A Carol, A Recipe, & A Wish

A Carol

A German Christmas song wasn't included in my 2024 holiday series, Christmas Songs of My Ancestors. I didn't know about my German great-great-great-great grandfather then, so this year I took a look at German Christmas songs. I chose a very old but familiar German hymn, Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen. The words were written sometime in the 1500s. The music was written in 1609 by German composer Michael Praetorius. So it is likely that my German ancestors were familiar with it.

A Recipe

This recipe is a civil war era pie recipe I found on Max Miller's Tasting History. The combination of apples and cranberries are so seasonal and festive for this time of year. The original recipe came from Godey's Ladies Book.

Cranberry Apple Pie

1, 9-inch double pie crust 

4 baking apples

1¼ C fresh cranberries

1⅛ C sugar (1 C + 2 tbsp)

3 tbsp water

Over med-low heat, cook the cranberries, sugar, and water until the sugar melts and boils for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool. In the meantime, peel, core, and slice the apples thinly. Put the apple slices in the prepared pie crust, top with cranberry mixture, and add the top crust. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 10 minutes, then 300°F (150°C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbling. 

Recipe Notes

• For the pie crust, I used my Tudor tart crust because I've been experimenting with it.
• For the apples, I used honeycrisp, which work well for baking. They are a bit juicy however, so there was quite
• Quite a bit of juice in the baked pie. I think next time I'll mix the apples with a bit of flour before baking, like I do modern apple pie. That thickens the juice to something we're more used to. :)

A Wish 

My wish for you is that you not be robbed of the joy and wonder of Christmas. Many, nowadays, desire to take that away from us and destroy it, so guard it as a treasure of your heart. 

My observation is that when people rely on the opinions, compliance, and approval of others for their happiness, they give away their personal power to be happy. Anytime we blame someone else for our loss of happiness, we give that power to the other person. Learn to be happy and content without expecting or demanding anything of others. If our happiness is contingent upon what others do or say, then we don't know the true experience of happiness, peace, and joy. That you find and safeguard your personal power is my Christmas wish for you.

A Carol, A Recipe, & A Wish © 2025

by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com