Mary the Mad Baker!

What's in a name? Something about a rose smelling as sweet even when called belch blossom...Names are important. When I whipped out the "holiday bread" that I have been tending for the past two weeks, folks liked it. "Yummy!" seemed to be the word of the day. After my test subjects ate their pieces with gusto, I smilingly let the F-word drop. No, I didn't curse, but by the looks of shock, I might as well have. "Holiday bread" is the much preferred term of "Fruit cake." Everyone seemed stunned that something that has been the butt of so many jokes (What's left at the end of the world? Fruit cakes and cockroaches...)could taste decent. I took devilish delight in correcting their assumptions. Mary the Mad Baker, Defender of Innocent Baked Goods around the world!
Actually, I can't take the credit. There are a whole lot of bad fruit cakes in the world. There are members of my family who have seen me regurgitate one particularly bad example. Why did I go crazy and make one myself? Well, my cooking hero Alton Brown put an irresistible recipe for one on his show Good Eats. As I made only enough to ship to my family (one batch can make four mini-loaves), you can find the recipe here and make your own. For first timers, whatever you do, don't call it a fruit cake. Try trail mix bread or holiday bread. After you receive the compliments, feel free to drop the F-word. :)