The days aren’t discarded or collected, they are bees
that burned with sweetness or maddened
the sting: the struggle continues,
the journeys go and come between honey and pain.

Pablo Neruda, Still Another Day

I’m a person who lives to remember. I love to be reminded of things: other days; other hours; other points on the continuum. My perspective is most often one of looking backwards into the past, and even when I am working in the present it is likely to be an exercise in recording the experiences of the moment, so that I may look back on them in the future. Not very Zen, I know. I am a historian; a genealogist; a photographer. In their own way all of these pursuits spin around the axis of memory. For this assignment I worked on gathering images that represent parts of my life that I would like to remember, but also bits of and pieces of a past that is even farther back than the “now,” in some cases reaching back beyond the threshold of my own life. — Kelli

tarah d’elia

I remember my grandmother on my moms side was a terrible cook. Every year when Christmas time rolled around I have memories of a bread she would make- Stollen. It was awful. The only joy that could be derived from it was picking off the frosting bit by bit from under it’s tin foil. I don’t remember anyone actually eating Said stollen. I also remember being told it was Swedish. It is not. When this post theme came about I decided to tackle this recipe and see if stollen or christollen as it’s sometimes known could be made edible. I began scouring the internet for information on different recipes and traditional methods for making this sweet holiday bread. I managed to find one that came as close to what I could remember as possible and I am quite happy to say stollen is very edible and was quite well received in my house. Which is good because I was up until one in the morning finishing it. I went for the traditional roll in powdered sugar as opposed to a frosting or glaze and I like it much better. I sent some to school with my teenager and her friends deemed it “really awesome” . For our friends this holiday I’ve decided to go old school and make my candied fruits and nuts then soak them in rum. Not a kid friendly version but I’m excited to try! In closing Stollen is bread. Not a dictator. But it is that too. It’s also German. And it’s really good…..when I make it. — Tarah

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 ounce yeast cake*- i used two packaged dry active yeast in 3/4 c of 110 degree water. let it sit until the bubbles start to rise up a little
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon seed
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup finely cut citron
• 1/2 cup sliced candied cheries
  

  Preparation Instructions

  1. Scald milk. Add sugar, salt and butter. Cool to lukewarm.
  2. Mix yeast with 1 tablespoon sugar until liquid. Add to lukewarm milk. Stir.
  3. Add whole eggs and egg yolks. Beat.
  4. Add 3 cups flour. Bear well. Cover.
  5. Let rise in warm place about 1 1/2 hour or until doubled.
  6. Add cardamon, raisins, citron, cherries and enough flour until dough pulls from side of bowl and is no longer sticky to the touch.
  7. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and satiny.
  8. Place in lightly greased bowl. Cover. Let rise about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
  9. Divide dough into thirds. Use 1/3 for each stollen.
  10. Roll on floured canvas into and 8×10 inch oval. Spread with melted butter. Press down center, fold over lengthwise.
  11. Place in shallow greased baking pans or on greased cooky sheets. Brush with melted butter.
  12. Let rise about 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
  13. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes.
  14. spread warm loaves with melted butter and roll in powdered sugar