Sandburg Family Holiday Recipes

Image of an open recipe book with Mrs. Sandburg's handwritten recipe for fruit cake.

NPS Photo

A Sandburg family holiday was full of cheer with wreaths made from waxy Galax leaves, Christmas trees picked right out of the Connemara woods, and Lilian Sandburg’s famous old-fashioned fruit cake and other dishes.

Throughout Mrs. Sandburg's cookbooks are a few hand-written recipes, likely adaptations of family favorites or recipes handed down through her family. Explore her recipes for fruitcake, pickles, crescent roles and more.

Mother's Fruitcake for Christmas

Mrs. Sandburg adapted this recipe from the Settlement Cookbook, which advertised its recipes as “The way to a man’s heart.” This rich recipe calls for almost eight pounds of fruit, along with a pound of butter, sugar and flour, nearly two pounds of nuts, and a dozen eggs, for each cake!

Let us know if you try it!

Mother's Fruit Cake for Christmas

Batter:
· 1 pound butter
· 1 dozen eggs
· 1 pound sugar
· 1 pound flour

Mix with flour:
· 1 teaspoon soda
· 1 teaspoon cinnamon
· 2 teaspoon nutmeg
· ½ cup white Karo syrup with 2 teaspoons molasses

Mix these fruits into batter:
· 1 pound candied cherries
· 2 ½ pounds pineapple
· 2 pounds dates, stoned
· 1 ½ pounds white raisins
· ¼ pound pecans
· 1 ¼ pound almonds
· 1 ½ pounds citron
· 1/8 pound orange peel
· 1/8 pound lemon peel
Mix 1/8 pound flour with fruit. Mix well.

Decorate the top of the cake with:
· 1 pound pineapple
· 1 pound cherries
· A few long slices of citron for leaves and stems
· Fill in with almonds and pecans

BAKE for four hours in a 225 degree oven. (The Connemara oven was slow, and required five hours baking time at 250 degrees)

Yeast Crescents

4 cup flour

½ cup Sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 package dry yeast

¼ cup warm water

½ pound (1 cup) melted butter

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs lightly beaten

Filling

Melted Butter

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoon cinnamon

Sift flour, sugar, salt. Soften yeast in water - add to melted butter - Eggs, sour cream that has been mixed and beaten. Add liquids to flour mixture and knead in large mixing bowl until dough leaves the sides of bowl cleanly. Cover – put in refrigerator – overnight or 6 hours. Then divide in four parts – roll each part in circle ¼ inch thick. Cut pie shape wedge about 12 wedges to each circle. Spread cooled melted butter on dough, sprinkle teaspoon of sugar mixed with cinnamon on each wedge. Start from outside roll end wedge in crescent shape as they are rolled. Let rise 1 hour – 375 in greased pan, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Cream Cheese Pastry / Deep Dish Prune Pie

Pie

6 cups halved fresh prunes (2 ½ pound)

1 lemon, juice and rined

1 ¼ cup sugar

3 tablespoon four

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon butter

Cream cheese butter crust. Arrange fruit on 10x6x12 or 8” sq pan. ½ crust. Add lemon juice and rind. Sprinkle mixture of sugar, flour, salt over fruit. Dab with butter. Top with loosely fitted crust. Press edges firmly onto rim of dish. Bake 35 minutes – 425

Pastry

1 stick butter

3 3oz cream cheese mixed thoroughly, room temperature

Cut the mixture into 1 ½ cup sifted butter

Bread & Butter Pickles

1 Gallon Cucumbers

8 small white onions

2 green peppers

½ cup salt

Slice vegetables, add salt, cover with cracked ice and let stand 3 hours. Drain.

4 cups sugar

2 tablespoon mustard seed

1 ½ tablespoon turmeric

1.2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon. Celery seed

4 cups vinegar (not too strong)

Mix and add to vegetables, heat to boiling point. Can.

Chicken Jubilee

4 frying chickens quartered

2 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic salt

½ cup butter, melted

1 cup water

2 medium onions sliced

½ cup raisins

1 12oz chili sauce

½ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

1 cup sherry

1 3oz bing cherries drained

Broil skin side up. Season – dabble with butter until brown. Combine rest of ingredients. Sugar, wine and cherries. Mix well. Pour over chicken in pan. Cover with foil. 325 for one hour. Add wine and cherries last 15 minutes of baking time.

Curried Shrimp and Bananas

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flower

2 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 ½ cups chicken broth

4 firm bananas

1 ½ tablespoon melted butter

1 ½ pound cooked shrimp

3 cups rice

½ cup minced parsley

Melt butter, blend flour, curry powder, and salt and pepper. Add chicken broth, sir until smooth. Put halved bananas in a shallow baking dish. Brush with melted butter. Pour ½ sauce over bananas. Bake 350 for 15 minutes. Heat shrimp in rest of the sauce and mix minced parsley. Press a well in center of mounded rice. Arrange bananas around rice, fill with shrimp.

We hope you enjoy making some of these holiday recipes for your family and friends!