 
I’m terribly sorry you’ve been sick. I do hope you are on the mend and will be back to your normal self again soon. I’ve not been around much, but I do check in on you. I wish you all the best for Christmas and a wonderful New Year in which all you dreams come true.
how wonderful to have such a great memory of childhood… i bet you can still taste the spiced cake! Have you ever tried lemon meringue pie? It is a real english dish made with lemon curd and soft meringue on top of a sweet pastry base. It is delicious.
Happy holidays to you both, Susan and Alice. I’m getting better slowly as it’s a sinus thing caused by allergies but didn’t start that way. As to lemon meringue pie I had my day freshman year of college when I hated the cafeteria food but tried that and Boston creme pie. Lost ten pounds the first couple of weeks then gained it back, plus another ten! I don’t bake, mostly, but might try something special for Christmas. Cheers, Dee